LARKSPURS AND HOLLYHOCKS 51 



laurel and the daisies and almost best of 

 all the dear clover. In summer the deep 

 woods gave us orchids, and the open mead 

 ows lilies and black-eyed Susans. In Sep 

 tember the river-banks and the brooks 

 glowed for us with cardinal-flower and the 

 blue lobelia, and then, until the frosts settled 

 into winter, there were the fringed gentians 

 and the asters and the goldenrod. And still 

 the half has not been told. If I tried to 

 name all that gay company, my tale would be 

 longer than Homer s catalogue of the ships. 



In early July a friend brought me in a big 

 bunch of sweet peas. I buried my face in their 

 sweetness; then, as I held them off, I sighed. 



&quot;Oh, dear!&quot; I said. 



&quot;What s oh, dear ? &quot; said Jonathan, ashe 

 took off his ankle-clips. He had just come up 

 from the station on his bicycle. 



&quot;Nothing. Only why do people have ma 

 genta sweet peas with red ones and pink ones 

 that special pink? It s just the color of 

 pink tooth-powder.&quot; 



You might throw away the ones you don t 

 like.&quot; 



&quot;No, I can t do that. But why does any- 



