Page:Thoreau - His Home, Friends and Books (1902).djvu/358

322 years passed, the wit became more pronounced, justifying Mr. Burroughs' pithy comment that his humor "had worked a little, a vinous fermentation had taken place more or less in it." In the volumes which he prepared for publication are touches of anecdote or witty illustration which distinguish them from the compilations made from his journals by other hands. Often Thoreau added these lightsome elements at the last, for they are missing in the original context. In the same way he arranged his material in sections, with breaks and sub-titles, thereby adding both variety and compactness. Such subtle modes example the literary artist who knows how to charm the general reader as well as to ensnare the thoughtful few. With all gratitude to the faithful editor of the later volumes, it is justice to Thoreau to remember that, had he lived, doubtless, their form would have been less monotonous and more finished, as were the books revised by his own hand.

"The Yankee in Canada" has a merry tone and the fun is largely at his own expense. At the outset, he declares;—"I fear that I have not got much to say about Canada, not having seen much,—what I got by going to Canada was a cold." Again, he recounts the droll efforts to talk with their Canadian host, deciding at last that "a less crime would