Music of the Wild 



The low, open meadow covered closely with 



cropped velvet grass, "green pastures." where full- 



The Creek fed Cattle lie in deep shade. Xowhere in its course 



Meets the ^^^ ^j-^g j.jygj. Joes the Limberlost "i:)reen" and sins' 



River . . . ^ ^ 



exultingly as when crossing this meadow. All the 

 •water bal)ies travel with it, the kingfisher and the 

 jilover follow, the children play along the banks, 

 and if it has any intuition at all, surely the creek 

 can see gratitude in the eyes of the inhabitants of 

 the meadow as they tJu'ust their muzzles in the 

 dejiths or stand cooling under trees. If the Lim- 

 berlost loves admiration, here it receives a full 

 share. The Ijanks are covered with enough trees 

 and bushes to make almost continuous shade for 

 the waters, and a tiling of beauty it goes laughing 

 on the way to tlie Wabash. In fact it is so close 

 the river here tliat big fish come adventuring and 

 to spawn, and their splash is part of the music 

 that the family living on the banks hears daily. 

 ]Mr. SchatFer says tliat he can stand on his back 

 porch, bait a fish, turn, and drop it into the fry- 

 ing-pan. This really could be done, but much as 

 I have trespassed tliere I never have seen the fish 

 on their way anywhere except to tlie river. 



Aside from the song of the creek and the birds 

 that follow, there comes an occasional ^^^ld duck, 

 sometimes a loon lost in migration or slightly 

 Mounded by a hunter, and every spring and fall 

 migrating wild geese pay a visit and add strange 



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