ROGERS THE GOSSIP OF THE TREES 



And yet another obligate rare 

 Was heard, and well we knew the dainty note, 

 A moment sounding here, a moment there, 

 The mellow witchery of the yellow-throat, 

 Until the song in wondrous beauty 'rose, 

 A fitting hymn to evenings solemn close. 



We homeward strayed in such a pensive mood 

 As falls on him, who hath been moved within, 

 Has heard a great voice in the solitude 

 And feels all beauty to his soul akin; 

 Then when the night had come with starry hush, 

 We spoke of this, remembering the thrush. 



235 



The Gossip of the Trees 



Katherine Rogers 



The Maple and the Elm were just waking up after their long 

 winter's sleep, and they had been disturbed by very bad dreams! 

 They had a vague remembrance of rude winds tossing their 

 branches around, and of fearful storms beating upon them, and 

 they had scarcely been able to keep their roots warm enough to pre- 

 serve life! If it had not been for the thick, heavy blanket of 

 snow that had covered them, they must certainly have perished! 



"Ah-h!" breathed the big Maple, stretching her branches and 

 opening her tiny budlets the least little bit in answer to the first 

 warm kiss of the spring sunshine, **I believe Spring must be 

 really here, and it is time to wake up. How are you feeling?" 



**Very stiff," said her neighbor, the tall Elm, wearily. "I'm 

 cold all through, and I'm afraid it will take some time to get my 

 sap started." The Elms were known as a family to be a little 

 top-lofty, but the Maples didn't mind that. They had lived be- 

 side each other so long that they knew it was only an ingrained New 

 England reserve of manner, and that, once thawed out, the Elms 

 would respond cordially to Spring's advances. But they never 

 could be as hospitable as the Maples, who were a large and rapid- 

 growing family, always welcoming flocks of birds of all varieties 

 to their branches, whereas the dashing Baltimore Oriole was the 



