76 HAYS OUT OF DOORS. 



But before attempting the history of days that proved 

 worthy of a record, what of that feature of the month 

 with which all are familiar, at least by hearsay — its famous 

 showers? These figure with more or less prominence in 

 the literature of the past five centuries from the time 

 when Chaucer sang 



Whanne that April with his shouers sote, 



The droughte of March hath perced to the rote ; 



to the mechanical rhymes of village weeklies concerning the 

 pretty lie that April showers bring May flowers. Let us de- 

 termine, then, in what respect a short-lived rain of this 

 month differs from one in May or June. As in many other 

 matters meteorological, the imagination is allowed a more 

 than scientific sway, and peculiarities claimed to exist are 

 much more fanciful than real. In this case, the rain-drops 

 are no less round or damp than usual, or more so. But the 

 country has an aspect now that is quite its own, and this 

 has much to do, though not all, with typical April showers, 

 which are always accompanied by sunshine ; rains of a few 

 minutes' duration, from clouds that fleck but not obscure 

 the sky, and offer opportunity, if not to walk between 

 the drops, at least to dodge their sources, and skip from 

 cloud-capped to clear country. I remember one such 

 shower when the east side of the turnpike was dusty, 

 while the west was channeled with tiny rivulets. 



We must not look for April showers too soon; the 

 rigor of March may linger in the air ; nor too late, for 

 May is often unreasonably impatient, and jostles the elbow 

 of retiring April. It is during the third week, as my 

 records run, that the month may best be studied — a week 

 when leaves are young, when grass is green, when nature 

 teams with promise. 



In the forest, the sunlight softly stealing through the 

 half -grown leaves gilds the dark mosses, warms the cold 



