The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-20

came fiuttering to the grove 20 Join
their revelry.
o brighter than dream toward the
boy that swung his hat from the tree
top near the brook swept the procession
OF children from the town And he
flushed with some strange ecstacy as
he saw a little girl in white. with a
wreath Of evergreen. wave her crimson
sash in answer TO him. while the col
umn slowly fled across the open bridge,
where yet again he saw her reappear
in the reflection of the stream bel0w.
Then, after the dull opening of prayer,
and the more tedious exercises follow
ing. how the woods did RUG with
laughter; how the boys We'd with one
another in their labors of arranging
swings and clearing underbrush away
preparatory to a day Of unccn6ned en-
joyment; and how the girls shriezed TO
see the black man coming" and how
coquettishly they struggled when cap
tured and carried of By that dread
being. and yet what eagerness they
displayed in his behalf, And Ring
men and women even joining in the
game. and kissing one another's wives
and husbands like mad Why, even
the ugly old gentleman, With a car
buncle on the back of his neck. grew
riOtOuS with mirth. and when tripped
full length upon the sward by the little
widow in half mourning, hustled MIN
bly, TO his feet and kissed her, with
some wicked pun about grass widows
that made him laugh Till his face grew
as red as his carbuncle- That bashful
young man who had struggled of alone,
sitting so uncomfOrtably upon log,
killing bugs and spiders, like an ugly
giant with a monster club-how ne
must have envied the airy freedom Of
those old boys and girls
linen there was a 2rorsrl Of older man
talking so hong and earnestly about
the weather and the crops that they
had not discovered that the shade of
the old beech they sat beneath had
stolen silently away and left them sit
ting in the sun. and was even then
performing It's refreshing office for
big, sore-eyed dog, who, with painting
jaws and lolling tongue, was winking
away the lives of a swarm of gnats
with the most stoicaI Indifference.
And so time wore along till dinner came,
and women, with big open baskets. bent
above the snowy cloths spread out upon
the grass, arranging the substantials''
and the dainties of a feast too varied and
rean memories 10 describe And then the
abandon OF the vOracious guests No
dainty affectiOns-no formality-no ETH
/ quette-no anything but the fun sway
! Of healthful appetites melted by the ex
-hilarant exercises of the day into keen
| est rapacity ana relish
| Don't you think it's going TO rain p
! asked some one. suddenly. A little rosy
| g1lLSd gentleman, with the aid of chicken
/ leg for a lever. raised his fat face sky
i ward, and after serious contemplation
| of the clouds wouldn't say for certain
| whether il would rain or not, but in
| formed the unfortunate querist, after
| pulling his head into its usual position
! and laying down the lever to make room
/ for bite OF bread. that If il didn't rain
snOrted a mimic snowstorm of bread
| crumbs on his. vis-a-vis, who looked
| Wronged and said he guessed he'd take
| another piece of that-air pie down there
! 1t was looking very much like rain by
| the time the dinner things were cleared
| away. Anxious mothers, with preserve
| here and there with such ordinations TO
/ the men folks as DO hurry up and
For goodness sake, John, take the baby
till I find my parasOl." and There.
Thomas. Jon't lug that basket off ill
find my pickle dish
| Already the girls had left the swings.
| which were being taken down. and were
| tying handkerchiefs over their hats and
| standing in deSpairing contemplation OF
the ruin of their dresses. Some one
| called from the stand for the ladies' not
| TO be at all alarmed ii wasn't going to
| rain, and there wasn't a particle OF dan
ger of -; but there a clap OF thunder
| Interrupted. and went on growing men
| acingly. while a little girl, with her hair
! blown wildly over her bare shoulders, and
with a face, which moment before
| gIowed like her crimson scarf. now
| whittier than her snowy dress, ran past
| the stand and fell fainting TO the ground
| us there doctor on the groundSE called
a loud voice in the distance, and, without
waiting for a response-"F'or Goo sake
come here quick; a boy has fallen from
the swing and maybe killed hlnSSlr.
And then the crowd gathered round n n
there. men with white faces, and fright
| ened women and little. shivering children,
Whose boy is it,
| seIush; here comes his father" And
| the good minister. with stark features ana
| cIinched hands. passed through the surg
ing throng that closed behind him even
! as the waves on Pharaoh
Did I say all were excited? Not All
| for there was one calm face, though very
paIe-paIer vet for being piilowed on the
/ green grass and the ferns.
You mustn't move me-. the boy Sald
when he could speak; tell EN- 70 come
! here He smiled and tried TO lin ano
! fold his arms about his fathers neck
Poor father! Poor father as though
| s0ea king to himself. Il always loved you
| father. only you'd never believe lt-neNei
! believe il Now you viii. III see mother
| now-rnother- Don't cry-Im hurt ana
| don't cry. And III see the teacher, uoc
He said I would He said We woulc a.,
| yravs be together there where's amy
, Tell her-tell her" But that strange IN
| ending silence fell upon his lips, and as
the diving eyes looked up and out be
vond the signing tree tops. he smiled II
catch 4 CLEAN Of sunshine through the
foolish cloud that tried so hard TO weep.