FIRST DAYS IN TUCSON 201 



The wrens having become silent, and the 

 finches flown away, I descended the hill and took 

 the road running along its base northward. It 

 must lead, I thought, to another road across the 

 valley, and would make a round of my forenoon's 

 walk. And so it did ; but first it brought me to 

 a large building which proved to be St. Mary's 

 Sanatorium, more commonly known as the Sis- 

 ters' Hospital. I had just passed this and turned 

 the corner, facing the town, when all in a moment, 

 so far at least as my perception of events was 

 concerned, the sky was covered with black clouds, 

 and an icy north wind changed the day from sum- 

 mer to winter as in the twinkling of an eye. 



No more loitering by the way. I did at once 

 what every other creature was already doing 

 I hurried. " Now if I only had that overcoat ! " 

 I thought ; but speed also is an extra garment, 

 and I put it on. 



No more loitering, I said ; but I did stop once. 

 Halfway across the valley a flock of blackbirds 

 were feeding beside a barn, and I turned into 

 the yard to look at them. 



" I want to see what kind of blackbirds these 

 are," I explained to the man of the house, who 

 came out of the door at that moment. 



" Oh, they 're the same kind that is all over 

 the universe," he answered, smiling. 



