The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-11-15

he waXed fat upon the flesh that had
fallen beside the trail. Go thou also
out into the vast outof-doors. Sleep
In the open air, battle not in the tub
of eneryating hot water but in the run
ming stream, tempered by the sun.
shine and wind, breathe the life.glying
oxygen garnered from fields, woods
and ocean deep into every lung cell
exercising every muscle and thus shall
every organ become sound and every
function normal, irritable nerves will
md solace and brooding. morbid
thoughts will take wings and fly away
into the abysmal kingdom of darkness.
Slumber meath the stars.
Because there was no indoors and
tent was impracticable we slept I'M
der the stars. What an impressive ex.
perience 1t is to sleep thus away from
human habitations! Looking up into
the sky, with the world enveloped In
the hush and darkness of night, the
immensely and majesty of the uni.
verse becomes overwhelming. The
isolation, solemnity and mystery the
ineffable peace and calm of earth and
sky wooes the mind from cares and
sorrows and sleep, with gentlest touch,
steals down and lures the senses away
into the pleasant valley of dreams.
Oh, victim of insomnia, tossing upon
couch OF down and accursed by the
demons of unrest that troop through
al mi n L.,
absolute cowardy despair you drug
yourself into stuporous lethargy, go
out and make your bed beneath the
stars, where the soothing hand of ma
ture can rest upon your feyered brain
and bring sleep infinitely sweeter than
from poppy juice, for the procession
comes not here, the band plays not,
the shrieking of whistles, Changing of
gongs, stamping of steel-shod horses
on adamant and all the nerve-racking
and peace-destroying devices of the
city are unheard and unknown but
only restful nature to reconstruct de-
ranged nerves and
Rae out the written troubles of
the brain,
And cleanse the stuff'd bosom of
that perilous stuff
That weighs upon the heart"
A river is great theme for con-
temptation as one glides down its
placid surface. 1t is thing of vary
ing moods yet perpetual and ever-en-
during, Interchangeable through human
agency, coming as if out Of infinity
and going out into eternity, yesterday
a cloud in the sky, today trickling past
our paddles, tomorrow resting in the
ocean, ever rtturning and renewing
itself and flowing ever down from
earth's beginning to the end of time
Much of the immediate pathway of
river is through a primitive world
upon which agriculture has not yet
laid it's profane hands and this lends
an added charm to a trip in a canoe,
for hidden away in natural woods,
deep down below the level of the
country about we tread the devious
ways of the stream between sand bars,
around fallen trees all unconscious of
cultivated fields and homes that lie
beyond the rivers wooded banks. The
wild life along river would surprise
one who traverses a country only by
railroad or the public highways. The
sunny, sheltered banks, where cold
winds or chilling rains can not reach,
give sanctuary to innumerable birds
who find food and drink abundant
90 lNS,
animals use the river as a home, a
food resort and highway. 1t is won.
derful what a number of fur-bearing
animals still survive along Nebraska
streams. The ubiquitous, muskrat,
the mink, otter, beaver, coon are still
numerous enough to make trapping
exceedingly profitable, and what was
our surprise while in camp one night
to be serenaded by a bob. cat. We
found his tracks next day and secured
photographs of them. But Of all the
hosts that frequent the river or it's
banks the black cap warbler is the
delight of the autumnal camper. The
song sparrow and grosbeck give inter
mittent bursts of plaintive melody but
the exquisite little warbler is every
where, CHEEKY, trustful and social,
scorning to take fright at gun or dog.
What an optimistic note is his, sug-
gestive Of budding trees and blossoms,
so different to the dispirited squawk
of most birds in autumn. What a pity
it is that we do not learn more about
the birds. Call the roll Of the finches,
grosbecks, bobolinks, buntings and
horned lark and ask the passerby to
identify them and the reply will gen.
orally be "sparrows."
Strange it is how few of the multi
tudinous and really useless impedi-
menta we cucumber and surround our
selves with in our homes are required
when we go back to nature, for nature
possesses the subtle art of supplying
our wants and curbing civilization-ac-
quired habits and desires, Less
| olotbao ora ranuirod for ba cuctap,