The Blessing of the Rain 



someness, its absorbing character, and, 

 best of all, a certain humanness about the m 

 occupation that brings one into pleasant 

 relations with all sorts of people, and af- 

 fords one a topic of conversation and a 

 meeting-ground, even where he is limited 

 to the most unpromising companions. The 

 village crone forgets her gossip when you 

 talk to her about her Rose bushes, or her 

 last new Geranium slip ; the farmer waxes 

 eloquent over the merits of a new potato, 

 or a way of protecting melons, and you 

 find yourself always interested and in- 

 structed, instead of bored, since almost 

 any one you meet in the country can tell 

 you something you are glad to know; or 

 else he is eager to learn what you are do- 

 ing yourself, which is a sure way to afford 

 you entertainment, since every man is 

 happy when allowed to ride his own 

 hobby. All of which has a connection 

 with rain, however little obvious it may be, 

 since the moral of my discourse is, that 

 when one becomes not only resigned to 

 rain but glad of it, he has taken a step 

 toward true philosophy. 



A garden after a shower has always an 

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