OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



We rushed to her, standing on guard over her treas 

 ure. It seemed almost uncanny so soon to come across 

 the much desired small flower in these acres of sparse 

 underbrush, for it really was an anemone patens, and by 

 going carefully over the neighboring ground we dis 

 covered a few more plants ; but this did not satisfy us. 

 By this time we had tasted blood, figuratively speak 

 ing, and the fury of the hunt was upon us. Old and 

 young we scoured the hills, but possibly the plants were 

 past blossoming, for we found no more. On our re 

 turn homewards, when in a narrow lane, we met a farm 

 er's cart driven by a woman with a baby in her arms ; 

 but what each one of us saw as we turned out to allow 

 her to pass was a bunch of our longed-for anemones 

 in one of her hands. 



We looked at each other with but one thought. Then 

 without a word I sprang out and ran after her. 



"Oh! would you mind," I cried a bit breathlessly, 

 "would you mind telling me where you found those 

 flowers?" 



226 



