Page:The heart of Monadnock (IA heartofmonadnock00timl).pdf/81

 of many baby ravines. The explorer loved its roughness.

The huge and rosy thunder-caps that had lain all the morning to the southwest in their thrilling beauty were creeping somewhat higher in the ineffable blue and were drifting slowly north. It was high noon, and the climber now threw himself down for prosaic luncheon purposes near the brink of the precipice where grew a green bit of mountain-grass against a rock, with a storm-battered spruce cuddled close against it By him lay a clear and icy little pool with a sandy bed—the water blue as the sky above and amber in the shadows. With sandwiches and chocolate to consume, and nectar to drink and heart-clutching beauty all round—what more could even royalty desire? Contentment was in his heart. Perplexities were locked up in that remote dungeon where he left them when be climbed; when he had to take them out of durance later, he would have forged new weapons up here with which to meet them and have