When (Brass 10 (Breen 



THE great storm of the igth, 2oth, and 2ist 

 of May, 1894, was a source of immense de- 

 light. It did me no damage, and it was scarcely 

 over before I saw a great volume of water creep- 

 ing up the creek, and crowding over its banks. 

 This was an old but ever new story ; we were to 

 have a freshet on the meadows. Spade-foot 

 toads and all the varieties and commonplaces of 

 the uplands were straightway forgotten, and to be 

 afloat where but the day before I walked was, 

 as ever, the acme of enjoyment. Now there were 

 no inaccessible places, and I grinned spitefully at 

 the quicksands that have so often dared me to 

 approach them. They were effectually bound 

 now, and I was their superior. It is so easy to 

 be brave when there is no danger. And now, 

 what of the country after the storm ? 



It is always necessary to know what has been, 

 to appreciate what is. The present and the past 

 are linked, though we may find no trace of the 

 79 



