Page:Early Spring in Massachusetts (1881).djvu/136

122 thought must live with and be inspired with the life of the body. The death-bed scenes even of the best and wisest afford but a sorry picture of our humanity. Some men endeavor to live a constrained life, to subject their whole lives to their will, as he who said he would give a sign, if he were conscious, after his head was cut off, but he gave no sign. Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows. A man may associate with such companions, he may pursue such employments, as will darken the day for him. Men choose darkness rather than light.

Saw the first lark rise from the railroad causeway and sail on quivering wing over the meadow to alight on a heap of dirt.

Was that a mink we saw at the boiling spring? The senecio was very forward there in the water, and it still scents my fingers. A very lasting odor it leaves It is a rare lichen day. The usnea with its large fruit is very rich on the maples in the swamp, luxuriating in this moist, overcast, melting day, but it is impossible to get it home in good condition.

Looking behind the bark of a dead white pine I find plenty of gnats quite lively and ready to issue forth as soon as the sun comes out. The grubs there are sluggish, buried in