ALONG FOUR-FOOTED TRAILS 



greatly. Whenever we came to a place where 

 the grass was very fine and thick we sauntered 

 along more slowly. These were the favored 

 places of nature, the green spots that offered 

 protection to small beast and smaller bird and 

 which, also, gave nourishment to their larger 

 vegetarian neighbors. Aunt told me of the 

 economic laws of nature, those wonderful laws 

 which govern and aid growth. It all seemed so 

 great and so beautiful ! I felt very much more 

 than my young mind was able to define ; in a cer- 

 tain way only did I comprehend. While we 

 walked the grass became wet with dew; and even 

 in this my elderly companion saw a lesson. She 

 told me that the dew was bathing the myriads of 

 parched lips of the grass blades, that the plants 

 had been losing moisture in the intense heat of 

 the sun's rays during the day, and that, though 

 this was so, the plants had been borrowing from 

 mother earth the substances which she deftly, 

 by some secret chemistry, wove into wonderful 

 living structures which her vegetarian depen- 

 dents needed for their development. " Each of 

 nature's great gifts entwine with each other/' 

 she said. " Each lends to the other and often 

 ["4] 



