A JOURNEY TO NATURE 



Neither the boy nor the yellow dog could 

 understand why I should sit down and moon 

 over this. One of them had a neighbouring 

 butternut tree in his eye, and could not for the 

 life of him see why we should stop and keep still, 

 when one could throw sticks and stones into the 

 trees at the crows nests, and run his hands dili 

 gently under the dead leaves for the butternuts. 

 The other member of the group stood with her 

 tail slightly curled and vibratory with expectation, 

 and one paw held up tentatively, as if this idle 

 suspense could not last much longer. Both of 

 them had more resisting power than I had. At 

 all events, they were not burdened with simili 

 tudes, and as a consequence could radiate the 

 influences instead of absorbing them as I did, 

 and rolling them over under their tongues. To 

 them the conditions were sufficient unto them 

 selves. To me they were inadequate, like a 

 wandering melody that does not reach the key 

 note. Then it was that Griselle appeared, com 

 ing over the rustic field, glinting between the 

 cedars, now lost behind the clumps, and now 

 fluttering out nearer on, her courier gladness 

 coming ahead of her, and waking yaps and 

 yahoos and giving even me a rising pulse. 

 Charlie and the dog took it as part of the 

 morning s happenings, while I, miserable culprit 

 that I am, knew that she would come that way. 



Some years have gone by since that Indian 

 summer morning, but I am unable to say, after 

 all that has intervened, that I should have been 



262 



