Where Town and Country Meet 



flower. It reminds one of the fringes and 

 tassels of Eastern hangings. How appro- 

 priate its color for the days of blazing suns 

 and ripening harvests! And then what a 

 fine foil we have for the yellows of golden- 

 rod, tansy, and primrose, in the rich purples 

 of the gentians and ripened elderberries, the 

 purplish-blue of the wild grapes, and the 

 pinks of thistle and hardback ! 



Ah ! the subtle flavor of those wild grapes 

 that hide in the shadow of matted vines 

 along the country road! At home they 

 would seem sour and astringent, no doubt, 

 but how they pique and delight the palate 

 of the thirsty rambler as he plucks and eats 

 them fresh from the roadside vine! The 

 bursting elderberries, too, distill what genial 

 juices, what wholesome new wines, for the 

 roadside pilgrim! 



Happy is he who, with single heart and 

 soul at peace with God and man, can spend 

 a whole sunny day in the joy of rambling. 

 How much to delight him, how much to in- 

 struct him, in the quiet, suggestive ways of 

 nature ! All that he learns that day will be 

 at first hand, out of the earliest book ever 



