And as the sun filtered through fall-colored trees fringing the rim of mountains here in the northwest corner of Arkansas, the reason became clear.

The light in the room was tawny, overcast sun filtered through cracked paper.

The chestnut trees behind the house sighed in the breeze, a shimmer of sun filtered through their yellowing leaves.

The sun filtered through small open patches in the canopy but had yet to climb above the tops of the trees and shine directly on the tents.

The sun, filtered through cloths of orange and blue, pulled up small coils of steam from the barely damp cobblestones.

The mint julep was uncommonly pleasant; and the sun, filtered by a heavy white haze, was, for the first time in days, bearable.

LEAD: Late-summer sun filtered through the elm trees and historical echoes.

The small sun, filtered through a thicker atmosphere, seemed gentler now.

He collapsed on a landing under a fire hose, and sat in the semidarkness until the sun filtered through a tiny painted window above him.

A dozen red roses lay in a line next to the stream as the sun filtered through the trees.