MOTHS OF THE LIMBERLOST 



made on them when the weather was so hot that the 

 rubber sHde of a plate holder woidd curl like a horseshoe 

 if not laid on a case, and held flat by a camera while I 

 worked. Perspiration dried, and the landscape took on 

 a sombre black velvet hue, with a liberal sprinkling of 

 gold stars. I sank into a stupor going home, and an old 

 farmer aroused me, and disentangled my horse from a 

 thicket of wild briers into which it had strayed. He said 

 most emphatically that if I did not know enough to 

 remain indoors w^eather like that, my friends should 

 appoint me a "guardeen." 



I reached the village more worn in body and spirit than 

 I ever had been. I felt that I could not endure an- 

 other degree of heat on the back of my head, and I was 

 much discouraged concerning my work. Why not 

 drop it all, and go where there were cool forests and 

 breezes sighing.^ Perhaps my studies were not half so 

 good as I thought! Perhaps people would not care for 

 them! For that matter, perhaps the editors and pub- 

 lishers never would give the public an opportunity to see 

 my work at all! 



I dragged a heavy load up the steps and swung it to 

 the veranda, and there stood almost paralyzed. On the 

 top step, where I could not reach the Cabin door without 

 seeing it, newly emerged, and slowly exercising a pair of 

 big wings, with every gaudy marking fresh with new life, 

 was the finest Cecropia I ever had seen anywhere. 



108 



