El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-09-23
The Last Day At CI0udcroft


THE rock naples are tipped with
I i orange and scarlet and an occa-
sional aspen has turned canary
bird yellow. Frost has lightly nipped
the world here and there. but SUM
mer green is the prevailing color
/ The gorgeous purple asters are fad
iug TO pink. bright in the sun. but a
DIT withcred and desolate in nou-
The beautiful rose just below
ICIoudcroft has folded away every
lovely shaded petal ln the prickly
bronze1 and REDEEMED rose-hips.
! Farewell -to-suuln the aual
white noWderv asters growing On
wand like stems. and the tiny purple
and blue New England asters q down
| che moen tain. are whispering the last
word 81 sdmmer the last sentence Of
uafurga naferu0ater as Oliver Neu-
dell Holmes calls the flowers. ma
lures pateruoator that she is never
AM the reluctant children have been
draEEed away from their play and
down the mountain 70 the cities
where the school bells are ringing.
jan the pretty bridge players at the
hotel have powdered their noses Tor
the last time in the mirrors where
pines look over their shoulders and
have slipped their laughing faces out
and away. dancing on slim feet 70 the
towns TO- buy new hats and folderols
for town days.
one after another the cottages have
/ been closed, and as soon as windows
were shot and doors locked, the blue
jays and chipmunks and juncoes took
possession
They say a panther has been slip
ping along the edge Of the woods az
twilight He scared the Mexican chill
dreu up at the - and followed two
young women home az dusk LheF
we're glad enough 20 get the door
closed and the lamp lit between them
and the shadOwy cat
The winds Of September are blow
ing. The frost rides them and they
blow days out as clear and sparkling
and cool as big bubbles
Ripeniug grasses heavy with braid
ed tops Of flower or grain or spread
IKE gauzs iu the sun. bend and
blow iu the wind changing from
green TO blue and purple, or from
brown 20 red and gold
The mountain TOD is a harp that the
September wind plays upon Great
pines and spruces chant soft whisper
ing chords in the heavy pine tops ana
long uudertones from the sWayinE
. trunks. The trunks sway 90 the sing
Of pine, black body Of spruce, silver
stem Of fir. Underneath. the aspeus
whisper. whisper. and high grasses
with hair-lii-e stems sweep light mFs-
tic chords that run trembling from
brown earth 20 blua sky All the
while come the Wreathed EilVarT
scales of the warnings. hapniest.
pleaEantest Of little birds drifting
about the mountain TOD In big circles.
always tWirteriug up and down few
conversational notes
White clouds blow across an IN
changing. unlocked sparkling sap
phirs sky Big. round worlds OF cloud
thread and fringe away in long
sweeping curves and are tossed TO-
gether again.
The world drops away The world
has left the mountain no dust Of it.
no hue and cry Of IT, no stress and
strain. There is not a trouble 70 be
found I'm the grasses under the pines,
or in the white clouds circllug above.
or In the garlands Of WaUWing song.
The blue sky IS close High white
cloud masses and round shadoWT.
dark pine tops sway together fin the
blue.
September wind plays on every
string. cloud great tree, holding
scarlet cypress. grass tossing colors
back and forth under the sun. Mich
aelmas daisies whispering their pray
ers. fluttering aspen, booming pine