Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-05-08

two good people fast asleep without q
thought IN their uightWuS beyond tn,
potato crop--thcir dau-hlrr-m.Iaw, TIN
men mt work In the fields, all those de-
pendent on the great nrvrSts, on the
hountifuI farm were they not happy
contcntcd, uuQuoSroutnel, Was Sh,
nor happy tooi Had she anything tC
complain ", to regret. to- wish for?
suddenly out of the hush came the
cry Of the whippourwiIl that piercing
mOurnfuI voice of the vacant, vino
blown fields, of meadows towering un
seen and far away. It thrilled her lik,
a pain II stabbed her through aul
through and cut her to the heart with
It's questioning, solitary call. hidden IA
the twilight of the woods
She had heard ii SO often. year after
year, like the robin and the lark New
er had it sounded SO lonely, so friend
less and apart A strange longing
swclled up in her breast; tears filled
her eyes. The years Of her life, with
their simple tasks. their ambitions
hopes and dreams, came To her like
some vast tidal wave upon sunny
shore. Withdrawing in n long rcsound.
ing sigh ut the absence Of some UNI
known joy She stared through the
warm darkness toward the edge of the
woods outlined against the evening as
though one should try to read the soul
Of silhouette. Then she dropped her
face in her hands for Il single minute.
n n'plA,Iy ~ m TNnrNip,r
was in the garden picking the vegeta
blcs for dinner. The sunshiny, dew
fresh day, the beans and cabbages in
their prim symmetry, the tall scarlet
hollyhocks nodding against the fence.
made the experience of the night be
fore very remote and visionary.
AS Mary reached the end of the row
of peas she pushed back her sunbonnct
and looked up; then her song stopped
and she knelt silently.
A young man was standing on the
other side of the garden wall looking
at her He blushed as he met heI
steady, smiling gaze Picking peas?"
he asked. you've got lot, haven't
your
Yes, indeed; plenty this year. Have
you"
"All we can eat and more too. Get
ting old, though. How are theseY'
He crossed the wall and stood beside
her. "Yours are pretty tender yet"
He tore off another pod. "Shan't |
help you? Two can work better than
one"
"Oh, thank you; you needn't bother"
Yet she smiled at him.
"Oh, like to do this. I'll take the
inside of the row."
It's very kind of YOU" she an
swered, looking up at him sweetly.
How brown and strong and sinewy
he had grown since he had begun tC
work in the harvest fields! She had
not seen him for Il long while, not since
they were in school together. She was
looking at him again when he glanced
up and caught her eyes. This time
they both blushed They said nothing
for some time. Mary picked busiy,
and the boy whStled half to himself.
They were beside each other, with
nothing between them but the slender
trelis of pea vines, enough to give the
boy courage to say, Did you hear the
whippoorwill last mighty"
Mary felt a flash that made her
nerves Jingle.
"Oh, did you. too" she exclaimed.
then stopped, abashed at her own
eagerness. How could Alvy under
stand the confession she had made to
a whippOorwill just because it was un-
seen? "Whcre was it?" she asked,
with all the carelessness she could
summon.
Down in the wood lot about half
past g. was coming home cross lots
back of your barn; been up at the
other farm all day"
They were picking slowly now. How
pretty Mary was with her braided vel
low hair, her rose pink ears, her
smooth Iidded down dropping eyes!
Alvy felt his heart throb dizzily. SO
many words and thoughts went round
and round in his head that he could
not say one. And there was the screen
of brush and vines between them. The
delicate film of green was strong as a
prison grille, through which the serene
face of the girl showed upon him.
Somehow their hands met upon the
same pods. Mary's trembled, then lay
still In his.
81 saw you up on the roof" whis.
pered the boy. you were listening,
weren't you"
Mary nodded.
"Do you-do you like to hear it,
Mary? Do you like the whippoorwillT
Marys lip trembled Il don't know. |
guess So"
Because he-he loves you, Mary"
"Mary, Mary, where are your
The two in the garden sprang up as
the shrill voice called from the kitch-
en-. AS the boy lcaped over the fence
into his own orchard Mary looked aft
er him. From the trees among which
he disappeared came clear, low and
sweet the call of the whippoorwill.
Australia and tho Chinese.
Australia rs perturbed by the discov-
cries Of Mr. Bachelor. the common
wealth minister for external affairs,
who has been inquiring into the illegal
influx Of Chinese. There is a wealthy
organization in China with agencies In