THE COMING OF SPRING 



thick green wands that everywhere pierced the earth 

 of the moist copse. I ventured to ask Time o' Year 

 where he had learned the accepted popular names 

 of so many of the flowers. For almost all rural 

 nomenclature is indefinite to the verge of confu- 

 sion, and Red-bell, a local name for Red Columbine 

 or Aquilegta Canadensis, was his only 

 slip. 



Hesitating at first, his usual 

 habit, he said: "A piece back, it 

 might be ten years, a schoolma'am 

 came to stop over 

 our way for her 

 health. Our doc- 

 tor, the old one 

 that 's dead now 

 and has that 

 stone arch up in 

 the hill buryin' 

 ground, told her to 

 quit medicine and get 

 outdoors, which she 

 did ; and likin' flow- 

 ers and lookin' like 

 that is, favorin' some one I 

 onct knew, I showed her what 



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