Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-02
The Light in
the Clearing
BY IRVING BACHELLER
Copyright 1917. The -MerrlilcO.

be impatient. I'll go and get her
and God help us TO make her re-
member the day.
He was gone a moment, only
when he came back with Ruth IN
lovely white dress and slippers and
gay with ribbons and the silver
beads Of Mary on her neck. We
clapped our hands and cheered and,
in the excitement of the moment
John tipped over his drinking glass
ana shattered It on the floor.
Never mind, my brave lad-no
glass ever perished in a better
cause. God bless you"
What a merry time we bad in
spite of recurring thoughts OF IN
Gle Peabody and the black horse
toiling over the dark hills and fats
in the rain toward the lonely farm
and the lonlier beloved woman who
awaited himl There we're many
shadows in the way Of happiness
those days but after all, youth has
way of speeding through them
hasn't it?
We ate and ested and talked, and
the sound Of our laughter drowned
the cry of the wind in the chin
ney and the drumming of the rain
upon the windows.
In the midst of It all Mr.. Hacket
arose and tapped his cup with HIS
spoon.
"Oh you merry, God-blessed peo-
pie" he said. michael Henry has
babe me speak for him"
The schoolmaster took out Of his
pocketbook a folded sheet Of pa
per. AS he opened it little, gold
en-, black-tipped feather fell from
the table.
Look! here is a plume o. the
golden robin the schoolmaster
went on. He dropped It in our
garden yesterday to tighten ship,
fancied. before he left, the sum
mer's work and play being ended.
Ye should a seen Michael Henry
when he looked at the feather How
it tickled his fancy! l gave him
my thought about 1t.
Nay, father he answered.
Have We forgotten that tomorrow
is the birthday o. our little Ruth?
The bird knew 1t and brought this
gift to her. 1t is out O the great
gold mines o. the sky which are
the richest in the world
Then these lines came of his
tongue, with no more hesitation
about IL than tine bird has when he
sings his song on a bright summer
morning and I put them down TO go
with the feather. Here they ar
now:
TO RUTH.
Little lady, draw thy will
With this Golden Robins quill
Sun-stained, night-tipped. elhsh
Symbol of thy magic wing!
"'Give to me thy fairy lands
| And palaces, on silver sands.
Oh will to me, my heart iTplores,
Their alabaster walls and floors!
/ Their gates that ope on Paradise
Or earth, or Eden in a trice.
! Give me thy title to the hours
| That pass in fair Aladdin towers.
! But most I'd prize thy heavenly art
| To win and lead the stony heart.
/ Give these TO me that solemn dav
Thou'rt done with them, l humbly
pray
Little lady draw thy Will
With this Golden Robins quill.'
He bowed to our young guest and
| kissed her hand and sat down in
/ the midst of our cheering.
remember we'll the delightful
! sadness that came into my heart on
! the musical Of the reader. The
lines, simple as they were, opened
a new gate in my imagination be-
yond which | heard often the sound
of music and flowing fountains and
| caught glimpses, now and then, OF
magic towers and walls OF alahas-
! ter. There had been no fairies In
! LiCkitysplit. Two or three times !
had come upon fairy footprints IN
! the books which Mr.. Wright had
sent 10 us, but neither my aunt nor
my uncle could explain whence
they came-or the nature of their er-
rand.
Mr. Hacket allowed me TO write
down the lines in my little diary Of
| events and expenses. from which /
have Just copied them.
| Continued tomorrow