"Merilyn"

Northern Advocate, 22 April 1939, Page 3

"Merilyn"

J’VE just come across a little poem

about returning to places:— BEST OF ALL.

Exciting? Yes, it always is To get the luggage out and pack, And ponder over roads and maps And weather in the almanac. And wonder which will serve the best— The yellow jacket or the black. It has a special charm, of course— The long and luring auto track; But when we turn the key again And hang our hat upon the rack, We know the best of all the trip Is in the joy . . of coming back! I think it is quite true, don't you?

Going away is fun! Anticipation is almost as good, and being away is certainly very enjoyable, but it is in

returning that we realise what we have been away from. When I was small, I hated going away. The

says . . .

thought always gave me a queer feeling that something would be changed when I returned.

Perhaps someone would shift my books, or rearrange my room. It was quite feasible for one of the family to decide to paint the fence or cut down a tree.

Talking of trees, a lovely macrocarpa that had grown by our gate for years and years was cut down recently just to make room for an electric pow'er line! Progress must not be retarded, but the gate did look bare and lonely. There will be a long length of wire now, where previously grew a beautiful tree.

I saw it cut down, so it didn’t hurt quite as much as if I had gone back unexpectedly and found it gone. It certainly is sad to see changes made, but it is only to be expected in the course of years.