104 



RECREATION. 



A film bedimming the sun produced 

 an opalescent effect — " resembled 

 more a poached egg," observed Phil. 

 A slight wind blew heated dust in our 

 eyes, and everything took on a fiery 

 tinge. 



The hawthorn's crimson crop had 

 been scattered — thinned out by na- 

 ture, to allow tjie rest to fully ripen. 

 The sumach's torches were not alone 

 aflame; the leaves, too, had apparently 

 caught and were all ablaze, keeping 

 company with September's late car- 

 dinal flower. Even Billy-boy's mane 

 (he is called a strawberry-roan) re- 

 flected a glare. All this brilliancy 

 would have been charmingly effective 

 on a cool, clear day; but under these 

 circumstances it produced the effect 

 of the muleta or the banderilla in the 

 arena — it tantalized. 



We gladly rested our steeds at the 

 first hint of shade, a group of hick- 

 ory trees in a fence corner, and voting 

 our ride a failure, resolved to return] 

 My horse, unable to extract any 

 moisture from the parched, dusty 

 grass, tried the lower leaves, and 

 Phil., Jr., vaulted the barbed- wire 

 fence for goldenrod with which to 

 decorate my saddle. 



44 Now take it at college." said he, 

 "toward the close of the semester 

 when exams, are over, we fellows" 



" Listen, Phil ! " I interrupted, " can 

 that be thunder ? " But no, it was too 

 continuous. Riding to the highest 

 point of observation, I saw, turning 

 into our lane at the hill-foot, a steam 

 threshing machine. Billy-boy first 

 catching sound and sight of it as- 

 sumed an attitude of eager attention. 

 Answering Phil's interrogation, I 

 said, no, he had never seen one be- 

 fore, and although at home I had 

 soothed him into passing acquaint- 

 ance with steam-rollers, electric mo- 

 tors and other peace-disturbers, I dis- 

 liked such an encounter on this down- 

 hill road, hemmed in by barbed wire. 



" For the love of Heaven ! Mrs. 

 B., what's to be done ? Will you 

 dismount ? Shall I hold him ? He'll 

 never pass that howling machine." 



44 No, nor will he let you hold him. 

 We must go on, instead of back : you 



kindly go down with your wheel ; ask 

 them to check it long enough to give 

 us a start, and we'll turn out at the 

 first crossroad. I suppose you know 

 some other route home ?" 



" Yes, yes — why certainly," and 

 we separated. The noise ceased, 

 Phil, overtook us, and we were again 

 uncomfortably speeding, Billy-boy 

 tossing his head and snorting a de- 

 cided 4< I told you so." On and on 

 we rode, farther from home, high 

 noon and the 44 howling machine " on 

 our track. 



44 How many miles yet, Phil., be- 

 fore we come to a crossroad ?" 



44 To be truthful, I've not been out 

 this way since I was a mere kid, but 

 we'll surely come to one presently 

 leading to a short cut home : now 

 don't allow yourself to become at all 

 nervous, Mrs. B., I'll see that noth- 

 ing occurs," and leaning manfully 

 forward for a spurt ahead — some- 

 thing occurred. The exclamation 

 that followed, as he extricated from 

 between the spokes some projecting 

 vine-roots, was quite untranslatable, 

 but coming from a college-bred youth, 

 I felt it could be nothing unfit for ears 

 polite. Coming soon after to a piece 

 of second-growth timber, scrub-oak 

 and underbrush, Phil, beamed. 



44 Ah ! I knew I could not have 

 mistaken the locality ; here is the 

 coveted road, Mrs. B., right through 

 the wood." Yes, here was a road 

 into which we dashed. The voice of 

 our tormentor grew fainter. I slack- 

 ened our speed. Billy-boy was grate- 

 ful, and Phil, resumed his college 

 yarn." 



44 Yes, it is extremely difficult for 

 one of those intellectual freaks, called 

 by courtesy a Tute, to reconcile — " 



44 Whoa ! Pardon me, Phil., but 

 look up." I pointed to a board sign 

 nailed to a tree, bearing in blue paint 

 this inscription — RoAd, bLokEd. 



44 Blocked ! — Great Zeus deliver us! 

 I dare say, Mrs. B. — O, never mind, 

 we'll go as far as we may and wait 

 for our following Nemesis to pass 

 the wood. It's a long lane, etc., you 

 know." 



But it wasn't long before we came 



