A MAY VISIT TO MOOSILAUKE 19 



I named it at once the Flower Garden. For an 

 acre, or, more likely, for two or three acres, the 

 ground — a steep southern exposure, held up to 

 face the sun — was covered with plants in bloom : 

 Dutchman's-breeches QDicentra cucuUaria), — 

 bunches of heart-shaped, cream-white flowers 

 with yellow facings, looking for aU the world 

 as if they had been planted there ; round-leaved 

 ■violets in profusion ; white violets (hlanda) ; 

 spring-beauties ; adder' s-tongue (dog's-tooth vio- 

 let); and painted triUium. A pretty show ; pretty 

 in itself, and a thousand times prettier for being 

 happened upon thus ufiexpectedly, after two hours 

 of woods that were almost as dead as winter. 



Only a little way above this point were the 

 fii'st beds of snow ; and henceforward, tiU I came 

 out upon the ridge, two miles above, the woods 

 were mostly filled with it, though there was little 

 in the road. About this time, also, I began to 

 notice a deer's track. He had. descended the 

 road within a few hours, as I judged, or since the 

 last rainfall, and might have been a two-legged, 

 or even a one-legged animal, — biped or uniped, 

 — so far as his footsteps showed. I should 

 rather have seen him, but the hoofprints were 

 a deal better than nothing; and undoubtedly 

 I saw them much longer than I could possibly 

 have seen the maker of them, and so, perhaps, 



