WILD PASTURES 



played before my eyes. Over on the 

 further side, in the shallow eddy, the 

 pool was troubled a second, then there 

 rose from it a wee sunfish, not more 

 than three inches long, rose from it tail 

 first and began balancing across the pool 

 surface toward me, on his head. His 

 tail quivered in the air, and I could see 

 his freckles growing in the yellow trans- 

 parency of his skin, yet, though I watched 

 with wide eyes, he was two-thirds the 

 way across the pool toward me before I 

 noticed beneath him the tip of the nose 

 and the wicked little dark eye of a water 

 snake. At sight of him the demoiselles 

 should have shrieked and flown away, 

 but they made no move. I, however, 

 indignant, arose, and seizing broken 

 fragments of rock was about to lacerate 

 him and loose his prey when I quite 

 suddenly thought better of it. Had not 

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