WILLOWS AND. POPLARS 151 



grove of them. Heroes who had gloriously con- 

 quered their enemies in battle were crowned 

 with chaplets of the silvery leaves. 



The Lombardy poplar is familiar to all who 

 have traveled the country roads. A century 

 ago it was very fashionable as a lawn and hedge 

 tree, and to-day there is no tree that can make 

 a narrow leafy wall sooner or better. Its 

 branches grow close to the tree and slant up- 

 ward, making it look very much like an um- 

 brella turned inside out. Legend has it that 

 once a pot of gold was stolen from the rainbow 

 and hid in the forest among the sleeping trees. 

 The wind messengers were sent to find it. All 

 the trees denied having seen it, and one and all 

 held up their branches as a proof. When lo! 

 the pot tumbled out from the Lombardy pop- 

 lar. The tree was terribly chagrined, and ever 

 after remained with its branches standing up- 

 ward to show its honesty. 



The aspen, or quaking asp, is the most rest- 

 less of its uneasy family. The leaf is always 

 in motion. Botanists tell us that it is because 

 of the slender, peculiar leafstalk, but legend tells 

 us that when Joseph and Mary fled through the 

 forest with the infant Jesus, all the trees bowed 

 their heads in reverence excepting the aspen. 

 This tree only raised its proud head a trifle 



