78 IN THE WHI 1 vo UNTAINS. 
even though he was not yet, as he said, keeping 
a hotel. 
Possibly I made too much of a small matter ; 
but it pleased me to feel that this visit of mine 
was to be of a peculiarly intimate character, — 
almost, indeed, as if Mount Washington him- 
self had bidden me to private audience. 
Compelled to wait three or four hours in 
North Conway, I improved the opportunity to 
stroll once more down into the lovely Saco 
meadows, whose “ green felicity ’ was just now 
at its height. Here, perched upon a fence-rail, 
in the shadow of an elm, I gazed at the snow- 
crowned Mount Washington range, while the 
bobolinks and savanna sparrows made music on 
every side. The song of the bobolinks dropped 
from above, and the microphonic tune of the 
sparrows came up from the grass, — sky and 
earth keeping holiday together. Almost I 
could have believed myself in Eden. But, 
alas, even the birds themselves were long since 
shut out of that garden of innocence, and as I 
started back toward the village a crow went 
hurrying past me, with a kingbird in hot pur- 
suit. The latter was more fortunate than us- 
ual, or more plucky ; actually alighting on the 
crow’s back and riding for some distance. I 
could not distinguish his motions, — he was too 
far away for that, —but I wished him joy of 
eee _—_—-/). 
