The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-06


chickens when she found a treasure
| and all the while clucked to herself
| with intense Inward satisfaction. Wal
| do as he sat with his knees drawn up to
| his chin and his arms folded Oh them
looked at it all and smiled. An evil
world, deceitful. treacherous, mirage
like world. it might be, but lovely
| world for all that, and to sit there
gloating in the sunlight was perfect
There are only rare times when a
mans soul can see Nature. So long as
any passion holds its revel there. the
eyes are holden that should not see her.
Go out. if you will, and walk alone on
the hillside in the evening, but if your
favorite child lies i'll at home or your
lover comes tomorrow, or at your heart
there lies a scheme for the holding of
wealth. then you will return as you
went out-you will have seen nothing
for Nature, ever, like the old Hebrew
God. cries out, "Thou shalt have no
other gods before me-" Only then,
when the old idol is broken, when the
old hope is dead. when the old desire is
crushed, then the Divine compensation
I OF Nature is lEduG uldAllCSl. OuC SAOWo
herself to you. So near she draws you
that the blood seems to flow from her
to you through still uncut cord. You
feel the throb of her life.
When that day comes that you sit
down broken, without one human crea-
ture to whom you cling, with your
loves the dead and the living dead;
| vEho hn fhirct for l.nnyv1p6tr 90
through long continued thwarting has
grown dull; when in the present there
is no craving and in the future no
hope, then, oh, with a beneicent ten
derness, Nature infolds you.
Then the large white snowflakes as
they flutter down softly, one by one,
whisper soothingly, REST, poor heart,
rest!' 1t is as though our mother
smoothed our hair, and we are comfort
ed
Well to die then, for, If you live, SO
surely as the years come, so surely as
the spring succeeds the winter so sure
~ will passions arise. They will creep
back, one by one, into the bosom thai
has cast them forth and fasten there
again, and peace will go. Desire, am
bition and the fierce agonizing flood
Of love for the living-they will spring
$ again. Then Nature will draw down
. her veil. With all your longing you
shall not be able to raise one corner.
. You cannot bring back those peaceful
days. Well to die then!
t Sitting there with his arms folded
on his knees and his hat slouched
Y down over his face. Waldo looked out
e into the yellow sunshine that tinted
: even the very air with the color Of ripe
;. corn and was happy.
d He was an uncouth creature, with
e small learning and no prospect in the
a future but that of making endless ia
bles and stone walls. yet it seemed to
e him as he sat there that life was 81 rare
e and very rich thing. He rubbed his
Il hands in the sunshine. All, to live on
d SO, year after year, how we'll! Always
e in the present, letting each day glide
l. bringing it's own labor and it's owl
r beauty, the gradual lighting up Of the
t hills night and the stars, freight ant
the Goals! To live on SO, calmly, fa1
g from the paths of men, and to look a
d the lives of clouds and insects, to lool
e deep into the heart Of flowers and SCI
20 how lovingly the pistil and the sta
n mems nestle there together, and to Sc,
t in the thorn pods how the little seed
lie suck their life through the delicat
n curled up string and how the little
)" embryo sleeps inside! Well. how we'll
" to sit so on one side, taking no part il
le the worlds life. but when great mer
g blossom into books looking into thos,
~ flowers also, to see low the worl,
ID of men, too, opens beautifully, leaf aft
b er leaf! All, life is delicious! Well t
1t live long and see the darkness break
lie ing and the day coming the day whe1
1T soul shall not thrust back soul tha
At would come to it, when men shall no
ut be driven to seek solitude because o
rs the crying out of their hearts for Low
and sympathy! Well to live long an
&c see the new time breaking! Well t
I'd live long! Life is sweet sweet. sweet
ne In his breast pocket, where of old tn
If broken slate used to be, there was no,
lie a little dancing shoe of his friend VIII
u was sleeping. He could feel it when b
folded his arm tight against his breas
~ tldd lutlI WIS wen iIlSO. lie GREW Ql
III hat lower over his eyes and sat so me
lg tionless that the chickens thought b
was asleep and gathered closer aroun
IN him. One even ventured to peck at hi
er. boot, but it ran away quickly. Tin,
X, yellow fellow that it was, it kne,
that men were dangerous. Even slee]
se, ing they might awake. But Waldo di
llf not sleep and, coming back from hi
1T sunshiny dream, stretched out his han
ed for the tiny thing to mount. But tt
ne chicken eyed the hand askance an
VS. then ran off to hide under it's mother
ar- wing, and from beneath it it SOM
times put out it's round head to peep :
I'd. the great figure sitting there. Present.
vn it's brothers ran OF after little whit
he moth, and it ran out to join them, an
i'd when the moth futtered away ov,
lat their heads they stood looking up di
tod r ho