208 THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 



far places near and tempted the eye to the most 

 remote horizon. The light seemed now break- 

 ing out from every part of the heavens at once. 

 Darkness was gone, the twilight had been so 

 short; the sun fairly hasted to greet the hills 

 and valleys and lakes and to call bird and beast 

 and man to the inheritance of a new day. I 

 turned and looked down on the two splendid! 

 elms in front and saw the sunbeams kiss their 

 topmost branches and then in a moment bathe 

 the whole upper tree and all the trees. Sudden- 

 ly the birds awoke to their matin service, and 

 sweeter songs I never heard and more lushing 

 sunlight I never saw or felt. 



In this ecstasy, as I saw the whole garden lit-* 

 erally suffused with golden sunlight, I cried, 

 "This is all mine," — mine? Nay, that were 

 selfish, "ours," — not so, His; He made it, He 

 gave the light, He grew the trees and flowers, 

 He bathes them with dew and rain and sun- 

 shine. He fans them with His cooling breath, 

 He loans them for use and His loaning enriches 

 earth and reflects Heaven. In the midst of it 

 all I seemed as the High Priest of Nature, and 

 offered audible and intelligent and grateful 

 praise in befitting words. 



The whole long day was as perfect as evejr 

 ruled. A cloudless sky, a thoroughly oxygen- 



