Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-08-28
THE OLD APPLE TREE


had arranged to spend the day on
the river. l had not met him for
years, not since our Balliol days, until
I saw him again after seven years at
the varsity sports in the early spring.
Then eight or nine of US, all old Balliol
men, dined together, and we had a re-
freshing talk over all that had occurred
while was away in Canada. Six years
Of 1t l had there, and when 1 returned
was surprised to find SO much altera-
uon in everything and everybody. But
dear old Fry was the same as ever,
stanch and genuine and generous.
When 1 met him in Lombard street,
a fortnight before, it was he who had
suggested and settled the details of our
trip on the river 1t was to be on June
15, and we We're to have had a long,
healthy, exhilarating day, with plenty
Of hard exercise and long chat about
old times-old chums that we were.
The day came and was in river-rig
at the bcathouse agreed upon half an
hour earlier than we had mutually
fixed. But Fry did not come. The
half hour went, and another, and an
tating than to have to hang about for
another fellow to turn up when one Is
alone like that. At last, 1 got a note
by his servant. If he had sent a wire,
] should have had his message sooner,
but old-fashioned courtesies still char
acterize Fry, and he sent his groom
eleven miles with long note of expla
nation and apology.
His excuse for not coming seemed to
me fiimsy one. His wife's father had
fxed q sudden meeting Of family trus-
tees, and afterward he had to see his
sister on business of consequence re-
lating to a trust. However, whether
1t was an excuse or whether it was
q reason, he was not coming with me
for our projected river trip-that was
clear; and now that knew he was not
to Join me, 1 was content. 1t was an
noying, and, as I really loved dear old
Fry, it was disappointment. But 1
trust am too philosophic to feel any
thing deeply that cannot be helped. 1
countermanded the pair skiff and had
out single canoe.
7 In five minutes 1 was ION the bosom
of old Father Thames" The hackneyed
words, as l thought Of them, were in
themselves a comfort and as padded
ON l thought how a gay heart wants
no friend. Solitude has charms deeper
than society can afford. Out of my
memory teemed troops of friends, and
they were with me as 1 willed. They
came at my call and vanished as 1
wished when thought of another sug-
xested Even Fry himself, with his
hearty laugh, his loyal, brotherly spirit,
communed with me, and was dispelled
again as a more recent chum who had
tracked many a bear with me in Can
ada haunted my memory.
was now in lovely backwater more
beautiful than the Thames itself. The
bankside flowers were more abundant
and nearer to me-indeed, they hedged
me about. The pale blue eyes of innu-
merable forget-me-nots smiled upon me,
the yellow toad-f1ax grew out of the
clay banks, wild roses and brambles
bloomed amidst their thorns, the leaves
Of the osiers whispered everywhere,
and weeping willows hung their arch
ing boughs right across the narrow
creek which it now pleased me to ex-
plore.
The water was clearer, too-wonder-
fully clear it was. Padding slowly
along between the lawns, looked into
the depths Of the water with all it's,
wealth and wonder of plant growth, the
waving forest Of submarine weed,
where 1 could see shoals of minnows.
Now and then a school of perch, start
led by my paddle, darted into the shad-
Ow of the weed, and huge jack, sulk-
ing In deep green pool, made me long
for a rod and line.
Whilst thus engrossed, bending my
head over the side of the canoe, In
which 1 continued to drift slowly along,
I failed to notice how narrow the creek
had become, until suddenly found my
self close to lady lying on lawn
10 close that I was almost touching
her. She was quite at the edge Of the