Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-04
AUTUMN AND AN AUTOMOBILE:

AUTUMN AND AN AUTOMOBILE:
beauty of bearing. From the highway
as far as the eye carries the mind the
country is one splendid picture in
grays, browns, reds and yellows. The
groves are on fire with the crimson
| torches of the NAPLES and the yellow
flame of elms. The grass is green in
meadows and pastures and the corn
fields stretch away to the horizon in
splashes of yellow and brown
interspersed with gray stubble
fields and the ebony blots of
fall blowing. The roads are ribbons of
dusty gray winding thru between. The
streams are flashing silver. Even the
waysde weeds have taken on the SUI
preme beauty of fruitage and are an
element not TO be unnoficed or de-
spised. An automobile ride thru the
country under the Italian skies and
in the face of the breezes that blow
their atomized perfumes into an Iowa
fall is delight, joy ana a blessing.
For an Iowa fall is a benediction. !
is the charming season Of Iowa in
which We forget long cold winters past
and cold wet springs and hot summers
vet to be.
Everything animate realizes the
charm and inspiration of an Iowa aut-
umn. Out in the groves and corn fields
the blackbirds are gathering for their
autumnal flitting-millions of them. AS
You stand under the trees the air is
alive with bird merriment like the
sound Of musical bells tangled and
tiocks sweep past, undulating over the
corn fields and gather gossiping, chat
tering, singing upon the roadside trees,
a rout of q million voices mad with the
expectation of present pleasures and
aneternity OF summer. Quiverlng bodies,
wings flashing. voices piping. hurrying
happy, music mad intoxicated with the
heady wines of autumn the blaekbirds
are getting ready to go south for the
winter
The big pond by the packing house is
their popular hotel and lodging place.
AS the sun sinks the docks come in in
terminable succession, wave on wave of
birds. to find sleep and comfort and
safety among the broad bladed flags
and clumps of PUSHES. Doing this they
run the gauntlet of crew of unsports-
manlike gunners every one of whom is
a fit object for executive attention and
who should be arrested and soundly
fined. But when they have found their
such twitterings, seedlings and con-
troversies and complaint arise from the
swampy rscesses, No hotel crowded
with cots in convention time is more
prolific of mingled crouch and gayety
than arise from the furnished rooms
for blackbirds in the swamp on the
Nicholson Ford road
The little striped "gophers' are
frisking about the grass in the warm
sun on these beautiful autumn days.
Mark their sleek plumpness, how low
they run burdened with the fat that
shall sustain them when the long sleep
of Information comes on. They chase
each other, they run and turn until
their tails snap. They too are hold
4 ing their carnival of the harvest home.
The spell of the autumn is upon them.
1 A squirrel comes Looping along with
! a nut, leisurely as tho the snow were
months instead of weeks away; crow
| flaps by overhead deliberately wary,
not keenly alert as he will be when
hunger and cold bring out all his
/ shrewdness and suspicion. The SPAR
away in groups. You meet boys whose
hands bear evidence of the "shucked"
walnuts in the bags slung over their
shoulders. Pyramus and Thisbe are
sitting on the porch of the farm house.
That is Pyramus driving horse and
rubber tired carriage standing by the
gate. Strephon and Chloe are leaning
on the bridge on the way home from
the park. Benedict pushes his baby
cart across the street crossing with a
watchful and lowering eye on the APP
preaching chauffeur. The lights are
springing out of the deepening gloom.
Ii is the closing of bright day in the
closing of an Iowa autumn.