42 THE JONATHAN PAPERS 



spring woods full of it? But they are not full 

 of it; it comes only now and then, with tan 

 talizing capriciousness. Do sound trees ex 

 hale it, certain kinds, when the sap starts, or 

 must they have been cut or bruised, if not by 

 the axe, perhaps by the winter winds and 

 the ice storms? I do not know. I only know 

 that when that breath of sweetness comes, 

 it is the very breath of spring itself; it is 

 the call of spring out of winter spring 

 grass. 



When the call of the spring grass comes, 

 there is always one spot that draws me with a 

 special insistence, and every year we have 

 much the same talk about it. 



&quot;Jonathan,&quot; I say, &quot;let s go to the Yellow 

 Valley.&quot; 



&quot;Why,&quot; says Jonathan, &quot;there will be 

 more new birds up on the ridge.&quot; 



&quot;I don t care about new birds. The old 

 ones do very well for me.&quot; 



&quot;And you might find the first hepaticas 

 under Indian Rock.&quot; 



&quot;I know. We ll go there next.&quot; 



&quot;And if we went farther up the river, we 

 might see some black duck.&quot; 



