
          309.

year the branch looks as if it is dead.  Still
farther up is the spring near which Nasturtium officinale
thrives so well.  Close to the spring is a wide-spreading
beech - surely the favorite resting-place
of many a person.  It, too, is always our resting-place
and more than an hour was spent under its
branches this delightful morning.  The birds attracted 
our attention and very soon some of them came quite
close to us.  A pretty red bird was a marked attraction.
It was somewhat smaller than the cardinal, and had
also quite a different song which it uttered frequently.
After our delightful rest, we again descended into
the valley.  Across the stream we knew there was
the mill-race and had heard of the pretty path
along its bank.  The Patapsco looked as if it
could be forded readily, so we decided to venture.
Assisted by two sticks we stepped from stone
to stone and in a little while were safely on
the other side.  The views up and down while amid <s>the</s> stream
were most beautiful.  But a few feet from the
        