land, where nothing now grows to any 

 size. 



''We are a singularly graceful tree," 

 said the Elm proudly. 



"I am aware of that," replied Mabel. 

 "I have often admired the graceful 

 poise of your branches, especially in 

 winter when you are stripped of your 

 beautiful dress. I have admired your 

 sinewy strength and often noticed you 

 outlined against those dark pines when 

 the winds rocked you, as they swept 

 howling past like some monster in 

 rage." 



"Yes; the peculiar twisting and in- 

 terlacing of our fibers, which makes our 

 wood so hard to split, gives us a tough- 

 ness, a hidden strength, to combat with 

 those wild storms which come when the 

 Wing-god is let loose. 



''The Baltimore oriole loves to hang 

 its nest from the ends of our branches, 

 for there their young are safe from the 

 depredations of boys. How their lit- 

 tle ones sway in the soft summer winds, 

 lulled to sleep at nightfall by the mur- 

 mur of the water at our feet, for we, 

 like the Willow, love the water." 



"Have you any pretty legends to tell 

 me. Elm tree?" 



"Not about our family. I can tell 

 you one about the Baltimore Oriole if 

 you like; his life is so interwoven with 

 ours that he seems a portion of us." 



"The Baltimore Oriole is a great 

 favorite of mine, and I should think by 

 the number of his airy castles swinging 

 from your branches that you were a 

 favorite of his; but tell me the legend. 

 I would like to hear it." 



"Well, years ago in a beautiful gar- 

 den, filled with gorgeous flowers, there 

 grew an orange and black tulip which 

 continually looked up into the blue 

 depths of the sky above it. How it 

 longed to be a bird that it might soar 

 into those depths, to know the joy of 

 feeHng the wind rush through its feath- 

 ers; to have a closer view of those great, 

 fleecy clouds, whose outlines glistened 

 like silver when touched by the rays 

 of the god of day; to pour out its soul 

 in grateful praise to its Creator and feel 

 the whole air vibrating with the volume 

 of its music. One day the gods took 

 pity on this lovely tulip and gratified 

 its longing. The result is our beauti- 



ful oriole, which makes the otchards and 

 the river banks resound with its liquid, 

 pulsing notes. As one of your writers 

 says: 



In a forgotten garden ages back, 



Did an orange tulip, striped with black, 



Yearn towards Heaven, until its voice was 



heard, 

 Desiring unspeakably to be a bird ! 



"That is pretty, but can you tell me 

 why it is that the female has not the 

 brilliant plumage of her mate?" 



"To be sure I can. It is a wise provi- 

 dence indeed that she has not, for she 

 could be more readily seen when on the 

 nest and would be a great target for 

 boys. The young birds, too, are not 

 so gaudily dressed." 



"I understand. The Willow told me 

 that birds had legends. Do you know 

 any more of them. Elm Tree?" 



The tree was silent, not a leaf stirred 

 in the clear air. The water flowed quiet- 

 ly by and Mabel could trace its course 

 by the willows fringing its banks. She 

 missed the carolling of birds, the bleat- 

 ing sheep, the lowing of cattle, which 

 she had so often heard from this haunt. 

 Presently a gust of wind set the tall 

 grasses about her waving to and fro, 

 and the drooping branches of the elm 

 tree swayed in the breeze, as with a 

 sound deep and reverential the words 

 came: 



"In Cambridge, one of the suburbs 

 of Boston, stands a great' relative of 

 mine. You must know that Cambridge 

 wears the classic air of a University 

 town, for there embowered in the sha- 

 dow of majestic elms is situated "Fair 

 Harvard." Almost within a stone's 

 throw of the University, in the center 

 of a broad, old-fashioned street, is an 

 aged tree, before which stands a gran- 

 ite tablet, whose gilded letters tell that 

 this is Washington's Elm. Beneath 

 this tree did the Father of his country 

 step forth, draw his sword, and in a 

 few simple words assume the command 

 of the American Army. We know some- 

 thing of the hardships borne, or repulses 

 met, of the discouragements over- 

 come, until at last victory was his. 

 Though not a phenomenal tree in size, 

 :t was estimated that every year it devel- 

 oped seven millions of leaves, whicli 

 exposed to the air a surface equal to 



150 



