136 THE JONATHAN PAPERS 



the whole adventure. For you must have a 

 person not too energetic, or a standard of 

 speed will be established that will spoil every 

 thing; nor too conscientious it is madden 

 ing to be told that you have not picked the 

 bushes clean enough; nor too diligent, so that 

 one feels guilty if one looks at the view or 

 acknowledges the breeze; nor too restless, so 

 that one is being constantly haled to fresh 

 woods and pastures new. A slightly garrul 

 ous person is not bad, with a desultory, semi- 

 philosophic bent, and a gift for being con 

 tented with easy physical occupation. In 

 fact, I find that I am, by exclusion and inclu 

 sion, narrowing my description to fit a certain 

 type of small boy. And indeed I believe that 

 here the ideal companion is to be found, if 

 indeed he is not, as I more than suspect he is, 

 the ideal companion for every form of recrea 

 tion in life. Yes, the boy is the thing. Some 

 of my choicest hours in the berry lots have 

 been spent with a boy as companion, some 

 boy who loves to be in the wind and sun with 

 out knowing that he loves it, who philos 

 ophizes without knowing that he does so, who 

 picks berries with sufficient diligence some- 



