Two of a Kind 



and down among the grass-roots the 

 "baby" tree, in due course of time, was 

 born. For the first few years it had 

 a hard, and apparently hopeless, strug- 

 gle. The soil was neither loose nor 

 rich in plantfood. The summers were 

 dry, and the winters severe, but it 

 persevered. Still it was clearly un- 

 happy. This season, however, there 

 has come a sudden change for the 

 better. It is now rich in foliage, and 

 its top is mounting upward and spread- 

 ing rapidly. It is clearly now the 

 making of a fine big specimen of its 

 kind. With all its faults as a shade 

 tree around a house, there is one thing 

 about the full-grown cottonwood that 

 almost makes up for the annual nuis- 

 ance of its shedding blossoms: the 

 splendid rustling of its delicately- 

 balanced leaves fluttering in the wind. 

 Ever hear it? If not, listen to it the 

 next time you have a chance. It will 

 repay attention, if your ears are in any 

 degree attuned to the eternal har- 

 [6i] 



