THE EEAE 
35 
When Autumn comes the leaf has done its work. The 
chlorophyll retreats to the woody part of the tree; with¬ 
out its magic fluid the oak leaf turns red, a purplish red 
which lights the autumn forest in a blaze of glory like 
the embers of a dying fire. People think the frost turns 
the leaves to red and gold and purple, but they are mis¬ 
taken ; it is old age which causes autumn foliage. When 
you are old your skin will wrinkle and your hair will turn 
white, so with the leaf in autumn when it is old and 
tired comes a change from the living green. A little 
cork or stopper forms between stem and twig so that all 
life is shut off; then the winds of November snatch the 
dry brown leaf and whirl it in its last wild dance to earth. 
