i88 IN THE GREEN LEAF 



ploughing and wing flicking of the wood- 

 pigeons. What these must ordinarily do to 

 get at their food, has been done for them by 

 the winds now at rest. Heavy rains and 

 gales of wind do good ; " the rain washes 

 the air clean," our folks say in their homely 

 fashion ; and certainly the wind carries the ill 

 vapours well away. 



Just as we are going down a path, we meet 

 two youngsters who have come up it with a 

 large "trug" (basket), full of crimson and gold 

 fruit crab-apples, our own old, wild English 

 fruit, beautiful to look at, and eatable now, 

 after their thorough ripening off under the 

 leaves. The youngsters said they should 

 have "let 'em lay there a bit longer, but they 

 knowed the wind had unhapped 'em, an' they 

 reckined as they'd better get 'em afore they 

 fell down." They had got " mother " more 

 than a bushel for "varjuice"; and these were 

 going to be put by for Christmas and the 

 New Year. 



Some of our readers may not be familiar 

 enough with woodland specifics to understand 

 that crab vinegar is called " varjuice " ; it is the 

 cleanest, sharpest, and most aromatic woodland 

 produce that I am acquainted with. 



