The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-20
By.Lian, O'FIaherty

I heat mist hung high in the heavens
around the dark spurs Of the noun
tainB.
She trotted a long way. Then she
broke into a walk as the road began
to rise. 1t turned and twisted up
wards steeply towards the mountains,
a narrow white jagged crust Of
crushed limestone curling thru the
soft heather-clad bog-land. The noun
tains doomed up close on either side.
There were black shadows on the
grey granite rocks and on the purple
heather. Overhanging peaks made
gloomy caverns that cast long spikes
of blackness out from them. Here
and there the mountains sucked their
sides inwards in sumptuous curves.
like seashell mouths. Long black
fences raced majestically up the
mountain sides and disappeared on
far horizons over jagged peaks, with
ferocious speed. The melancholy sill
ence of dead world filled the air
THE melancholy silence soothed the
4 girl. 1t numbed her. She sat
down to rest on the stunted grass by
the roadside. She cast one glance at
the valley behind her and shuddered.
Then she Rugged her child fiercely
and traversed the tiny face with
kisses. The child began to cry. She
fed him. Then he fell asleep. She
arose and walked on again.
She was among the peaks, walking
along level winding stretch Of road
that led to the lake. A great dull
WEAKNESS possessed her being. Her
limbs trembled as she walked. Her
heart began to throb with fear. Her
forehead wrinkled and quick tremors
Of fear made her SILVER now and
again. But she walked fiercely on,
driven on in spite of herself.
CHE reached the entrance to the val
~ ley was.
She saw it suddenly, nesting cum
ningly behind an oVerhanging messy
faced cliff, a fiat white dot with dark
edges. She stood still and stared al
it for long time. She was delirious
Her eyes glistened with a strange
| light.
Then she shivered and walked slow
| ly downwards towards the lake bank,
stopping many times to kiss the sleep.
ing child. When she reached the
grassy bank and saw the dark, deep
water, she uttered a cry and darted
away The child awoke and began to
cry. She sat down and fondled him.
He ceased crying and crowed, flap
ping the air with his hands feebly.
She kissed him fiercely and called to
him strange words in a mumbIing
voice.
CHE took off her shawl, spread it on
~ fit, smooth rock, put the child
in the shawl and knotted the shawl
into a tight bundle about him. She
placed the bundle on the rock and got
to her feet. Then she knelt beside it
and clasping her hands on her breast.
she turned her face to the sky and
prayed silently. She prayed for two
minutes and then tears trickled down
her cheeks and she remained for a
long time staring at the sky without
thinking or praying.
Finally she arose to her feet and,
without looking at her child. she
walked towards the lake bank quick
ly. When she arrived at the brink,
she Joined her hands above her head,
closed her eyes and leaned forward.
RUT she drew backwards again
- with gasp. Her child had
crowed. She whirled about and
rushed to him. She caught him up in
her arms and began to kiss him joy
ously, laughing wildly as she did SO.
Still laughing wildly she ran to the
bank.
She threw back her head. She put