Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-01-29
Language of
The Woods.
ey ETHEL HARRINGTON.
Copyrighted. 1907. Wy Jessie Morgan.

Spring held sway over the spurs Of
the Aiieghanies. Around Eliza Jane
was the breadth of moist earth. the
pungent odor of cedar, green shoots
and wild pink azaleas. Below the call
Of the robin came the purring Of the
mountain stream, little to the left.
As it crawled over its STONY bed, lap
ping tender mosses on either side and
stirring ferns and tiny white violets
into active growth.
Eliza Jane. seated on q decaying log
her feet deep in dry brown leaves. was
conscious of all this. though her eyes
and fingers were busy over the writing
pad resting on her knee. She was writ
ing verses. Back of her consciousness
was little silent laugh at the foolish
ness Of such an occupation for her.
staid teacher in New England school.
Ten years had she held the position.
Never in all that period had she so
wasted precious hours. 1t was as II the
past had been suddenly recalled. A
certain memorable day spent in the
Maine woods seemed by reason of her
present environment but yesterday.
whereas In truth it dated further back
than the monotonous grind of school
routine that now enslaved her. The
teacher salved her self respect for such
q frivolous impulse with the reminder
that II was vacation time. Work of
any sort had been prohibited on pain
Of nerves. already severely taxed. fail
ing in the coming winter.
She had inscribed the title above her
effusion in her neat. still writing.
Language of the Woods" and the
simple words. faulty enough as poetry.
were illumi:3e.l with sincerity The
language of the woods. un,ea:rl fu-
years, now in different section 81 he.
country came clear AMI inristent ny oa
that other holiday Agl!:, she t,,rs.,.i
the nurmuF of hope in tie swish Of
tall naples. drowning the Sigh of re-
gret among dark pines The b-i al
white Of the dogwood rose aSai:st
cloudless sky White, wind sw:lyel
anemones. great purple viotets and
creeping pologala. thrusting frail
heads high through deea. inE leavec
all spoke of impe-ishable youth AZ
love. 4 Cogn,e Of lines IN h. !,''le
verses brocg..t faint tiaga of CO... -
Eliza James pale cheek:
Amid lightning and hailstoncs and rain.
Cane loves kiss in the pine woods O.
Maine.
She let them remain because. lie
an echo of the language of which she
wrete, they seemed TO belong here
Presently the rhymes were completed.
and. dropping both pad and pencil in.o
the basket that she had brought Il
earry home such mountain treasures
as she might find. she rose and
stretched her arms with luxurious
abandon. II was wonderful to be free
from the cramp and irksome strain
Of routine She breathed long and
deeply Of the invigorating air
II wonder. Elias. do you. too. remen
Der? But Of course not: you're man
don't myself. except here. where one
feels as II actually coming alive again
after being petrified. shall forget
my dignity when go back It's only
the language Of the woods after all
Eliza Jane laughed half regretfully
1t was not unnatural that the place
should stir. sentiment In her. 1t was
the same town to which Elias Smith
had come after their misunderstood.
ing, before they quite lost track of
each other. Once, writing to her
cousin, she casually inquired for her
old friend. But Mrs. Hart answered
that. while she heard Of numberess
Smiths, she had yet to come across
one called Elias, which. in her judg-
ment. was a mercy. since it was an
ugly name, Scripture or no Scripture:
hence when Eliza Jane accepted the
invitation she had done so confident
she ran no risk Of meeting with her
boy lover.
Catching sight through the tange OF
underbrush Of Il glowing mass Of
azaleas, she pushed her way through,
eagerly filling her hands. From one
shrub TO another she wandered. some
times higher up the mountain side.
sometimes dropping back. but always
adding to her blossoms. When she
could carry no more Eliza Jane paused
for breath The fash of scarlet and
glossy black OF tanager caught her
eye, and she held herself GREATNESS
so as not TO scare him away.
When the green tangle swallowed
him up she realized her own fatigae
and retraced her steps to fnd her has
ket. Search as she would. she CON-.
not come upon it. Back and forth vie
walked, now climbing afresh the
rocky incline. now descending With
greater speed. At times stray bits OF
azalea caught on alien shrubs made
her realize with disgust that she was
covering ground already troddeD Her
watch proved the hour late; dinner
would be over and her cousin anxious
at her nonappearance. OF small value
In itself. the basket could be easily re-
placed. but the little spinster did not
relish leaving her inspiration org the
woods to the mercy OF any stranger
nagging that way In the epd Sha woe