South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-15

sun dropped a spendthrift Hood OF
gold upon the fortunate fields OF
wheat. The cities were far away.
The road lay curling around WOOD
and dale and hill Ike a ribbon lost
from the robe Of careless summer.
The wind followed like a whinnying
colt in the track OF Phoebus's steeds.
BY and by the farmhouse peeped
gray out Of its faithful grove; they
saw the long lane with It's convoy OF
walnut trees running from the road
20 the house. they smeiied the whd
rose and the breath OF cool. damp
willows in the creeks bed. And then
in unison all the voices OF the soil
began chant addressed TO the soul
81 Robert Walmsley. Out Of the
tilted aIsles Of the dim wood they
came hollOwly; they chirped ana
buzzed from the parched grass; they
trilled from the ripples OF the creek
/ ford: they foated up In clear pans
pine notes from the dimming mea-
dows: the whippoorwills joined In
as they pursued midges in the upper
/ air: slow-Coing cow-bells struck out
q homelv accompaniment-an this
was what each one said: you've
| found your way back at last, have
you?"
The old voices OF the soil spoke to
| him. Leaf and bud and blossom con-
versed with him in the old vocab-
ulary of his careless youth-the IN
animate things. the familiar stones
and rails. the gates and burrows ana
! roofs and turns OF the road had an
I eloduence, too, and a power in the
/ transformation. The country had
! smiled and he had felt the breath of
il, and his heart was drawn as II
I'm a moment back to his old love.
! The city was far away
This rural atavism, then, seized
/ Robert Walmsley and possessed
I him 4 queer thing he noticed in
connection with IL was that Alicia,
sitting at his side, suddenly seemed
to him a stranger. She did not be-
long 10 this recurrent phase. Never
Lefore had she seemed so remote so
! colOrless and high-so intangible
and unreal. And yet he had never
admired her more than when she
set there by him in the 7rickty
gDring wagon. Ginning no more with
his mood and with her environment
than the Matterhorn chimes with a
| peasants cabbage garden.
That night when the greetings
ard the supper were over, the en-
tire family, including Buff, the yell
low dog. bestrewed itself upon the
front porch. Alicia, not naughty
but silent. sat in the shadow dressed
in an exquisite pale green tea gown.
\ Roberts mother disCoIrsed TO her
happily concerning D.armalade and
IumbagO. Tom sat on the top step;
sisters Mile and Pam on the low
est step 10 catch the lightning bugs.
Mother had the big willow rocker.
Father sat in the big armchair with
one of it's arms gone. Buff sprawled
in the middle of the porch in every
bOdys way. The twilight pixies and
pucks stole forth unseen and plung-
! ed other poignant shafts of mem
Ory into the heart OF Robert. "A
rural madness entered his soul. The
city was far away.
Father sat without his pipe.
writhing in his heavy boots, a sacri-
flee TO rigid courtesy. Robert shout
ed: mo, YOU DON'T" He fetched
the pipe and lit It; he seized the old
gentleman's boots and tore them off.
The last one slipped suddenly, and
Mr.. Robert Walmsley, OF Washing
ton Square. tumbled off the porch
backward with Buff on top OF him.
bowling fearfully. Tom laughed
sarcastically.
Robert tore of his coat and vest
and hurled them into a lilac bush.
Come out here, you landlubber,"
he cried 10 Tom, "and I'll put grass
seed on your back. I think you call
ed me a dude a while ago. Come
! along and cut your capers."
Tom understood the invitation
and accepted II with delight, Three
, times they wrestled on the grass.
side holds" even as the giants of
the mat. And twice was Tom forced
= TO bite grass at the hands OF the