the complete writings-3-第14章

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〃Why；　there　they　were；　right　before　the　greatest　view　they　ever　saw；　talkin'　about　the　fashions！〃

Impossible　to　convey　the　accent　of　contempt　in　which　he　pronounced　the　word　〃　fashions；〃　and　then　added；　with　a　sort　of　regretful　bitterness；　〃I　was　a　great　mind　to　come　down；　and　leave　'em　there。〃

In　common　with　the　Greeks；　Old　Phelps　personified　the　woods；　mountains；　and　streams。　　They　had　not　only　personality；　but　distinctions　of　sex。　　It　was　something　beyond　the　characterization　of　the　hunter；　which　appeared；　for　instance；　when　he　related　a　fight　with　a　panther；　in　such　expressions　as；　〃Then　Mr。　Panther　thought　he　would　see　what　he　could　do；〃　etc。　　He　was　in　〃imaginative　sympathy〃　with　all　wild　things。　　The　afternoon　we　descended　Marcy；　we　went　away　to　the　west；　through　the　primeval　forests；　toward　Avalanche　and　Colden；　and　followed　the　course　of　the　charming　Opalescent。　　When　we　reached　the　leaping　stream；　Phelps　exclaimed；

〃Here's　little　Miss　Opalescent！〃

〃Why　don't　you　say　Mr。　Opalescent？〃　some　one　asked。

〃Oh；　she's　too　pretty！〃　　And　too　pretty　she　was；　with　her　foam…white　and　rainbow　dress；　and　her　downfalls；　and　fountainlike　uprising。　　A　bewitching　young　person　we　found　her　all　that　summer　afternoon。

This　sylph…like　person　had　little　in　common　with　a　monstrous　lady　whose　adventures　in　the　wildernes　Phelps　was　fond　of　relating。　　She　was　built　some　thing　on　the　plan　of　the　mountains；　and　her　ambition　to　explore　was　equal　to　her　size。　　Phelps　and　the　other　guides　once　succeeded　in　raising　her　to　the　top　of　Marcy；　but　the　feat　of　getting　a　hogshead　of　molasses　up　there　would　have　been　easier。　　In　attempting　to　give　us　an　idea　of　her　magnitude　tha　night；　as　we　sat　in　the　forest　camp；　Phelps　hesitated　a　moment；　while　he　cast　his　eye　around　the　woods：　〃Waal；　there　ain't　no　tree！〃

It　is　only　by　recalling　fragmentary　remarks　and　incidents　that　I　can　put　the　reader　in　possession　of　the　peculiarities　of　my　subject；　and　this　involves　the　wrenching　of　things　out　of　their　natural　order　and　continuity；　and　introducing　them　abruptly；　an　abruptness　illustrated　by　the　remark　of　〃Old　Man　Hoskins〃　（which　Phelps　liked　to　quote）；　when　one　day　he　suddenly　slipped　down　a　bank　into　a　thicket；　and　seated　himself　in　a　wasps'　nest：　〃I　hain't　no　business　here；　but　here　I　be！〃

The　first　time　we　went　into　camp　on　the　Upper　Au　Sable　Pond；　which　has　been　justly　celebrated　as　the　most　prettily　set　sheet　of　water　in　the　region；　we　were　disposed　to　build　our　shanty　on　the　south　side；　so　that　we　could　have　in　full　view　the　Gothics　and　that　loveliest　of　mountain　contours。　　To　our　surprise；　Old　Phelps；　whose　sentimental　weakness　for　these　mountains　we　knew；　opposed　this。　　His　favorite　camping　ground　was　on　the　north　side；a　pretty　site　in　itself；　but　with　no　special　view。　　In　order　to　enjoy　the　lovely　mountains；　we　should　be　obliged　to　row　out　into　the　lake：　we　wanted　them　always　before　our　eyes；at　sunrise　and　sunset；　and　in　the　blaze　of　noon。　With　deliberate　speech；　as　if　weighing　our　arguments　and　disposing　of　them；　he　replied；　〃Waal；　now；　them　Gothics　ain't　the　kinder　scenery　you　want　ter　hog　down！〃

It　was　on　quiet　Sundays　in　the　woods；　or　in　talks　by　the　camp…fire；　that　Phelps　came　out　as　the　philosopher；　and　commonly　contributed　the　light　of　his　observations。　　Unfortunate　marriages；　and　marriages　in　general；　were；　on　one　occasion；　the　subject　of　discussion；　and　a　good　deal　of　darkness　had　been　cast　on　it　by　various　speakers；　when　Phelps　suddenly　piped　up；　from　a　log　where　he　had　sat　silent；　almost　invisible；　in　the　shadow　and　smoke；　〃Waal；　now；　when　you've　said　all　there　is　to　be　said；　marriage　is　mostly　for　discipline。〃

Discipline；　certainly；　the　old　man　had；　in　one　way　or　another；　and　years　of　solitary　communing　in　the　forest　had　given　him；　perhaps；　a　childlike　insight　into　spiritual　concerns。　　Whether　he　had　formulated　any　creed　or　what　faith　he　had；　I　never　knew。　　Keene　Valley　had　a　reputation　of　not　ripening　Christians　any　more　successfully　than　maize；　the　season　there　being　short；　and　on　our　first　visit　it　was　said　to　contain　but　one　Bible　Christian；　though　I　think　an　accurate　census　disclosed　three。　　Old　Phelps；　who　sometimes　made　abrupt　remarks　in　trying　situations；　was　not　included　in　this　census；　but　he　was　the　disciple　of　supernaturalism　in　a　most　charming　form。　　I　have　heard　of　his　opening　his　inmost　thoughts　to　a　lady；　one　Sunday；　after　a　noble　sermon　of　Robertson's　had　been　read　in　the　cathedral　stillness　of　the　forest。　　His　experience　was　entirely　first…hand；　and　related　with　unconsciousness　that　it　was　not　common　to　all。　　There　was　nothing　of　the　mystic　or　the　sentimentalist；　only　a　vivid　realism；　in　that　nearness　of　God　of　which　he　spoke；〃as　near　some…　times　as　those　trees；〃and　of　the　holy　voice；　that；　in　a　time　of　inward　struggle；　had　seemed　to　him　to　come　from　the　depths　of　the　forest；　saying；　〃Poor　soul；　I　am　the　way。〃

In　later　years　there　was　a　〃revival〃　in　Keene　Valley；　the　result　of　which　was　a　number　of　young　〃converts；〃　whom　Phelps　seemed　to　regard　as　a　veteran　might　raw　recruits；　and　to　have　his　doubts　what　sort　of　soldiers　they　would　make。

〃Waal；　Jimmy；〃　he　said　to　one　of　them；　〃you've　kindled　a　pretty　good　fire　with　light　wood。　　That's　what　we　do　of　a　dark　night　in　the　woods；　you　know　but　we　do　it　just　so　as　we　can　look　around　and　find　the　solid　wood：　so　now　put　on　your　solid　wood。〃

In　the　Sunday　Bible　classes　of　the　period　Phelps　was　a　perpetual　anxiety　to　the　others；　who　followed　closely　the　printed　lessons；　and　beheld　with　alarm　his　discursive　efforts　to　get　into　freer　air　and　light。　　His　remarks　were　the　most　refreshing　part　of　the　exercises；　but　were　outside　of　the　safe　path　into　which　the　others　thought　it　necessary　to　win　him　from　his　〃speckerlations。〃　　The　class　were　one　day　on　the　verses　concerning　〃God's　word〃　being　〃written　on　the　heart；〃　and　were　keeping　close　to　the　shore；　under　the　guidance　of　〃Barnes's　Notes；〃　when　Old　Phelps　made　a　dive　to　the　bottom；　and　remarked　that　he　had　〃thought　a　good　deal　about　the　expression；　'God's　word　written　on　the　heart；'　and　had　been　asking　himself　how　that　was　to　be　done；　and　suddenly　it　occurred　to　him　（having　been　much　interested　lately　in　watching　the　work　of　a　photographer）　that；　when　a　photograph　is　going　to　be　taken；　all　that　has　to　be　done　is　to　put　the　object　in　position；　and　the　sun　makes　the　picture；　and　so　he　rather　thought　that　all　we　had　got　to　do　was　to　put　our　hearts　in　place；　and　God　would　do　the　writin'。〃

Phelps's　theology；　like　his　science；　is　first…hand。　　In　the　woods；　one　day；　talk　ran　on　the　Trinity　as　being　nowhere　asserted　as　a　doctrine　in　the　Bible；　and　some　one　suggested　that　the　attempt　to　pack　these　great　and　fluent　mysteries　into　one　word　must　always　be　more　or　less　unsatisfactory。　　〃Ye…es；〃　droned　Phelps：　〃I　never　could　see　much　speckerlation　in　that　expression　the　Trinity。　　Why；　they'd　a　good　deal　better　say　Legion。〃

The　sentiment　of　the　man　about　nature；　or　his　poetic　sensibility；　was　frequently　not　to　be　distinguished　from　a　natural　religion；　and　was　always　tinged　with　the　devoutness　of　Wordsworth's　verse。　　Climbing　slowly　one　day　up　the　Balcony；he　was　more　than　usually　calm　and　slow；he　espied　an　exquisite　fragile　flower　in　the　crevice　of　a　rock；　in　a　very　lonely　spot。

It　seems　as　if；〃　he　said；　or　rather　dreamed　out；　it　seems　as　if　the　Creator　had　kept　something　just　to　look　at　himself。〃

To　a　lady　whom　he　had　taken　to　Chapel　Pond　（a　retired　but　rather　uninteresting　spot）；　and　who　expressed　a　little　disappointment　at　its　tameness；　saying；　of　this　〃Why；　Mr。　Phelps；　the　principal　charm　of　this　place　seems　to　be　its　loneliness；〃

〃Yes；〃　he　replied　in　gentle　and　lingering　tones；　and　its　nativeness。　It　lies　here　just　where　it　was　born。〃

Rest　and　quiet　had　infinite　attractions　for　him。　　A　secluded　opening　in　the　woods　was　a　〃calm　spot。〃　　He　told　of　seeing　once；　or　rather　being　in；　a　circular　rainbow。　　He　stood　on　Indian　Head；　overlooking　the　Lower　Lake；　so　that　he　saw　the　whole　bow　in　the　sky　and　the　lake；　and　seemed　to　be　in　the　midst　of　it；　〃only　at　one　place　there　was　an　indentation　in　it；　where　it　rested　on　the　lake；　just　enough　to　keep　it　from　rolling　off。〃　　This　〃resting〃　of　the　sphere　seemed　to　give