n6 LUTHER BURBANK 



brought down from British Columbia, and was, no doubt, 

 a blood relative of hers. ^ This caused her heart to grow 

 lighter, a feeling of contentment stole over her, and she 

 began to enjoy her beautiful situation more and more./ 



When she put her mind upon her advancement she / 

 J learned many things about herself and her family that x 

 *\ had never reached her in the open, for gossip is not com- 

 / mon there as it is in the thickly settled places. 



An English visitor to the school coming upon her one 

 day exclaimed to the teacher: "Why, you have here our 

 flowering currant. We prize it highly in Europe as an 

 ornamental shrub on account of its bright, graceful blooms. 

 What are you doing with it?" 



"You probably know that it is a native of the Pacific 

 coast," said Burbank. "I hope to persuade it to leave of! 

 its bad habits of bitterness and seedy little pulp and train 

 it to grow good, sweet, luscious fruit for your tarts and 

 jellies. It will then become useful to you as well as 

 ornamental." 



Little Hopeful was listening, and you should have seen 

 the long clusters of bright pink flowers with which she 

 decked her clear, brilliant green foliage. Every one stopped 

 to admire her, and some one exclaimed: "How refresh- 

 ing this dear little thing is in her native grace ! Her 

 simple ways are so charming, and what a delightful per- 

 fume!" 

 ( Now, there were in the primary near at hand, a number 



