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 of 

 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 who 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 



