Athletics and manly sport . It rises still blacker than the dark under-wood, the tallest among the trees, lonely, like aplume. It is not heavy or hearse-like, but thin,fibrous, the twilight showing through its delicatebranches, and tracing every exquisite needle of itsleafage on the air. It seems to be blacker thanthe coming night; blacker far in its fine filamentsthan the clustered laurel at its feet. The dark-ness and delicacy of the cypress are its does not oppress, it thrills. In the twilight itis the very plume of death, but of a death uncom-mon. A yew or a willow is a sign of m
Athletics and manly sport . It rises still blacker than the dark under-wood, the tallest among the trees, lonely, like aplume. It is not heavy or hearse-like, but thin,fibrous, the twilight showing through its delicatebranches, and tracing every exquisite needle of itsleafage on the air. It seems to be blacker thanthe coming night; blacker far in its fine filamentsthan the clustered laurel at its feet. The dark-ness and delicacy of the cypress are its does not oppress, it thrills. In the twilight itis the very plume of death, but of a death uncom-mon. A yew or a willow is a sign of mourning;but a cypress in the evening is a symbol of woe. But wdth the decline of the lovely day camesuch a jubilant chorus of sweet voices! Neverhave w^e heard, except in the air of dreamland, sucha concert of delicious bird music. In number andvariety the singers were multiplied beyond con-ception. Far a 3 we could see along the canal weknew that the air Avas vibrant with this harmony. CANOEING IN THE DISMAL SWA^NIP. 377. 378 ETHICS OF BOXING AND MANLY SPOBT. The thought of such unbroken melody followingthe eye into the remote distance was a more de-lightful music in itself than that which w^as ravish-ing the senses. Here the mocking-bird ceased tomock, and poured out its own ecstatic soul. Thecatbird, discordant no longer, shot its clear joythrough the great harmon}% and the wren andswamp canary twined their notes like threads ofgossamer through the warp and woof of this mar-vellous tapestry of sound. I shall have to speak by and by of the noxiousand horrible denizens of the swamp. Let me dwelllovingly and gratefully on the pleasure derivedfrom those that were innocent and delightful. We let the evening fall on us unresistingly, todrink in the sweet thing that was around us. Wewere miles from our destination, but we could notsettle to mere travelling till this incredible vespersong was done. We sat silent, absorbed, witness-ing ^the deathbed of a day, how beautiful. The charm
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgames, bookyear1890
