Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-23
CHAPTE6 XII

One week of authentic spring, 90
! rare sweet week of May, n tranquil
! moment between the blast of wintle
and the charge Of summer. Daily
! Carol walked from town n flashing
| country hysteric with new life.
One enchanted hour when she re-
| turned to youth and q belief in the
possibility Of beauty.
She had walked northward toward
| the upper shore Of Plover Lake, taxi
ing to the railroad track, whose d.
%rectness and dryness Rlake 1t the nat
ural highway for pedestrians on the
| plains. She stepped from tie to tie,
in long strides. At each roai-cross-
; ing she had to crawl over a cattle.
! guard Of sharpened timbers. She
; walked the rails, balancing with arms
| extended, cautious heel before toe.
AS she lost balance her body bent
over, her arms revolved wildly. and
when she toppled she laughed aloud.
The thick grass beside the track,
coarse and prickly with many burn
ings, hid can~ary-yellow buttercups
and the mauve petals and Wooliy
sage-green coats of the basque flow:
ers. The b~ranches>of the kinnikinic
brush were red and smooth as lacquer
on a saki bowl.
She ran down the gravelly eInbank-
ment, smiled at children gathering
/ 1lO"eIS LII d lllllc UI~1hJIi Ill IL
handful Of the soft basque flowers in
to the bosom of her white blouse.
Fields of springing wheat drew her
from the straight propriety of he
railroad and she crawled through the
rusty barbed- wire fence. She follow
cd a. furrow between low wheat
blades and a field of rye which show
ed silver lights as it flowed before
the wind. She found a pasture by
the lake. So sprink.ed was the pas
ture with rag-baby blossoms and the
cottony herb of Indian tobacco that
it spread out like q rare old Persian
carpet OF cream and rose and delicate
green. Under her feet the rough
grass made a pleasant crunching.
Sweet winds blew from the sunny lake
beside her, and small waves sputtered
! on the meadowy shore. She leapei
4 tiny creek powered in pusyy-willow
buds. She was nearing a. frivolous
grove Of birch and poplar and wild
plum trees.
The poplar foliage had the downi-
ness Of a Corot arbor; the green and
silver trunks were as candid Is the
hirches, as slender and lustrous as the
blossoms Of the plum trees filled the
grove with a springtime mistiness
Which ave an illusion OF distance.
She ran into h wood, crying out
for joy of freedom regained alter win
ter. Choke-cherry blossoms lured her
from the outer sun-Warmed spaces to
depths of green stiffness, where a SUBJ
marine light came through the young
leaves, She walked pensively along
an Abandoned road. She found a MOCK
c~asin-f.ower beside a lichen-covcrea
log. At the end of the road she saw
the open acres-dipping rolling fields
bright with wheat.
Il believe! The woodland gods still
live! And out there, the great land.
It's beautiful as tho mountains. What
do I care for .Thanatopsis?"
She anne out on the prairie, spa
cious under an arch of boldly cut
clouds. Small pools glittered.' Above
q marsh red-winged blackbirds chased
a crow in a. swift melodran,a. of the
air. On 4 hill was silhouetted a man
following a drag. His horse bent itsl
neck and plodded, content.
IA path took her to tho Corinth.
road, leading back to town. Dande-
lions glowed in patches amidst the
wild grass by the a A stream gol-
loped through a concrete culvert be-.
meath the road. She trudged in heal
thy WEAKNESS.
A a in a humping Ford ratified
Up beside her, hailed, Give 0 a lift,
, Mrs. Kennicott?" :,
n you. It's awfully good Of
you, but I'm enjoying the walk
Great day. by golly. l seen some
wheat that must of been five inches
high. Well. so long, r
h hadn't the dinlmest notion who
he was but his greeting warmed her.
This countryman a v her a compan-
ionship which she had never (whether
by her fault or theirs or, neither) been
able to find in the rnatrons and com-
mercial lords of. the town. :
Half a mile from town, in a hollow
between hazelnut bushes and a brook,
she. discovered a gypsy encampment:
a covered wagon, j tent. a BUNCH OF
5 pegged-out horses. "A broad -shouli-
. ered man was squatted~ on his heels.
holding a frying-pan over {. camp
fire. He looked toward her. Ho
was Miles Bjornstam.
4 Continued Tomorrow Evening.