SPRING 



stockings for the glorious space of two 

 short hours. How good the grass and 

 the warm ground felt to the bare feet, 

 but how hard the lumps of earth hidden 

 in the grass, and O those thistles! As 

 the days grew warmer the hours for 

 " running barefoot " were increased — 

 by permission, very often by stealth, 

 and the whippoorwill was known to 

 arrive long before its regular time. But 

 this was in the days when the Beech 

 Woods was suspected as a refuge for 

 wild animals, and only the outer fringe 

 visited by day and passed with fore- 

 bodings by night. 



Now as of old the swallows have 

 returned as if by magic out of the limit- 

 less blue above the woods and are 

 swooping and diving in their accus- 

 tomed place. No one saw them arrive : 

 no one ever does. They just appear as 

 if they might have been there all the 

 time, but just out of sight. They are 

 the epitome of winged delight, flying 

 often for the very love of it, tireless and 

 ever graceful in their flight. They 

 gather their food from the air, living 

 on flies and insects of different sorts, 

 27 



