CHAPTER SECOND 



A HUJ^T FOR THE PTXIE 



■^rO storm raged to defeat a long-cherished 

 ■^ ^ plan, and we must laugh at threaten- 

 ing clouds or miss many an outing. In 

 dreams the pyxie had been blooming for 

 weeks, and to prove that not all dreams go 

 by contraries, I started on a flower-hunt. 

 This is not always so tame and adventure- 

 less a matter as one might think. There are 

 wood-blooms that scorn even a trace of man's 

 interference, and the pyxie is one of them. 

 Nature alone can provide its wants, and only 

 where Nature holds undisputed sway can it 

 be found. To find this beautiful flower we 

 must plunge into the wilderness. 



It was a long tramp, but never wanting a 

 purpose for every step taken. Each turn 

 in the path oiFered something new, and if 

 ever for a moment a trace of weariness was 

 felt, it was because even to our hungry eyes 

 6 6i 



