The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-11-24
NO TRESPASSING.

NU lhLOI ASDlNU.
"Notice. - Trespassers will be prose-
cuted." The branches Of the sycamore
tree by the gate leading into the wood were
thick and strong and Of mighty spread.
Moreover the leaf buds wers bursting from
their paler shoaths, shedding spots Of shade
upon the quickening earth beneath, while
pretending to hide their sturdy parent
stem. Down the slope of the wood, too, as
far as the eye might see the elms, beeohes
and hawthorn bushes wore something
more than the coy green film they had ad-
ventured when first the charm Of apparel
had been stirred in their sap by the frolic-
some touch of spring. Their tint was do
cided now, their leaves almost shapely
Even that gallant, the sun god, was forced
to recognize their power to check his bold
glances and hide from him some Of tho In
nocent little blossoms straining up from
their brown cradles to meet his kisses But
the tree on the other side of the gate lead
ing into the wood was O poplar, caring
nothing for the we'll being Of the violote
Nesting at its roots nor for the hiding Of
its own bare stem. LET me reach you,
you wonderful blue heaven" Its branches
seemed to plead as they stretched toward
the sky with never one doubling curve
And 1t was on the poplar that the notice
board was fixed.
A winsome maid stood by the gate lead
ing into the wood and rested one arm on
the top bar, and she gazed down the slope
with wishful gaze, realizing the patches
Of primrose leaves and blossoms the strag-
Cling violet roots, the pale Towering will
low, the catkins, the speedwells, the spot
ted orchis leaves. Then she turned her
face to the poplar and read its silent over
brusque message. But the sun shone with
a bright yet tempered warmth, lark rose
from the field Of young wheat on the other
side of the road, the spring was In the air,
In the song Of the bird, In the heart of the
maid, In the breeze, too which blew softly
from the south, for on that breeze came
the scent Of the primrose mingled with
the scent of the riolets and the willow
bloom and Of all the young greenness IN
derfoot and overhead, and the maiden
turned her eyes quickly to the woods again,
while small but reckless smile crept to
her lips and eyes. "And anemones, too, !"
blossoms and fresh green leaves.
Then man, a young man, came along
the road, and although he could not see
the smile on the lips and eyes of the maid
her face being turned from hint is
possible that the pose Of her head may
have aroused his suspicious, for rs he drew
near her he stopped and looked expectant
The ears Of the maid had scarcely needed
the footsteps, but they noted the following
silence, and she faced about before the
smile had died and while her thoughts
were yet entangled in the woods. Then
slowly an impulse came to her, and she
spoke:
"Would there be the option of flne?"
she asked gravely as she pointed to the
board fixed to the poplar stem,
II think it probable, he answered in
tone which was only serious
"MuckS' she inquired
"Not exceeding go shillings, should
fancy.
The maiden sighed. "The price is high,
but Imprisonment would be longer, and
! must have them"
Then there followed short silence, dur
ing which the man looked at the maiden
with hesitation, but the maid wished that
the man would go upon his way There
was the five barred gate to be climbed be.
fore the theft could be committed, and
maidens crave no spectators for such feats.
"Thank YOU" she said at length in
tone of flnality, and she turned her shout
der to him and faced the wood again. But
the man, If lacking perception, did not
latk kindly heart.
II am the-the person who would have
to summon you you were found trespass-
ing" he remarked. She turned to him
again, with chagrin and defiance strug-
Cling in her eyes for mastery. "On the
other hand" he continued, 81 am the per-
son who could prevent the trespass'-de-
flance conquered chagrin for the moment
-"by giving you permission. Pleasure
came as arbiter, and the maids eyes held
nothing but an honest smile as tho young
man divCd in his velvet coat pocket for tho
paddock key.
II hope" he said as he proceeded to I'm.
lock the gate, "that you will lose nothing
of tho pleasure by this prosac entry
"No," declared the maid, with % half
sigh of regret, II have grown away from
that fraudful age when five barred gate
is primarily mighty thing to be climbed
especially when 1t slants toward one. 1t
no longer represents to me the betting
crag which must perforce be surmounted
to reach tho enchanted castle beyond. Be-
sides which," she added, II think-I say
I think-my ordinary nature is honest
though apt to chafe when'-she spoke
somewhat Economically - when the
flowers aro wild"
They had passed through the undecorated
portal toward the goal Of her desires, and
the young man laughed unaffcctedly as he
hoped that she would find the wood en-
chanting rather than enchanted, with
more of peace and less Of peril
"'Tis better so-when youth is passed."
she answered, signing And thon she
bent her pretty head and looked dcmure.
So they wended down tho sunlit slope
with their faces turned toward pleasant
ness, and the blossoms growing in the
wood were lessenod by many score, and
the lark above the wheat1eld was many
mile nearer heaven.
why docs he not go upon his way?"
thought the maiden as she stopped over
the lush leaved primroses growing by tho
little rill, swapping their crisp stems with
out single scientific qunlm for the lives
she thus laid low. "But It's his duty,
after all, to lock me out again, as twas
his courtesy which let me in. By rights l
should not hinder him."
But the young man was no unpleasant
companion. and withal somewhat useful,
for willow stem fights for its blossomy
head, enduring the stripping of its young
skin and the sacrifice Of its soft, almond
scented blosssms one by one rather than
yield and a pocketknife is seldom among
the gewgaws Of maiden.
The picking of violets is slow, per-