The Washington herald., 1914-03-25
SILVER TEARS.
BY EMORY 8. HAYNES.

lWrinkles OF age, hiduen waters dre d.
ways trickling down the mountains
cheeks. These are now spotless, like
tears of silver. Away off, through the
leafless forest, you catch sight of the
cleaning, and are surprised because you
were not aware that any brooklets came
out of that rock face. In every direc-
ton you mark how the oozing sweat OF
the mountains brow amounts to a pearl
cascade, small stream, jet, fountain,
turned to silver.
The unlocking Of the winters fetters
is most impressive sight. Especially
if it be by vernal srnbeams in place
of rains. The Hudson has been locked
by two feet of ice. The drear stretch
ing distances seemed hopelessly bound
No force known to man would be more
than a jest against it. The ice har-
vesters have complained of this enor-
nous thickness. But the sun has re-
turned. The dark blue surface of the
river is honeycombed with happy de-
cay. One may thrust walking stick
down foot into the silver mass.
The ice is vanquished. We shall look
out tomorrow and find that the tide has
swept the noble river free. The shining
water, the little fond waves, the far
away shining which we have missed so
much will be restored to us.
The tyranny of big drifts is broken
We have mounted over them, gone
round them, stood in one of these drifts
For a month they have enslaved the
automobile and even made the sleigh a
peril. But something has happened to
the drifts. They are not there The
places that knew them know them no
more. The gentle sun did it in three
afternoons. Wonderful things, those
sunbeams! Where have the sunbeams
removed them? When man removed a
drift he piled it up. 1t was still visible
But not so the magic of spring. The
drifts arc all tears and running away.
There were so many things that went
out Of Use. Froze up. Costly con-
venienccs of civilized life. useless. We
were in despair We were so powerless.
We did not know where il was frozen.
Ii was just frozen dead. But now this
pipe unloCks and that other thing comes
back into use. and one needs to be
quick. The misery is over without warn-
ing or apology for the trouble it has
caused. Ii is marvellous how these sun-
beams do get in their work. They seem
to go everywhere. Blessed sunbeams.
accept our thanks. You arc great And
now one begins to find things, all sorts
of things. These were lost under the
snow. The sunbeams sweep over the
lawns and say: Here is the rake. Here
the childs ball. Come and claim them. -
How fast they grow, the widening
spots of bare ground. The heather
grows, the grass around the tree trunk
and in the shrubbcry spaces; you may
almost see the snow creep away. Be-
tween morning and noon how much
more grass on the lawn. There seems
magic in it.
The dainty footed cat walks afelG, i
thing she has not dared for weeks. Hut
she soon returns. shaking her paws,
while on the warm bare spot at the base
of the maple she watches the squirrels
These are running up and down the
trees. bounding on the snow, on their
way TO market for the winter stores are
low in the nest. The house dog lays
himself snuggly against the warm south
side of the house, basking like a king
in glory.
Is there in all nature anything so
grand and suggestive OF creative maj
esty as this unbinding of the winter
letters: Man has done wonders of late,
but he has never even touched the
weather He can hardly read its signs.
He must stand before the change of
weather from winter to spring over
whelmed with his powerlessness. In
the city he carts off snow at a cost of
millions OF money. Yet see the sun do
all this. Before my eyes in one day
the sun has removed more snow from
fifty miles OF the valley than all the
workmen of the nation could accomplish
in month.
What pretty brooks and oceans for
the toy boats of the children! What
music of falling waters, mimic cascades,
at every rod OF the highway! And there
is such cheer in the sound, in contrast
with the scream and roar of the bliz-
zard.
All our troubles are running away.
Would that it might be so.
In the heightened daylight there is a
token. We have grown so tired of the
early lamp lighting. Light is life The
dead earth is coming TO life again. 1t
will be all the better tomorrow. One
is, not afraid of tomorrow. As our
fathers saw it SO do we. So, when we
no longer note it seed time and har-
vest shall not fail on the earth"