FERNS IN STONE AND COAL 



Useless? Lost? There came a thoughtful man 



Searching nature's secrets far and deep; 



From a fissure in a rocky steep 



He withdrew a stone o'er which there ran 



Fairy pencilings, a quaint design, 



Leafage, veining, fibers clear and fine, 



And the fern's life lay in every line." 



61 



