The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-26

started on his circllng, tangent way.
Instantly there sprang to my lips the
stoprabbt whistle of my youth.
Twice piped three soft, coaxing
whistles The rabbit slackened his
pace, turned and sat bolt upright, a
duiverlng, curious bunch OF gray
upon a sea of down! As | moved for
ward whistling, he bobbed off again.
Beside my way huge tree lay pros
trate and as | drew nearer there was
a scurry OF wings, a flutter of feath-
ers and a golden pheasant wheeled off
into the protecting shadows.
"Ah." said |. Surely this road does
more than wander aimlessly to the
village. II winds through an Eden of
life and beauty. Il wends its silent
way past the great linden trees where
the squirrels live and the bluejay
screams and the crow swings in his
aerial fight far above. | am going to
like this road"
The wind sang merrily, softly
through the wood, now and then scat,
tering the feathery snow heaps from
the crotches OF the trees, waving the
airy plumes of the low bushes until
they scraped fantastic traceries upon
woodsman, lowly son of a great
craftsman gone forever from our vi
cinity, had felled a giant oak, razing
in half an hour that which had taken
centuries to grow!
Winding about, passed under inter.
locking branches, the great hands Of
two giant elms clasping each other
across the roadway. Behind me a hill
shut out the view and in front the
road veered sharply into the thick
wood.
"Ah, how often" thought, has
romance had It's portrayal herel This
Is Cupid's lair, where he shoots his
shafts al lovers on their homeward
way from the village, and many a
time. | know, has the buxom, sweet
faced country lassie lost a kiss and
gained one underneath these spread
ing trees!"
The road ran by a dilapidated rail
lence--decaying lineal descendant of
thousands of fences OF its kind now
reduced TO ashes and oblivion. Be
yond. barren cornstalks, sentinel,like,
stood guard above a whitened field.
The adamantine door Of Winter was
closed against its verdUge shut with.
In.
but beneath that cold blanket"
unused, "lies life and harvest hope
and It's answer Within that cold EN-
brace is strength and virility, the dor,
mant seed that with the kiss of spring
VIII awaken to new BEAUTY"
And then the church spire OF the
village rose to view Passing over a
rude bridge ! came to the first cot.
tage, lowly and poor A redfaced
woman was sGolding a dog. There
was a broken wlndow-panc calked
with a faded calico wrapper The cur.
tains were awry and tawdry, chickens
stood one-legged upon the front stoop.
There was an ash barrel and a dry
goods box in the front yard and a yel-
low dog sprang out at me, barking fu-
riouslys
"Ah," said J. turning upon my heel.
'srhe boy was right after All He said
the road 'glst went on into town He
mast have been thinking OF the town
when he spoke, and not OF the road!''
Half way back met the boy.
sWhere have you been?" asked,
striving not to appear impertinent,
rTwistin a rabbit out OF a log
with a forked stick" he replied, ex-
hibitlhg the luckless form Of poor
Bunny,
on replied. sadly. "He was such
a pretty. living thing when | saw him
a rev minutes agol"
eANs rabbits amt good fur nothin
but eeat," argued the boy, dehantly.
"Wbere do you liver I inquired.
eF4ret house past the bridge" said
the hey, pointing
n might have guessed IT," I said
again taiKdng 20 myself as | oontln
ued NIX way hDmeward.
--,BYRON WILLIAMS.
ft ne atsll|af.s. - b 81 tar. p. %