SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING

=The Stream=:—­Plan a description of some stream that you know well.  Imagine yourself taking a trip up the stream in a boat.  Tell something of the weather and the time of day.  Speak briefly of the boat and its occupants.  Describe the first picturesque spot:  the trees and flowers; the buildings, if there are any; the reflections in the water; the people that you see.  Go on from point to point, describing the particularly interesting places.  Do not try to do too much.  Vary your account by telling of the boats you meet.  Perhaps there will be some brief dialogues that you can report, or some little adventures that you can relate.  Close your theme by telling of your arrival at your destination, or of your turning about to go back down the stream.

=An Old Man with a History=:—­Perhaps you can take this from real life; or perhaps you know some interesting old man whose early adventures you can imagine.  Tell briefly how you happened to know the old man.  Describe him.  Speak of his manners, his way of speaking; his character as it appeared when you knew him.  How did you learn his story?  Imagine him relating it.  Where was he when he told it?  How did he act?  Was he willing to tell the story, or did he have to be persuaded?  Tell the story simply and directly, in his words, breaking it now and then by a comment or a question from the listener (or listeners).  It might be well to explain occasionally how the old man seemed to feel, what expressions his face assumed, and what gestures he made.  Go on thus to the end of the story.  Is it necessary for you to make any remarks at the last, after the man has finished?

=A Country Inn=:—­See the outline for a similar subject on page 229.

COLLATERAL READINGS

A Day at Laguerre’s and Other Days F. Hopkinson Smith
Gondola Days " " "
The Under Dog " " "
Caleb West, Master Diver " " "
Tom Grogan " " "
The Other Fellow " " "
Colonel Carter of Cartersville " " "
Colonel Carter’s Christmas " " "
The Fortunes of Oliver Horn " " "
Forty Minutes Late " " "
At Close Range " " "
A White Umbrella in Mexico " " "
A Gentleman Vagabond " " "
  (Note especially in this, Along the Bronx.)
Fisherman’s Luck Henry van Dyke
A Lazy Idle Brook (in Fisherman’s Luck) " "
Little Rivers " "
The Friendly Road David Grayson
Adventures in Contentment " "