American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-05-02

hours. / could take 1t easy then. At
seven o'clock the mare and / started
again, well fed and eager to go on. |
1t was a summer morning hat 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 in 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,
warbiers, wrens, and far away In the
edge of a spruce thicket / heard the
flute of the white-throated sparrow.
l bathed at a brook In the woods
and put on a clean silk shirt and tie
out of my saddlebags. l rode slowly
then to the edge of the village of Cam
ton and turned at the bridge and took
the river road, although | had time to
spare. How my heart was beating as
I 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 it 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 a lovely scene.
There was the pine, but where was
my lady? l dismounted and tied my
mare and looked at my watch. 1t
lacked twenty minutes to eleven. She
would GOMEZ had no doubt Of 1t. !
washed my hands and face and neck
in the cool water. Suddenly / heard
a voice 1 knew singing: Barney
Leave the Girls Alone" / turned and
saviour mother, my son. (These
last lines. were dictated to his SON.
She was In the stern of a birch canoe,
| all dressed in white with roses in her
hair. | raised my hat and she threw
a kiss at me. Old Kate sat in the bow
waving her handkerchief. They
stopped and Sally asked in a tone CT
playful seriousness:
young man, why have you come
here?"
"To get you" / answered.
"What do you want of mel" She
was looking at her face in the water.
II want to marry you," l answered
| bravely.
"Then you may help me ashore II
you please. l am in my best, white
slippers and you are to be very care
full"
Beautiful She was the spirit o
the fields of June then and always.
| helped her ashore and held her Ii
my arms and, you know, the lips hav'
a way of speaking then in the old, con
vincing, final argument of love. The,
: left no doubt in our hearts, my son.
"When do you wish to marry mef
she whispered.
~ "As soon as possible, but my pay |
only sixty dollars a month now"
. "We shall make it do" she ar
swered. my mother and father an
your aunt and uncle and the Hacket
: and the minister and a number of on
friends are coming in a fleet of boats.
'We are prepared either for a picni
. or a wedding was the whisper c
: Kate.
Lets make 1t BOTH" 1 proposed t
Sally.
"Surely there couldn't be a bette
d. place than here under the big pine
lie it's so smooth and soft and shady
We said she.
n "Nor gould there be n better day {
to better company" l urged, for | Wa
#, not sure that she would agree.
of The boats came along. Sally and
waved.a welcome from the bank al
he she merrily proclaimed:
vs.. "It's to be a wedding"
of Then a cheer from the boats,
which l Joined.
Sc l shall never forget how, when Il
&C. company had landed and the greetin.
to were over, Uncle Peabody approach'
Ist your mother and said:
.er "Say, Sally, I'm goin' to plant a XII
w on both o. them red cheeks o. YOU
at, an do II deliberate. too"
on He did 1t and so did Aunt Deel al
ch old Kate, and | think that, mex
Use your mother and me, they were t
in happiest people at the wedding.
he .
There is a lonely grave up in t
hllls-that of the stranger who dl
long ago on Rattleroad. One day
IDS found old Kate sitting beside it and
Try n stone lately erected there was t
On name, Enoch Rome.
ce, at is very sorrowful," she VIII
; pered. "He was trying to find
ta- when he died."
m We walked on in silence while l
u called the circumstances. How stran
ne that those tales of blood and lawlt
daring which Kate had given to An
Grimshaw had led to the Staying
to her own sonl Yet, so 1t happen
lad and the old wives will tell you I
fnr - -. - l.. A., A4f1n