Monterey High School - El Susurro Yearbook (Monterey, CA)

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EL SUSURRO The River By HEl.EN S. FALKNER I. Child of the dew drops. daughters of nature,- Such is my origin, such is my birth- Nnrsed by the breezes, and played with by sunbeams, Cherished and loved in the bosom of earth. II. Start I. a little spring far in the mountains, Guarded by them both the day and the night: Bubbling and sparkling within their grim stillness. Chznttering and gurgling within their great might. In. i Wooed by the night wind, the stars and the moonbeams Laughed I so gleefully turning away. Mine is a purpose. a force does compel me: .-Xh! 'tis not mine but to linger and stay! IV. Came a white night. when the lady of heaven Tipped all the mountains and forests with pearl. Out of their vastness a hundred lights Hitted, Fire-flies and moonbeams and stars in a whirl. V. This was my night, and as such did I take it, Swirling with moonbeams and Hecked with starlight All the earth crying. Farewell on the morrow : All the skies summoned, to bid me good night. Vl. Thus we danced on till the portals of heaven. lflung wide by Aurora to greet the bright day, Toppled apart, and the rose-light all tumbling Flooded the east with its glorious ray. 23

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EL SUSURRO gentlemen of the jury. and folks, I come before you this afternoon to give my evidence. I hain't been called for, but I've come just the same for a reason I mean to make plain to you all. I may say some things that will offend you all, but I've come to say 'em, and I'll say 'em. It's 'bout this incident of a week ago. I was the one what got the boys to sarch for jackson. I was there when young Stanley here was found, with the gun in his hand. I also helped to clap Blaine into jail. So I guess that I'm 'bout as well informed as you all is. It 'pears to me like we hain't treated Blaine here right. The cards are agin him. You all hold four aces and a king. I ain't seen none o' us a loaning him a Fifty fer a lawyer from town, nor a-telegraphing his dad in Chicago. I ain't seen none o' us even a-giving him a pleasant smile. All we can do is to make calculations as to the best rope to use and the nearest tree. VVe ain't a-remembering jackson for what he was, a good-fer-nothin' drunk. VVhy I-Blaine Stanley wouldn't hurt a hair on old jackson's head. I-Ie ain't bred that away. He's a college boy and no rough cowpuncher, as we all is. We have all known lllaine fer three years. ever since he come out to this range. Vlfe larnt him how to throw a steer and ride a hoss. But we are ready to ferget this because it looks mighty like he killed old jackson. Did we 'vestigate much? No! we never noticed the lost shoe on Bones' lift hind foot. nor the tracks where jackson had got off the hoss and led him through the muskeet on a short-cut. W e never noticed where Blaine had knelt down and looked old jackson over, even unbuttoning his shirt. VVe never gave no 'tention to them things. A gun and a dead man spells murder, and the gun 1 ' - I in the hands of a man makes him the murderer. hut ta1n't so, Joys. Then llill unloosened the string from the box and drew from its mysterious depths a huge rattler. I-Ionorable judge, gentlemen of the jury, continued Bill as he gingerly held up the snake's head, I discovered this snake. near where we found jackson, after we had put Blaine in jail. He had of course bitten himself because he had bitten somebody. This made me remember the look on both men's faces. Here is the mark of his fangs in his side, and the markiof them in the heel of jackson's boot. And Bill pulled out jackson's missing boot. Old jackson got in the way of the bullet that lllaine had directed towards this here reptile. W'ith his six-shooter he had slipped up onto jackson and the snake, 'in the hopes of breaking the charm it had over jackson. But he was too late. jackson had been too drunk to hear the warning rattle and he didn't know there was any snakes this side of Kingdom Come, until he felt its fangs in his heel. lllaine's eyes were on the snake, but jackson's were, too. .-Xs I said, jackson got in the way of the bullet and of course nothing can resist a six-shooter. While the jury is in session, I am going to be the first to shake hands with Blaine Stanley. ' But he had to make a rush for the honor. The boys were all there, too. Illaine. when he' saw the dead snake. smiled. IeIe's come to, said Del. 22

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EL SUSURRO VII. Farewell ! and the golden light rent through the darkness Vanished the moonbeams and fire-flies and stars, While one rosy shaft like a beckoning finger Pointed a way to the ocean afar. VIII. Then spoke the law Q'tis the law of all nature NVe must go onward, nor tarry and waitj, And through the great silence the mountains prophetic Murmured aloud of my journey and fate. IX. Through the dim spaces came Hoating their voices, Voices impellingly murmuring to me: You must go onward. O sweet child of nature! You must go onward-to wed with the sea! X.. Thus, as the sun in its mad Hush of glory Finally answered the heralding dawn, oiif of my grotto, all splashing and plashing, Spilling the sunlight, I sparkled along. Xl. Fate was a-calling me, like to all natureg Fate must be answered: one dares not to Fleeg So through the sunshine and silvery shower Dash I, and splash I, to wed with the seal 24