Evening star., 1918-07-21

7@ HE story of Dranesville was
too long to be told in a sim
gle narrative and the charm
of the old village lured the
4 Rambler that way again last
Sunday. Where the great
west stage road which roughly par
allels the south shore of the Potomac
and points the way from Washington
to the Blue Ridge. approaches the
eastern rim of the wide. green VAL
ley of Sugarland run it passes
through region where tangled
woodland strikes the major note in
the landscape. In the story last Sum
day reference was made to the herd
of goats that have been set upon a
large tract of this brush and thicket
land to clear it with their teeth.
The goats were still there when the
tramp-urge carried the Rambler back
to Dranesville for a second visit.
The goats were at rest. Each time
the Rambler has met them they have
been, at rest. Whether they were TAX
ing an afternoon of because it was
. Sunday or because their appetite had
been appeased by pine trees, scrub
chestnut. sassafras saplings, wild
vines and briars, only the goats knew.
AS the Rambler stopped to speak to
them they looked at him with quiet
and amiable interest. One goat, with
tinkling bell swinging from his
neck, advanced a few PAGES with some
hesitation. Then he came to the wire
fence and began gently licking the
Rambler's hand. He seemed to be the
captain goat of the herd. When the
captain goat began to lick the Ram
blers hand, the whole herd. having
front of about fifty yards. advanced
to the fence. Whether the act Of the
bell goat signified to the others that
the stranger was a peaceful man. or
whether there was something dt to
eat up front. is a question that can
not be answered now.
i
In this connection it should be re-
membered that goats are not fastid-
fous in their taste, and it is not fat
tering to think that even. q goat oon-
siders that ones hands need washing.
Taking their clue from their leader.
just as sheep and men do. and beliey-
ing that the bell goat had found
something wholesome and nourishing,
all the goats that could get near
enough began laving the Rambler's
hands without the slightest show Of
wish to bite them. Then. more
discriminating goat found that close
to the hands were starched cuffs. The
news Of this discovery spread through
the herd, and had there been as many
starched cuffs as there are pine trees
and scrub oaks in their pasture the
goats would have eaten them all. They
would have had the Rambler's collar.
but 1t was too far for them to climb.
because these are Angora goats and
not mountain goats. They even beg
ged for the Rambler's shirt. but the
cuffs were all that he could spare
them.
Over the way from where the goats
live Is frame house set in a garden
where locust trees are growing. These
old trees have cast their shadows
across the pike since it was a new
road, and that was long ago. From q
human standpoint. the life of tree
seems to be monotonous. 1t stands in
the same place for a hundred years or
so. and no matter how tall it grows 1t
can never see more than a very small
bit of the world. But it keeps on
feeding upon the things in the earth
and the air it likes and sticks to its
Job of bringing forth tender leaves
and blossoms and then casting Off its
leaves when it would seem more rea-
eStAssDAS ~. ASSp lhCAi oh do a PgOtSC.
ton against winter winds. The tree
must come to know everybody in its
neighborhood. Lovers WOO beneath the
shadow of its boughs. It sees the
bridal party pass along the road. The
little child comes and plays in its
summer shade. The little child grows
up and rests there in his old age and
the tree sees the funeral cortege pass
slowly down the road and hears the
church bell toll. The tree must also
have wide acquaintance with the
birds The life of tree may be
monotonous from our standpoint, but
il the tree Is satisfied, then let 1t be.
Under these old 1ocusts path leads
through the garden to the frame
house. and there stands venerable
holly tree. members Of a family with
which many legends and romances
are associated, generally held in much
esteem for its decorative effect and
long valued for it's medicinal proper
ties. The holly berry once played
an important role as an old English
and early American household remedy,
and two centuries ago millions of the
red drupes. were swallowed by mil.
lions OF the green dupes to secure
relief from maladies, which today have
other names. A number of early an
notaters on the habits of American
Indians jotted down that our abb
origfnes took a black draught in the
spring and at other times of the vaar