TANGLE-LEAF PAPERS. 47 
humorists, as a rule, require to be read within 
the limitations of four walls. Nature is always 
in earnest. 
A novel that will bear the sunlight and the 
winds and the bird-songs may be put down as 
a thoroughly good one. Short, crisp stories, 
not too tragic, having strong local color and 
bright conversations, stand this test very well. 
Our magazines often fall into the error ot 
printing, during the out-door season, light 
society stories of city life; these fade into col- 
orless and tasteless films when read on the 
beach, or in the open country.- I sometimes 
read French novels out-of-doors, merely for the 
antiseptic effect that the sun and air have on 
the offensive passages ; but at best I often find 
myself glad that American birds and flowers do 
not understand French. 
We Americans are too fast with whatever 
we undertake. Our horses must trot “below 
fifteen,’ our yachts must go like a hurricane; 
and when we ride bicycles or tricycles we must 
run a hundred miles in the shortest possible 
space of time. Now, a tourist wno hopes to see 
anything or hear anything worth remembering 
must go slowly over his ground, with many 
stops and with all sorts of detours. One never 
can foreknow what odd and interesting things 
may be discovered tucked away in _ unfre- 
quented nooks. I have experienced many 
pleasing surprises in the way of valuable 
information drawn from most unpromising 
sources. Such rich dialect phrases, too, and 
such rare, quaint traits of character, disclose 
themselves! How marvellously weatherwise 
some of the country folk are, and what keen 
observers of nature! On the other hand, they 
