Show 1 I I AI A I Autumn W w lk By Ernest Harold Baynes ABT week there came a day da such as asIs asJa L L Is Ja a seen n nowhere in the world save America and aDel never even enn there save in bI October it was a day 4 which cannot he be fully tun described in ill words went t day My cia f tall foil n of glorious sunlight of ot Ute life ting air afar and aDd the odor bf bt nuts with Just Jut a tinge of sadness imparted Impart by the theof sham of bluebirds which seemingly f t of the vault above them n were tossed toped to the southward on the wind There was waa much work I for my 1117 pen that day da and all aU the morn mom mornIng I Ing I wrestled with it with my elbows I on my desk del and my mr eyes looking through the window and beyond to a I wave wavelets wavelets lets lete leaped loped upon the surface of the dark pipe bI water In the tile afternoon I started to work at my desk but It was wae no noUN use UN so tIO I tossed the pen into a pigeon pigeonhole pigeonhole hole and went into the woods wood And such woods they were in is their autumn coloring which bleh can en be matched tio no nowhere where here perhaps but In the rainbow OW in inthe inthe Inthe the northern lights in blood and aDd In fire Are And ADd in the fields around about the color colore heme e me was w carried canted out oat la in I the foliage t to o of o the in inthe he scarlet carlet hips 1 of the wild rose bushes and in lu the berries 1 of Irdle the bittersweet and the bushes in ba bathe Inthe the hedge rows ro In Ill I a s glade In la the woods wooda I saw a gray graya r a eating a nut sitting tUnc meanwhile on cn a carpet ea t of t fallen faDen leaves a carpet In gorgeous contrast to his own sober dress dr He was w not afraid for we had bad often tea met before so 80 I sat down too end Boa watched him rip away the hard bard hardshell bardU hardshell shell U by using AIr his hi long 1 front teeth as levers JM When he pad bad finished hd he looked abut about C until he be found another and aDd when he h had eaten ten that be he began to gather crass grans r and aDd leaves which hleb he carried to toan toAn toan an almost completed nest met in an oak tj t toe te near Dear by Thus Thu occupied I left him sad nod II ad walked through the wood until I II Iea ea naw I between eteen I the trees the blue waters tit of the lake Ik Far away awaT M a mile mJe perhaps as U a rock projecting from the water rind end It was wu dazzling white with the I lumage JI ae of sea a gulls which covered it Other ther gulls were upon the wing t wheel 1 Jr gracefully ny in IA lazy 18 circles tar far above heir t 1 heir brethren and Del others sun atm floated 1 y on OD the surface of the lake bob l AC up and aDd down amongst amoo tb the tte white cz ti e front from which at times it was Watt im t J risible bIe to distinguish them These TheM t hua I could see aee with my III naked eyes but bId with my field ft ld glass I could se lie see nettling more mare Out from the end of ofa a point of land Ian were w rt some orne little black do cots fI which might mi ht hae have been stones in inIe inthe Ie the 1 he water cut but ut for the fact that stones I t r Uld not move about as ns S these theM dots dote did didi i winey were mere black ducks which had CI into the lake lak the night bt beto i it to t remain n for a time ere they continued i their Journey to the southward I made madei mades i s wide detour keeping well welt under co OT T Ti i iJ Sr i aa as I J wished to see these the e birds at atM J loser M r range ranee Following a s belt of o h skirted the shore hore of ofha I lie he lake bike I came emt w within a quarter of a aille adie alie lie die of the ducks duck without being belna seen Men here were ere far more of them than I hal ha l opposed between and as u near nearis is Ls I I could count but only a few were wr wrIn in m the water The rent were on the thorP thorn i sitting about in different atti atU attitudes tudes udee ude preening their plumage or dab dabling Ming ling in the mud and among amon the tile stones But some IOme of them discovered me I think for the whole flock suddenly Dade oade for tor the water and started to swim iway But Bat as though the speed they made lade was not fast fut enough to suit them they took to the wing and wheeled t round around to the other side ide of the point here they tb y dropped Into the lake again Between 8 tw n us was the rounded back of oft I t i grassy grasey promontory and across acro this I 1 bent ent hidden by bT the rising ground But Mon toon the top was reached and again cain I Ime INam ie Nam me in sight right of the wild ducks which turned to swim wlm away That I might lee them nearer if It only for a moment ran forward toward the tIM shore Dore with all my rn might The ducks did not rise at once nce but when they found me gaining pint to sn n them they sprang from the tile water it first a few but followed rapidly y by br he rest a dark da rk cloud filled with ling line wings wi and scattering a if f heavy bea drop drone prom from their wet and ishin ng feet ft They were ere not greatly great alarmed and aDd after a ah short rt flight they th y plashed into the t h lake again and oV ame tame strung out across the water where wherewith with Ith th the naked eye they might ml ht easily D De e mistaken n for fur the t shadow sides of oft t an But the th ducks duk were ere not the Illy aly ly birds which I r had alarmed foi to the th gulls upon the rock rook cad i ad also aJao arisen tl en half halt a thousand strong whirling and turning in the air like the flakes of a n snowstorm And ADd present pre nt ly 11 they came down to the water but not Dot with a splash as a the ducks had done they settled tightly lightly 11 and paused for tor Just Juat a moment with their shining pinions pointed to the sky like Uke the mainsails of miniature yachts and then the sails aU were ere furled and till the white fleet riding g high hl upon the water was apparently ap at anchor lL ehor A year ago 0 at dusk I was w watching W Ing a flock of gulls floating far tar out In that hat same ame lake Jake when I was interested ted to see aee one solitary bird much nearer the shore bON than han his hiB fellows As All I watched I saw 68 that he was waa float Ing slowly toward the shore and mark marking markIng markIng ing the spot where he would wo l probably come orne in I went there and waited Presently he came within reach and I grasped him He scarcely struggled though he struck at me feebly with hm his hi bill blU and before I had time to decide what was 18 the matter with him he died diet in my arms arm Then I found that he had been shot hot not by a sportsman for tor sportsmen dont shoot gulls but by some butcher who had wounded the beautiful creature as it floated on the tho water This I knew because of certain shot holes through the primary feathers which must have bee been made de while the I wings were at rest and a n ded over Oer the back Sport is la one thing butchery Is 8 f another If a man shoots game birds bird in reasonable numbers and at seasons sea on f prescribed by laws adequate to protect those tho e birds from all danger danKer of exter extermination extermination I have nothing to say gy but I think that a man who butchers beautiful beautiful ful tall harmless creatures just J to try his marksmanship or for the th fun of see eee tag ilir them drop deep as some of ot Us his h class clau would express it should be considered oon l as II a social outcast by all lovers foyers of de decent dec decent cent c nt conduct and fair play and placed in the same me general g class clasa as aa anarchists and others who wilfully threaten the thu peace and of society |