THE WANING YEAR 
i59 
enjoyment of its message i The question is mocked 
by the solitary limb that has stained its leaves with 
the brightest tints of autumn, and is ready to cast 
them to the first determined wind. 
It is hard to avoid a twinge of regret at the un- 
expected reddening of the leaves. The Maple is 
generally first to give the warning, and the varied 
richness of its new colours does not atone for the loss 
of its contented uniformity. A single limb will some- 
times take on the brilliant colouring of autumn, and 
stand out day after day, a bright splash on the varied 
greens of the background. 
Where a lake, river, or open clearing exposes a 
stretch of natural forest, and Maples, Elms, and 
Beeches crowd up to the foreground, a branch here 
and there will take on the richest of colours, as if 
nature sought to warn the heedless world of an 
inhospitable time at hand. The Golden-rod may have 
given warning already by a few firm touches of bright 
pure colour on its rising fronds* The earlier Asters 
may also have held out at once a promise and a 
warning of the coming autumnal glory. The yellow 
trumpet of the Fox-glove may have blended another 
tint with the colours of the advancing season. But 
the distinctive flowers of autumn can never give the 
chilling warning that comes with the first brilliant 
markings in the foliage of the Maple. Sometimes a 
small tree that has stood modest and unnoticed among 
