AT THE ROOKERY. 23 



allows himself, is apt to be wasted entirely by the want of 

 mental refreshment which can not be found in the ordi- 

 nary resorts of summer pleasure-seekers. The vacation 

 does little good to him who carries his business on his 

 brain ; and it too frequently happens that men go to 

 places where they have no resort for amusement except 

 to the newspapers and the business talk of other weary 

 men like themselves. It is not every man who should go 

 a-fishing, but there are many who would find this their 

 true rest and recreation of body and mind. And having, 

 either in boyhood or in later life, learned by experience 

 how pleasant it is to go a-fishing, you will find, as Peter 

 found, that you are drawn to it whenever you are weary, 

 impatient, or sad. 



In every opening spring anglers feel the longing for 

 the country and the trout streams. It is something more 

 than longing, it is an essential — the necessity of going a- 

 fishing — a necessity which the angler well appreciates, but 

 which may seem inexplicable to him who has no love for 

 the gentle art. In the cold days and nights of winter the 

 love of the streams and lakes is intense enough, but it is 

 not active — it is not a propelling motive. It is delicious 

 to remember the last year's enjoyment, to recall the mu- 

 sic of waters which have long ago run to the seas ; of 

 trees shaken by winds that have died to rest. Ah ! the 

 delight of such recollections ! 



They are like attendant spirits, dwelling in our city 

 houses, making themselves known only in the evening, 

 when the firelight shines into unfathomed distances. Many 

 an evening in the winter they talk to me as I sit by the 

 library fire, and it is quaint and queer to hear them talk, 

 and very pleasant withal. There are two pictures on 

 the wall which seem to be the resting-places of two op- 



