NURSLINGS OF THE SKY 



One who goes often into a hill country 

 learns not to say : What if it should rain ? 

 It always does rain somewhere among the 

 peaks: the unusual thing is that one should 

 escape it. You might suppose that if you 

 took any account of plant contrivances to 

 save their pollen powder against showers. 

 Note how many there are deep-throated 

 and bell-flowered like the pentstemons, how 

 many have nodding pedicels as the colum- 

 bine, how many grow in copse shelters and 

 grow there only. There is keen delight in 

 the quick showers of summer canons, with 

 the added comfort, born of experience, of 

 knowing that no harm comes of a wetting 

 at high altitudes. The day is warm ; a 

 white cloud spies over the canon wall, slips 

 up behind the ridge to cross it by some 

 windy pass, obscures your sun. Next you 

 hear the rain drum on the broad-leaved 

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