142 FOOTING IT IN FRANCONIA 



village of Franconia and the group of Sugar 

 Hill hotels, with the Landaff Valley (how 

 green it is ! ) below them in the middle dis- 

 tance. Nearer stiU is the Franconia Valley, 

 with the Tucker Brook alders, and far down 

 toward Littleton bright reaches of Gale 

 River. 



All this fills me with exquisite pleasure. 

 But longer than at anything else I look at 

 the mountain forest just below me. So soft 

 and bright this world of treetops all newly 

 green ! I have no thoughts about it ; there 

 is nothing to say ; but the feeling it gives 

 me is like what I imagine of heaven itself. 

 I can only look and be happy. 



About me are stunted, faded spruces, 

 with here and there among them a balsam- 

 fir, wonderfully vivid and fresh in the com- 

 parison ; and after a time I discover that 

 the short upper branches of the spruces 

 have put forth new cones, soft to the touch 

 as yet, and of a delicate, purplish color, the 

 tint varying greatly, whether from differ- 

 ence of asfe or for other reasons I cannot 

 presume to say. In this low wood, some- 

 where near by, a blackpoll warbler, not long 



