Late August and Early September 



mids of the meadow-sweet spired upward 

 by the hundred. 



On the banks the blossoms of the fire- 

 weed had made way for the pink, slender 

 pods which were about to crack open, re- 

 leasing cloudy masses of silver - winged 

 seeds. Great clusters of delicate Osmunda 

 ferns leaned over the water's edge. The 

 tall stems and white, huddled flowers of the 

 turtle-head hardly succeeded in keeping 

 out of the stream. As a dark curve of 

 shore swept in sight, against its back- 

 ground of spruce, birch, and hemlock, 

 gleamed 



"The cardinal and the blood-red spots, 

 Its double in the stream." 



In this flower seems to culminate the vivid 

 beauty of the summer. Yet, despite its 

 intense color, it is so sure to choose a cool, 

 rich setting that it never suggests heat, 

 as do the field flowers of the earlier year. 

 Many of the lily pads had been turned 

 over by the swift current, or perhaps by a 

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