San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-21


The sun was steaming into my eyes
when l awoke. Il guess ! forgot to
pull down the black shades last night"
I thought DULY, turning sleepily with
no desire except to doze off again.
Something caught in my hair, l
reached up peevishly to see what 1t
was, and encountered something odd
and spikcy. A twig!
am having q nightmare" 1
thought, struggling to get my. eyes
open and escape from a sense OF heavi-
ness that seemed like a bad dream.
.There may be feathers in my pillow
but not twigs!"
But what I saw when got my
eyes wide open was not very encour-
aging. was in little clearing IN
| the woods. Before me stretched
stumps and stubble and young sec
ond growth" trees. Above me were
the overhanging branches OF q mon
stfous elm.
Then everything came back to me.
II had gone for walk in the moon
LIGHT. At the river bank l had sat
and Wondered on how terrible it is for
woman when she finds she doesn't
attract her husband any longer. Inc
moon had been misted over BY clouds.
II had begun to rain. I had run and
had lost my way in the woods on the
other side of the road from the
Rirches. A root Of this big elm which
had acted as my canopy from the rain
had caught my foot. l had stumbled
forward and struck my head aga,ns,
the bole Of the tree, and then hau
fallen into a feverish stupor OF sleep
and misery from which the sun, rising
high enough to shine directly into my
ewes, had just awakened me. q.
| 1 blinked a few times as l thought
miserably: x,, r..
caught frightful cold and am covered
with black and blue spots and have
q sprained ankle beside"
| And then acknowledgements
I laughed, with q sense OF detachment
and an ironic realization OF how earn
estly was expecting the worst: But
in n moment self-pity came in to ask !:
evil Jim care il you are SICK
Has he been out securing the country
to find you as you'd have done IL nc
had gotten lost in the woods!
/ covered back all ready to cry,
but amazed myself a second time py
scrambling to my feet. AS 1 $1,000
there brushing away the leaves anu
moss and damp earth, / realized that
nv ankles were both sound and whole:
III started taking little experimental
lbreatbs. No sudden stitch in my side
came To indicate that 1 had pleurisy
at least from my nights exposure.
took deeper breaths. My lungs ex,
handed pleasantly. The blood flowed
richly through my veins. -,
"Why Anne Harrison L cried
aloud. "You feel surprisingly wei
You feel tip-top!" :.
didi My night in the fresh ali
had given me a sense OF ciean stiinuia
ton. 1t must have stopped raining
shortly after 1 fell into my I'm
promptu shelter. The air was ciea'
and softly warm and fragrant, no
damp or sodden. -.
tepscd my muscles. They felt
bit stiff, but apart from the feelini
that my body was a little bruisc'
from a mattress of earth rather thai
one of feathers, l felt in good condi
ton. i started to run. As l bounde'
forward through the clearing an,
came out on a familiar little path,
realized that I had never felt bette
in my life. My night in the wood
had done me q world of good. Ever.
vestige Of self.pity fell away. begai
to sing. 1 forgot what it was that ha'
l l.. rAVnhln
There was nothing in my heart Du
| joy and contentment.
Fifteen minutes later I arrived q
the Birches-easy enough to find i
daylight and in my illuminated an
satisfied state of consciousness.
The house was shattered. The cuI
tains of Jim's room were down. TIL
front door was locked. So was tn
side door when 1 hurried around {
see il this offered me an entrance. Th
, milk bottles we're at the back dooi
, and Kitty Firkin rose from her lit,
basket on the back porch to greet M
: For once Jim had done a good 10
: at locking up. There wasn't a doc
through which l could find entranc.
The cellar windows were tight
, locked. i peered up at the sun wit
, squirting eyes and calculating minC
1T must be after Z. Jim ought to b
up now" 1 thought.
So ! went around to the front {
the Birches and rang the door bel
, Again and again ! rang the bell. Their
! was no answer. Al last / put m
finger to the button and kept 1t Their
could hear the long insistent pei
} which rang throughthe house. After
time I could hear Jim's feet on II
: stairs.
He never even missed me"
thought as he flung open the door an