196 WINTER SKETCHES. 



slowly by as if it were possessed of thought and 

 were searching among the crevices and openings 

 for some suitable spot in which to lodge and germ- 

 inate. What a delicate, tenuous mote it is ! Yet 

 wrapped within the tiny kernel is the possibility 

 of a beautiful golden plume or a cyme of ame- 

 thyst that, next Autumn, shall feast the eyes of 

 some assthetic rambler. 



This wood-road presents a most delightful per- 

 spective with its vista of warm evergreens in the 

 distance, the gray tangled branches of the oaks, 

 and the nearer rows of cornels and willows, with 

 their polished shoots of red, purple and yellow, 

 gleaming in the wintry sun. On such a day the 

 eye gratefully lingers on these colors. Beneath, 

 the brown border carpet, too, is beautiful with its 

 exquisitely-wrought figures of prince's pine and 

 soft coats of dark-green moss. It feels like the 

 richest Axminster to the tread. One may walk 

 on it in soiled shoes, for, although it cost Nature 

 much time and trouble to weave it in her loom 

 and spread it here, she will not scold you for your 

 thoughtlessness. How fresh and full of verdant 

 blood this tuft of moss appears ! Yet the shallow 

 mold in which it grows is frozen and the matted 

 stems are glistening with needles of frostwork. 

 Sink the nostrils deeply within the mass of deli- 

 cate leaves and inhale the earthy, woodsy, aro- 

 matic odors. It is as agreeable to the scent as 



