The Washington herald., 1914-07-16
The Summer Guest.
ny EMORY y. HAYNES.

| 3. ny n sAoAt ~ AALNEs. ~ (
Come up and spend the weekend Come and
visit me now, while the country is so beautiful"
What other invitation can surpass this? What
other host and hostess has more to bestow? man
has retired from the firm or been retired by the
bank He often feels that he is being forgotten And
he IS. He has disappeared fnom the town club the
church. the city social circle At first he was glad to
be let alone and counted out. Life had become too
exacting. He belonged to too many things
He cut the traces and went to his farm His
wife, of course, went with him, but frequently not
from choice The business or professional collar did
not gall the of horse of the team so much. How
ever, she went along to the new farm cheerfully
enough, the whole, for she anticipated entertain
ing lots of friends Then too she fell into the flower
bed fancy. Now her crimson ramblers are gorgeous
display. And the new house is beauty.
So the Blanks invited. They have accepted.
What happiness lies all around us that we will put
entirely at the disposal of the Blanks They shall
see these grand mountains If only the weather will
be good. To be sure need rain, but John SAYS
he will try to get along without the rain till after
the Blanks 60 They shall wake up in the morn
ing and see miles and miles of hills miles of silver
river, miles of beautihc splendors, such as are
squandered on these windows many days. Some one
is coming to share our glories, and there will be no
happiness, such we have in an abundance far ex-
ceeding capacity.
Eyes are coming to do some of this ecstatic see
ing. For we cannot see it ALL and oceans of beauty
go to waste. Ears are coming to hear the birds OF
the morning. Hands and feet are coming to pluck
the flowers and walk these lawns. Will not the
flowers and the lawns be glad: Already they show
It, and were never more beautiful The trees and the
gardens have heard talking about this visit of the
Blanks, and already they smile their welcome II
is to be hoped the Blanks will have sense enough to
appreciate the welcome OF the trees the flowers the
lawns
This opulence of nature will explain US 1t will
in hour, tell why we forsook the town That is if
il does rain. We shall be envied, which is al
ways delightful. We shall make light of our wealth
of beauty protesting that have so much of it
that do not appreciate it. Which is not true, be-
cause We also have the bleak December and the
stormy March. A fact to be dissembled But our
guests take back memories of our June or the regal
July.
We want to be remembered in this setting of our
paradise These sheep and other herds These new
vegetables and the milk and the butter We will talk
COWS and horses to guests. sailing the animals
at the pasture bars We will exhibit our lore of trees
and grasses We will show Blank how we can run a
moving machine. II possible, we will get him to
pitching hay till his soft lawyer hands blistered
AT which we will laugh and show our own hardened
hands.
We have invited these guests because we like
them. Surely no one whom We dislike Many of
them love. They the friends of years. Loud
old stories shall tell together The dark DAYS we
have each known will not be mentioned but like
ridescent clouds in a too sunshiny sky, the sadness
Of old will be present.
Our rural life is sometimes a bit solitary These !
guests will bring more to us than we shall give to
hem. For weeks we shall remember their visit We |
shall date home calendar from the time before
Or after the Blanks were here, my dear" When they
go shall sit rejecting on the majestic view from
The veranda, discomfort till the Whites come next
week The Whites: Alas. yes some Of them. but
some will never come again. White sat riglu here |
IN this arbor chair only year ago. He has gone to
far country.
What feet have danced across these floors, left
'eoplcd with the guest you would see again. The
guest book with its signatures is thrilling with enlo-
ions.
Then follow such charming bread and butter lc.-
ers,' all frank and sincere, of course, which fill up
he late autumn evenings like harvest apples and corn
which reproduces summer days amid the winter So
hat it is, in fact, all one long summer of the
omng, the come, the going, and the promised coming
gain.
1t may be skillful thing to be good host and
ostess. But il is skilIful TO be welcome guest
10 bring Happiness and pass it round To give mole
han one lakes. To be gracious and not selfish casv
o be entertained, loyal in recollection wearing the
bligation and yet not guled by it A guest that is
good mixer" with other guests 'n honor preferring
ne another
When we go a-vsiting show our real char
cters. AS we all have several characters it is well
. leave some of them behind. Surely we take our
ood clothes with We should see that the clothes
nd the visiting personality match OF all the dis
ressful things what is forlorn as the guest who
omrs to lust lay off, all sel-control and manners
ecausc country folk are different" Are they? re
est newspaper ard Aook readers in the Lard are the
arIuerS' households.
Legally Dead. r
Arrord;po he r.: