Evening star., 1924-10-21
THIS AND THAT
BY c. E. TRACEWELL.

Why do the birds fly South?
II could answer that, could tell
you what God and man In, to use
Wordsworth's phrasing.
Urged on by ths mysterious power
that rules the universe, swayed by a
primal instinct which they obey
without question, tho birds are flying
south over the District of Columbia.
Word comes from nearby Maryland
that the squirrels are unusually busy
laying In their supply OF nuts Old
hands say this means cold Winter.
however that may be, Washington
basked recently In some OF the most
oeautuui Autumn weather ever known,
weather that was unusually easy on
coal piles and gardens.
Birds dying South-squirrels stor-
ing up nuts--warm, sunshiny days
so Fall has laid its hand lightly on
the gardens OF Estey alley.
*s&&
garden in such an Autumn has
beauties no less welcome than those
OF blooming Summer, when the asters
shone like disks of pink and white
and the zinnias cleaned In all shade,
OF crimson, and the great sunnowers
held their blossoms aloft for the beet
to dine therein.
All that Is changed now. The sun
flowers have withered and died, the
zinn1as are on their last legs, the
asters are only a faded memory.
But residents Of our alley, who
love their little gardens are happy,
because the season gives opportunity
for new communion with the mystery
of growing things.
! IT is bulb time.
! 1t is one of the great felicities Of
| this. our life, that there is an Infinite
variety of combinations and permuta-
tions in the world. Throughout the
whole chain of life II runs: there is
not just one kind Of animal, there
are scores Of different kinds: there
is not just one sort Of flower. there
are families and families OF flowers,
each different, each lovely after its
kind.
We might grow tired OF our. gar
dens II 1t were not that In them,
as In all the other fields OF life, we
find something new and interesting at
every turn. 1t almost seems as II
the Creator. knowing our fckleness.
made provision for IT.
So we have the bulbs. seeds In a
new form. from which a new and
strange race of flowers will Issue
next Spring to first make glad our
newly awakening garden.
From these queer. brown. gnarled
OF Spring, the smile on Natures face
that welcomes the season. 1t will
be as that first real smile from the
face of little baby. something
unique. never to come again, although
1t may give place to better smiles.
Here in our hands we hold these
gnomes OF the garden. They have
come to us in stout brown bags.
hustled to our door by the faithful
parcel postman. r.'
Who that did not know could guess
that from, them will come glorious
colored flowers. standing aloft on
bright green stalks? These are the
Ugly Ducklings of our garden. these
bulbs, to become the White Swans of
Spring.
There are two distinct classes OF
bulb planters-those who have plant
ed them before, and those who are
pla anting them for the first time this
season.
Most OF US in Estey alley belong in
this latter classification. You who
have been there before"-do you
envy us or pity us?
Probably there is a biz of both emo
tions mantling your counterance, as
you think of US beginning the ar
duous but pleasing task OF making
our first selection Of Darwins. breed
ers, cottage and other tulips. ~
1t is in this as in making ones