Surprises of the Prairie 



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The prairie grasses are 

 many and beautiful. Every 

 tint of the rainbow is found 

 amid their color glory. Vio- 

 let, indigo, blue, green, 

 yellow, red all are there. 

 Tints and mezzo-tints mix 

 and intermingle, blend, and 

 beautify the grasses of the 

 prairie. As pretty as a 

 flower is the yellow bloom 

 of the bluestem. It looks 

 enough like the blossom of 

 maize to be kindred of the 

 corn. The tickle-grass is 

 on the meadow-lands. It is 

 the fern of the prairie, for 

 its fronds are even finer 

 than the fern's. Sometimes 

 its seed-pods are the color 

 of wine, but mostly they are 

 a beautiful sepia, or 

 brown. When ripe and 

 uprooted by autumn 

 winds, you may see the 

 tickle-grass tumble like 

 tufts of feathers across 

 the prairies. 



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