Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-17
DISTRACTIONS OF
A SUMMERS DAY
Sounds From Far and Near Har-
monize in a Delightful Obligato to
the Blue and Gold and Fresh
ness of Sky and Field
By wALTER pR1cHARp EAToN


p" garden-a house which Is, in reality, COW
II shed converted by Virginia creepers, sid
n treses. great openings sawed in all foui
@ sides, and a small plaster cast Of sectior
r Of the Parthenon friezc, painted with white
enamel paint to resist the raini
But find it difficult to work out Of doors
even in the summer There are so many
distractions! ! nm far from the telephone
t ] cannot even see the butchers cart when
II enters the place, let alone hearing tho
callers planning a suffrage campaign with
my wife. An apple orchard and n hedge Of
Japanese willow protect me from the near
est road Behind, my own potato field goes
down to tamarack swamp. In front Of me
my trellis Of olematis, with rose arch In
the centre, shuts out all but glimpse Of the
garden pool, and Just now the beds of lark
spur and pink Canterbury bells beyond No
callers are allowed to come back hero to dis
turh mo. Yet am disturbed incessantly by
the tiny clamors of little things, making
their sweet, Insdous appeal for attention.
"Chick-a-dee' With One "Dee"
There is, for instance-or, rather there hrs
been-a chlclt-a-dee's nest on my very sum-
mcr house, in box tackled there to attract
the wrens All my life l have desired to
nave chick-a-dee's nest under observation.
and this year my wish was granted Every
morning while Mrs. Chiclt-a-dee was sitting
on her eggs l saluted her when I came down
to work. Standing in front of the little
gray bird box I would whistle. very softly,
the chick-a-dce love call, and out would pop
her pretty little black head, and she would
look with sharp eyes first in one direction,
then in the other, pretending all the while
Gh Ntv1g 1,1Irt.
know was there at all.
Then, after l had settled down, and had
Just got "A paragraph well under way Mr.
ChlcK-a-dee would appear with n worm or
bug in his mouth to feed her, and I would
have to lay down my pen to watch him.
First he would perch on a twig 90 or 30 feet
away, and without dropping the food from
his mouth, say "chick-a-dee" two or three
times very softly-a pretty, wiry tinlsllng
sound. He never on any occasion added the
remaining dee dee -dees" of the familiar
call After repeating his announcement he
would then fly to strip of the trellis, beside
the bird box, and sitting there once more
give his wiry little "chick-a dee" mean
while never opening his beal enough to drop
the bug or little worm, and keeping his ewes
rowing in all directions Then he would
suddenly give hop to the perch below the
hole in the box, transfer the food TO the
waiting bill of his wife, who would have her
head out ready and depart. A few minutes
later would hear him singing off some
where In the distance, il to reassure his
wife that he was still on the job
The Oriole at the Bath
Another dsturber of my labors IS y bIro-
bird whose family inhabits a box in my
neighbors yard, but who prefers to hunt in
mine. can never resist Watching the flash
Of his blue wings over the flower beds Still
another disturber is a Baltimore oriole. He
leeds in the orchard swallowing down bup
'r caterpillar and then fairly dancing on n
'pray while he emlts a musical grace after
neat. His liquid ringing song, which can
'e easily initiated is omnipresent over NV
'arden, and when he gets tired of eating he
'oes to the bird bath, where can hear
lim splashng and so am forced to leave NV
YORK and sneak up through the rose arch TO
'atch' Getting into the shallow water he I
llts his body jertiy forward till his vivid
reast goes under; then he ducks his heoa /
men ne straiRhtens up and flaps his bril-
ant wings, sending out little silver spatterS
n the flowers below. Finally. he hons to
nc edge of the bath, shakes himself flies Il
ngs initiate him and he answers me.
nd so we talk for five minutes f
Sometimes a yellow butterfly invades NV
rivaey, fiutterng across my vision to ar s
act attention, and then winging in circles h
yer the potato field or the flower beds. 7 o
atch 1t In its flight n
The butterfly departs presently, and I can @
ork again-unti I chance to look IN and
'e great cumulus heaped behind the hill
eyond my tamarack swamp, cloud like n
ie piled snow submits of some great noun Z,
lin range. 1t scarcely moves In the blue h
iy, l admire its puffs and bllows, the ex- n
ilsite modelling of light and shade, the h
NIX pearly tints on its edges G.
What the Ant Led To Il
When I look back at my paper an ant ia u
awling over it, The ant makes me tbInl, 9
my young apple trees set out this spring y
T the ants crawl up young apple trees and u
'idently devour the green aphis on the
ayes, Have my new trees any aphis? n
ust get up and investigate. Yes, they have
must get the hose and spray them of v
Back at last at my table I am free 10 ra- -
me my work. and another paragraph gets -
mpieted' Then hear meadow lark. or
EN-, perhaps a wood thrush, and arres+o,
the SOUND pause to listen, and my ear :.
tehes clearly tine various noises of tba g
INNER day, which often we hear with
i hearing, and would only be aware of n -
ey stopped altogether. 1 hear the tinl,e a.
my ehiek=a-dee, the gay masterful SONS. = =
the oriole, the squabble of two ouarral- =,
me robins, the fnll-throated can OF a so,a. =.
arrow the faint wash of the breeze q, ne =
ae tops, the shrill, fairy under-sonk of the -
tie things IN the grass I hear - - =