[Illustration]
Spring is the morning of the year,
And summer is the noontide bright;
The autumn is the evening clear
That comes before the winter’s night,
And in the evening, everywhere
Along the roadside, up and down,
I see the golden torches flare
Like lighted street lamps in the town.
I think the butterfly and bee,
From distant meadows coming back,
Are quite contented when they see
These lamps along the homeward track.
But those who stay too late get lost;
For when the darkness falls about,
Down every lighted street the Frost
Will go and put the torches out!
--FRANK DEMPSTER SHERMAN.
_By permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Company._