A SHARP LOOKOUT 



obsen^er have changed ; the ship is on an< 

 other tack in both cases. 



I shall probably never see another just 

 such day as yesterday was, because one can 

 never exactly repeat his observation, — can- 

 not turn the leaf of the book of life back- 

 ward, — and because each day has character- 

 istics of its own. This was a typical March 

 day, clear, dry, hard, and windy, the river 

 rumpled and crumpled, the sky intense, 

 distant objects strangely near ; a day full of 

 strong light, unusual ; an extraordinary light- 

 ness and clearness all around the horizon, 

 as if there were a diurnal aurora streaming 

 up and burning through the sunlight ; smoke 

 from the first spring fires rising up in vari- 

 ous directions, — a day that winnowed the 

 air, and left no film in the sky. At night, 

 how the big March bellows did work ! 

 Venus was like a great lamp in the sky. 

 The stars all seemed brighter than usual, as 

 if the wind blew them up like burning coals. 

 Venus actually seemed to flare in the wind. 

 Each day foretells the next, if one could 

 read the signs ; to-day is the progenitor of 

 to-morrow. When the atmosphere is tele- 

 scopic, and distant objects stand out unusu- 

 ally clear and sharp, a storm is near. We 



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