DAYS IN MY GARDEN 



It is there that his claim as 'a gardener' comes 

 in, this old son of the soil, but he is ' not much of a 

 hand on the flower knot,' as he one day owned. 



It had been the longest winter I had ever known 

 and snow fell day after day in early April ; planting 

 was impossible and I began to lose heart ; almost 



I dream'd there would be Spring no more, 

 That Nature's ancient power was lost ; 



not so Old Peter, he had asserted that the wind was 

 wrong on Candlemas Eve and therefore it was in- 

 evitable that we were in for a bad time ; the wind, be 

 it known, according to him, only blows from two 

 quarters, 'up-hill' and 'down-hill.' It was 'up-hill,' 

 that is north or east, on Candlemas Eve and we should 

 have no good weather till ' Old March was out,' that 

 is April 12th, and even then we might get 'lamb's 

 snow ' and Old Peter was right. 



The cruel wind ceased at last, it seemed to blow 

 itself away and there were days of perfect calm. In 

 the still air the sun attained his full midsummer 

 power and with one mighty bound spring came, 

 throned on a carpet of loved old, but ever new, 



46 



