Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-04-13

Time " for your catkins to dy," said the
Wind to n Willowtree that stood iust out.
side of a great city.
You don't know what catkins are? Well,
| will try to tell you. The seeds of GER
tain kinds of trees growing on long slender
stems in little scales overlapping each
other, each one tipped with the tiniest OF
feathers, and the whole somewhat resrm
bling very small cats tail. And when
they are quite ripe the Wind comes along
and carries them away, dropping them
here and there, rs he journeys on, to take
their chances, which are as one in thou
sand, of finding homes and becoming
trees.
Take them" said the Willow, and
flung them upon his wings, and away he
went into the city, letting some fall in the
middle of the streets, where thev were
soon trampled beneath the hoof of the
horses; and some on the sidewalks, where
the twiltering sparrows found and ate
them; and some in the parks and gardens,
where Il few were fortunate enough to
sink into the ground, and the rest persisted
when came the autumn cold; and 0ne-the
last it was-he carried to busting noisy
square in the heart of the city, ON one side
Of which tall house, once fashionable
dwelling, but now divided into offices for
business men, stood story and half
higher than its humber neghbors.
Before this house grew fine oak, more
than century old, the only tree that had
been spared when the square (Which had
orce been famous pleasure ground filled
with trees) became IA business thorough.
fare, and it owed lis safety to the fact that
it had heard the bells ring out our Drcla-
ration of Independence on the 4th of july.
1776.
In the wide gutter of the slopino roof Of
the tall house the dust had been accumu.
lating for many years. and mingling with
the decaying leaves dropped from the oak
had formed rich soil, and into this soil
the wind planded the last seed of the c.t
kin. And 10 and behold! 1t took root there
and the next spring two tiny green leave,
came up and looked wonderingly about
them, to be followed by more green leaves.
and still more, until ut the end of the sum
mer slender young tree-not yet high
enough to be seen from the street below
but already welcomed bv the oak, whose
topmost branches waved little above it,
and the birds who stopped ever and anon
to res while on the gable roof on their
way to the country-swayed gracefully to
and fro AS the breeze passed by it.
And when winter came the kind old oak
threw over it a covering of leaves, and
dropped wiihered branch or two upon
them to keep them from being scattered
when the North Wind was in one of his
tempers. And so. snug and warm, the
little tree waited for returning spring, and
then it burst through its leaf cloak and
went on growing and growing, until it
could look down and see all that was pass
ing in the square. And in few years it
became so stout and tall that people began
to look up at it in wonder. and its fame
spread abroad, and many came from afar
to gaze upon the marvellous thing. grow
ing, as it were, in the air And us it got
taller and taller it began to be prouder and
prouder
"Was ever tree 80 high as IPn it called
to the Oak one day. Il can peep into the
chimney; | tower above you, and yet they
call you the king of trees.
"Ifyoudo, "replied the Oak lit is TIN ough
no merit of your own. Chance placed You
at that dizzy height, which is, to tell the
truth, very much above your proper Sta
ton. But to my mind 1t were better for
you TO be held fast by the honest old earth
as am"
NONSENSE" cried the young Willow.
bowing to crowd that had gathered on
the other side Of the street to look up in
amazement at it, you are tnvious. old
fellow I should be myself if were you.
Soon shall reach the sky, while still your
head will only touch my feet, and Shall
be the friend and companion of the sun,
moon and stars. Never was tree so ex.
alted as lm
But ah that very afternoon came IA great
hurricane. The window shutters banged
and the window panes smashed, the spar
rows flew screaming to their nests and the
people in the streets were driven like flocks
of sheep before the wind. And the young
Willow, after battling tiercely moment
or two with the storm, was uprcoted and
funk down at the foot of the Oak. k.-Mar-
garet Eytinge. in HarDers'S Ioumg People.