IN SUMMER. 



the remote highways, as they now are, might 

 certainly be had. Is there not sufficient tax col- 

 lected in every township to secure this ? Proba- 

 bly the farmer who never walks to the village, 

 and finds the wagon-way fairly passable, may 

 insist that the pedestrian can pick his way, how- 

 ever rough the ground. True, but this does not 

 dissipate the pedestrian's just claims. A man that 

 must walk, because too poor to ride, is none the 

 less worthy of consideration, and may well grum- 

 ble if his right of way is blocked. Of course, 

 man must take the world as he finds it, and alter 

 it if he can ; and such an alteration is practicable 

 where good roads or foot-paths can not be, in 

 the planting and preservation of wayside trees. 



Such was the current of my thoughts when 

 I met, recently, the overseer of a highway rest- 

 ing, at noon, from his labors. To him, and for 

 him, a little speech was made ; and what was 

 the reply ? " Too many shade-trees will en- 

 courage the tramps " ! So he who loves to wan- 

 der out of town must take the dusty highways as 

 they are, and sigh for pleasant shade he can not 

 enter. To plant a wayside tree, to have a 

 country byway beautiful, must not be thought of 

 it will encourage the tramps ! 



Now, it so happens that, near where I live, a 

 chestnut-tree was spared, two centuries ago, 

 probably because it was too crooked for fence- 



