Music of the Wild 



cool with scarce melted snows, pungent A\'ith cat- 

 kin pollen, tinged with the vague, subtle perfume 

 from unsheathing leaves, and the l)loom of forest 

 trees, and ans^\'er to the call of nature. They 

 hasten to the -woods as cattle dry- fed for months 

 race through jiasture when first released, too crazed 

 with joy to begin grazing at once. If the truth 

 were told, I think this love of children for the 

 spring flowers is almost as much craving for the 

 intoxication of spring air and release from win- 

 ter's bondage as it is appreciation of the blooms. 



What a shout the child sends up who finds the 

 first flo^\er! The one anIio secures a dogtooth vio- 

 let is envied as men covet each other's gold. What 

 matters it that the liot, close-grasping little hands 

 will witlier the delicate frost blooms hopelessly be- 

 fore they can be presented so lovingly to mother 

 and teacher? The children have had the joy of 

 their outing, the fulfillment of their search, the 

 pleasure of giving the precious gift; and where 

 the earth lies blanketed with flowers until one must 

 look closely to see that it is not yet snow-covered, 

 what they take never will l)e missed, and the com- 

 ing spring will l)ring as profuse ])loom as the past. 



Later in the season, when the cardinal flo\\'er, 

 foxfire, cowslip, bellflower, bluebell, and daisy 

 bloom — flowers that are of rarer occurrence and 

 that would lie exterminated by such vigorous at- 

 tacks — the children have become accustomed to 



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