Evening star., 1934-07-02
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRAcEWELL.

There are delightful glimpses caught
of charming homes yet to be seen,
trees hiding outlines, but permitting
some Of them to show through.
The element Of surprise, written
50 much about in garden literature,
enters into the curved street, whether
it be called lane or just plain street" )"
Thus gardening is carried into the
street, as 1t should be. Garden plan
ming should not quit at the curb. but
should 60 as far as possible In all
directions. This will mean that even
the street partakes to some extent of
the charm of a garden, not SO much
because Of plants and the Like, al
though there are trees, but mostly be-
cause Of the plain intention on the
part of the builders to make the
streets a part of the general plan.
The true lane, some will think,
manages this just little better than
the straight street. 1t may be mar
f1c, and there is more parking. in the
sense of grassed space adjacent to the
sidewalk.
Some lanes have no sidewalk at
all, but run. the lawns entirely out to
the gutter. It is not bad plan. The
street is wide enough and free
| enough from traffic to make most ex-
| cellent walkway. There are draw
backs to this, of course; 1t has its
limitations, but also charm all its
own.
Something there is about our gen.
uine lanes. narrow, winding. which
appeals to that part Of o man called
memory.
Sometimes q visitor will notice only
that they are narrow, compared with
grand boulevards, but after he has
seen them for a time something else
begins to get in its work.
1t is memory, childhood recollection,
call it what one will, which takes one
back to a small country town, In the
days before city planning had been
heard Of. There weren't any houses
on those lanes, they were real lanes,
perhaps not even called such, but
real lanes, just the same, winding in
and out. going over the hills down to
| the creek, called crick. Anyone who
called it creek was looked upon as
stuck up" Anyone who said hog"
just so. instead of "hawg," had been
to the big city and brought back citi-
| ned airs. There was old man Toshey,
everybody called him Toshie for years,
but he went to the city and changed
his names pronunciation to "Toshay,"
/ with tho Ia LII
although he still spelled it the same
Well, sir, you should have heard them
all talk Toshay. indeed!
Lanes were cowpaths, then, those
primitive, mysterious goways used by
animals Of keener perceptions than
they sometimes are given credit for
possessing. Fine old COWS, lowing in
the distance, walked these paths, on
the way home. There was even
stile. but one scarcely remembers that.
Stiles had gone out. even then.
Today, in q far city. it is pleasant
to walk along our lanes. One may
even hear. upon occasion, a distant
lowing. There Is a farm, a real farm,
although small, in that direction, over
there. The farm problem is very
near. after all. If the wind is blow
ing from the right direction, the lis
tener may hear an old COW moo-oo,
just SO. especially in the early morn
ing, and as evening sets in. Lanes,
after all, were made by her, and for
her. She was the original lane maker.
She has been banished from the lanes
she made. but still her original prod
uct comes to every house in the early
morning. on the wings of a purring
motor. and to the clink of thick
glass