60 FROM A NEW ENGLAND HILLSIDE. 



closer than a brother. But even such un 

 comfortable places as these have a boun 

 dary, and that boundary I reached at last, 

 and I breathed freely and would have felt 

 wholly repaid had I but found what I 

 sought. 



But courage ! Just over there, upon that 

 southward facing wooded slope, is the spot 

 of spots for the vine that I seek. And 

 again a climb and a scramble, and while 

 clinging to the rocky and precipitous hill 

 side I find a bit of saxifrage with its whorl 

 of green leaves, crowned with a little but 

 ton of white flowers, just coming into bloom, 

 and nestling snugly close to the ground, not 

 proudly standing erect upon a six-inch stem, 

 as it would have been a littde later, if I had 

 not plucked it out of the crevice in the rock 

 and carried it off home. And here is our 

 sole cactus, the prickly pear, not in bloom, 

 but almost looking as if it were, sonic of 

 the fleshy lobes having a bright pink tinge. 

 I pulled up two or three specimens to bring 

 with me, to the decided detriment of my 

 lingers, and had to spend most of the re 

 mainder of the afternoon in pulling out the 

 prickles, which engaging occupation I trans 

 ferred to Cara mea when I intrusted one of 

 the Tartars to her at the tea table. 



