The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1919-05-01


again, well fed and eager TO go on.
1t was a summer morning that short
ems the road-even that of the young
lover. It's air was sweet with the
breath of the meadows. The daisies
and the clover and the cornfiowers
and the wild roses seemed to be wav.
Ing a welcome to me, and the thorn
trees-shapely ornament of my native
hills-were I'm blossom. A cloud OF
pigeons swept across the blue deep
above my head. The great choir OF
the fields sang to me-bobolinks, song
sparrows, meadowlarks, bluebirds,
warblers, wrens, and far away In the
edge OF spruce thicket l heard the
flute OF the white-throated sparrow.
1 bathed at n brook in the woods
and put on clean silk shirt and tie
out of my saddlebags. / rode slowly
then to the edge of the village of Can.
ton and turned at the bridge aDd took
the river road, although bad time to
spare. How my heart was bea,lng as
1 neared the familiar scenel The
river slowed its pace there, like a dis.
corning traveller, TO enjoy the beauty
of its shores. Smooth and silent was
the water and in il were the blue of
the sky and the feathery shadow-spires
OF cedar and tamarack and the reflect.
ed blossoms of iris and meadow rue
1t was lovely scene.
There was the pine, but where was
my lady? / dismounted and tied my
mare and looked at my watch. II
lacked twenty minutes to eleven. She
would come-I had no doubt of it.
washed my hands and faceeand neck
In the cool water. Suddenly 1 heard
voice ] knew singing: Barney
Leave the Girls Alone" / turned and
saviour mother. my son. (These
last lines were Mctated to his SOM
She was in the stesu of birch canoe,
all dressed in white with roses in her
hair. l raised my hat and she threw
kiss at me. Old Kate sat In the bow
waving her handkerchief. They
stopped and Sally asked In tone of
playful seriousness:
"Young man, why have you come
here?"
''To get YOU" answered.
"What do you want of me?" She
was looking ut her face in the water.
~ want to marry you." / answered
bravely.
"Then you may help me ashore II
you please. / am in my best white
slippers and you are to be verS care
full"
Beautiful She was the slerit of
the fields of June then arc always.
1 helped her ashore and held her In
my arms and, you know, the lips have
way of speaking then in the old, con-
vincing, final argument OF love. They
left no doubt in our hearts, my son.
"When do you wish to marry mef'
she whispered.
"As soon as possible, but my pay is
only sixty dollars month now"
eve shall make it do" she an.
swered. my mother and father and
your aunt and uncle and the Jackets
and the minister and a number Of our
friends are coming In fleet of boats
"We are prepared either for a picnic
or wedding" was the whisper OF
Kate.
Lets make 1t BOTH" proposed to
Sally.
surely there couldn't be better
place than here under the big pine
it's so smooth and soft and shady
said she.
'Nor could there be a better day OF
better company" / urged, for wal
not sure that she would agree.
The boats came along. Sally and
waved a welcome from the bank and
she merrily proclaimed:
ats to be a wedding"
Then a cheer from the boats, II
which joined.
/ shall never forget how, when the
company had landed and the greetings
were over, Uncle Peabody approached
your mother and said:
"Say. Sally, I'm goin' to plant kiss
on both o. them red cheeks o. yours
an do 1t deliberate. too"
| lie ulu IL anu 50 ulu Auut Deel ant
old Kate, and 1 think that, next Il
your mother and me, they were the
happiest people at the wedding.
There is a lonely grave up In the
hills-that of the stranger who dice
long ago on Rattleroad. One day
found old Kate sitting beside it and or
stone lately erected there was the
name, Enoch Rome.
cit is very sorrowful," she whis
pered. "He was trying to find me
when he died."
We walked on in silence while re
called the circumstances. How strange
that those tales of blood and lawles:
daring which Kate had given to Amo:
Grimshaw had led to the Staying OF
her own sonl Yet, so It happened
and the old wives will tell you the
story up there In the hills.
The play ends just as the night !:
falling with Kate and me entering the
littla homo So familiar now whore sIh