Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-10-23
THE BIRDLlkEi LAUGH
[original.I

ground. The brook flowed merrlly,
sending back from below where it
tumbled over the rocks a pleasant
sound. Occasionally a bird in the top
most branches gave two melodious
notes, attuned to the brook, the low
ing Of cattle, the chopping of the
trunks of trees, the humming of in
sects-indeed, the harmony Of country
sounds. 1873
But what was that?? Like the notes
of the bird, yet something human in
it. At any rate, it was delicious. I
listened. There 1t is again. This time
I recognized a girls laugh. 1t was
more than a laugh; it was an express
sion of perfect happiness. AS the
sounds of the country were sttuned
to the notes of the bird all were at
tuned to this laugh.
l heard voices coming, and present
ly a bevy of young girls emerged frois
a copse. Among them was one whom
1 noticed beyond the rest. There were
tall girls and short girls, girls with
piercing black eyes, girls with thick
coils Of hair. The one / noticed was
like none of these. Her face was sim
pie pink and white innocence; her fig
ure a perfection of the ordinary. A
simplicity of attire, together with the
harmony of her various physical char
acteristics, led one to admire without
at first realizing what was admired.
Perfection rarely strikes us all at
once. 1t must have time to grow
on as.
Suddenly she burst into a laugh, the
birdlike ebullition 1 had heard a few
minutes before.
Doubtless some n Of her compan-
ions had said something amusing, but
1t did not appear that this was the
cause Of her merriment. 1t seemed
rather to be a spontaneous eutburst of
q happy soul, an innocent soul, a soul
that had never known suffering. 1t
was two notes at the end Of the laugh
Of the notes of the bird / had heard.
To me they seemed to rise to the
heavens, then come back as an echo.
They fioated among the branches of
the trees. l drank them in with the
air I breathed.
These fair creatures were like q
meteor in the sky-an appearance and
u disappearance, with nothing be-
tween. But now and again at inter-
walls / could hear that melodious laugh
mingled with others, each time grow
ing fainter till at last l was left with
those country sounds which had been
80 sweet, but now seemed to have lost
their sweetness.
Five years passed when I saw the
girl with the birdlike laugh again. |
was visiting the Golden Gate of the
west. One morning / was awakened
before day by a huge mass of plaster
falling on my chest. l jumped out of
bed and was thrown violently against
a %chiffonier. The building, a hotel,
seemed like a flag In a high wind. !
recognized the earthquake. l got down
on the floor and crawled to the door;
then as the rocking ceased l rose to
my feet and went downstairs and into
the street. Men and women were
there, nearly all in their nightclothes,
the women very properly covered in
long, flowing nightdresses.
Now, l had gone to bed the night
before unable to find two parts of the
same suit of pajamas. So I had put
on a green shirt and red trousers.
Having a cold. l had also worn a vel
low skullcap.
A. new shock came. 1t seemed to last
minutes, but its duration was only
seconds. The face of a building fell
into the street. New flames burst out
In every direction. A man was carried
by with blood streaming over his face.
There was a rush of cattle mingled
with men, women and children. Was
this pandemonium?
Suddenly above the discordant noises
1 heard a familiar sound. Was 1t an
angels voice speaking to the stricken
people to give them courage? Surely.
amid this frightful din a voice 80 heav-
emily could not come from a human be-
ing. 1 turned and there stood the girl
with the birdlike laugh. Beside her,
holding her hand, was her image, a
child of perhaps three years. She was
no longer a girl; she was q woman.
She was laughing at my red, green and
yellow attire.
Surely" 1 said, "if this woman can
laugh amid such surroundings, she will
laugh when the earth is burst asunder
and scattered through space.
l was destined to meet her a third
time and that in a few days. I was
working among the sick of the stricken
city when a man approached and asked
If I were a doctor. l replied that |
was, and he asked mi to go with him.
1 did SO and was taken to one of the
better class Of residences that had not
been burned. Mounting a staircase, I
was shown into q bedroom. A woman
met me at the door. 1 started. 1t was
she Of the birdlike laugh.
She led me into the room, evidently
not remembering ever having seen me
before. On a bed lay the child / had
seen holding her hand when she had
laughed at my incongruous costume.
| nl ..-Alo.. l11I,1l - A. NAT - 49,