INTRODUCTION 



their touch of sadness. In his early years he helped 

 materially in the farm work while on these visits ; 

 but latterly he gives his time to rambling and con- 

 templation. He once said to me, in speaking of a 

 neighbor: "That man hasn't a lazy bone in his 

 body. But I have lots of 'em lots of 'em." 



This affirmation is not to be interpreted too liter- 

 ally. He has made a business success in raising small 

 fruits, and his literary output has been by no means 

 meagre. I might also mention that in youth he was 

 something of a champion at swinging the scythe, 

 and few could mow as much in the course of a day. 

 But certainly labor is no fetich of his, and he hits a 

 real genius for loafing. In another man his leisurely 

 rambling with its pauses to rest on rock or grassy 

 bank or fallen tree, his mind meanwhile absolutely 

 free from the feeling that he ought to be up and 

 doing, might be shiftlessness. But how else could 

 he have acquired his delightful intimacy with the 

 woods and fields and streams, and with wild lif : Q 

 all its moods ? Surely most of our hustling, unti ig 

 workers would be better off if they had some of his 

 same ability to cast aside care and responsibility d 

 get back to Nature the good mother of us ail. 



CLIFTON JOHNSON. 

 Hadley, Mass., 1910. 



NOTE. The pictures in this volume were all made in the 

 Catskills and are the results of several trips to the regions De- 

 scribed in the essays. 



