66 LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY 



regard her, but on the contrary something quite hu- 

 man and changeable, not to say womanish, — a crea- 

 ture of moods, of caprices, of cross purposes ; gloomy 

 and downcast to-day, and all light and joy to-mor- 

 row; caressing and tender one moment, and severe 

 and frigid the next; one day iron, the next day va- 

 por; inconsistent, inconstant, incalculable; full of 

 genius, full of folly, full of extremes ; to be read and 

 understood, not by rule, but by subtle signs and in- 

 directions, — by a look, a glance, a presence, as we 

 read and understand a man or a woman. Some days 

 are4ike a rare poetic mood. There is a felicity and 

 an exhilaration about them from morning till night. 

 They are positive and fill one with celestial fire. 

 Other days are negative and drain one of his elec- 

 tricity. 



Sometimes the elements show a marked genius for 

 fair weather, as in the fall and early winter of 1877, 

 when October, grown only a little stern, lasted till 

 January. Every shuffle of the cards brought these 

 mild, brilliant days uppermost. There was not 

 enough frost to stop the plow, save once perhaps, 

 till the new year set in. Occasionally a fruit-tree 

 put out a blossom and developed young fruit. The 

 warring of the elements was chiefly done on the 

 other side of the globe, where it formed an accom- 

 paniment to the human war raging there. In our 

 usually merciless skies was written only peace and 

 good- will to men, for months. 



What a creature of habit, too, Nature is as she 

 appears in the weather ! If she miscarry once she 



