10 THE VISIT OF FRANCIS 



These flowers were rocking to and fro in such 

 a gale of wind that It seemed strange they were 

 not torn from the earth and carried away. I won- 

 dered for some time if the wind sought them out 

 to play with, and if this could be why they were 

 called Wind-flowers. Indeed Grandmother says 

 there is an old story that Father Wind blows 

 them open, and then blows their petals away, so 

 it is quite reasonable that they should bear his 

 name. 



I think perhaps flowers love the wind just as 

 much as they do the sun. The wind is so lively; 

 it hardly keeps still a minute. Sometimes It makes 

 sounds that are low and sweet, and it touches the 

 flowers gently; or else it is very mischievous, toss- 

 ing dead leaves In the air, and carrying the flowers' 

 pretty leaves away. But when it Is really angry, 

 it howls and roars and bends their stems almost 

 double. The wind, though, is very kind to the 

 flowers. After they are wet by the rain, It blows 

 against them, and dries them quite nicely; and 

 when their seeds are ready to be sown, the wind 

 lifts them up and carries them off, and puts them 

 down in some little bed of earth where they can 

 grow. I'm sure now that the wind is wise and 

 useful, although when I lived in the city I thought 

 it only cared to blow my hat off. 



Now so many Wind-flowers are blooming In 

 some places that I must take long jumps so as not 

 to step on them. What also seems curious to me 



