84 The Catskill Fatrves.

began to guess in his very babyhood, and well he might, with
a whole new continent before him—all guess-work.

“The West Wind nodded approval, and he built a crooked
little town, with narrow, winding streets. How the baby archi-
tect enjoyed making the buildings climb steep hills, and then
spared fine trees to shade wide avenues, bordered with green
turf in the heart of all the crowded town. ‘We must have a
bit of country here. So the city was laid out, and the West
Wind beckoned him on to build towns and villages, but he
cherished his first city with a pride that he never felt in any
other, and trotted back, every now and then, to beautify and
improve it, which he has continued to do until the present day.
The baby grew strong and large—one could see that he would
be a towering giant by and by—and his work only grew with
him. As he strode on he left Industry spinning many-colored
threads in his wake, hammering at forge and anvil, turning
great wheels to stir the tranquil rivers, and before him the
forests thinned, admitting the sunshine, and the dark enemies
melted away, like night shadows, at his approach.

“No obstacle could daunt or discourage him; the rough
path. often wounded his feet, his limbs grew very weary, yet
where the West Wind led he followed. When he came to
broad streams he spanned them with bridges; he linked miles
of space together with an iron band of railway, and then he
looped magnetic wires over hill and valley along which thrilled
messages as rapidly as the lightning flashes.

“* Progress !' whistled the locomotive to the earth, and all
Industry’s wheels turned quicker at the sound ; but the locomo-
tive could not overtake the West Wind or her charge.