RAIN AND SNOW 



109 



against the sky are softened by the snow ; and 

 the ragged promontories, smoothed into heav- 

 ing mounds of white, glow with a pinkish hue 

 under the sunlight and at evening turn to cold 

 purple. 



And how sharp is the contrast where the 

 river runs darkly flashing through banks of 

 snow that come down and meet the water's edge ! 

 It is a picture in black-and-white. The bend 

 and sweep of the lines in the banks are clear- 

 cut and sharp, defining on either side the flow 

 in and out of the most graceful thing in the 

 world running water. There is nothing more 

 rhythmical than the curves made by water, and 

 the flowing river in winter is emphasized and 

 intensified by its white borders. Sometimes it 

 happens that the stream is frozen with clear ice, 

 and then from a high point like a bridge, when 

 the wind is blowing, one may see little rivulets 

 and streams of snow running over the top of 

 the ice, following channels, swirling and eddy- 

 ing almost like the stream itself except that the 

 motion is much faster and more serpentine. 

 Very graceful are these little currents of snow. 

 They may be seen again chasing, whirling, and 

 drifting on the crusted and frozen fields, but 

 not so readily as upon a dark background of 



