EBOOK A DOUBLE STORY ***
Produced by Charles Aldarondo
A DOUBLE STORY
BY GEORGE MACDONALD.
NEW YORK:
A DOUBLE STORY
I.
There was a certain country where things used to go rather oddly.
For instance, you could never tell whether it was going to rain or
hail, or whether or not the milk was going to turn sour. It was
impossible to say whether the next baby would be a boy, or a girl,
or even, after he was a week old, whether he would wake
sweet-tempered or cross.
In strict accordance with the peculiar nature of this country of
uncertainties, it came to pass one day, that in the midst of a
shower of rain that might well be called golden, seeing the sun,
shining as it fell, turned all its drops into molten topazes, and
every drop was good for a grain of golden corn, or a yellow cowslip,
or a buttercup, or a dandelion at least;--while this splendid rain
was falling, I say, with a musical patter upon the great leaves of
the horse-chestnuts, which hung like Vandyke collars about the necks
of the creamy, red-spotted blossoms, and on the leaves of the
sycamores, looking as if they had blood in their veins, and on a
multitude of flowers, of which some stood up and boldly held out
their cups to catch their share, while others cowered down,
laughing, under the soft patting blows of the heavy warm drops;--
while this lovely rain was washing all the air clean from the motes,
and the bad odors, and the poison-seeds that had escaped from their
prisons during the long drought;--while it fell, splashing and
sparkling, with a hum, and a rush, and a soft clashing--but stop! I
am stealing, I find, and not that only, but with clumsy hands
spoiling what I steal:--
"O Rain! with your dull twofold sound,
The clash hard by, and the murmur all round:"
--there! take it, Mr.
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