The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-12-20
[Contihued from page eight. ]

pendent on the great harvests, on the :
bountiful farm; were they not happy,
contented. unquestioning? Was she not :
happy too? Had she anything to COM
plain Of, to regret, to wish forf
Suddenly out Of the hush came the :
cry Of the whippoorwill, that piercing, :
mournful voice Of the vacant, wind
blown fields, of meadows Towering IN I
seen and far away. 1t thrilled her like
a pain. 1t stabbed her through and I
through and cut her to the heart with
its questioning, solitary call, hidden in
the twilight cf the woods
She had heard it so often, year after
gear. like the robin and the lark. New
er had it sounded so lonely, so friend
less and apart. a strange longing :
swelled up III her LrSast; tears filled
her eyes. The years of her life, with
their simple tasks, their ambitions,
hopes and dreams. came to her like
some vast tiGal wave upon sunny
shore. withdrawing in long resound-
ing sigh at the absence Of some I'M
known joy. She stared through the |
warm darkness toward the edge of the
woods outlined against the evening as
though one should try to read the soul
Of a silhouette Then she dropped her
face in her hands for single minute.
At o'clock in the morning Mary
was in the garden picking the vegeta-
bles for dinner. The sunshiny, dew
fresh day, the beans and cabbages In
their prim symmetry, the tall scarlet
hollyhocks nodding against the fence,
made the experience of the night be-
fore very remote and visionary.
AS Mary reached the end of the row
of peas she pushed back her sunbonnet
and looked up; then her song stopped
and she knelt silently.
A young man was standing on the
other side of the garden wall looking
at her. He blushed as he met her
steady, smiling gaze. picking peasY'
he asked. you've got a lot haven't
your"
Eyes, indeed; plenty this year. Have
your
"All we can eat and more too. Get
ting old, though How are these" He
crossed the wall and stood beside her.
yours are pretty tender yet" He tore
off another pod. "Shan't l help you?
Two can work better than one"
ooh, thank you; you needn't bother
Yet she smiled at him.
"Oh, / like to do this I'll take the
inside of the row."
Its very kind Of you" she an
swered, looking up at him sweetly.
How brown and strong and sinewy
he had grown since he had begun to
work in the harvest fields. She had not
seen him for a long while, not since
they were in school together. She was
looking at him again when he glanced
up and caught her eyes. This time
they both blushed. They said nothing
for some time. Mary picked busily,
and the boy whistled half to himself.
They were beside each other, with
nothing between them but the slender
trellis of pea vines, enough to give the
boy courage to say, "Did you hear the
whippoorwill last night|
Mary felt fash that made hei
nerves Jingle.
ooh, did ~ou too?" she exclaimed
then stopped. abasEed at her owl
eagerness. How could Alyy under
stand the confession she had made t(
a whippoorwill just because it was un
seen? "Where was it?" she asked
with all the carelessness she coult
summon.
"Down in the wood lot about hall
past g. 1 was coming home cross lott
back of your barn; been up at the 9th
er farm all day"
e.ln How
pretty Mary was with her braided vel
low hair, her rose pink ears, he
smooth lidded, down dropping eyes
The rufile of her apron, with its crisl
curves. seemed meant to hedge he
cheeks from kisses.
Alvy felt his heart throb dizzily. .
many words and thoughts went roun'
and round in his head that he coul'
not say one. And there was the scree
of brush and vines between then
The delicate film of green was stron
as a prison grille through which ID
serene face of the girl glowed upo
him. Somehow their hands met upo
the same pods. Mary's trembled, the
= lay still in his.
Il saw you up on the roof" WINS
AZ pered the boy. You were hslenin'
se- weren't your
ne Mary nodded.
1r- "Do you-do you like to hear !
sm Mary? Do you like the whippoorwlii
ne Mary's lip trembled. Il don't know
1 guess So" .,
because he-he loves you, Mary.
ial MARY, Mary, where are you
ids The two in the garden sprang up
2si- tbe shrilI voice called from the kltche
in AS the boy leaped over the fence In
VS. his own orchard Mary looked ait'
the him. From the trees among which
Dy disappeared came clear, low and swe
+ha coll of the whippOorwill.