Various

“ When the warmth and glow of the sunshine return to us many flowers seem to assume the livery of the sun; flecks and streaks of sunshine gleam at us from hundreds of nooks and corners. The bluebird and the jay come to us decked in the clear blue of the sky, but the spring flowers outbid them a hundred to one in choosing the “class color” of the season. ”

“ It is just as reasonable to expect a young person to get the utmost enjoyment amid a party of strangers as to believe that the uninitiated boy or girl will derive the full pleasure from a walk in the woods. In the unlearned, what interest is awakened by the little pink flower half buried by last year’s leaves, or the unknown bird-note which comes from the leafy maze overhead? They are but as the casual voice of the stranger whom we pass unheeded in the city street. ”

“ As if everybody had gone away and left the island alone.”
She ran to the door and called, “Adrian!”
No answer.
“Pierre! Angelique! Where is everybody?”
Then she saw Angelique coming down the slope and ran to meet her. With one hand the woman carried a brimming pail of milk and with the other dragged by his collar the reluctant form of Reynard, who appeared as guilty and subdued as if he had been born a slave, not free. To make matters more difficult, Meroude was surreptitiously helping herself to a breakfast from the pail and thereby ruining its contents for other uses. ”

“ The study of color in the plant world affords opportunity for interesting experiments.
Bryant calls June “flowery June,” Coleridge calls the month “leafy June”—it might also be called fragrant June, for it seems the natal month of most fragrant flowers. One may notice sometimes in Scotland such a rich, almost overwhelming fragrance on a ripple of wind that one will stop to consider its origin. The source is not far to seek; it is a bean field in full blossom.
Another very common and fragrant family of June blooming plants is that of the trefoil, or clover family. ”

“ A man sprang from the bushes on the far side of the road and in two strides was beside the Tory. He seized Alwood’s arm, and the pistol ball flew wide of its intended mark.
At the moment the shot was fired Hadley had managed to half drag Black Molly from the ditch. His quick side glance saw the danger, and he sprang for the steed’s back; the explosion of the heavy pistol frightened Black Molly again, and before her rider was firmly settled in the saddle she was off like the wind. ”

“ Then once more the little girl heard her nurse calling her, and the voice came from such a long way off that somehow the sound made Priscilla feel just the least bit lonely. In about a minute and a half she would get up and follow the others. She would hide, though, and watch Susette clap her hands to her ears, and hear her give one of those jumpy little French screams when she came to the mill and there was no one there. No one could be quite so funny as Susette when she was really and truly frightened. ”

“ If Pierre thought to confound his mate by his woodland slang he was disappointed. Margot had been a good teacher, and Adrian had been eager to learn what he had not already done from the loggers. Pierre had been puzzled by “commissariat” and “expedition,” and felt that he had evened matters nicely.
“Oh! I know. A thoroughfare is a river, and a dead water is a lake. And a carrier is—yourself!”
To show his new skill he caught up the canoe and inverted it over his own head. ”

“ Priscilla was no coward, but you can guess how she felt when suddenly that old spider sat up straight and commenced to whirl his claws around each other like an electric fan, and the web commenced to roll up, and the girl began to be drawn right straight up into the tree. Even a grown person would have been astonished. And the spider kept on laughing. ”

“ It so happened that while Hadley Morris was riding hard over the dusty roads to overtake Washington’s personal staff on this 24th day of August, the American army, augmented by fresh recruits, and some 11,000 strong, marched through the length of Front street. Philadelphia had seen some gloomy days of late, but the appearance of so many armed men was calculated to raise the spirits of the populace a little; yet it is said that the cheering along the line of march lacked that inspiring quality with which a conquering army usually goes to battle. ”

“ Is there not something inspiring to us all in the mountain’s grandeur, the hemlock’s silent depths, or the green vista of rolling meadows? In any event, we are the better for being in touch with nature. Let us all, therefore, strive to be naturalists.
By this we do not mean for boys and girls to learn the classification of birds and plants. In the broad sense the naturalist is one who enjoys the out-of-door world. Then, surely, some one will say, we are all naturalists, for who does not take delight in nature? ”

“ In the spring one may notice early in the morning a bed of chickory in bloom; it is a clear, exquisite blue; by ten o’clock the blue will be very pale, by twelve the flowers are white, by one they are all folded up, to open the next day as richly blue as ever. The sun plays such tricks on blue cotton cloth. When it is exposed to the sun the blue vanishes, and when the cloth has been put away in the darkness the fled color returns. Other flowers besides chickory grow pale with the excess of light, just as some grow pale from darkness. ”

“ But all things end in their own good time, and the long wait which ensued after the landing of the British finally was closed on the morning of September 11th. Captain Prentice’s command had not even tasted a skirmish until that day; but Hadley—nor the captain himself—could find no fault with the position they occupied during the fearful hours which followed the first gun of attack. Hadley was eager to see a real battle, to see the armies charge each other and try their strength upon a real battle-field, instead of individual men snapping their muskets at one another in little skirmishes. ”

“ And, of course, Chewink, as he hops from limb to limb, with his usual quick temper wanted to know to whom Cuckoo referred, and called in a challenging voice, “To me? to me? to me?”
But Kingfisher was too far away to hear either of them. Even if he had, he would not have dared to stop. His fright was so great that he never got over it. Ever since, the feathers of his head have remained on end, and his voice, save for that terrified rattle, is gone. Listen some day, if you will, as long as you wish, and you will hear him make no other sound. ”

“ JUNE is the month of flowers, as May is of leaves; it is also the month of the richest and most varied colors. The leaves are in their prime and their flowers are in their greatest luxuriance. Green is the chief color in the plant world. It is so constantly the color of leaves that “green as a leaf” and “leaf green” are common expressions.
Next to green, yellow is the most conspicuous color. This is the chief color of stamens and pistils; it is also the chief color of spring flowers, though white blossoms also abound. ”

“ Polly would have been spared a good deal of trouble if she could have overheard what Miss Pomeroy was saying to Arctura, while the little girl sat so quietly reading and copying words from the leather-covered book to the paper in her lap.
“I don’t know just what to make of little Mary,” said Miss Pomeroy, looking rather disturbed. “She is so busy reading and writing that she didn’t hear me come downstairs, and she is reading a book by Ruskin which is suitable for grown people, and I don’t see how she can possibly understand it, or enjoy it. ”

“ Philadelphia had from the beginning of the war been the headquarters of rebellion, and the British were determined to humble the city. How could Washington’s forces hope to cope with men who had fought on half the battle-fields of Europe? It had been a handful of untrained farmers, however, who had beaten back the grenadiers at Bunker Hill; and it could scarcely be called a trained army that had driven the Redcoats finally out of Boston town.
It was long past mid-afternoon when Hadley overtook the rear guard of the American army. ”

“ The lilies also are June flowers; the golden lily, the stately white lily, each one pouring from its chalice a wealth of sweetness, each one fair enough to be the long-sought Holy Grail. These, together with the honeysuckle tribe, well substantiate the claim of June as the especial month of fragrance.
WITH THE EDITOR
ONE of the best tendencies of the summer is to bring us into closer touch with nature. When the lawns and fields are grass-covered and the trees green overhead, we are drawn from our artificial winter life to earth and nature. ”

“ He came again to the Ferry and crossed it at night, Black Molly, he had found her in good condition at the farmer’s, apparently as eager to be home as himself. The news of the disastrous battle had preceded him, and everywhere Hadley was met by anxious inquiries. He met no Tories, for most of them had gone to join the British forces; but the American farmers had again lost hope. ”

“ Polly had once watched a sunbeam dance on a violet bow in Mrs. Talcott’s bonnet.
“How do you do, my dear?” the visitor had asked, when Miss Pomeroy presented “little Mary Prentiss” to her. “I’m sure I have caught a glimpse of you now and then at church. I believe you don’t go to the Number Three school with my children, do you?”
“I am very well, thank you, ma’am,” said Polly, sedately, though her dimples showed. “Yes’m, I have seen you in church; the sun comes in the gallery window and dances on your bonnet sometimes, just as pretty. ”

“ Aside from the matter of health, it would be difficult to say in just what way nature helps us. Without effort on our part we can get nothing from her. To learn her secrets we must already be armed with knowledge, or, if not this, then with the keenest of vision and hearing. Perhaps, most of all, the benefit lies merely in our contact with the out-of-door world, just as there is in any uplifting companionship. ”

“ She’s ready for fun, soon as she knows it is fun,” said Hiram, “I can see that.”
“Well,” said Arctura, briskly, “I’ll say one thing for her, she don’t tell how hard she’s been worked, or say anything but what’s pleasant about the Manser Farm folks. She seems fond of ’em all, and yet I kind of think she holds back something, for once in a while she’ll start to tell one thing or another, and then stop and bite her lip.”
“I know one thing, sure,” said Hiram, firmly, as his sister stepped out of the barn, “that little thing’s no hypocrite, nor no cheat, or my name’s something beside Green! ”

“ Adrian said nothing at first; then remarked:
“Pierre need not go so far. Across the lake to the mainland is enough. I can travel on foot afterward, and I know more about the forest now than when I lost myself, and you, or Margot, found me. I owe my life to you. I am sorry I have given you pain. Sorry for many things.”
“There are few who have not something to regret; for anything that has happened here no apology is necessary. As for saving life, that was by God’s will. ”

“ In order to increase the circulation of Youth as rapidly as possible, we have decided to make some exceptional inducements to boys and girls to obtain subscriptions. The work can be done after school hours, and on Saturdays and holidays. The arrangement we make for doing the canvassing renders the work very agreeable, and the commission offered is so large that it cannot fail to be an inducement.
To such of our readers as would like to earn a considerable sum of money with little effort, we suggest that they send us their names and addresses, and we will at once forward full particulars. ”

“ You will see that I have reckoned your wages the same as Pierre’s—thirty dollars a month and ‘found,’ as the farmers say, though it has been much more difficult to find him than you. You have been here nearly three months, and eighty dollars is yours.”
“Eighty dollars! Whew! I mean, impossible. In the first place, I haven’t earned it; in the second, I couldn’t take it from—from you—if I had. How could a man take money from one who had saved his life?” ”

“ Hadley Morris, our hero, is in the employ of Jonas Benson, the host of the Three Oaks, a well-known inn on the road between Philadelphia and New York. Like most of his neighbors, Hadley is an ardent sympathizer with the patriot cause. When, therefore, a dispatch bearer is captured on the way to Philadelphia, he gives Hadley the all-important packet to be forwarded to General Washington. The boy immediately escapes with it, and, after many perilous experiences, finally makes his way across the river to the Pennsylvania side. ”

“ Naturally observant, she is encouraged in her out-of-door studies by her uncle, at one time a college professor. Through her woodland instincts, she and her uncle are enabled to save the life of Adrian Wadislaw, a youth who, lost and almost overcome with hunger, has been wandering in the neighboring forest. To Margot the new friend is a welcome addition to her small circle of acquaintances, and after his rapid recovery she takes great delight in showing him the many wonders of the forest about her home. ”

“ Hiram must know other poems, doesn’t he?”
“He’s full of ’em as a nut is of meat,” laughed Arctura, “both prose pieces and poetry, and all he wants is opportunity. Why, I’ve heard him many a time, spouting away to himself in the barn, but I’ve never taken any notice, for you give an inch to these people that recite, and they’ll take an ell quick enough; it’s just like starting a leak. But a regular performance, such as you speak of, with different ones taking part, I believe Miss Hetty would enjoy it for once, anyway; she don’t have much to amuse her.” ”

“ And where’s Adrian? I’ve called and called, but nobody answers. I can’t guess where they all are. Even Pierre is out of sight, and he’s mostly to be found at the kitchen door when meal time comes.”
“There, there, child. You can ask more questions than old Angelique can answer. But the breakfast. That’s a good thought. So be. Whisk in and mix the batter cakes for the master’s eatin’. ’Tis he, foolish man, finds they have better savor from Margot’s fingers than mine. Simple one, with all his wisdom.”
“It’s love gives them savor, sweet Angelique, and the desire to see me a proper housewife. ”

“ While this indignation lasted she felt better, but as soon as she came once more in sight of the clearing and of her uncle finishing one of Adrian’s uncompleted tasks, her loneliness returned with double force. It had almost the effect of bodily illness, and she had no experience to guide her. With a fresh burst of tears she caught her guardian’s hand and hid her face on his shoulder.
“Oh! it’s so desolate. So empty. Everything’s so changed. Even the Hollow is different and the squirrels seem like strangers. ”