The first thing to see, looking away over the water, was a kind of dull lineâ âthat was the woods on tâother side; you couldnât make nothing else out; then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness spreading around; then the river softened up away off, and warnât black any more, but gray; you could see little dark spots drifting along ever so far awayâ âtrading scows, and such things; and long black streaksâ ârafts; sometimes you could hear a sweep screaking; or jumbled up voices, it was so still, and sounds come so far; and by and by you could see a streak on the water which you know by the look of the streak that thereâs a snag there in a swift current which breaks on it and makes that streak look that way; and you see the mist curl up off of the water, and the east reddens up, and the river, and you make out a log-cabin in the edge of the woods, away on the bank on tâother side of the river, being a woodyard, likely, and piled by them cheats so you can throw a dog through it anywheres; then the nice breeze springs up, and comes fanning you from over there, so cool and fresh and sweet to smell on account of the woods and the flowers; but sometimes not that way, because theyâve left dead fish laying around, gars and such, and they do get pretty rank; and next youâve got the full day, and everything
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