The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-18

The rain swept down upon the
marshes in long thin slants and the
girl paused to gaze upon it with de-
lighted eyes. Sidney Lanier's lines
were in her heart and presently she
gave them voice, joying with sympathy
in the scene before her:
eye marshes, how candid and simple
and nothing Withholding and free.
Ye publish yourselves to the sky and
offer yourselves 10 the sea,
Tolerant plains, that suffer the sea and
the rains and the sun
Ye spread and span like the catholic
man who has nightly won
God out Of knowledge and good out of
infinite pain,
And sight out of blindness, and purity
out of d stain.
She gazed a moment and then
tramped on through the wet, turning
her head from time to time that the
east wind might dash the fine rain
against her face.
How glorious it was. All this fresh
air and freedom after that close,
smelly sitting-room at home.
And those poor pitiful creatures,
oramped up in stuffy chairs worship
ing their serene Themes" she muir
INJURED. Because it is customary to
stay indoors when ii rains, they would
die for want of fresh air rather than
not stay there" And she splashed her
rubber boots delightedly through a
shining pool of new-fallen water
Il have little use for you, o Themes.
Your ideas OF right and wrong do not
satisfy the deeper instincts of my soul.
Your eternal fitness of things appears
to me as a shallow subterfuge."
Some one laughed at her elbow.
And souls have instincts?"
1t is you she commented. calmly.
Me" he admitted, "in my prehis-
terie duck paraphernalia.' The girl
laughed.
'eYou look it-every inch" she criti-
cised, frankly.
- You didn't suppose that I was go
ing to let you go gadding about in the
rain alone, did you?''
How was 1 to know that you were
aware of my gadding?" she parted.
Ny study has a window, and so has
my SOUL
1.SYour soul
Il believe that is what poets call it.
Don't they talk some sort of exquisite
cot the soul?"
=. 20. You must excuse my density
A poetical allusion from you is as I'M
expected as moonlight at midday.
-Stiii," she continued, thoughtfuliy, Il
came by the wagon road and that is
beyond your range of vision"
se''Sot when my power of sight is re-
enforced by a spy-glass." he turned
and looked at her. Which it was"
he said, slowly.
And how do you justify such pro-
eeedings to your serene Themes?" she
Knocked. rs a spy-glass watch upon
the movements of your women ac-
quaintances customary? Does ii coin
eide with her ideas of the eternal fit
ness of things?"
Il don't care for the serene Themes, -
he returned. recklessly. The girl sat
down upon q stump and looked out
at the rain-sweot marshes.
Behold his household god is in the
dust. The ashes are cold upon its
affairs
Nonsense, Get up from there.
Deff't you know better than to sit
down IN rain"
11sf am a tr!he stupehed. When 1
Near ones friend deride his chosen
goddess
y17'Oh, Nan, have done! I knew that
YOU could not keep away from the
Q marshes on such day as this,
80 But you did not propose to besoat-
ter your rubber coat on an uncertain
W, she remarked. wickedlv. The col
or surged up slowly in his wet cheeks.
You ought not to be so hard on
Themes he said with a brave at
tempt at indifference. "She was the
mother of Peace and Justice and the
sFates"
And because the sins of the par
ents are visited upon the children, the
virtues of the children should reflect
Upon the parents? But still. my friend
j must admit small admiration for
your goddess Of custom. Her golden
chains are more binding than any of
the iron links forged by Vulcan"