30 THE SPRING OF THE YEAR 



things that you will try to do this spring will be 

 to see the shrill little piper, as he plays his bagpipe 

 in the rushes at your very feet. But hunt until you 

 do see him. It will sharpen your eyes and steady 

 your patience for finding other things. 



VIII 



You should see the sun come up on a May morn- 

 ing. The dawn is always a wonderful sight, but 

 never at other times attended with quite the glory, 

 with quite the music, with quite the sweet fragrance, 

 with quite the wonder of a morning in May. Don't 

 fail to see it. Don't fail to rise with it. You will 

 feel as if you had wings something better even 

 than wings. 



IX 



You should see a farmer ploughing in a large field 

 the long straight furrows of brown earth ; the 

 blackbirds following behind after worms ; the rip of 

 the ploughshare ; the roll of the soil from the smooth 

 mould-board the wealth of it all. For in just such 

 fields is the wealth of the world, and the health of 

 it, too. Don't miss the sight of the ploughing. 



x 



Go again to the field, three weeks later, and see 

 it all green with sprouting corn, or oats, or one of a 

 score of crops. Then but in " The Fall of the 

 Year " I ask you to go once more and see that field 



