Description

A lyrical meditation unfolds, inviting listeners into a world where the ordinary and the imagined blur. The narrator drifts through verses that chase “afterwhiles” — those lingering moments between places, seasons, and dreams — while hinting at a distant, elusive city of wonder. The prose sings of open fields, mist‑clad valleys, and the restless pull of horizons that promise both comfort and mystery.

At the heart of this wandering is Herr Weiser, a kindly farmer whose quiet strength anchors the wandering thoughts. His simple, sun‑kissed life on Hoosier soil offers a gentle counterpoint to the bustling city’s clamor, and his presence feels like a warm hand reaching across the miles. Through his eyes, listeners taste the sweetness of garden blossoms and hear the soft rustle of orchard breezes.

The work is less a plot than a reverie, a contemplative journey that asks where we find our own “afterwhiles.” It beckons you to linger in the pause between destinations, to listen to the hush of evening and the promise of a far‑off, beautiful city that may never be seen, but forever inspires.

Details

Language

Duration

~1 hours (114K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Etext produced by "Teary Eyes" Anderson HTML file produced by David Widger TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Most of this etext was made with a "Top Scan" text scanner, with a bit of correcting here and there. Mr. Riley does spell pretty=purty and such things and have been left as printed, including the first poem in this book listed as "Proem" on both the contents page and the page headers, even though in later editions this poem is simply called "Afterwhiles." In "The South Wind and the Sun" the line is 'Laughed out in every look.' while in later versions it has the word 'nook', replacing 'look.' The poem "Old Aunt Mary's" is later retitled "Out To Old Aunt Mary's" and later enlarged by 13 verses. The "In Dalect" section has the ' to replace a letter that he left out, to make the word sound a certain way, including words like sure-enuff he writes as sho'-nuff, or He'pless as helpless and ect. This etext is based on the 1898 edition Published by The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis Publishers. "Teary Eyes" Anderson***

Release date

2005-05-19

Rights

Public domain in the USA.