28 Trails to Woods and Waters 



breeze, when the sun has warmed my thought 

 and stirred me to speak of other days. The 

 things that I have seen would fill a large 

 book, and the memories would all be sweet 

 and wholesome." 



" I do not see how you could have seen very 

 much," said the boy skeptically. " You have 

 always been the sentinel pine, standing on 

 the brow of the mountain. My grandfather 

 says you stood there just as you did last year 

 when he was a small boy. You could not 

 stir from the spot. How could you have seen 

 much? " 



" I was patient and observing and the 

 world came to me," replied the pine thought- 

 fully. " I will tell you my story and then 

 you will see. 



" About two hundred and fifty years ago, 

 or thirty or forty years after the Pilgrims 

 landed at Plymouth, a tiny white pine seed 

 parted company with the cone that bore it 

 and floated leisurely down through the balmy 

 spring atmosphere. It had been two years in 

 forming and was glad to escape from its 



