4 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
something to do with it. It is a fragrance peculiar to 
the South, places, as well as animals, flowers, and 
races, having their distinguishing odors. 
One soon discovers that the half-wild peach trees 
that make the foothills so lovely are also present in 
the mountains, where they bloom a little later and 
quite as enchantingly. To walk along them is quite 
as delightful as to fly past them on the train, and 
there is this advantage, one can hear as well as see 
them. If the blossoming trees do not sing aloud and 
clap their hands for joy, they at least draw to them- 
selves a blissful chorus of happy creatures. Little 
things on wings have suddenly appeared. They seem 
to have blossomed with the peach trees, for yester- 
day they were not. Now the air hums with them, 
bees, wasps, flies, beetles, bugs, butterflies, all as 
busy as though they were of tremendous importance 
in the scheme of the universe. And walking thus 
among the blossoming trees, we can smell as well as 
hear and see them. 
It is hard to tell which is best, the beauties of the 
day or the beauties of the night in this smiling land. 
The nights are so cool, so fragrant, and so enticing 
that one has an impulse to roam the woods in the 
magical moonlight and under the softly glowing 
stars. The stars hang big and dewy, dreamy lights in 
the vault of heaven. And there are so many of them, 
so bewilderingly many ! That great star one sees in 
midwinter, glowing low towards the horizon and 
competing with Sirius in brilliancy, is Canopus of 
the Southern heavens, and in the month of March 
