spring-time Among the Trees 



Katherine R. Rogers 



"Good-morning!" boomed Grandfather Oak one day when 

 the Wind was blowing freshly from the South, "what tidings 

 do you bring?" 



"Greetings from the Southland to you Sir, and best wishes 

 for your good health and a long life!" 



"Ah, I've had that already," chuckled the Oak. "No living 

 being remembers when I was an acorn! It's been very interesting 

 to watch the generations come and go, and I don't feel any 

 older now than I did a hundred years ago ! Of course, I'm rather a 

 cripple, but that doesn't matter, as long as I don't need to fly 

 around like my friend the South Wind here! Having all these 

 yotmg Trees about me keeps me feeling young! I have lots 

 of friends among the Birds too, and they tell me all sorts of nice 

 stories when they stop to rest among m.y branches, on their way 

 North in the Spring and when they start back for the South in 

 the Fall. They're great chatterboxes, and I don't know whether 

 to believe all their wonderful tales or not, but I enjoy them just 

 the same." 



Here the playful South Wind began teasing the young Trees, 

 tickling their small branches till he had them all dancing and 

 slapping at him, trying to catch him, and then he waved "Good- 

 bye" and was off on his merry way. 



"Thank goodness he's gone," sighed the tall Tulip trees. They 

 were a typical New England pair, rather thin, and very quiet in 

 their tastes and coloring. To be sure, they did put out plenty 

 of flowers in the Summer, large ones, shaped like a Tulip, but 

 very inconspicuous, being of a greenish yellow with tawny stripes, 

 and the Orioles found nectar in their cups. They were nice, 

 inoffensive Trees, and gave no trouble to any one, and they 

 were so tall they could look over some of the others and see the 

 fat little Pine tree down back of the House and the great Flowering 

 Cherry standing in front of the Bam. So they called out in 

 rather cool, clear tones to know how the little Pine had stood the 

 Winter. 



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