250 BESIDE THE GREAT SALT LAKE. 



not hated to take it by force, to frighten the 

 little folk I wished to make friends with, 

 even I might have seen the nest long before that 

 morning. Thus I meditated as, after waiting an 

 hour or two, I started for home. 



Outside the gate I met my fellow-student, and 

 we went on together. Our way lay beside an old 

 orchard that we had often noticed in our walks. 

 The trees were not far apart, and so overgrown 

 that they formed a deep shade, like a heavy 

 forest, which was most attractive when every- 

 thing outside was baking in the June sun. It 

 was nearly noon when we reached the gate, and 

 looking into a place 



" So curtained with trunks and boughs 

 That in hours when the ringdove cooes to his spouse 

 The sun to its heart scarce a way could win," 



we could not resist its inviting coolness ; we 

 went in. 



As soon as we were quiet, we noticed that 

 there were more robins than we had heretofore 

 seen in one neighborhood in that part of the 

 world; for our familiar bird is by no means 

 plentiful in the Rocky Mountain countries, 

 where grassy lawns are rare, and his chosen 

 food is not forthcoming. The old apple-trees 

 seemed to be a favorite nesting-place, and be- 

 fore we had been there five minutes we saw 

 that there were at least two nests within fifty 



