150 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



Creation, when all things were coloured, the sky 

 blue, the clouds grey, the earth brown, the tree<! 

 green, and the flowers all sorts of different colours, 

 the snow approached the Almighty, and complained 

 that for him no colour remained, and that therefore 

 he would be as little noticed as the wind or the 

 rap. 



The Almighty told him to go to the richly-dowered 

 flowers and ask from them a colour. So he began 

 with the rose, but there was no flower that would 

 consent to share with the snow her beautiful colour- 

 ing, and drearily he was about to retire, when the 

 humble snowdrop sweetly said: " If my white colour 

 is of any use to you, you are very welcome to it." 



And that is why the snow guards and cherishes 

 this generous and charming little flower, and keeps 

 it warm all through the bleakest of the winter 

 months. 



The Legend of the Cowslip. 



*' The cowslip bending with golden bells, 

 Each glad hour's ending with sweet chime tells.'* 



All through the South of Europe there is no more 

 popular wild flower than the dainty cowslip, of most 

 fragrant fame. 



In former days it used to be known by the name 

 of Herb Peter, or St. Peter's Herb, the name arising 

 doubtless from the resemblance of the clustered 

 blossoms to a bunch of keys, St. Peter's emblem. 



But apart from this, there is a very old legend, 

 connecting this humble little flower with the great 

 saint thus: 



One day St. Peter heard a rumour in heaven that 

 people were contriving to gain admission by a back 



