The Broad Highway

Halcyon days! my masters, happy, care-free, halcyon days! To

waken to the glory of a summer's morning, and shaking off dull

sleep, like a mantle, to stride out into a world all green and

gold, breathing a fragrant air laden with sweet, earthy smells.

To plunge within the clear, cool waters of the brook whose magic

seemed to fill one's blood with added life and lust of living.

Anon, with Gargantuan appetite, to sit and eat until even Donald

would fall a-marvelling; and so, through shady coppice and sunny

meadow, betimes to work.

Halcyon days! my masters, happy, care-free, halcyon days! with

the ringing hammers, the dancing sparks mounting upon the smoke,

the sweat, the toil, yet all lightened with laugh and song and

good-fellowship.

And then, the labor done, the fire dead--Black George to his

lonely cottage, and I to "The Bull"--there to sit between Simon

and the Ancient, waited upon by the dexterous hands of sweet-eyed

Prudence. What mighty rounds of juicy beef, washed down by

draughts of good brown ale! What pies and puddings, prepared

by those same slender, dexterous hands! And later, pipe in

mouth, what grave discussions upon men and things--peace and

war--the dead and the living--the rise and fall of nations--and

Simon's new litter of pigs! At last, the "Good nights" being

said--homeward through the twilit lanes, often pausing to look

upon the shadowy woods, to watch some star, or hearken to the

mournful note of a night jar, soft with distance.

What wonder if, at this time, my earlier dreams and ambitions

faded from my ken; what wonder that Petronius Arbiter, and the

jolly Sieur de Brantome lay neglected in my dusty knapsack.

Go to! Petronius, go to! How "stale, flat, and unprofitable"

were all thy vaunted pleasures, compared with mine. Alas! for

thy noble intellect draggled in the mire to pander to an Imperial

Swine, and for all thy power and wise statecraft which yet could

not save thee from untimely death.

And thou, Brantome! old gossip, with all thy scandalous stories

of ladies, always and ever "tres belle, et fort honnete," couldst

not find time among them all to note the glories of the world

wherein they lived, and moved, and had their "fort honnete"

being?

But let it not be thought my leisure hours were passed in idle

dreaming and luxurious ease; on the contrary, I had, with much

ado, rethatched the broken roof of my cottage as well as I might,

mended the chimney, fitted glass to the casements and a new door

upon its hinges. This last was somewhat clumsily contrived, I

grant you, and of a vasty strength quite unnecessary, yet a very,

excellent door I considered it, nevertheless.