New-York tribune., 1918-03-10

had heard it glowingly described. Now
he was all eagerness to discover for hin-
self this delectable bird. But the warbler
was difficult to find. 1t wasn't perchinr
ON the first tree he came to- The search
was a long, long one. But on the way he
learned q great many valuable lessons. He
learned that there was host of common,
interesting facts Of life about which he
was utterly ignorant. And he also learned
that one makes a mistake who decides that
what appears to be just IN ordinary, flat,
empty meadow is necessarily devoid of
thrilling life. Mr.. Allen, in this book,
which has been but recently published by
Doubleday, Page & Co., thus chronicles
some of the constructive adventures Of
his hero
webster climbed the fence Of the forest
under the foliage of big tree of some un-
known kind and descended waist-decp into
the foliage OF weed with n leaf as big as
an elephants ear: it had beautiful trumpet
shaped white and purple flower He wished
he knew what it was: on the very edge OF the
forest, at his very first step, he had sunk
waist-deep into ignorance. Then he waded
through the rank nightshadc and stepped out
Upon the grass Of the wocds-thc green car
Iet of thick turf, Kentucky bluegrass.
'At last he there under those softly
waving trees which summer after summer
he had watched from the porch and windows:
long they had called 10 him and now ne mad
answered their call
But the disappointment! AS he had
locked at the forest the distance, the
tree tops had made an unbroken biIlowy line
cf. green along the blue horizon, continuous
like the waves Of the sea as he imagined tho
sea. Somewhere under that forest roof he
had taken it for granted that there would
he thick undergrowth wild spots for shy
singing, nesting birds. The disappointment.
The trees stood ten or twenty or thirty feet
apart. The longest boughs barely touched
each other. their lowest sometimes hung
forty fifty feet in the air He did not see a
tree whose branches he could reach with his
upstretched arm. The sun shone everywhere
under them every bright day and the grass
grew thick up to their trunks.
''Another disappointment The wood was
small. He walked to the middle OF it and
from there could see to its edge each OF its
tour sides. On one side was field of yellow
srain-what the grain was he did not know
ignorance again. On the side opposite this
vas field OF green grain-what he did not
know. Straight ahead Of him, he looked
through the trees, he could see open pad
dock on which the sunlight fell in blazing
sheen; it turned to silver the white fanks of
some calves and made soft gold of the coats
OF grazing thoroughbreds. Beyond the pad
dock he could see stables and sheds and
fevond these A farmhouse: he could family
hear the cachle of barnvard poultry.
He stood in bluegrass pasture once Ken
tuckv Wilderness 1t was like an exquisite
natural park. As he had skrlnished toward
the country along turnpikes with schoolmates
CT other friends during his life, often his
yes had been drawn toward these world
one; and it was here that he had conc TO
look for the warbler which l:aunts the secret
forest soiitudes.
'.TIc sat down under bg tree with
feeling Of how foolish he had been This
vas again followed By an overwhelming
sense OF his ignorance.
''He did not know the kind OF tree he sat
under nor of any other that stood far near.
These were such as sugar maple and red oak
and white oak and black ash and white
and black walnut and white walnut--rarely
white wanut-and hickory and locus- and
cm and few haws: he did recognize
ocust tree, but then a locust tree grew II
Jenny's vardt All around him weeds and
sgd flowers and other grasses sprang up out
Of tie bluegrass: he did not know taera.
npRoPPED against the tree he sat still
a while. thinking Of the long day be-
fore him ard of how he should spend it in
vild creatures. But as he deiiberated, sud
aeaiy and then and more ne awose to
,hings going Oh around him.
~ few feet away on Level with his eyes
a little follow descended from high over
hcad. 4 Little green gymnast irving to reach
ne ground b. means Of his own rope which
.e manufactured out Of his body as he came
own. How could he DO it? How had he
earned the very first time 20 mako the rope
trong enough 70 bear his weight instead Of
Is giving wag and letting hlrn drop? Some
hing seized one OF Webstcf's ankle with q
palr OF small Jaws Ike pincers and reminded
I'm that his foot was in the way: II had bet
ter move black ant suddenly rushed
angriiy over his knee cricket lcapcd in
he grass. few feet away a bunch
= white clover bloGsomed honey bee was
,earching il. Webster found ON the back Of
ene'of his hands. which were pressed against
The grass, tiny crimson coach-a mere dot
nj crimson coach bcine moved along ne
eou!d not see how. The color most gor-
Secus ard the materiat OF the finest velvet
He let = 20 Oil It's across his hond
fb'tncrDoeTer IL might be journeyirR. Di-
sectly opposite his eres. some forty feet
rom the ground, was round hole ~ u rotten
rec tronk. Webster wondered whether n
bird ever pecked q square hole in anything
suddenly from behind him Il rcd-headcd bird
eew 70 the dead tree trunk and alightea near
the hcle: he recognized the woodrockcr
No had the woodpeckcr
algnted than the head Of another bird ap-
oeared ~ the hole and the woodpecker took
. his heels 70 his wing Webster Wished
ae had known what this other bird vas: i.
lad a black band across ~ chest and wore :.
peeHied Jacket and Il dun reddish can On
me back of IL head. a dis.urbancc reached
rim from nearby tree tor wailing voice.
gulping sound, al If something up there yas
sex and full Of suffering ard wcrc trying 10
- itf cNrL