Grass (0 (Sreen 



was making her way to the plowed field close at 

 hand commanded my attention. 



How little this cross old dragon thought that her 

 eggs would make me an excellent meal ; for there 

 was scarcely a trace of anger in her eyes as she 

 passed by. Later I found her nest, and the twen- 

 ty-one fresh eggs neatly tucked away, a foot deep 

 in the earth, were confiscated. 



How strangely and yet not unwelcome sounds a 

 breakfast bell in the woods ; for I was " in the 

 woods," and could see no trace of habitation or civ- 

 ilization from where I stood. But sound has many 

 a highway not even a bird can travel. The bell 

 brought many a prosy thought to mind, and trees 

 and birds and flowers and stones made up a strange 

 world that I was willing to forget, that I might have 

 my breakfast. There is a limit to one's enthusiasm, 

 after all ; and strawberry short-cake is not an alto- 

 gether poor exchange for the world from which 

 the berries and the flour came. 



Out at four and back by eight o'clock! My la- 

 bors, if I so elect, are over for the day, and I may 

 rest, if I will, while others bear the heat and bur- 

 den of the later hours. 



IV 



SOMEWHERE in Thoreau's " Maine Woods " will be 



found the following sentence: "He who rides and 



keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly." 



106 



