Class _o__l Book.. l-j . Copyright N°. ,^oS COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. By the Same Author Fresh Fields and Legends Old and New Crown 8vo. Illustrated. $1.25 net Mayflowers to Mistletoe A Year with the r lower rolK Bv Sarah J. Day Second Edition Illustrated bv Zulma de L. Steele 0. P. PUTNAM'S SONS New York and London Gbe fmfcfcerbocfter iPress 1909 Copyright, 1900 BY SARAH J. DAY Copyright, 1909 BY SARAH J. DAY Ubc Ifcnicfccrbockcr press, IRcw ^otfi LI3RARY of CONGRESS Twn Cooies Received JUN I 18ua Copynunl Entry — , H* 5. '^ tLAGS /A XXc No. ]N all those walks through garden, wood, and field Wherein my much delight is, I have found The flowers my choicest comrades ; and around The sprightly ways and wiles they ne'er concealed From me, assured of my sympathies, Fancy has woven the gentle histories Herein, for those who love such lore, revealed. Contents PAGE Prelude — Spring 3 Hepatica 5 Mayflowers 6 Wake-Robin 7 Crocus 8 Ground Pink 9 Tulips io Daffodil 12 Jack-in-the-Pulpit 13 May- Apples 15 Horse-Chestnut 16 Wistaria 17 Dandelion 18 Spring-Beauties 19 Violet 20 Columbine 21 Houstonias 22 The Pansy Bed 23 Squirrel-Corn 24 Apple Blossoms 25 Interlude — Early Summer 27 Buttercups 29 vi Contents PAGE Lady's-Slipper 30 Periwinkle 31 FORGET-ME-NoT 32 Wood Betony 34 Mountain-Laurel ...... 35 Daisies and Iris ...... 36 Clover 37 Herb-Robert 38 Sweet peas 40 Arethusa 41 Pyrola 4 2 Wild Rose 43 Blue-Eyed Grass 44 Cinque-Foil and Strawberry ... 45 Jewel-Weed 47 St. John's-Wort 48 Interlude — Late Summer 5 1 Wild Carrot 53 Garden Lilies 54 Tiger Lilies 5 6 Yellow Star-Grass 57 Morning-Glory 58 Butter-and-Eggs 59 Indian-Pipe 60 Robin and Charlie 62 Water-Lily 63 Hollyhock 64 Seaweed 65 Sunflower 67 Contents VII PAGE Great Willow-Herb 69 Trumpet-Flower 71 Betty and Susan 72 Clematis 73 Interlude — Autumn 75 Cardinal-Flower 77 Brunella 78 Marshmallow 79 Nasturtiums 81 Closed Gentians 82 Solomon's Seal 83 Asters and Golden Rod .... 84 Milkweed 85 Cat-Tails 86 Thistle 87 Walking Fern 89 Sea Lavender 91 Legend of the Leaves 92 Voyage oe the Seeds 94 Mullein Towers -95 Interlude — Winter 97 Bittersweet 99 Cyclamen 100 Legends oe the Orange Tree . . .101 Yellow Jessamine 103 Hymn of the Palm-Tree . . . .104 California Poppies 107 Baby Blue Eyes 109 Holly no Vlll Contents PAGE Cherokee Rose nx Mistletoe 112 Everlasting 113 Postlude 115 a H>ear witb tbe jflower folk preli^e — Spring PROPHECIES stirring the wood, Presciences felt in the air, Then vague misgivings and chilling mood ; When suddenly, everywhere There 's a mist of green on the trees, Soft skies over us, birds a-wing, Flowers at the wood's edge blossoming, And all in a moment, one feels and sees About him the marvel and rapture of spring. Ibepatica /^NE frosty day in March I strayed ^^^ Along a woodland path I knew, And there I met a little maid With shyest, starry eyes of blue. Her ample cloak was lined with fur, Her grey-green tippet furry too ; " The wind is cold," I said to her ; Said she, " It may be, sir, forjww." /IDa^flowers TN their last year's leaves cradled as if on the arm Of their granddame, beneath the dry fir And pine needles, the Mayflowers wake rosy and warm, Cuddling close as they sleepily stir. For the ground is still frosty, the air is still bleak, And a granddame' s fond kindness well known ; So they press very softly her withered brown cheek 'Gainst the pink and white down of their own. 1iaafee*1Robm "\lU r AKE, robin, wake ! the spring is here, Behold the signal given: My petals fair in threes I bear, Three ways their golden star 's aflare, Thrice is my broad leaf riven. Wake, robin, wake! and sing us cheer, Freed from our long subjection ; The cold earth spread above our head, They mourned for us as for the dead, Sing thou our resurrection. Wake, robin, wake! no need to fear Dull skies or snows hereafter ; The covering clods we bravely break To greet the sun ; wake, robin, wake ! And voice the triple sign I make — Life, loveliness, and laughter. Crocus HTHK Crocus had slept in his little round house So soundly the whole winter through ; There came a tap-tapping, — 't was Spring at the door : " Up ! up ! we are waiting for you ! " The Crocus peeped out from his little brown house And nodded his gay little head ; " Good-morning, Miss Snowdrop ! and how do you do This fine, chilly morning ? " he said. ©round flMnft \ 17 HERE lately lay the snow Young Spring doth blithely go, Her garments wafting sweet perfume. And lo, There springeth bloom Amid the grass, Soon as her rosy foot doth pass. In glowing tints of red, Where chanced that she did tread, These tender tufts through wood and hill Are spread ; And, lingering still, The fragrance sweet Her lovely presence left in its retreat. Uulips *T HRONGING through the mellow mould, When the frost has loosed its hold, Tiny Sheiks of haughty mien Stand in Orient pomp and sheen, Bringing from their lord the Sun Tidings of his course begun ; Telling of his royal pleasure Toward us soon his steps to measure. Richly stiff the robes of state Swathed about their forms elate, Gorgeously the turbaned heads Glow with mingled golds and reds. From of old they know their worth, These proud blooms of Eastern birth ; Uulips Know their sires were often sold Far above their weight in gold ; Know — and who shall check their pride — Princes oft for them have vied. Fitting heralds these to bring Greetings from the Sun their King ! BaffoMl pv AFFYDOWNDILXY.the maid in the garden, The child at the wicket is looking for you. Bare are the meadows, unbudded the thicket, April still mingles the clouds with her blue ; Come to us, Daffodil, golden and true ! Daffydowndilly, I mind an old legend — Was it your brother Narcissus, or you, Loved but himself and had ne'er loved another, Adroop o'er the river his image to view ? Must we, fair Daffodil, search there for you ? Nay, our gay Daffydowndill}'' advancing — The truant — with dancing, ne'er languishing knew ; Dwells but in gardens, and makes them entranc- ing, Sunnily smiling and nodding at you, Whole-hearted Daffodil, merry and true ! 3acfe=in=tbe=fl>ulptt O AID Jack the Parson, " Firstly, Dear brethren, I aver ' ' (As yet 't was early April And few the flowers astir) ' ' That Promptness is a virtue I 'd fain on you confer. " But, secondly," he added, " Lest frowardness beguile," (A sudden, biting snow-squall Had swept the forest aisle), " Upon the claims of Prudence 'T were well to pause awhile. " Then, thirdly,"— from his pulpit He peered (on every side, Upsprung at last, the blossoms 13 J 4 Jac^in^tbe^lPulptt In gayest colours vied), — " I feel that I must warn you Against the sin of Pride. " And, lastly, Praise is comely And you may well desire ' ' (For now the woods were vocal Through chancel, nave, and spire) " To have my discourse ended And listen to the choir." T F you scan the wooded open Where some western hill-road crawls, You will spy the green umbrellas Of the apple-women's stalls. In a colony they cluster ; Peep beneath the spreading flaps, — If you see the little women Nodding, in their snowy caps, You will know that you are early, Not yet open is the stand ; Come in two months' time — you '11 find them With a stock of fruit on hand. 15 lborse*Cbestnut QNOWS gone and winter over — How is it that we see Amid the bees and clover A mammoth Christmas tree ? Its great cone-tapers thickly Are set from bough to bough All straight and white, as quickly To be enkindled now. Soon will the bees discover They may not lighted be, And rifle — Christmas over, Snows gone — the idle tree. t6 TKatstarfa A WEB of green with purple blooms Betasselled, drapes my arbour's frame Like some rare product of the looms In the rich East from whence it came. From arch to arch its folds are flung, From prop to prop its clusters droop ; And, as at princely portals hung, Whence lovely pageants soon shall troop, Its stirring wafts sweet odours through ; And then it seems that one might swing The shimmering green and pendulous blue Apart, and view the hosts of Spring. 17 Dattoelion "T" IS " youth for war" O hearts of gold, And early ye the fields assail, Encamped in squadrons, warriors bold, Resolved for Spring the land to hold, Each crouched upon his lion's mail. " Old men for counsel,'" — so we find In Summer's senate halls ye stand In thronging groups of stately kind, Each snowy head to head inclined And wafting wisdom o'er the land. Sprin^Beauties DRETTY maidens, white and pink, Blithely arm in arm they link, Swaying to a measure slow, Where the zephyrs softliest blow 'Neath the budding forest tree ; Such a dainty company, Young and flushed and fair to see ! But the pink and white will pale, White and pink were ever frail — Scarcely worth the gathering ; E'er the vanishing of spring Beauty will have ceased to be In that faded company 'Neath the full-leaved forest tree. 19 IDiolet O H Y little nun of the wood, Kneeling apart at prayer Hid in the folds of your purple hood, — How do I know you are there ? Straight to your low green cell The odour of incense leads ; And softly I step, for I know full well Sister Violet 's telling her beads. 20 Columbine (^ OLUMBINE is dancing, ^ Lithesome, blithesome maid, Where the sun is glancing Through the wood's new shade, On her rocky ledges, Lilting at their edges In a pose entrancing, Gayly unafraid. Columbine's arraying Bordered is with bells, Softly round her swaying Their many-clappered cells Coral-hued and golden ; As the mimes of olden Times she were essaying Danced with Punchinells. Iboustonias * (bluets) T_JALF a dozen Quaker ladies, Straight and slim and small, In a sunny Berkshire meadow By a low stone wall : 1 ' Is thee come to yearly meeting ? ' ' "Yea." "And thee, too?" "Yea." " Verily, and thee is early ! " " Opens next First Day." And, in truth, the next May Sabbath All that meadow fair Scarce could hold the yearly meeting Set for session there ; In their little grey-blue bonnets Chatting, brim to brim, Half a million Quaker ladies, Straight and small and slim. * Reprinted from Youth's Companion. 22 O AID a little yellow Pansy to a Pansy big and ^ black : ' ' They have put so many of us in this bed That my toes are getting cramped, there 's a sad crick in my back, And I really have n't room to turn my head." Said the Pansy big and black to the yellow Pansy small : " Don't fret ; I see young Alice coming out ; She will take some of us home with her and that will give us all A chance to stretch ourselves and look about." 23 SqufrreUGorn (bleeding-heart) T T AVE you seen the small coquette In the hollow of the wood, With the hearts in order set All along the slender rood Piercing through her wigwam's net ? There they dangle, trophy-wise, Done to death by her bright eyes, Tender hearts, a-quiver yet. Like the scalp-locks of a chief One by one she hangs them there High above the lace-like leaf Of her tent-flap. So beware Lest you too may come to grief ! From a savage race she 's sprung, Many a heart will yet be hung At her wigwam — have a care ! 24 Bpple Blossoms D OSY clouds upon the trees ^ Resting, scatter to the breeze, To the breeze and o'er the ground, Petalled snowflakes soft and round. And the new grass murmurs low " Warm and fragrant is the snow." When that rosy cloud is gone, Melted by the nearing sun, All the branches feel bereft Knowing not their treasure left. But the swelling fruit germs know Whence their birth nor vain the snow. Thus, with all things, these assever " Beauty fruitless fadeth never." 25 ffnterlufce — JEarh? Summer CRHSHNESvS and sweetness Of j'outhful completeness, Of life at its prime, Adorn this newcomer, The jocund young Summer, And we, in his time, Such days and such hours Know, afield with the flowers, As 't were well to the chime Of fair music to fashion En woven in rhyme. 27 Buttercups HTHE Buttercups with shining face * Smile brightly as I pass; They seem to lighten all the place Like sunshine in the grass. And though not glad nor gay was I When first they came in view, I find when I have passed them by That I am smiling too. 29 Xa&£'s*5lfpper (MOCCASIN-FI.OWER) \17HEN the fairy Cinderellas, Tripping it before their Queen, Startled by the stroke of midnight, Fled in haste the moonlit scene, They their gold and broidered slippers Left behind them on the green. Straightway then the elfin pages, Sent to clear with care away, Gathering all the scattered slippers, Hang them up in neat array Just within the shadowed woodland, ' ' Where they grow, ' ' dull mortals say. 30 jpertwtnfcle [ Y pretty Perry Winkle Wears a glossy coat and new, And he has a merry twinkle In his sunny eyes of blue. M" He runs about my garden With his wild and winning ways ; Not a " By your leave " or " Pardon," When across my beds he strays ; So, wherever I may turn me, I have learned without surprise To meet the merry twinkle Of my Perry Winkle's eyes. 31 3forGet>flDe*Bot A TINY flower with candid eye Blue and unshadowed as the sky- Looks shyly at the passer-by In moist and lowly spot ; As though to say, " Too dim and small To go with you to bower or hall, I ask a passing glance, that 's all. And yet — forget me not ! " Remember, friend, the joy you took That day you found me by the brook I love to fringe with blue — your book Slipped down and was forgot. " You wrote a letter, then, andslaid My blooms between — in ambuscade — 32 3for0et>/lDe*mot 33 So gently I was unafraid And travelled far I wot. 1 ' You know the eyes that next I met Their glad surprise I '11 not forget. Thenceforth my place as amulet Their owner did allot, ' ' Until we both returned : one day "Within your hands again I lay And heard two voices softly say, 1 You did forget me not! ' " "JKHoot> 3Beton£ T^EL/Iv me, O thou fellow-lover Of the flowers, canst thou discover As do I, upon this stalk Which to eyes less fond than ours Seems to bear but common flowers, Certain woodland traits and features Tokening quite other creatures. Here a beak and here an eye, Here an eager neck awry Thrusting forth as if for food, How they crowd and crane together All the callow, yellow brood ! Soft ! the wise will mock my words, But canst thou resolve me whether These are fledgling blooms or blossom birds? 34 ZlDountain^Xaurel " DRING me now those rosy lanterns, Let them be in clusters set ' Gainst the dark wall of the woodland, Where its shades are thickest met ; Are they fashioned well and duly — Beaten work in boss and fret ? Starry angles measured truly ? — Master- workman 's clever yet ! Out of rosy wax and snow He has shaped the dainty things ; Light them now, that they may glow Softly on our fairy rings When to-night the Feast of Lanterns — Hist — a mortal ! swift — to wings ! " Thus I overheard the mountain fays Chatting softly in the mid-June days Where I loitered 'neath the glossy bays. 35 daisies ant> flds \UITH their bright faces tied in their tidy white caps The Daisies went trooping to school, When they spied a young Iris who cried out : " Perhaps You will help me get out of this pool ! For I fear I shall find it too cool. ' ' " Now, Iris, we learned but a few days ago," The Daisies replied with regret, " That your great-great-grandame was a rainbow and so You ought to be fond of the wet ; Besides, it is foolish to fret." Then the Daisies trooped cheerily on in the sun While the Iris drew back in the shade; She let the cold stream 'gainst her green gar- ments run, And she tossed her blue plumes as she said, " Just to think that a Daisy can't wade ! " 36 Clover A LUI^ABY (^ LOVER, Clover, rosy rover Creeping all the meadow over, When I see thee shyly peeping Through the grass, amidst thy leaping Insect playmates, whilst there hover Bees anear thee, pink-cheeked Clover, — Then my gentle fancies claim me " Baby of the flowers " to name thee. Sunshine loving, romping baby, Round about the meadow creeping, Just above the grass blades peeping,— Do the shades of evening stay thee ? Do I see thee nodding, may be ? 'T is our baby's time for sleeping, And the Katydids croon over Lullabys for her and Clover. 37 f>erb*1Robert (robin du bois) " LTOW is it, shrinking herb, that thou Art named for Robin Hood, The boldest knave that e'er I trow Went roystering through a wood ? ' ' " An he went roystering through the wood In merry days agone, 'T was I beside the way who stood And looked him upon. ' I looked daily him upon And watched him draw the bow And speed the dart, with Little John And many a good fellow; ' ' So when my Robin Good fellow Went gayly faring by, 38 1bert>*1Robert 39 I 'd raise my sling of seeds and throw A valiant cast and high, A valiant cast, so swift and high That he must note my deeds ; And joy! one day he did me spy And cried, ' Oho, the weeds 1 Are archers, too, the doughty weeds ! ' Thus loudly laughed he. ' Now mark the little sling of seeds In sooth it shameth me ! ' For my crossbow it shameth me ' ; He stooped him where he stood, ' Wilt comrade mine and namesake be, Small Robin of the Wood ? '" Sweet peas A TROOP of gay butterflies lighted one day On a vine, and when, rested at last, They spread their bright wings and would fain be away Its tendrils, they found, held them fast. So they hung there and swung there and grew so content With their life of retirement and ease, That, were they set free now, I think they 'd consent To stay and be always — Sweet Peas. 40 Hretbusa A RETHUSA in the marshes, Thither fled from rash pursuing, Flushing, trembling, in suspense I^est I seek and drag her thence, Finds her beauty her undoing. Where 's the Alpheus would lose a Prize so fair as Arethusa ? Ah, but Arethusa pleadeth : ' ' I had thought that unmolested In this poor bog Fate would spare me ; Mortal, seek not thence to bear me "— And my hand falls back arrested ; 'T were an ill thing to refuse a Helpless maid like Arethusa. 41 T FIND thee by the forest lake Pyrola, primly holding Thy wand of bells, Whose waxen cells Too coyly stiff appear to shake A rondel forth In morning mirth, Scarce bold enough for tolling An angelus at eventide Along the glade and waterside. But ah, when midnight's witching hour Is come, thy chimes will tinkle ! Then fairy bands With linked hands Their maddest measures thro' thy bower Weave in and out With song and shout While stars and fireflies twinkle, Art still demure and mak'st no sign? Thy leaves with joy's betrayal shine ! 42 Mtu> TRose QHY is she, this pink-cheeked maiden ^ Peeping through the hedge, And I hesitate, flower laden, At the highway's edge. Should I seek to draw her near me, Grasp her robes of green, — She would fear me, she would spear me With her prickles keen. So I pass, content this fleeting Glimpse of her to see, And to breathe her fragrant greeting Wafted after me. 43 Blue*Esefc Grass '"TELL me what it is you guard beside the stream, Little Argus with the hundred azure eyes ? For their mild and wistful blue doth scarcely seem To be challenging the passer, dragon-wise. Yet their watch, like that of old, knows no re- pose; If, outwearied through a long day's sunny space, Here and there a tender lid should droop and close, Straight another, freshly oped, will take its place. 44 Ginque=3foil anfc Strawberry OTRAWBKRRY Blossom lived up on the hill, While the Cinque-foils, her cousins, Who numbered some dozens, Dwelt, much more obscurely, below by the mill. Contrasts were many : the Cinque-foils, though poor, Were five-leaved ; she, triple ; And when as a cripple They feigned to regard her, 't was hard to endure. Snow-white my lady's fair face ; but what use, When a golfing Cinque-fellow Said : ' ' Sun-browned or yellow Complexions alone were the up-to-date hues " ? Fierce grew the feud, now of " runners " a jibe, Now of " sepal," now " petal," 45 46 Ginque^jfotl ant> Strawberry Till straightway to settle The whole, spake the Rose, lovely Queen of their tribe : " Goodly ye both are in flower, leaf, and root ; But our sister a cherry- Red, spicy-sweet berry Possesseth to boot: Be ye judged by your fruit." (TOUCH-ME-NOT— SADIES' -EARDROPS) f"** OlyDEN charms and eardrops, Pendulous and frail, Flecked with rich enamel- work — Are these gems for sale, Clustered where the shadows lurk Along the streamlet's trail ? Nay, by common purchase Never yet were bought Ornaments of gold like these, Delicately wrought ; Touch them, and their transient grace, Fading, leaves you naught. But, though none such jewels In her ear may wear, Though you pass and touch them not, You may, henceforth, bear Ownership in this far spot And all the treasure there. 47 St. Sobn's^Mort Y\ /ITCH and goblin, elf and sprite, Prick and prowl Midsummer's Night. Venture forth, they '11 plague ye sore, With their pricks and pranks assail ye ; Stay within and bar the door, Bolts and bars will not avail ye. Elf and goblin, witch and sprite, Mischief mean, this magic night. Only one thing will avail : There 's a plant whereat they quail ; Gold of flower and green of leaf, Sacred to St. John, they fear it, On your lintels bind a sheaf, They will not, to-night, anear it. For its golden stars have might 48 St. Sobn's^ort 49 'Gainst each goblin, elf, and sprite, In the Saint's name, born this night. Mark it well, this herb of power — Blade of leaf and edge of flower Show in dusky scars old pricks, Thickly set, of some malicious Elf, who, working vengeful tricks, Stabbed it through with art capricious ; For they hate it, herb of might, Witch and goblin, elf and sprite, Planning pranks Midsummer Night. 3 flntcrlufcc — Xatc Summer A FULLER glow, A richer strain Of life than fills the bounding vein Of youth, these later days Of summer know. The heavy-headed grain Upon its stalks In ripeness sways ; The flowers their stateliest show Along the garden walks And in the fields maintain. So fervidly has burned The harvest sun, 'T were slow discerned His goal is reached and turned, His backward course begun. For all this warmth and colour mock the thought That life thus at its fullest e'er could wane. 51 TKHilfc Carrot (MY LADY'S LACE) D ADIANT sunshine everywhere ! Now you '11 find my Lady's laces Spread like frostwork, filmy fair, Over fields and open spaces For the sun to bleach and whiten As all lore housewifely pledges. Each web wrought with daintiest care, See the tiny mesh-dots brighten Into wee blooms at its edges ! And the central symbol dark — Ah, that is my Lady's mark, As her own the weaves attesting ; Thus (vain hope !) those thieves arresting Who might well, a store of laces Scattered temptingly in reach All about the fields and places Where the August sun shall bleach, Think no harm to be molesting ! 53 (Barren Xllies A STATELY row of maidens tall Within my garden stood; And bowed their snowy foreheads all In gentle sisterhood. And often as I loitered near, In joy of their pure grace, Strains of a chant I seemed to hear, That breathed about the place. Perhaps their fragrance memories bore Of censers, gem-enwrought ; Perhaps their place in sacred lore Was lurking in my thought ; Howe'er it was, before my band Of choristers in white, I loved, at eventime, to stand And give my fancy flight, 54 (Sar&en Xilies 55 Till, like a row of beings blest, They seemed above me bent, And all grew peace within my breast, And comfort and content. TTiger Xilies '"T'HERE were flames within the wood, As we rode that summer day ; Burning spots and flecks of fire On the slopes beside the way, — Showing here and there like blood 'Gainst the sober green and grey Of the brake and tangled brier. And each tongue of scarlet flame Was a lily's heart of fire Burning out in love and hate — Smouldering hate and hot desire. Dew or shower may never tame That fierce hectic nor abate Its consuming, till, too late, With the flame the flower expire. 56 fellow 5tar>Grass Y\ 7B watched at night the falling stars ; And when, at dawn of day, Along the meadow thick besprent, These flecks of radiance lay, We scarce could think they had not come From out those shining showers, To flicker, yet unquenched, unspent, Stars in the grass, not flowers. 57 A PASSION for athletic sports Once seized upon the flowers ; In twining, climbing, balancing, They spent the summer hours. The nimble Morning-glory Had soon outstripped them all, He climbed his trellis twice as fast As Ivy climbed his wall ; And in the early morning When he felt most fresh and fair Would swing a hundred clubs and bells At one time in the air ! 58 Butter^anfcsEaGS /^\UT upon the highway, in the August heat, Many country lassies one is like to meet, Bearing on their shoulders curious crocks and kegs Filled and brimming over with butter and with eggs. Groups of half a dozen stoutly trudge along, Balancing their burdens, standing straight and strong, On their way to market, Millies, Molls, and Megs, " Who will buy our butter ? Who will buy our eggs?" 59 1FnMan=lIMpe (GHOST-PLANT) /""\NK comes, at times, in some recess Of dimmest woodland bowers, Upon a group in ghostly dress, All mystery and loneliness, More Phantoms they than flowers. Close clustering, as they were cold, They glimmer through the gloom, In cowl and robe of straightest fold, As if new risen from the mold Of some long-perished bloom. What are they, novice nuns at prayer, With foreheads meekly bowed ? Flower-spirits, formed of snow and air ? Flower-saints, for judgment waiting there Each folded in her shroud ? 60 1JnMan=fl>fpe 61 Whate'er they are, disturb them not ; Theirs is the woodland right To stand, unstained, in that still spot, — A single touch would leave a blot Upon their fleckless white. IRobtn anfc Gbarlfe \~\ 7 HO so mild and good as Creeping Charlie, Playing gently in his garden-bed ? When across the hedge in sudden parley Ragged Robin thrusts his tousled head. " Hi, you house-plant! ain't you alius wishin' You could join us other fellows some ? Here 's Joe Pye and I are goin' fishin' Down to Spatterdock's — d' ye want to come ? " If the yellow head was sagely shaken At the tousled red one, saw not I ; But I know the course / would have taken . Had Rob asked me jogging staidly by. 62 "CAIR little ship with a hundred sails Spread abroad o'er your cargo of gold, One would think you had come from the isles of the East, Because of the spices you hold ! But you rock here at anchor from morning to night, With a fleet of green skiffs in your wake, And I see the long cables by which you draw up Your spices and gold from the lake. 63 Ibollpbocfc '"THE stately Lady Hollyhock Has graced my garden-bed for years, Sedately stiffened in a frock All frills and ruffles to her ears ; For at the fashions one may mock When one is born a Hollyhock. Her gay companions creep and twine, And riot in the summer breeze ; But she doth haughtily decline To join in common sports like these ; Such indecorum needs must shock A well-bred, well-starched Hollyhock. " Our family pride will not permit That we should bend or sway or sprawl ; We never care to loll nor sit ; One posture — the erect — is all Befitting our patrician stock." So spake my Lady Hollyhock. 64 Seaweed '"FHERE are gardens in the sea, Everywhere, More freshly fair Than any nurtured here by you or me. And along their rocky tiers Draped with growths of countless years, Lovely mermaids, gold of hair, Like our maids for coquetry, For a maiden's hopes and fears, Lightly float and flirt with gay mer-cavaliers. Every branch and leaf and stem Of these bowers Transcending ours, Glows translucently with colour like a gem ; And their fruits are bladder toys For the sportive small mer-boys. 65 66 Seaweed And the tide with dreamy powers All those langurous lengths of stem Ever ceaselessly deploys Out and in with rhvthmic swing and sway and poise. Sunflower r^LYTIE loved the sun, they tell us,— Him they called the young Apollo — Stood and gazed and gazed, in Hellas, Where he climbed the sky's vast hollow, Turning east and west, with zealous Eyes, intent his course to follow. So it was not strange, that, going Forth to seek the lovelorn starer, They should find her rooted, growing, Nor from off the place could tear her, And departed, inly knowing That a busy world could spare her. Oft in some old garden spy we, Even now, a tall descendant Of the old-time crazy Clytie, 67 68 Sunflower Gazing at the orb resplendent Known no more as Phoebus mighty. From her sun-browned face (lest, pendant, They should check her ardent staring) She has pushed the tresses yellow, Till they form a halo flaring. 'T is an old tale — if despairing Hearts for Clyde's plight grow mellow, Pray reflect how very wearing 'T was for Phcebus too, poor fellow ! (Breat WtUovMberb (FirEweEd) A 1 /HERE once gloomy forests enshrouded the land, Phoenix-like, sprung from their ashes, ye stand, Ye royal-hued blossoms and tall ; Stand in fair companies, stately and bright, On the slopes of the mountain and flush it with light, While ye point to the light over all. To the light far above and beyond the dim place That was meted for you at the mountain's broad base, Pointing steadily on and above ; 1 ' Stay not, press on, ' ' ye command as I pass, " Not thine the lot of the flower or the grass, The highest was set for thy love." 69 70 Great WtllovMberb And the blooms slowly flicker and fade up your spires Iyike sparks, yet unquenched, from those long-ago fires Once blighting the fields ye have blessed. Till the last knop and flower shall have flamed forth and died While the pearly-pink embers still pointing abide, l4ght my feet, fair flower-lamps, to their Rest. Urumpet=jflower " A SCARLET trumpet lined with gold Must surely merry music hold." This thought occurred to Humming-Bird As here aud there he poised and whirred ; Till, thrilling with desire to know If he this monstrous horn could blow, He darted near, — then nearer still, And, thrusting deep his slender bill, He drew from out the trumpet's throat — But turned to honey — its sweet note. 7i 3Bett£ anfc Susan OOUNCING Betty loitered idly On the dusty road to town ; Black-eyed Susan, trim and tidy, Chid her for her tattered gown : " See how soiled it is and faded ! Creep beneath the bars, my friend, In this field 't is clean and shaded, And your frock I '11 help you mend." Kindly Susan's plan refusing, Careless Betty made reply : " Oh, 't is vastly more amusing Here to watch the passers-by ! " 72 Clematis A N August night ; our neighbour late In coming from the distant town Called out while passing by our gate, " The Milky Way has drifted down." Whereat we laughed incredulous. " Come, then," said he, " and prove me true," And in the warm dusk showed to us What held his dreamy poet's view. It lay along the pasture bars And softly glimmered through the gloom, A mass of undistinguished stars A Milky Way in truth, — of bloom. 73 Ml IFnterlufce — autumn '■: A HEN a monarch would make abdication, He robes him in splendour, And summons the peers of the nation Their homage to render. So the queen of the earth, Stepping down from her throne, With gorgeous apparel Is clothed upon ; And the way that she goes Is with crimson and gold overhung; And royal with purple The flowers ever loyal She passes among. Never fairer the scene Of her reign than when now she departs Through the splendour and glow Of a beauty whose joy in our hearts Is the legacy left by our queen. 75 TN the marsh beyond the willows they have lit the ruddy torches That proclaim the Autumn's coming — budded brands that bloom in fire ; And the trees take up the signal flaming forth in gold and scarlet, And a silence wakes the humming of the mes- sage on the wire. 'T is the pause of golden days before the scene shall be dismantled, A still carnival of colour ere the winter fasts austere ; And these glowing brands — the voyageurs of old, perchance more aptly, Named them ' ' Cardinals " ; no duller robe may speak the blessing here. 77 JBrunella (heal-au,) T^RUE, Doctor Brunella is awkward, His clothing is always awry, He fails to attract much attention, Because he is short and is shy. But he who to slight him refuses Finds delicate charm in his face ; And his fame as a healer of bruises Is dear to our poor, stumbling race. 78 flDarsbmallow T PAUSED with foot uncertain Upon the marsh's brink ; A flower its petal curtain Of lovely roseate pink Was spreading just beyond my hand ;- Ah, would I sink — Or could I stand ? "Why lavish here such splendour, O Mallow ? Why this sheen Of silken stuffs in tender Emboss of rose and green ? Thus sumptuously a bog to grace ! To look a queen And brook this place ! ' ' 1 ' And shouldst thou bear me thither, O Mortal, robes like these 79 8o ZlDarsbmallow Of mine would crease and wither, My velvet prove but frieze ; None of us may but in her sphere Achieve to please, So leave me here. ' ' IBasturtiums T 7 ROUPS of tiny warriors, Bound for conquest all, From their green encampment Start to scale my wall. Great round shields they brandish In their valiant hold ; Gay their curving helmets, Copper, bronze, and gold. Swiftly moving upward, Grasping anything; See the bright-hued squadrons Sway and climb and cling ! Closed Gentian T"\AME Nature must have lisped one day To these closed buds some secret fair, Then given earnest charge that they Should keep her council with all care ; For, ever since, they seem to say, Through pursed-up lips — each purple bell- " Whate'er we hold of rich and rare, We '11 never tell, no, never tell ! " And when I see this Momus-band Erectly grouped — a finger-tip, As from a green, encircling hand Laid lightly on each tight-closed lip, — I 'd fain their caution understand. Yet if, some day, a weary bell Should yawn and let the secret slip Where I o'erheard, I 'd serve them well, And never tell, no, never tell. 82 Solomon's Seal T KNOW he wears a dangling row Of yellow bells and dusky balls All up and down his slender vest. And once I thought that what he calls His Seal hung there among the rest. But when I sought to find it so I met a gesture of rebuff, As who should say, "Oh yes, they're real, And pretty little charms enough, But none of them The Seal ! " O wary little Solomon ! Whenever documents of state, Or cases you have passed upon Your final signature await, (As " Gentian versus Campion" Or "Judgment in the Buds' Debate" I fancy 't is at dead of night, No fussy clerklings at your heel, That by the fireflies' flickering light, You raise, and set, The Seal. 83 ftbe asters anfc tbe (5olfcen*1Ro& D IGHT wealthy is the Golden-rod, A very Croesus he ; The widowed, weeping Asters came To crave his charity. He gave them each a piece of gold, Yellow and round and bright ; They clasped it in their purple robes, And beamed their deep delight. Then Golden-rod with stately nod And glowing features cried, " Come every fall, and with you all My gold will I divide ! ' ' 84 TV/l ASTER Milkweed keeps a dairy By the river side, And above project his airy Storerooms, arched and wide. Here he stores his creamy cheeses Soft and smooth as silk, Thinks he '11 find them when he pleases, - But this magic milk Some fine day will change to fairies Who, on gauzy wing, Flying far, will start new dairies For another spring. 85 TLbc ©rfain of tbe Cattails '"THE Cat-tails were holding their annual con- vention Of all local clubs, and they rustled and purred Of" heredity," " tendencies," " degeneration," And similar themes — far too puzzling to word ; — Till one slender Tail of pronounced peccadilloes Spoke thus : " Madame Chairman, I 've found out one thing — Cat-tails are evolved from the small Pussy Wil- lows That lived round this swamp in the long-ago spring ! " 86 XTbfstle \17HAT stabs and stings, what barbed spite Against a friendly human hand ! This stiffly bristling armament Of hate, 't is hard to understand. For on that prickly tower alight The little finches soft of plume ; The burly bee belligerent Rifles, unchecked, its purple bloom ; Here rest the weary butterflies, And fearless preen their fragile wings ; While man, the mighty one, the wise, Alone is driven off with stings. Yet brave the heart that grants the weak And small its succour, shelters song, Shares of its sweetness, will not wreak Its petulance, itself defend 87 88 Ubistle Save only 'gainst the wise and strong ! 'T is such I 'd choose to have as friend. So when within my field I see The browsing cattle calmly crop Those armoured leaves repulsing me I feel aggrieved that Thistletop Must needs so misanthropic be. Ube Walking tfern (a study in identity) ' ' T F plants should try to walk about The Royal Fern surmised. " Confusion would result, no doubt, Else why were roots devised ? " Whereat a listener by her side With sudden zest did burn : " I '11 put it to the test," he cried, "I '11 be a walking fern ! " Then forth he stretched a slender foot And took a step with care ; I/), where its tip but touched a root Struck down and held him there. Again he started — zealous wight — And up the cliff would go, But tread as softly as he might, New roots were sure to grow. 9 o Ube IKilalfeinQ jfem And when with many a weary stop And start, with head that swam But heart still stout he reached the top And shouted " Here I am," A voice from far below replied " Nay, here you are," and " Here," "Nay, here " all up the cliff's green side Came voices. Smit with fear He peers beneath. A chain of ferns Marks out the pathway where He climbed and he in each discerns Himself still rooted there. " Now woe is me ! If I," said he ' ' Am you then who am I ? " " We each are you, you still are we," His old selves made reply. " Let plants not try to walk about ' ' The Royal Fern decreed, " For such attempts, as we 've found out To dire confusion lead." Sea=%avenfcer ( ROSEMARY — SEA- SPRAY) JV A ANY a happy hour for me Here on the rocks at the end of the beach, With the sea's salt breath in my face and the sleet Of its spray, whose wind-fringed edges reach To this little plant at my feet. Ros-marinus, Spray of the Sea, I share the freshness of life with thee ! Many a restless hour will be In the sultry town ; let me garner the breath Of the brine, in plucking this herb — renew All the joy of the place that nourisheth Its mist-pale bloom in the soft sea -dew. Ros-marinus, Spray of the Sea, Be for remembrance, I pray, to me ! 9i H XeGeno of tbe %cavc5 A CHIEF whose life had failed in naught, Dying, of Manitou besought That, each twelfth moon, his tribe might come, Revisiting their ancient home, And through its forests roam at will. 'T was thus decreed. And in the still Autumnal days, a noiseless throng Moveth, unseen, the woods among. And where the children pass, the low Glad bushes first are seen to glow, The while the squaws, who follow near, Have touched the sumac leaves to clear Red flame ; and youths and maidens brush The tender vines till straight they blush 92 H Xeaenfc ot tbe Xeaves 93 With love's own hue ; and then, anon, A crowd of braves come pressing on And at their tread, like torches burn The maples ; but the oaks will turn To sombre beauty only when Their peers draw near — the aged men. Thus splendidly the forests glow With camp-fires lit to Manitou. And round the sky a low, soft haze Spreads, while we say ' ' The golden days Of Indian Summer fill the land, ' ' Nor that we say half understand. Ube Dosage of tbe Seeos YX 7 HITHER away under feathery sails, Fleet little airships, O whither away ? Now dreamily drifting, now skimming the gales, What is the port you are seeking alway ? And what is the cargo you bear to that harbour? Pray count me j^our treasure of bales. An anchorage secret and safe do we seek, And our gossamer sails shall be furled In earth's treasure caves ere the tempests grow bleak For we carry the hopes of a world, A fair world of summer, the bales that we number On each tiny keelson empearled. 94 /RMillein lowers f* OOD Mother Mullein's house is hung With warmest stuffs around ; Soft eider flannel clothes the walls, And woolly rugs abound. Her children in their nursery tower Are wrapped and swaddled deep In blankets, till their yellow heads Can scarce above them peep. And this in June and hot July ; No wonder in the fall The little Mulleins shake and cry And can't keep warm at all. And when their tower stands grim and bare Amid December's snow We know they 've gone to winter where The birds and sick folk go. 95 Winter '"THE flowers have left their withered stalks And snow-encompassed lie the walks That once we gayly shared. A few green shrubs that dot the snow, Some gaunt-stemmed berries still aglow, — Else lonely have I fared. Now must we seek in bower or hall, Or from some garnered spray recall The themes to grace our rhymes ; Or find, in walks of wider range, New friendships beautiful and strange With flowers of other climes. 97 H Bittersweet OW potent is this clustered fruit To cheer the days when life is mute And frosts lie hoary ! For, in the scarlet and the gold, The wealth of June we still behold, And autumn's glory; And round the withered berries cling Faint odours, breathing of the spring A subtle story. 99 Cyclamen ''THE fairies were playing at shuttlecock In those plants by my window last night ; Up in the air the blossoms they knock, Up in the air a feathered flock, Crimson and rose and white. I could not see them, — they made no sound ; ' ' Then how do I know they were there ? ' ' Because the dark spots on the leaves I have found, Where fairy feet scampered gayly around, And, see ! the flowers dance yet in air. TLvoo SLegenos of tbe ©ranoe Uvee \ 17 HEN, long ago, in Ida's grove Venus for beauty's prize contested, And from the lovely twain who strove With her the golden apple wrested, Well pleased, the goddess took the tree That bore such fruitage into favour, Breathed on it grace and symmetry, And gave it blooms of sweetest savour ; ' ' Henceforth, at marriage feasts, ' ' she cried, " Where I, love's patron, sit presiding, The flowers that deck the happy bride Shall be, O tree, of thy providing. ' ' io2 xrwo Xegenos of tbe ©ranoe Uree ii Swiftly descending, Joyously bending earthward their flight, The Angel of Bridals' white pinions brushed softly A tree, as, low wending, They waved to alight. And straightway it burst into bloom, White, radiant ; with rarest perfume The glad air was laden ; The leaves of the tree shone with bliss. Said the angel, ' ' A garland of this Will I bear to the maiden Whose pure heart I visit to-night. Thou, tree, as thy blossoming blessed Be thy fruiting, rich, golden, complete, That both as a symbol be mete Of the blooming and fruitage of love Quickened thus from above. ' ' Then onward the bright herald pressed. fellow Jessamine f^ LOSE thronged palmettoes, live-oaks draped With waving veils of sad grey moss ; A tropic maze of things misshaped And shapes that show decay and loss. It saddens me, When suddenly A gleam of sunshine glints across. Only a slender thread of vine With clustered bells of yellow set, Yet where they twine, the palm and pine And tangled thicket their gloom forget ; And the place shall be In my memory The place where that fragrance of bloom I met. Some souls there are like the Jessamine flowers In the tangled maze of this life of ours. 103 XLbc ttymn of tbe palnVEree D ESTLESS the grace of the stately palm In these isles of the southern sea, For the winds of balm That are never at rest Shake ever the calm Of its feathery crest ; And the long plumes rustling ceaselessly, Whisper of ' ' mystery, mystery. ' ' Mystery brooding the centuries slow That builded these coral isles, Where the waters glow Through a sapphire range, And strange fruits grow From a leafage strange ; Mystery potent that life beguiles From the body of death with its age-long wiles. 104 Ube Ibsmn of tbe jpalm-ZTree io s Sparkles the sky and the gem-like sea And rises the column slim Of the crested tree ; And the grace of it all And the mystery Holds my spirit in thrall. And I grope for a voice in the rustling dim Of the wind-stirred palm leaves ; and this their hymn : THE HYMN " Toilers obscure Refuse not their task ; Obedience sure, Unwitting its goal, Kssays not to ask ; They build to endure On the sites of the sea, Then die patiently With none to extol. K* Ube Ihpmn of tbe palm*tEcee Cycles — a day In God's plans — pass away, Lo, beauty the crown of the whole ! I, the Palm, Sing the psalm Of the creatures who made me And beauty to be ; Thou, man, take their faith to thy soul ! " T California fl>opptes IS the time of the poppies ; The fields are aflame ; And looking down From the mountain crown The way whence we came, At the canon's mouth lie acres unrolled, Glowing and gleaming with molten gold. No clouds to pale them, No rain to dim The velvety gloss Of each cup's emboss, Perfect from rim to rim ; 'T is a sun-blessed land that riots in bloom, Shadowless, fearless of storm or gloom. They tell of a tourney Of pomp and pride, 107 108 California poppies Of the furnishings Of a field where kings Splendidly vied; But what could rival in days of old This Field resplendent of Cloth of Gold ? The far-off shining Of wealth like this, Was it that lured Men hither, assured Of treasure ? I wis 'T were a goodly store, could their delving yield A tithe of the riches of this fair field. Babp JSlue JEyes f~XUT of the sand and the sun glare Into some shaded nook, — The fern-draped aisle of a canon, The sheltered ways of a brook, — And straightway, as lonely thus long without me, The Baby Blue Byes come crowding about me. Deep as the sombre sapphire, Pale as the azure skies, Of a varying hue, but clear and true, Is the gaze of those innocent eyes ; And well might the bosom some wrong concealing Turn with a pang from their soft appealing. Thronging the steps of the stranger, Blossoms with eyes that bless, I stoop to your tender greeting As though to a child's caress ; And your weak little stem to my fondling lingers With the clinging clasp of a baby's fingers. 109 •foolly Y\7 HEN the fairy elves and the fairy queen Polish the holly and give to its green The gloss and the glow of a Christmas sheen Its prickles do prick them sorely. But they weep not their wounds, they laugh in- stead, For the drops of the fairy blood they shed Are changed into berries round and red, To brighten the holly's glory. Gberoftee 1Rose r\H, the rose that blooms at Christmas ! Have you seen its petals fair — Pure as heart of Mary Mother, Pure as maid or babe might wear ? Only lands that liken Edeus May its tender grace sustain ; Only lie its fragrant snowdrifts Where the snow has never lain. Happy rose that blooms at Christmas — At the season when on earth, Human hopes and aspirations Have a new and holy birth ! Oh, that these too might no frost-time For their pure unfolding know, But in hearts kept warm and faithful To a perfect beauty grow ! /BMstletoe A SONG of the Mistletoe, oh, ho, ho ! Come hither, my lads and my lasses, And hang me aloft where the lights are aglow And the tides of the music and merriment flow ; There 's a toll from the first one who passes below, From the lips of the first one who passes. A song of the Mistletoe, oh, ho, ho ! 'T is a plant that is olden in story : I decked for the Druid his victim's last throe, To Baldur a death-shaft I sped from the bow, Not a tribute that 's mine am I wont to forego ; Behold me, the Mistletoe hoary ! A song of the Mistletoe, oh, ho, ho ! Comes Yule-tide, then / am the master ; 'T is a kiss from each lass, and the lads are not slow To gather my tithings for me, oh, no, no ! So what recks the night and the thick falling snow — We '11 feast, and we '11 frolic the faster ! 112 Everlasting A FLOWER of pearl, it knows not change, But, plucked from off its native hill, Where sunlight bathes and breezes range, And thrown on places parched and strange, Its life and fragrance linger still. Thus dauntless, too, its kinsfolk are, That spring from out the snows and gloom Of highest Alps ; frosts cannot mar The ' ' noble whiteness ' ' of their star Nor check its constancy of bloom. And when " What image will you bring," My friend to me in challenge saith, " To liken to this deathless thing That heeds no winter, needs no spring ? " I make reply, " It likens Faith." 113 postlufce MOW thanks to you, my comrade flowers, For all the joyance you have brought me, For all the lessons you have taught me, Through long and happy hours Of this blithe year. My love for you has wrought these verses, Whose vagrant course our way rehearses, As we have walked and talked together In fair or sombre weather And found good cheer. And somewhat in my heart presages, Since your bright names adorn these pages, However slight their further aim, They needs must gentle usance claim, Nor worthless quite appear. 115 JUN 7 1909 liSiiK congress 015 988 949 A t