Time O' Day [pp. 142-151]

Time o'Day.
placing it edgeways on a level spot, he
would seat himself upon it preparatory
to an entertaining chat, for his talks
were always this, if not exactly instructive.
Many strange stories concerning him
greatly exciting my curiosity had reached
me before we met, and soon thereafter
something much like friendship sprang
up between us, so that it came to be remarked upon that all of his spare time
in town was passed in my office. I could
see he found some enjoyment in being
near me, and believing him to be only a
poor half-witted creature, to whom kindness was infinitely precious from the
fact that so little of it ever came his
way, I encouraged his visits, and was
glad to render him any service that I
could; not once suspecting the truth,
that he was simply studying my character in order to make sure before he
spoke that his weighty secret could be
safely entrusted to me.
Surprises are, however, constantly
bearing down upon us; life's happenings dwarfing into insignificance the
brain's airiest gleanings. Is it likely,
say you, that when deftly framing that
beautiful creation, the poet once gave
thought that Enoch Ardens did really
walk the earth at times?
Time o'Day declined taking his customary seat one morning when he entered my office, and after a moment's
hesitation stated abruptly that the creek
above his cabin was filled with trout and
had not been fished that spring. I had
come to understand his ways by this
time, and feeling sure his words contained a hidden meaning, I replied that
under his guidance I would take pleasure in dropping them a line at any time.
The next instant his face was close to
mine, and with his hand upon my shoulder he was saying in a beseeching tone:
"Come with me this afternoon, then,
will you not? Please don't refuse."
There was no danger of my doing that
after taking one quick glance at his face,
for if I read the signs I saw there aright,
he had little time to lose if he had any
affairs with earth he cared to arrange.
So I at once assented to his request, and
a few hours later he and I were walking
mountainward together.
When well clear of the town he commenced leading the conversation in his
usual manner, and we made no halt until the "mammoth oak" was reached, a
well known landmark in that section.
There he paused and looked off wistfully
towards a cluster of houses, in one of
which I was aware his little friend Charlie lived. But I held no clue to his
meaning when he said, "They all stop
here and go into raptures over the view
in the west, not knowing that I, looking
to the east have seen the very gates of
heaven swing wide open, though only
for an instant, - God pity me, how quickly they closed again!" And a couple of
miles were passed over before another
word escaped him.
When near his cabin he gave me a
momentary surprise by perfectly imitating the crowing of a cock. Instantly a
genuine crow was heard, soon followed
by the appearance of an overgrown
Shanghai, who half running, half flying,
came swiftly down the trail, and rising
awkwardly in the air, alighted upon the
shoulder of his master. But I had heard
much about "Billy," and was therefore
prepared for making his acquaintance.
Some two years previous, a resident
of the towrlhad as a fine joke presented
this ancieht chanticleer to him for his
Christmas dinner, he being even then as
bony and muscular as he was aged,though had he been quite otherwise his
life would have continued safe in his new
owner's keeping. And it was interesting to know that two years of close
human companionship had completely
changed the bird's nature, and if the
expression is not a shade too strong,
partly humanized him, affection for this
lone man being quite noticeable in Billy's actions, and I was assured he only
1889.]
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