208 THE PLANT WORLD 



•'YOU WILL HAVE TO HURRY." 



By Aven Nelson. 



ANEW expression had birth somewhere here in the West during 

 the present year. It originated, I believe, at some one of the 

 numerous *' street fairs " held in different cities throughout the 

 region. The proprietors of the several attractions at these were con- 

 stantly crying the superiority of their particular shows, and admonish- 

 ing the crowds in stentorian tones that "You will have to hurry "in 

 order not to miss this wonderful exhibition. "You will have to hurry " 

 became the rallying cry, and was effective in proportion to the amount 

 of circumflex expression that the speaker could put upon the word 

 " hurry." The phrase proved immensely catching, and at once became 

 exceedingly popular. It was heard on all sides, under all circumstan- 

 ces, and at all times. The advertisements said "You will have to 

 hurrj^ " if you secure one of those marvelous new gas stoves, or those 

 superior suits at reduced prices, or those effective pills sold only by 

 Timothy Calopstock, or that new spiced drink at August Guggen- 

 heimer's place. The bands improvised tunes more or less amusing 

 under the title of "You will have to hurry." Were a man walking with 

 unusual celeritv, his friend would crv out to him "You will have to 

 hurry," or if sauntering leisurely to enjoy the morning's sunshine the 

 same exx>ression would soon greet his ears. From the ragged news- 

 boys up to the more dignified people in the various walks of life, the 

 infection was all but comi^lete. Fortunately, however, like measles and 

 chicken-pox it will only run its course, and the epidemic has now 

 nearly passed away. 



During the height of the epidemic the thought came to me that 

 this expression has been for untold centuries old Mother Nature's favo- 

 rite one in dealing with many of her children. Some have heeded her 

 admonition, and they and their descendants still flourish upon our 

 mountain tops, upon our arid plains and in our wastes and deserts. 

 Others, heedless of her cry, ])assed away and left no trace of themselves 

 as the rising mountains and plateaus brought new environments. 



In our mountains the cry still rings clarion clear " You will have to 

 hurry." On the higher slopes great snow banks linger into late June, 

 July, or even into August. Sharp freezes and skifts of snow usher in 

 September. During the few, sometimes very few, favorable weeks, 

 magnificent flowers, gentians and erythroniums, asters and erigerons, 

 pentstemons and delphiniums, spring up and develop into blossom and 

 fruit with a celerity scarcely surpassed by Jack's famous "bean stalk," 

 These are the descendants of ancestor that for many generations have 

 succeeded in gradually accelerating the life activities, not into the 



