The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-02-28
in THE SUNNY SOUTH.
Harry Wilcox Gives Some Character
istic Observation.

y
ed and made other audible signs OF
internal distress wnen she tried to
play. BY a vigorous and continuous
effort, however, she soon learned TO
chord 1.-THE Sweet Sunny South" AMI
sing like a Sunday school at a prize
contest at an Eisteddfod. think
she lived on green corn most of the
time, for her voice always sounded
husky. Later in life / discovered
that homesick coyote on a dark
night was full of the same classic
harmony. When my system used to
yearn for music would walk down
by this maiden's home and gather
up what 1 needed as it floated out on
the evening breeze and fell among
me in large fragments.
There was one song that / never
forgot; that is because | have good
memory 1t was the only one she
could play, too. The chorus sounded
like this:
'Take me home, take me nome,
To the sweet sunny south.
Take me home
Where the hooking bird sings me
To rest every night
Oh why was tempted to roam?"
never discovered who it was that
tempted Matilda to roam until !
came down acre. The old timers
have given it away.
It seems that rations were about as
scarce in these parts at that time as
a senior medical students whiskers,
so Matilda's father decided to 1913"
He went over to a neighbor who was
not at nome one dark night and Dor
rowed a couple of mules in order
that he could "2S" more fuently.
Coming to his own cabin, his wife
and daughter, in an unguarded nom.
ent, yielded to the tempter, put on
their divided skirts, stradiled a mule
and rode away in the darkness for
about three weeks.
They finally discovered 1t was Ma.
tilda's week to take her music les
sons, so they stopped and bought ar
organ.
The organ was in our precinct.
Matilda, being a natural musician,
soon learned to cord blackjack wood
daytime and The Sweet Sunny
South" evenings, so that the family
prospered, and aside from the pelt up
yearning in her chest for the old
nest, lived happy ever after.
With the old refrain ringing
through my cerebellum like cathed'
raj gong on a cukoo clock, boarded
a train headed toward Dixie land.
had never been lulled to sweet re-
pose with a softer note than the sad
and tremulous wall of broken heart
ed jackass or the sweet and sonorous
refrain of mothers old sewing ma
chine belt, so l lo1ged to hear
mocking bird flutter its wings in the
cleaning and pour out about two gal
Ions of soothing melody just beneath
my easement while pulled off my
shoes and some other raiment I am
in the habit of wearing, and got into
my night shirt That is why l came
down south.
If ever fellow needs to be sootheo
and comforted it is just prior tc
prayers, while he is wrestling with a
small but reluctant knot in his shoe
string.
We were due to arrive in this coun-
try at 6:15 p. m, but as usual, the
train was five hours late.
1 registered at a hotel and prepar-
ed for bed as quickly as possible.
Contrary to expectations, the mock
ing bird was not there to sing a well
coming note. / looked at my watch
and decided that she had retired lit
tie early, perhaps, on account of the
fog.
The next night l went to my room
early. The stars were shining and
the wind was in the right direction,
so felt perfectly positive 1 would
hear her twitter.
was ready for bed and sat in an
xious suspense, when presently
heard the f1utter of wings, just be-
meath my window. / listened to it
III DISdluleS5 SCoLdCy. Int udppg
moment had come when should fall
asleep to the strains of sweet, sweet
bird. But alasi Her 'tstrailer" was
out of tune! The rustic of feathers
ceased AMI the clarion notes of the
prima donna of the night rent the air
in twain for six blocks
"Cock-a-D Doodle Doo!!!"
This seemed to wake up all the
other hooking birds in Greer county,
who Joined in the cock-o-doodle-doo
business until they made noise, in
the presence of which the grand SUI
preme climatic discord in Parsifal
would sound like a tune on mouth
organ.
This sings me to sleep every
night" business is all dfsappoint-
ment and a delusion down here, and
people ought to know the facts about
it. Why, we have an old rooster at
home that crows like the plumbing in
his throat was out Of ix-that IN my
opinion sounds more like a mocking-
bird than anything with feathers on
it south OF the Mason and Dixon line.