In the Cool of the Morning.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 24 December 1910, Page 13

In the Cool of the Morning.

I By James Oppenheim.

,In the cool of the morning the young girl awoke. She smelt honeysuckle; she hoard the ascending lisp of an ecstatic bobolink. Swiftly * slie laid aside the covers and rcso and tripped to tho open window and flung.,wide the shutters. A gust of wind that had skimmed the clover shook, her loosened hair and cooled her body. She. stood leaning out, supjjle as a-willow switch in-her white nightgown, a slip of wild girlhood, with parted lips and dreaming eyes. Silently the light lay on the meadows. Daisies, were, drenched in it; wild rosestrembled in it; the le-aves of the apple trees glistened; the wings of the swallow flashed. And up on the apple tree the bobolink - was singing, more and more ecstatic. The young girl sang too. She poured out that hymn of morning that is the soul of sunrise: Hark, hark, the lark at heaven's gate doth sing! Then, later, she crept down through the quiet house, opened the front door, and went, out into the fields. The low sun made tho air tingle with glory. She breathed deep of it; she sst her feet with light swiftness on the dewy gross, brushing tlie glittering gossamer. Hurrying up tho hilly- r pasture, she made it beautiful by being there. 'She panted, overflowing with fresh life. It was as if she had been -admitted to the morning of creation. She and the world were so young! She gained the choked, ccol woods and went in. She peered through screen beyond screen of tangled* leaves, and she saw in the very centre of the gloom of the forest .0119 low, many foliaged bush soaked with wild sunlight. And in the sunlight a boy. He too was almost breathless with life—his liquid'blue eyes, his bronzed and downy checks, his full lips and beautiful Upright hsad, his athletic body, all dripped as it were ftith youth and the morning of the world. Bathed in'the sun, ho winked* at the shadows, and in the shadows ho saw her. His low laughter mingled with hers. She camo io him. He whispered her name, ''Alice!" He put out his arms and drew her close, and they kissed. Then, because they were with each other, they dared not sing; but thsir hearts sang together. Their hearts sang that old song, that lovo and youth aro everlasting, that it is glorious to be alive', that man and woman, are the. God and Goddess of Earth and ever.will be.. The wind in tho pines, the bobolink in the orchard, the brook among tho rocks, the wild roses in-the pasture, the insects in the clover,, but echoed that .'divine and human song. The girl , said: "We must love each other forever." •The boy said: "Never/before did lovers love as we do." And they vowed to loy* like this all their days. . The , boy whispered: "Alice, wo must tell everybody/' How could they hush that song in their hearts?,- * 1 So they went hand in hand back to the house, whispering, laughing, ovsr- j running, with youth; The' mother* ' standing in the doorway of the ki.tchen,' saw them-coming. She ; saw that > they were more beautiful 'in the morning than mated thrushes. Sht. 1 thought she had never seen such beauty I in this world. She went down to meet them, her eyes dim with tears. "Mother!" - said the young' girl. "Mother!" \ „ The mother* kissed, her and cried softly. 1 "I. leupw!" .jshe . murmured. know!" ' V . |

Again one morning a. young girl awoke. Was that not honeysuckle in the air? And that lisping, lifting music, was . that not. a bobolink? She tripped from the L'.kl to the window and flung vids the shutters. She leaned out 'in her white nightgown; her golden hair caught the low sun;, her blue eyes beamed with ■light. She saw, tha silent glorv of the meadows, swaying daisies, and frail wild roses, and up at . the top of the apple tree. the tiny bobolink' throbbing witli ecstasy. And so she lifted up her voice and scing-too. /Out into those meadows.she wandered, and breathed the wild flavoured air. She. hurried through 'the rocky pasture, swift as a fawn. She overflowed with life. Surely this was the morning, of'creation! Surely the. world and she were youns!- • And in the forest 'she met' him, and he, called, her name, 'and! he. drew her close, and their cool lips .were pressed dewily, together, and their hearts sang. Their hearts ?ang, sang the old, old song —that love and youth are everlasting, that it is 'glpfious to be, alive, that man and, woman are the God and Goddess of Earth and'ever will be. And the young earth tchoed .their. song. Said both of themr-VNever before did lovers love as we do." . And they-vowed that so would-they, love all'the days of:'their life. • And the boy whispered: "We must tell everybody."- '• , And the girl said passionately: "We must love each other forever." .' They took each other's-hands; they went-back, to the house. The mother,', standing in the doorway of tho kitchen,. saw them coming,. but she did not go to meet them. : She turned back to the kitchen and'touched a. bowed and middle-aged man on the shoulder. -• "Come here," she said.' He followed the quiet woman to- the doorway. "Look!" she murmured. He looked, and then glanced at the mother with startled eyes. Tears were coursing down the mother's cheeks. ' "Twenty years ago," she said, "rori and I came home to my mother. 'Do you remember?" v He kissed her hastily, and for the first time that morning. And then, they understood. Earth and love are young forever; only human beings get old.