*#v 
132 Sanbtlion. 
Dandelion.... I7ie Rustic Oracle. 
The Dandelion is the most common of flowers. It is 
found in the four quarters of the globe, near the pole 
as beneath the equator, on the margin of rivers and 
streams as well as on sterile rocks. It serves the shep- 
herd instead of a clock, while its feathery tufts are his 
barometer, predicting calm or storm. The globes formed 
by the seeds of the Dandelion are used for other pur- 
poses. If you are separated from the object of your 
love, pluck one of those feathery spheres, charge each 
of the little feathers with a tender thought ; turn toward 
the spot where the loved one dwells ; blow, and the aerial 
travellers will faithfully convey your secret message to 
his or her feet. If you wish to know if that dear one 
is thinking of you, blow again; and if a single aigrette 
is left upon the stalk, it is a proof that you are not for- 
gotten. 
As thinks 
The mariner of home. 
When doomed through many a dreary waste 
Of waters yet to roam, — 
Thus doth my spirit turn to thee, 
My guidijig star o'er life's wild sea. 
Mrs. Einhury. 
Dandelion, with globe of down, 
The schoolboy's clock in every town, 
Which the truant puffs amain. 
To conjure lost hours back again. 
Ilowitl.- 
