Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-12-22
April Rain
By EDITH GRAY
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Literary Press

From the far length of the meadow
lane. the woman heard the persist
| ent coo-coo OF some one calling to
the bossies from beyond. Without,
the April rain dripped ceaselessly
| from the window frame and branch
| Of one of the orchard trees creaked
| mournfully as the wind moved 1t
with gentle monotony back and forth
| beneath the caves. 1t was dull day
and heavy one, with no suggestion
| of brightness
The growing darkness seemed to
| disturb the woman at her desk, for
after insistent urging onward of
| tagging pencil, and closer STOPPING
| over enshadowed pages, she suddenly
rose from her work and walked i'm
| pattetly toward the window. She
| flung back the lattice, ostensibly
seeking more light, but with the
simple change of cramped position
she Immediately realized that she
was unusually tired, fatigued in body
| and brain. Mindless of the soft
| drizzle, she knelt upon the floor, her
head upon her hands, gazing out
ward toward the distant haze of
woodland beyond the rain-soaked
| fields.
She was tired-she fully realized
that. She also knew that she was
| unspeakably foolish to kneel there
upon the floor while the cold pene-
trated to the very marrow of her
bones. Spring rain was lovely
enough and undoubtedly poetical
when viewed from the other side of
| an oldtime dormer window
The woman knew that she was
imprudent, yet she laughed at the
outer chill, for. with the relaxation
| from mental labor, the cold empti
| ness within her heart overwhelmed
| her with a fearsome blight, compared
| with which the outer dreariness was
as naught.
1t was all very we'll to write-to
| go off when town pleasures began
to interfere with concentration on
art, to bury herself at this old farm,
| away from the annoyances of fatter-
ing acquaintances, in order to gain
| full control of latent faculties-all
very we'll theoretically, but for all
practical purposes, it was dreary and
unutterably lonely at times.
In spite of repeated commands, old
friends would persist IN writing and
renewing old scenes, stirring up
memories that would otherwise have
died, long since. 1t was lonely
when she compared her fame, her
several novels and the tiny book of
verse, the drama yet to be, and the
stories of her dreams, with the love,
| the warmth and comfort which she
| had sacrificed for them.
Was it worth the price?
Then, in spite of an afternoon
| get, the words of a disturbing little
note, received a few days before,
flared, as in letters of fire, across
| her wearied brain.
Dear, ] have found where you have
! hidden away. | would not hurt you
| by my presence. but write if you
want me. l will come" 1t said.
The woman knew that this mans
| words rang true; that rs he spoke,
| so would he act. She valued real
worth and she realized that in spite
of the fowery Establishments of her
| many followers, this man with his
frank simplicity, his marvellous ten
| derness. was spiritually as well as
| physically head and shoulders above
| them all She cherished and won.
dered at his friendship, but his love
she had always feared. 1t was so
| strong. She trembled. lest in aban.
! doning herself to her ever growing
| desire, she lose her art-and losing
her art, her self, the keynote to her
own development She dropped her
! head upon her arms. abandoning her
| self to the old questioning. the old
| despair. And without the rain poured
down, renewing its strength, no long.
er the mist intangible. but the beat.
/ ing of all elements.
For long she knelt. then raised her
| head as over the green fields re-
sounded again the coo-coo of the
| homing call.
Joseph, the farmers son, had
wondrous voice, full toned power
| fully sweet. She remembered how,
at the Sunday worship few DAYS
| before, his fawless rendering of the
| simple hymns had filled her heart
with peace, and how at her question
| ing. the proud mother had coniided
that Joseph's voice had charmed Won
Stahl. the great musician from the
/ city. lie had tested Joseph during
/ hts summers visit and promised
great things IL he would but go with
| him back to the city
"nUt he win never GO" the mother
had said aud shrugged her shoulders
as with annoyance as she pottored