---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Alfred Lambourne
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 17
number: 7
published: 1914-05
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Alfred Lambourne, "A Rural Nocturne," *Improvement Era* 17, no. 7 (May 1914): 637.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1707unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera1707unse
start_page: 637
end_page: 637
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1914-05)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1707unse
  publication_year: 1914
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1914, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# A Rural Nocturne

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A RURAL NOCTURNE

How tranquil was the night —from the open win-

dow of the quiet room, what a scene of rural peace

Nature appeared to sleep and gently dream. Occa-

sionally a dog would bay, deep-voiced, yet faintly,

from some unseen farm-house, in the distance; a

night-bird would sometimes cry; the slowly-passing

v/aters of a canal lapped against the foundation stones

of the village inn, with a lulling sound; but all else

was still. Once, indeed, a canal-boat passed, yet it

seemed but an unreal shadow, and upon the white

tow-horse, I believe the driver slept. A lamp shone

redly at the lattice of a little cottage; cows stood

ruminant upon the wide pasture green; the great

black-willows were islanded by the meadow-mist, and

beyond was the tall, dim spire of the village church.

Yes, all was peace.    The crescent moon reflected

across the surface of the glossy water, and on the

tangled wild-growth that marked the water's edge,

was shown the work of the alcherrist of the night

the milk-weed, rushes, sweet-briars and thistles, were

all    dewy-gemmed!                  ALFRED LAMBOURNE