THE YOUTHERIE OF THE YEAR 



"The youtherie of the year!" So did Rich- 

 ard Steele name the springtime of the year, and 

 I make haste to adopt the words since what 

 I saw and heard in my garden this bright day. 



A brightness and a touch of warmth of the 

 sunshine drew me into my garden. I heard the 

 first call of the robin. I saw tiny buds of prom- 

 ise, the opening ones of the willow, the pur- 

 plish shoots of the phlox, the pink cones of the 

 peony. I saw the snowdrops lift their sweet 

 bells, and shoots of the daffodils pushing up 

 out of the earth. These told me that winter is 

 past and the time of singing birds has come. 



For a moment I caught the odor of swelling 

 rose vines and lilac bushes. There can be no 

 doubt. " Lilactive," the sweet folk name for 

 spring, is here. 



We shall smell the spring lilacs again. 

 "This old world seems young once more." 



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