WILDWOOD WAYS 



the wickets of the Nescca verticillata were 

 there because they tripped him. And I '11 

 warrant the goblins, sitting cross-legged 

 in the deepest shadows of the cedars, wait- 

 ing for midnight and their game, mocked 

 him with elfin laughter and all he 

 heard was frogs. 



Looking down upon it this brilliant 

 February day, with a tiny cloud drawn 

 across the sun, it was a pearl. The win- 

 ter and the distance made the bog edging 

 pure gold in which it shone with all the 

 white radiance of its opaque, foot-thick 

 ice. Anon the sun came out and what had 

 been a pearl gathered subtle fires of blue 

 and red in its crystalline heart and flashed 

 opaline tints back at me that changed 

 again as I plunged down the hill toward 

 it, and it lay a Norwegian sunstone shoot- 

 ing forth fire-yellow glows as the rays of 

 the sun caught the right angle. Nor was 

 202 



