Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1912-01-18

copyright. 1910, by the New York Herald Coz
(copyright. 1910. By the Macmillan Company
rested, for ne was painting from the
exertion. Not of old had he known
shortness of breath such as this, and
muscles that so easily tired at stiff
climb. A tiny stream ran down the
tiny valley through tiny meadow
that was carpeted knee-high with
grass and blue and white nemophila.
Crossing the stream, Daylight fol-
lowed faint cattle trail over low.
rocky hill and through a wine-wooded
forest of manzanita, and emerged
UPON another tiny valley. down which
filtered another springfield, meadow
bordered streamlet.
1T sure beats country places and
bungalows at Menlo Park" he COM
muned aloud; %."atid IL ever I get the
laundering for. country life, it's me for
this every time" -
An old wood-road led him to clear.
ing. where a dozen acres of grapes
grew on wine-red soil. A cow-path, more
trees and thickets, and he dropped
down hillside. to the southeast ex-
Dosure. Here, poised above big for
ested canyon. and looking out upon
Sonoma Valley. was a small farm
house. With its barn and outhouses
st snuggled into nook In the hill
side. which protected it from the west
and north 1t was the erosion from
this hillside. he judged, that had
formed the little level stretch of vege-
table garden. The soil was fat and
black, and there was water In plenty,
for he saw several faucets running
wide open. Forgotten was the brick
yard. Nobody was at home. but Day
light dismounted I'D ranged the vege-
table garden. eating strawberries and
green peas, inspecting the old adobe
barn and rusty pillow and harrow. and
rolling and smoking cigarettes while
he watched the antics of several
broods of young chicks and the moth
er hens.
Nothing could satisfy his holiday spir-
II now but the ascent OF Sonoma Noun
tain. And here on the crest, three
hours afterward, he emerged, tired and
Y 'weaty, garments torn and face and
hands scratched. but with sparkling
eyes and an unwonted usefulness of
expression. He felt the illicit pleas
ure of schoolboy playing truant. The
big gaming table of San Francisco
seemed very far away. But there was
more than Illicit pleasure in his mood.
1t was as though he were going
through a sort of cleansing bath. No
room here for all the sordidness.
meanness and viciousness that filled
the dirty pool of city existence. He
was loath to depart, and 1t was not
for an hour that he was able to tear
himself away and take the descent Of
the mountain. Working out a new
route just for the fun of 1t, late after
. noon was upon him when he arrived
back at the wooded knobs.
Daylight cast about for TRAIL and
found one leading down the side
opposite to his ascent. Circling the
base, of the knoll. he picked up with
his horse and rode on to the farm
house. Smoke was rising from the
chimney, Yand he was quickly In con-
versation with a nervous, slender
young man, who, he learned, was only
tenant on the ranch. How large
was It? A matter of one hundred and
eighty acres. though 1t seemed much
larger. This was because 1t was so
iryegularly shaped. Yes, it included
the. clay-pit and all the knolls, and its
boundary that ran along the big can
ydH was over mile long. Oh. yes.
he. and his wife managed to scratch