THE FRAME OF THE PICTURE 321 



other parts of the home acres. There are also to be 

 had for the digging good bushes of the early pink 

 and clammy white azalea, mountain- laurel, several of 

 the blueberry tribe, that have white flowers in summer 

 and glorious crimson foliage in autumn, white-flowered 

 elder, button- bush, groundsel tree, witchhazel, bay- 

 berry, the shining- leaved sumach, the white meadow- 

 sweet, and pink steeplebush, besides a number of cor- 

 nels and viburnums suitable for shrubberies. As I 

 glance over the list of what the river and quarry woods 

 have yielded us, it is like reading from the catalogue 

 of a general dealer in hardy plants, and yet I suppose 

 hundreds of people have as much almost at their doors, 

 if they did but know it. 



The commercial side of a matter of this kind is not 

 the one upon which to dwell the most, except upon 

 the principle of the old black woman who said, "Chil- 

 lun, count yer marcies arter every spell o' pain!" and 

 to-day, in assaying our mercies and the various ad- 

 vantages of our garden vacation, I computed that 

 the trees, shrubs, ferns, herbaceous wild flowers, and 

 vines (yes, we have included vines, of which I must 

 tell you), if bought of the most reasonable of dealers, 

 would have cost us at least three hundred dollars, 

 without express or freight charges. 



