368 THE GARDEN, YOU, AND I 



I have thrown back the cover too rashly, for out has 

 flown, instead of dire disaster, ambition in a flock of 

 winged ideals, hopes, and wishes masquerading cleverly 

 as necessities, that will keep me alert in trying to 

 overtake and capture them all my life long. 



Last night, once again comfortably settled in the 

 den, we took inventory of the season's doings, and un- 

 like most ventures, find there is nothing to write upon 

 the nether page that records loss. Of the money set 

 aside for the improvement of the knoll half yet remains, 

 allowing for the finishing of the tree transplanting. 

 Into this remainder we are preparing to tuck the filling 

 for the rose bed, a goodly store of lily bulbs, some 

 flowering shrubs, an openwork wire fence to be a 

 vine-covered screen betwixt us and the road, instead 

 of the broken rattling pickets, a new harness for Romeo 

 to wear when he returns home, as a thank offering 

 for his comfortable services (really the bridle of the 

 old one is quite scratched to bits upon the various 

 trees and rough fence rails to which he has been 

 tethered), and last of all, what do you think? Three 

 guesses may be easily wasted without hitting the mark, 

 for instead of, as we expected, tearing down the old barn, 

 our summer camp, we are going to remodel it to be 

 a permanent outdoor shelter. It is to . have a wide 



