HIGH WINDS 



her ; and I admired with unspeakable wonder the 

 streaming and fluttering arabesques with which 

 she answered to the wind, blow for blow, grace 

 against rudeness, converting the jolly old beast 

 into a willing artist, as if beauty after all had more 

 resisting power than strength. The fact is, beauty 

 was better acquainted with the marauder than I 

 was. Her resiliency gave way to his bluster, 

 while I planted my feet wide apart and braced 

 myself against him, making him howl with deri 

 sion at my Ajax defiance. It was a field-day with 

 the elements, and they were playing a lusty game 

 of atmospheric bowls, in which the robust natures 

 joined; and I have to confess that I for the first 

 time was taught so to regard it by the dog, the 

 boy, and the maiden, each one of them coming 

 into the wrestle with a responsive exultation that 

 was new to me. 



When we reached the brow of the hill where 

 there was a fringe of leafless timber, we stood 

 awhile to see an entirely new sport that I had 

 never dreamed of. It was the collie winds shep 

 herding the dead leaves. Whew, with what mad 

 sportiveness they went at it ! Along the edge 

 of the timber the whole flock had been herded in 

 an enormous bank, and there they leapt and 

 danced with restless mischief, in an invisible pen, 

 every one of them quivering with a desire to 

 escape, and the dogs of the air baying at them 

 with shrill delight, and racing after them as they 

 broke loose and went streaming out like a flight 

 of birds, and rising in riotous swirls, to round them 



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