CHAPTEE SIX 



UNDER THE OAKS AND ELSEWHERE 



Under the oaks ! Words these that may mean 

 much or little. It depends nothing upon the 

 trees; everything upon the person. He who 

 seeks the shade of venerable oaks goes to a 

 choice sanctuary. Under the oaks of the home 

 hillside, I replace the English colonists and like- 

 wise the Indian who preceded him. These, in- 

 deed, are venerable oaks ! A century counts for 

 little, considering the age of many into whose 

 branches I peer as I lie on the moss that man- 

 tles their wide-spreading, twisted roots. 



The oaks here stand for the eternal rocks. In 

 the range of my ordinary rambles I know of 

 not one that is dead. They are the representa- 

 tive features of our fixedness. Gone, and my 

 little world would crumble. The beeches com- 

 mand my admiration, the tall birches in their 

 tattered coats are entertaining; so, too, the 



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