The Chorus of the Forest 



sky. so that the ^\'hole was a soft, blue-gray green, 

 the most exquisite sight imaginable. All thought 

 of the world outside vanished. The heart flooded 

 Avith awe, adoration, and a great and holy peace. 

 Here is the world's most beautiful Cathedral, 

 where the unsurpassed tree-harps accomijany the 

 singers in nature's grandest anthem. This is the 

 abiding-place of the Almighty in the forest. 



A^'^hen we dared linger no longer and attempted 

 to reach certain trees superl) above their fellows, 

 we found that a path must be cut before us for 

 long distances, and then at times, for no appar- 

 ent reason, we came into open spaces underfoot 

 and thinner branching overhead. These were 

 brown and gray-carpeted Avith the heaped dead 

 leaves of many seasons, and glorified A\ith flower 

 color, but there were no grasses. It Mas in places 

 such as these that the joy song of the human heart 

 drowned all other music. On the rich brown floor, 

 against the misty gray-green background, flashed 

 the pale yellow of false foxglove, the loveliest and 

 the tyjiical flower of the forest. 



The tall, smooth stems were high as my head, 

 the leaves sparse and tender, the bloom large and The 

 profuse, and of warm shades of light-yellow im- ^'*''^^* 



J^ . t"^ Foxes 



possible to describe, because they vary with age. wear 

 The buds are a pure warm yellow, the flower cow- 

 slip color on the first day, creamy white on the 

 second, the fallen blooms showering the dark floor 



43 



