JUNIOR NATURALIST LEAFLET NO. 4. 



STEALING A RIDE. 



PART I. Sm BUR, TRAMP AND TRAVELER. 



BY MARGARET BOYNTOISr. 



" Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee " sounded from the hedge, I caught 

 the motion of the httle feathered food-gatherers, but could not see 

 a single black-capped head. 



" Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. Come play with me-me-me-me- 

 me." With such an invitation how could I help going out into 

 that brilliant, blue and golden mid-winter day ? Against the clear- 

 est of skies each tinj bud-tipped maple twig glowed ruddily. The 

 mountain ash berries still hung in bright clusters, crowned with light 

 pyramids of fluify snow. The deserted nests in the orchard recalled 

 the busy householders of the warmer, leafier seasons, and a few 

 withered ajjples offered scanty nourishment to solitary wayfarers. 

 Under my feet the snow spread a creaking carpet, and all about me 

 it afforded a background of diamonds for the devious patterns of 

 the shriveled weeds showing clear and fantastic against it. What 

 a joyous day for the chick-a-dees and me ! 



Presently, attracted by the regiment of teasels there encamped, I 

 turned aside into a small common, a vacant lot well within the bor- 

 ders of our small city, and I tramjDed it over rejoicing in the short 

 skirt and leggins that permitted unhampered wading in the snow. 

 There were many things to be seen in that little area. Bitter-sweet 

 berries draped the fence. Ragged miniature umbrella skeletons 

 recalled the filmy, white parasols of the wild carrot in its summer 

 guise. " Devil's pitchforks " and bristling burdocks plucked at my 

 skirt in passing, and a few hoary aster heads still lingered amid the 

 star-tipped stems whence most of the feathery parachutes had 

 flown. A kindly farmer caught me shaking the teasel heads and 

 called cheerily, " I guess you've got a kind of a putterin' job there, 

 ain't ye ? " and charitably took me into his bob-sleigh for the short 

 half mile back to my corner ; but he was not a nature-student and 



453 



