The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-10-24
NUMBER Sc.

RChoCui oh lnC EEtdl udINeSLS, Oh IQS
bountiful farm; were they not happy.
contented, unquestioning? Was she not
happy too? Had she anything to COM
plain of, to regret, to wish for?
Suddenly out of the hush came the
cry of the whippoorwill, that piercing,
mournful voice of the vacant, wind
blown fields, of meadows Towering un-
seen and far away. 1t thrilled her like
. pain. 1t stabbed her through and
through and cut her to the heart with
its questioning, solitary call, hidden in
the twilight of the woods.
She had heard it so often, year after
year, like the robin and the lark. New
er had it sounded SO lonely, 30 friend
less and apart A strange longing
swelled up In her breast; tears filed
her eyes The years Of her life. with
their simple tasks, their ambitions,
hopes and dreams, came to her like
some vast tidal wave upon q sunny
shore, withdrawing In a long resound-
ing sigh at the absence Of some un-
known joy. She stared through the
warm darkness toward the edge Of the
woods outlined against the evening a.
\ though one should try to read the soul
I Of silhouette. Then she dropped hee
face in her hands for a 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 sunbonne<
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 peasr'
he asked. You've got a lot. haven't
your
Yes. indeed; plenty this year. Have
your
"Al we can eat and more too. Get
ting old, though. How are theseT He
crossed the wall and stood beside her.
yours are pretty tender yet" He tore
OF another pod. "Shan't l help youf
Two can work better than one"
"Oh. 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 a flash that made he1
nerves tingle.
ooh. did you. too?" she exclaimed
then stopped, abashed at her OWL
' eagerness. How could Alvy under.
stand the confession she had made tc
T whippoorwill just because it was un
seen? Where was itY she asked
: with all the carelessness she could
summon
5 Down in the wood lot about hall
9 pastrS was coming home cross loti
e back Of your barn; been up at the 9th
] er farm all day."
: They were picking slowly now. How
{ pretty Mary was with her braided yel
+ low hair, her rose pink ears, he
r i cp,o,<h I;d1od dcu-n drooninr ovoo
s The ruff1e of her apron. with its crisl
a | curves, seemed meant to hedge he
a cheeks from kisses
J. Alvy felt his heart throb dizzily. s.
e many words and thoughts went rount
d and round in his head that he coul'
e not say one. And there was the screel
y of brush and vines between them
e The delicate film of green was suonl
r as a prison grille through which tn
e serene face of the girl glowed upol
(, him. Somehow their hands met upO
, the same pods. Mary's trembled, the
d lay still I'm his.
It 81 saw you up on the roof" whif
<. pered the boy. You were listening
= weren't your
r Mary nodded
u do yOu-uO you Ike W uenH y
J. Mary? Do you like the whippoorwill?
# Mary's lip trembled- Il don't know
guess So"
% Because he-he loves you. Mary"
d MARY, Mary, where are your
E. The two in the garden sprang up q
IT the shrill voice called from the kitcheI
ic AS the boy Ieaped over the fence int
IN his own orchard Mary looked afts
e, him. From the trees among which B
I'd disappeared came clear. low and swet
a the call of the whippoorwill.