Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-11-21
on AN AUTUMN WALK.
TaE GLoRiEs OLA FALL DAWN An
AMERICAN wooD.
sight. rhas shoa,d BE OF lassrs.s 60


on Their Journey southwark.
Recently there came q day such as
Is seen nowhere in the world save
America, and never even there save in
October. 1t was day which cannot be
fully described In wordsa day full
of glorious sunlight, OF life-giving air
and the odor of nuts, with just a tinge
Of sadness impaired by the songs OF
bluebirds, which. seemingly fragments
of the vault above them. We're tossed
to the southwark on the autumn wind
There was much work for my pen that
day, and all the morning | wrestled
with it--with my elbows on my desk
and my eyes looking through the win
dow and beyond, to a little lake. where
white-tipped wavelets leaped upon the
surface of the dark blue water. In the
afternoon | started to work at my
desk, but it was no use, so tossed the
pen into a pigeonhole and went into
the woods And such woods they were
In their autumn coloring. which can be
matched nowhere perhaps but in the
rainbow, the northern lights, in blood
and in fire.
In a glade in the woods, saw gray
squirrel eating nut, sitting mean
while on a carpet of fallen leaves--a
carpet in gorgeous contrast to his own
sober Dress He was not afraid. for
we had often met before, so sat down,
too. and watched him rip away the
hard shell by using his long front teeth
as levers. When he had finished. he
looked about until he found another.
and when he had eaten that he began
to gather grass and leaves, which he
carried in an oak tree nearby.
Thus occupied left him, and walked
through the wood until | saw between
the trees the blue waters of the lake.
Far away. a mile perhaps, was rock
projecting from the water, and 1t was
dazzling white with the plumage OF
seagulls which covered il. Other gulls
We're upon the wing. wheeling grace
fully in lazy circles far above their
brethren, and others still floated light
ly on the surface of the lake. bobbing
up and down among the whitecaps
from which at times 1t was impossible
to distinguish them. These things !
could see with my naked eyes, but with
my field glass l could see something
more. Out from the end OF point of
land were some little black dots, which
might have been stones in the water
but for the fact that stones would not
move about as those dots did They
Ii xa1r ta1. -
into the lake the night before to re-
main for time ere they continued
their journey to the southwark. made
a wide detour, keeping well under
cover, as / wished to see the birds at
closer range. Following belt of wood
land which skirted the shore of the
lake, came within quarter Of a mile
of the ducks without being seen. There
we're far more Of them than had sup
posed, between three and four hundred,
as near as / could count. but only a
few were In the water. The rest were
on the shore, sitting about in different
attitudes, preening their plumage or
dabbling in the mud among the stones
But some of them discovered me.
NJ
made for the water. and started to
swim away. But as though the speed
they made was not fast enough to
suit them. they took to the wing. and
wheeled around to the other side of
the point where they dropped into the
lake again. Between us was the round
ed back of a CLASSY promontory and
49,
ing ground. But soon the top was
reached and again | came in sight OF
the wild ducks, which turned to swim
away That | might see them nearer.
II only for a moment, | ran forward
toward the shore with all my might.
The ducks did not rise at once, but
when they found me gaining on them
they sprang from the water at first
few. but followed rapidly by the rest.
dark cloud filled with whistIing
wings and scattering a sunshower OF
heavy drops from their wet shining
feet. They we're not greatly alarmed.
and after short fight, they splashed
into the lake again, and became strung
out across the water, where with the
hRAto wv thty hiASht tdolIl Ue MIS-
taken for the shadow sides of wavelets.
But the ducks were not the only
birds which had ARMED. for the gulls
upon the rock had also arisen. half
thousand strong, whirling and turn
ms in the air like the flakes of Brob-
dinagian snow storm. And presently
they camel down to the water but not
with s splash. as the ducks had done;
they settled lightly, and paused for
just a moment with their shining pin
ions pointed to the sky. like the main
sails OF miniature yachts; and then the
sails were furled, and the white fleet,
riding high upon the water. was APP
parently at anchor
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES
Discover Honey I'm skull.
Thomas Sumner, Of Red Rock, Pa,
and his two sons felled tree on timber
49, - a LIfnt orv Grava Tho traa eaarpad