The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-01
Az Autun)D Walk
BY Ernest Harold Baynes.

7 Asst week there came a day such as
Is seen nowhere in the world save
America. and never even there
save in October. 1t was a day which
cannot be fully described in Words
day full of glorious sunlight, Of life
giving air. and the odOr OF nuts. with
just tinge of sadness impaired by the
songs of bluebirds which. seemingly
fragments of the vault above them,
were tossed 20 the southwark on the
autumn wind. There was much work
for my pen that day, and all the morn
ing 1 wrestled with it-with my elbows
on my desk and my eyes looking
through the window and beyond, to a
little lake. where white-tipped wave
lets leaped upon the surface Of the dark
blue water. In the afternoon. i started
10 work at my desk, but il was no
use. so 7 tossed the pen into a pigeon
hole and went into the woods And
such woods they were I'm their autumn
coloriug- which can De matched no
7vEere perhaps but I'm the rainbow, in
the northern lights, i'm blood and in fire.
And i'm the fields around about the color
scheme was carried OIt in the foliage
O, the sumachs i'm the scarlet hips OF
the Wild rose bushes. and IN the berries
OF the bitter-sweet and the bushes in
the hedge rows.
To a glade ina the woods I saw a gray
squirrel eating a nut sitting meanwhile
ON carpet Of fallen leayes-a carpet
in gorgeous contrast TO his own sober
dress. He was not afraid for we had
often met before, so I sat down. too.
ana 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 me began to gather
grass and leaves. which he carried 90
an almost completed nest IN an oak
tree near by. Thus occupied I left him.
ard walked through the wood until I
saw between the trees the blue waters
OF the lake Far away, "a mile perhaus
was a rock projecting from the water
ana 20 was dazzling white with the
plumage Of sea gulls which covered It..
Other guils We're upon the wing wheel
ing gracefully iu lazy circles far above
their brethren, and others stil foated
lirhtly on the surface OF the lake bob
bus MP and down amongst the white
caps from which at times it was i'm
possible 10 distinguish them. These
things 7 could see with my naked eyes,
but With my field glass 1 could see
something more. Out from the end OF
point of land were some little black
dots, which might have been stones I'm
the water Dut for the fact that stones
would not move about as these dots did.
They were black ducks. which had
dropped into the lake the night before
60 remain Tor time. ere they continued
their journey % the southwark. I made
q wide detour keeping well under COW
Pr as 7 wished to- see these birds az
loser range. Following belt OF
Woodland which skirted the shore OF
DE lake. I came within a quarter of a
nile OF the ducks without being seen.
There were far more Of them than I had
imposed. between 900 and 400. as near
IS i could count. but only a few were
the water. The rest were on the
more, sitting about in different atti-
.udes, Dreening their plumage or dab
bling In the mud and among the stones.
But some OF them discovered me, I
hink. for the whole flock suddenly
made for the water and started 20 swim
away. But as though the speed they
made was not fast enough TO suit them
hey 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 rounded back of
grassy promontOry, and across this
vent. hidden by the rising ground. But
tOon the top was reached. and again
lame in sight Of the wild ducks which
turned to swim away. That I might
Bee them nearer, If only for a moment
ran forward toward the shore with al
my might The ducks did not rise al
once but when they found me GAINING
On them they sprang from the water
at first a few. but followed rapidly by
he rest, a dark cloud filled with whis-
ling wings and scattering a sunshowel
Of heavy drops from their wet and shin
ng feet They were not greatly
alarmed. and after a short flight they
splashed into the lake again, and be-
tame strung out across the water. where
With the naked eve they might easily
be mistaken for the shadow sides OF
Wavelets But the ducks were not Tho
My birds which had alarmed for th,