Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-13
Darby Revisited, or
Convincing the Soothsayer

THE Soothsayer owns a car, and tools
passionatey about the country, revis-
iting the vistas and glimpses that he thinks
particularly lovely. But he is a stubborn
partisan Of such beauty spots as he has him
self discovered, and bitterly reluctant to
concede any glamour to places he hasn't
visited. For long time he has heard us
.raving about Darby creek. and always as
serted furiously that we. had never seen
certain road up. Norristown way that was
(he said) n far, far better thing than any
place we would be likely to know about.
But the other evening, somewhat stirred by
our piteous babble about the old cider mill
we hadn't visited for ten years, he got out
his bus and we set forth.
WE WENT out along the West Chester
w pike and the manner of the Soothsayer
was subtly supercilious. All the way out
from Sixty ninth street the road is in bad
condition, and as he nursed his handsome
vehicle over the bumps we could see that the
Soothsayer thought (though too polite to say
sol that we were leading him into very be-
draggled and i'll assorted region. Another
very sinister rebuke was that he had left
I'D the canopy top over the car, although
IL was a serene and lucid evening. flushed
with quiet sunset. This seemed to imply
that any tract of country we would lead him
to would hardly be worth examining care
fully. As we passed by the university as
Economical observatory he made last at
tempt to divert us from the haven of our
desire. He suggested that we both go in
and have O look at the moon through the big
telegcope AS it was then broad and sunny
daylight we treated this absurd project with
contempt.
DOwN a steep winding hill, and we came
~ upon the historic spot with delightful
audiences. Our heart was uplifted. There
II was, unchanged, the old gray building
standing among trees, with the clank and
grind of the water wheels the yellow dapple
of level sun upon the western wall.
But what was this? Under the porch
roof was a man bending over iron plates,
surrounded by a dazzle of pale blue light.
He was using an electric weder, and the
proan Of dynamo sounded from the interior
Of the old mill. ITS probably a garage
pow," said the Soothsayer, "most of these
old places are
But that was the Soothsayer's last fash
of cynicism, for in another moment the spell
Of the place had dsarmed him. We ap-
nroached and it seemed to us there was some
thing familiar in the face of the man oper-
atipg the welder, as he watched his dazzling
blue fame through screen. 1t was Mr..
Flounders, who has run the old mill for
going on thirty years, and who used to
preside at the cider press in days gone by,
when we had many pull at hin noble juices.
But he hasn't made any cider for several
wears, he told us; the sawmill shed is unused
and the old mill itself is being fitted up with
ice. making machinery. He says he went
ont West for a while, but he came back to
DARBY creek in the end. We don't blame
him, The spell of that enchanting spot may
well keep its hold on all who have ever loved
1t.
TIME Soothsayer and his passenger got out
J. their pipes and brooded a while, watch
ing the green swift water of the mill race !;
the sunny flicker Of the creek below as it
darts on its way through the meadows the
great oak tree stepped in sunlight, and the
old millstones that still lie about by the front
door, Inside the building the old wooden
beams and levers and grooved wheels are
lust as they were when the place was built
ss -four and feed mill, in 1887. The wood :
wo-k still has that clean, dusty gloss that
| IL characteristic of a -four mill. BY the
saving shed lie a number Of great logs, ad ;
| mirable site for quiet smoke. The sooth
! sayer, tremendously impressed By this fims.