River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-11-07
N A QUIET reach of the
Thames my friends house
boat is tethered to two posts

~ N A QUIET reach OF the
81 "a Thames my friends house
a boat is tethered to two posts
as if it never meant to go
away, Fullerton J. Waldo writes from
London to the Philadelphia Ledger.
Just above the mooring place the old,
gnarled Charon who for a penny plies
his trade has dug up ancient British
poetry and Roman spearheads in the
eel-nursing mud. But we did not now
require his professional service, for
across the river to meet us came like
O shaft of light his amateur rival.
(''Rival," of course, if you run the
word back to it's origin, means one
who dwells on the bank of a stream)
She was a girl with hair of bur-
nished gold bobbed and filleted, who
bent manwise to the oars, in her yell
low sweater and white skirt, na1ad
of the rushes who seemed to have ris-
Ell out of the stream, it's own anthem
tic spirit.
The houseboat itself, white-painted,
held aloft under it's striped canopy ana
ever soft red rugs, hanging garden
of geranium baskets, with vines whose
tendrils delicately wavered on the soft
whisper of the breeze. A clutter OF
canoes and punts gently fretted the
floating platform below, as though
upon a river of Cathay. In the living
room. radiant with violas and roses
and geraniums, the filmy snow OF the
curtains was parted by fireplace and
over it a clock restored the sense OF
time that elsewhere was pleasantly
absent or negligible.
Met a Flying Man.
Two rallied gangways led ashore
and no sooner had I put my modest
| luggage aboard than to the shore we
went. to find the golf links close at
hand. where the fat sheep grazed. A
Young and debonair Englishman met
us there, and I learned to my surprise
that he was accidental. He was a
flying man, and something wrong with
the engine compelled him to vOlplane
down to a paddock next the golf
course. "'Tis an ill wind that has
blown me good" I thought, as l shook
hands with this BrushwoOd boy anger
| unaWares.
The larks were singing, and paused
often with cleek or 1Ofter in mida1r
to hear the sound. think / care more
for George Meredith's Lark Ascend
ing'' than do for Sheliey's ''unpremed1-
tated" singer, but if had to choose
between them would take them both.
Such Overlooking billfulS of ecstasy,
from such a little bird And he pres
emily went off lit seemeO in company
with disreputable troupe of sparrow
| hawks, singing to them still, as an
opera tenor might chant for COM
pany of songless tramps. Can it be
| that an English links, with Paul Pot
ter cattle and Daubigny pools and will
| lows round about, ever hears a harsh
word over a golf ball sliced or stymied
| or in obstinate hiding?
Above us airplanes purred and were
vigilant increasingly. And in my heart
I blessed them, and with my hand
I waved them greetings that I hope
| they saw. In a single group on the
| way to the links ] had beheld seven
| captive sausage" balloons-as though
| q benevolent constitutional monarchy
had sent all these things that plain
| American might have an afternoon OF
1 sport. What close neighbors are the
implements of war and of peace in
| the old world today!
We walked back to the boat, through
a garden plot trimming with blue vi
| olas, and there was a tiny cemetery
| with more violas in a glass on the
grave of cygnet born the day before.
Mother Bird Had Done Murder.
Then we met the mother bird, the
| murderess. In stately circles she was
swimming round the boat, a swan
more lovely to look upon than any
| that bore Lohengrin and heard his
tributary song.
The day before four cygnets were
Matched out. Three of them were with
Der now-the fourth, she had decided,
with an unruff1ed calm I doubt not,
twas one too many. So she had slain
it. TRANQUILITY enough the bereaved
family was taking its outing-so soon
| after the funerals
Father was the advance guard, like
cruiser bringing in a transport
ship and lesser craft. Two gray
fluff balls were on the mothers back,
in warm. cradle deep and soft be-
tween her wings. They arched and
stretched their necks as they saw her
doing, and took in all the view, and
peered over the side with a remark
able air of detachment at their small
| brother padding desperately to keep up