J94 ROUND ABOUT CHICAGO 



more civilized than I was, but that does not bring 

 back the vanished orchids. 



I will only whisper to you, very privately, when 

 and where they bloom, for now one is rarely 

 seen, save in the clutch of some ruthless picnicker 

 who has found and beheaded one of them, and in 

 whose careless hand it hangs limp and pathetic. 



After the lilies are faded comes a long glory of 

 yellow ! Plebeian sunflowers from the fields that 

 any trolley line reaches, and more plebeian and 

 plentiful black-eyed-Susans, coarse and common, 

 but yielding place to none in decorative beauty. 

 And then, in August, come the royal golden-rod, 

 and the royal asters of all shades from white 

 through lavender to deepest purple. You can 

 go in any direction for them, but they seem purest 

 in their coloring and most free from dust in the 

 uplands between the ravines to the north. And 

 for once you may mix your flowers- at random, 

 for the golden-rod and the asters never quarrel 

 with one another, no matter what tints you find. 

 Arm loads are in order ! Pick the stems very long. 

 Choose particularly the more plume-like golden- 

 rods and the lighter shades of asters, and put 

 the bunches just as you gathered them into tall, 

 wide-mouthed jars and pitchers. 



As you garner your gold and purple, the sumach 



