Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-11-09

as If 1t never meant to e
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, fol
across the river to meet us came like
shaft of light his amateur rival
("Rival," of course, if you run the
word back to its origin, means one
who dwells on the bank of stream.)
She was girl with hair of bur-
nished gold bObbed and filleted, who
bent manwise to the oars, in her vel.
low sweater and white skirt, a nafad
Of the rushes who seemed to have ris-
en- out of the stream, its own authen'
tic spirit.
The houseboat itself, white-painted,
held aloft under its striped canopy and
ever soft red rugs, a 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
end geraniums, the fi|my 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
MS 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 paddock next the golf
course. "'Tis an i'll wind that has
blown me good" thought, as l shook
hands with this BrushwOod boy angel
urawares.
The larks were singing. and paused
often with cleek or lofter in midair
r. hear the sound. think care more
for George Mcredith'S Lark Ascend
Ing" than do for Shclley's ''unpremedi-
tated" singer. but if l had to choose
between them would take them both.
Such Overlooking billfulS Of ecstasy,
from such little bird! And he pres
emily went off Git seemed in company
With a disreputable troupe Of sparrow
hawks, singing to them still. as an
opera tenor might chant for COM
pnny Of sonNess tramps. Can it be
that an English links. with Paul Pot
Ter cattle and Daubigny pools and will
lows round about. ever hears i; harsh
word over golf bail sliced Or stymied
Or in obstinate hiding?
Above us airplanes purred and We're
vigilant increasingly. And in my heart
| blessed them, and with my hand
[ waved them greetings that l hope
they saw. In 4 single group on the
captive sausage" balloonS-as though
T. benevolent constitutional monarchy
had sent all these things that a plain
American might have an afternoon Of
snort. What close neighborS are the
of war and OF peace in
the old world today!
We walked back to the boat. through
n garden plot trimming with blue Vi
olas, and there was Il tiny cemetery
with more viOlas in Il glass on the
grave Of cygnet born the day before.
Mother Bird Had Done Murder.
Then we met the mother bird, the
In stately circles she was
swimming round the boat. swan
mOre lovely to look upon than any
that bore Lohengrin and heard his
tributary song.
The day before four cygnets were
Latched out. Three of them were with
her now-the fourth, she had decided,
with an unruilled calm l doubt not,