jing tricks, for the cl7:'l(lren‘s pleasure.

V facr.s.

 

w‘ :11,‘ ~.

 

"*1, 7 ‘ 4" ~

 

pssx.-::;1're at t:1£e”,p'eac.;sidl
lémilyr,VvilhlclrélM;r§l‘Ril.ej.f‘ g‘iv?es,»is the portrait of
all trillage fa;m.ily l,ife than and there, except wlwn
it  n1a.rrer(.lfby Vite of taintéd by guilt. la the
large towns it was not quite Sr: simple, but it w.=~...~;
still ver'_!! simple: the towns urrem not :30 large or
so old, but their citizens were still nearly all 01'
village gmwth and had Jtcnown the village life.
It is it phase of this life. wlzicft Mr. llfley trrms~
latcs into rhyme with at most <:ot'e-:_=cic:r:tious: litm-
V 312:3’ and a perfect. ccxumge. Allowing; f;-::rz'the fact
that life orc‘liz2a.1*ily talk:-1 prose, and not heroic.
r:r.;up‘§«':ts, or blank Verse, or even r-so I’l‘«L‘.L‘l'1 as the};-.
ameters, I do not :-«:e.e- he w rhymra could pot’-:':‘»lbly be
truer wit. As fcsr rlmz ‘spirit at’ it, that :5 as pen

1'ea:tlly'e:.tprc‘sss<:cl in z'l.,z":~.< pcetls gentlc. an as u.nat'- ‘V

fcctedly and I;1n:arnl;i1_ious.;v as I thinl-: we can evazr
.’£1opv.“.. to have it clnizm: : for once, has secztns som.e~
':l1ingulti:naL.-:*.final. The p~;;:»:rn has put me ln
mind, at times», at’ l‘%l-::m,nfi<:l(l's “Far:net' Bo}.",”
but tl1."1t is full of l§‘:cr:fry f.rm*na.lit,ies and com'~t:~:)~
Linnfs beside .';'\/ll. l7{ll*3_‘,""S Cl-lI('l.D V.«'r.:»lr.Lrn, whit
can be. .lilr.ened wxuly to ;'s<'m;u.=. «:1 the p1*r':ra;>l1:*.t:1itic
2.tt«.:u"npts of ».:-vrmin !"‘:I‘tg.‘,'ll‘:_‘~h poets fifty years ago,
Where for 2. I’ll(')IYH,rZil ’.‘.l'l.C "English trim‘! "L0 be zeal»
istic. But t7twr:".u:. s:vc'2n., were not of the utter sim~
pl7:«:‘it‘y of M1‘. R'Ll«::y's. '-Imrlc: at simplicity ue.v+:.r at
all helpless, *..;a.t alt-mys fullcy ill!-'31'l£lt‘.‘f.l. at e.'.7.r:.'x‘y
p01!‘:‘«,‘,

’.l."hc poem petrtalccsa pl’ this sl1‘uctu1'ally.. The
little world of thc Iltflt‘ clhildren of 3, MidvI.1d"mm
{a.m:1,ly is closzely tilCn‘Ct€‘Cl; tlu-;.i1: uraslxapen -:lt2xrac-
‘t1‘<‘.1'S‘-‘AYE’. touched in; their mates a.nw:l. *.'“'rieuds are
shown, the fat“l'»e's"a.r1«‘l mcytller, tlm hired man am’;
the hired girl appear with a growing-up cuusln
and :1 gm van--up uncle. anti; a srn.<a.ll l;fr(mp oi.’ famil.y
Vfriezzrls. Then: is n<;'»t‘nin.g of drama or of 1'.r1c‘»vin:;_;:
accid»;:nt in it‘, at tht: most tlaere is an “ l.t‘.vr2ning
tifmnpany," Where all t:-.142 mrrls in telling stories
(the children with the rest), in siragixtgwancl l!1p_l2.y-
(lnc zhlnl.-;...<
of Whittier’.-; Snow-'b0um'l; but again the lllzzm
ncss is in {mitts of cha.racte1'izatl.0n aml very em-
mi:sac<;nt, and there is no wish. on Mr. l»’.llc:y's g_>art
to transmute, but only thr: wish to am-.r.sla,ze thr:
His love of the :a,bs.c~l*z.1te truth gave me the
sense of listening‘ to the little glrl.’.-3 version of
Little Red Riding Flcmri, and cue boy's fairy
tale, and a.n«.,>the.r lmy’s bear--story, and of tiring

me as: one is rsfuzn tired by cl1ildren’~;: efforts in

fictlon. lie is not less fond. of reality in the
“ Noted ’I‘ra.vcle'r"s” star}; of the: old. black couple

‘who buy their live. clailclren out of slavery, and he

is» exquisitely touclzing.
This is the fines: reviewal of the “ Eva-ning Com-

‘.y5:iny," whjigzh is the last passage of the poem, but
-nclt,. I lhltlk, the best. Some. of the dcsrzriptlve-
 passkggeqfin which the -poeztj studies the ,cii’cun1g

 

 iziilngl-1;;,}j‘1l;te;l,'~:}{: bné ui_11.ag£= ‘'  6£1,‘‘Ii.l:4éi.t3~£1rx;l>

, llama in lrlsé sta.ll,7T“Old:  ” 4u1un:th*ed Khi-.5

 
  
 

H . V  
beast, and I.a,m goi~i13gr ta 'gltl»§‘ myself tl1elt5p1calSl1;1,r¢‘,ll
of repeating one ofthcesc hém: ‘ u 

The old home site was pt3rt,ilo‘nec‘. into'thfeé./
Dl.stlnc.t‘ive lots. , The front: ,«:sne—«-natlvely

' Fu~::5z1:—;r to southward, broad and gaudy~fi nu! ]  

‘W’-ith lilac. dahlia, rose. anti flowering vine-—~
Tlae clgwelling stood in: and llelziztd that. and
Upon the allézy north and snutlx, left hand‘, .
The old w<>od-l1oust:,~~~—h;xl:i, trlmly stacked with

wr:~od, ‘
Andl1.'a.lf,a worlrshop, where a wmrkbenclx stood
St-cadfastly tl1mugh all set-xsons.»-~-(Llvcr it, t
Along the wall, hung COfl'Ip.:ls‘S, br;a.\:e-aml-blt, l
Arid squarrc, and draVving'-knife and stnoothingr

plane--~ '
A.n<l little jacl:-plane., toc.—-«the children's vain
Possession by prct<=.nse—~»in fzmcy they
léhmipulatixlg it in endless play, ‘
Tuzming out countless curls and loops of bright,
Fitxe satin sluzvings-V»-R9.pture infinite '.
.‘~"helving; quilting-frames: thv 1n=)lche~:~:t; the old

boy.
Of refuse nails and scrcws.;":.t re;
~;’.Jnttlim': in “ cu:.'l_v maple" ; an. ..,
Oi clamps 2-.-mi old kl‘Out‘Ct11l.£é‘r 3-*:za,:xg.:ing there.»
‘Some “,pa,tI.<r1'ns," in thin wuml, of shield anrl.

scroll, l
Htltlg uig,l1et. with a near “<.':m~2--fishing-pole"
And C.a.rz,:fu1 tackle-—~all se-.:urv;=.l.;',' out
Of reamh <;f chlldrsm, ruu..zxna;.;'ing about.

gt: _gun~stock’s

  

v - u l

“ The Old Swee't—A.pple~'"i‘rc«3," .1 stalwart, stormd
In fairly sympathetic ueighbm'lmnr.l

Of this wild prlxxceling with 111.9. early gold.

To was about ~30 lavishly mitt hold

In boumcous heard to 0\i{'tI‘b!'ilT2 at once , ,
All Naturtfs lap when came tlu: Autunm months.
Und=.:': the-, spacious: shade of tllirs the cyea

Of svviuging childre.-u saw swift}.-csltaxxglng ssklcts

Of blue and green, with sunshine shot between,
.”u'ul “ when the old cat died " they saw but greézut.
And, then, tlmrzt was a «:he:l'ry-t:re«:.—-VlirL all

And sexflerally will ‘yet recall

A l*“rox;n one: lost youth, in gentlest memory.

'l”lu=.~. 'bless¢acl fact~~~There war‘. a. cherry-tree.

o o 9 c . ». a a u
4

"I‘h<:z:« the old f_-’;‘£L!-1161!, with the apple-ttjees
Gmupml ’round the margin, anti “ astand of bees

, By me “ white~wim.er~pearmain ” ; and a row

Of currzmt hushes; and  qszirzce or so.

The old grapevarbor in the ce..ntc1', by

The pathway to the stable, with the sty
Behinr.l'it, and ujwcu it, cootcring (locks

Oi piger,-ns,~~—and the c'utr.~.s,t "‘ :.mlrtin«box ” !---~ 7,
Made like Ia. :-:.urv:»enough hczuse--—vvith roof, and‘ "

dour:-3 . l “

And windows in it, and veramla~fio<:>t's

And lmlusters all ‘round. it~—~ycs. and at a»

Each and a cllimneywpalnvetl red at that

And penciled white. to look like lxttle bricks;

And, to cap all the l.')u,ildcr’s,»c'um:ing tricks,

Two tiny little lightni_ng;~rotls were run ,  ~
Straight up their sides, and'tv»in.l:.led in tl1_c_‘Sl1l‘1. -
Who built: it? Nay, no answer buta smile-g.e-~»
It may be you can ,g‘uess'who, £tfl.e'['Whl,lC'.. ' ‘

   
 
    

And oats and 9:-‘om’, glwltgzhed l:i;1§")fl'li:,£l aythy

n