SWAYING TREE TOPS 



sit on the veranda and not be seen 

 from the path outside the fence, for 

 the hedge is dense with leaves. 



That day so long ago, the boy sat 

 thinking of the home, but not admir- 

 ing it. He loved it, yet it seemed to 

 him that it was pitifully small and 

 old. For twenty years he had known 

 it. Every spring, as long as he could 

 remember, he had seen the lilacs 

 bloom. With his home folks he had 

 watched the seasons come and go. 

 But, somehow, there was a growing 

 discontent. He felt as though the 

 leafy walls were prison bars. Out- 

 side away there were wider yards 

 and sweeter flowers and finer houses. 

 He must see them. As the winter 

 had been passing, he had been speak- 

 ing these thoughts to his folks. Now, 



[104] 



