" ALAS ! alas !" said the sorrowing Tree,
" my beautiful robe is gone ; it has been torn
from me ; its faded pieces whirl upon the wind,
they rustle beneath the squirrel's foot as he
searches for his nut ; they float upon the passing
stream, and on the quivering lake. Wo is
me! for my dear green verdure is gone. It
was the gift of the Leaves ! 1 -have lost it, and
my glory is vanished and my beauty has disappeared,
my summer honors have passed away.
My bright and comely garment, alas ! it is rent
into a thousand parts ; who will weave me such
another? Piece by piece has been stripped
from me. Scarcely did I sigh for the loss of
one, ere another wandered off on air. The
sweet sound of music cheers me no more. The
birds that sang on my bosom were dismayed at
my desolation they have flown away with
their songs.
" I stood in my pride. The sun brightened
my robe with his smile ; the zephyrs breathed
softly through its glossy folds ; the clouds
strewed pearls among them. My shadow was
wide upon the earth, my head was lifted high,
and my forehead was fair to the heavens. But
now, how changed ! Sadness is upon me, my
head is shorn, my arms are stripped, and I cannot
throw a shadow on the ground. Beauty
has departed ; gladness has gone out of my
bosom. The blood has retired from my heart,
and sunk into the earth. I am thirsty. I am
cold. My naked limbs shiver in the chilly air ;
the keen blast comes pitiless among them.
The winter is coming. I am destitute ; sorrow
is my portion ; mourning must wear me away.
How shall I account to the Angel who clothed
me for the loss of his beautiful gift ?"
The Angel had been listening. In soothing
accents he answered the lamentation.
" My beloved Tree," said he," be comforted !
I am by thee still, though every leaf has for-
saken thee. The voice of gladness is hushed
among thy boughs, but let ray whisper console
thee. Thy sorrow is but for a season. Trust
in me. Keep my promise in thy heart. Be
patient and full of hope. Let the words I
leave with thee, abide and cheer thee through
the coming winter. Then will I come and
clothe thee anew.
" The storm will drive over thee, the snow
will sift among thy naked limbs. But these
will be light and passing afflictions. The ice
will weigh heavily on thy helpless arms, but it
will soon dissolve to tears. It shall pass into
the ground, and be drunken by the roots.
Then it will creep up, in secret, beneath thy
bark, and spread into the branches it has op-
pressed,and help to adorn them. I shall be
here to use it.
" The blood has now retired for safety. The
frost will chill and destroy it. It has gone into
thy mother's bosom for her to keep it warm.
Earth will not rob her offspring. She is a
careful parent ; she knows all the wants of her
children, and forgets not to provide for the
least of them. The sap that has for awhile
gone down, will make thy roots strike deeper
and spread wider, and renewed and strength-
ened, it shall return to nourish thy heart
Then, if thou shalt have remembered and
trusted in my promise, I will fulfil it Buds
snail shoot forth on every bough. I will enfold
another robe for thee. I will color and fit it
in every part It shall be a comely raiment
Sadness shall be swallowed up in joy. Now,
my beloved tree, fare thee well for a season."
The Angel was gone. The cold muttering
winter drew near. The wild blast whistled for
the storm. But the words of the Angel were
hidden in her heart It soothed her amid the
threaten! ngs of the tempest. The ice-cakes
rattled on her limbs and loaded and weighed
them down.
" My slender branches," said she," let not this
burden overcome you ! Break not beneath this
heavy affliction break not ! but bend, till you
can spring back to your places. Let not a twig
of you be lost. Hope must prop you up for a
while, and the Angel will reward your patience.
You will wave in a softer air. Grace shall be
again in your motion, and a renewed beauty
hang around you."
The scowling face of winter began to lose its
features. The raging storm grew faint, and
breathed its last. The clouds fretted themselves
to fragments, these scattered to fragments on the
sky, and were brushed away. The .sun threw
down a bundle of golden arrows, that fell upon
the Tree. The ice-cakes withered as they came.
Every one was shattered by a shaft, and unlocked
itself upon the limb. They melted and were
gone.
Spring had come to reign. His blessed ministers
were abroad in the earth. They hovered
in the air. They blended their beautiful tints,
and cast a new-created glory on the face of the
blue heavens.
The Tree was rewarded for her trust. The
Angel was true to the object of his love. He
returned he bestowed on her another robe.
It was bright, glossy, and unsullied. The dust
of summer had never lit upon it; the scorching
heat had not faded it ; the moth had not profaned
it. The Tree stood again in loveliness ;
she was dressed in more than her former beauty.
She was fair, joy smiled around her on every
side. The birds flew back to her bosom, and
Bung among her branches their hymns to the
