174 FOOTING IT IN FRANCONIA 



mean : I love tlie mountain itself. I take 

 pleasure in its stones, and favor the dust 

 thereof. The loftiest snow-covered peak in 

 the world would never carry my thoughts 

 higher, or detain them longer. It was good 

 to see it once more from this point of S23ecial 

 vantage. And when I reached the corner of 

 the Notch road and started homeward, how 

 refreshing was the breeze that met me ! 

 Coolness after heat, ease after pain, these are 

 near the acme of physical comfort. 



Best of all was a half-hour's rest under a 

 pine tree, facing a stretch of green meadow, 

 with low hills beyond it westward ; a perfect 

 picture, perfectly " composed." In the fore- 

 ground, just across the way, stood a thicket 

 of chokecherry shrubs shining with fruit, 

 and over them, on one side, trailed a clema- 

 tis vine full of creamy white blossoms. 

 Both cherry and clematis were common 

 everywhere, often in each other's company, 

 but I had seen none quite so gracefully 

 disposed. No gardener's art could have 

 managed the combination so well. 



Here I sat and dreamed. I was near 

 home, with time to spare ; the wind was per- 



