I wish she could see you doing it." His delight in a form of skill which has always been as magical to me as it seemed to him, was charmingly boyish, and Colin turned over his sketch-book, and showed him the notes he had made as we went along.

One of a stump fence particularly delighted him--those stump fences made out of the roots of pine trees set side by side, which had been a feature of the country some miles back, and which make such a weird impression on the landscape, like rows of gigantic black antlers, or many-armed Hindoo idols, or a horde of Zulus in fantastic war-gear drawn up in battle-array, or the blackened stumps of giants' teeth--Colin and I tried all those images and many more to express the curious weird effect of coming upon them in the midst of a green and smiling landscape.
"Well, lads," he said, after we had talked awhile, "I shall have to be going.

But you've given me a great deal of pleasure.

Can't I give you a lift in exchange?
I guess there is room for the three of us." Now Colin and I, on the occasion of our ride with the apple-farmer, awhile back, had held subtle casuistical debate on the legitimacy of men ostensibly, not to say ostentatiously, on foot to New York picking up chance rides in this way.

The argument had gone into pursuit of very fine distinctions, and almost rivalled in its casuistry the famous old Duns Scotus--or was it Thomas Aquinas ?--debate as to how many angels can dance on the point of a needle.