THE LINDEN-TREE 79 



a flower-bed all his own, he was sure that his 

 flowers would always know him, as he knew 

 them; so his mother and father, who were just 

 like all mothers and fathers, let Carl have his 

 own little plot, which contained one specimen 

 of all that grew in the garden. 



One day Carl went to a country fair, and in 

 the evening a little group sat around upon the 

 grass while his father told the folk all about 

 their neighbors, the native plants — not know- 

 ing what trouble he was storing up for him- 

 self ; for ^^ Little pitchers have big ears,'' and 

 Carl sat very quiet, listening with all his might. 

 Afterwards, it was ^* Father, this," and *^ Fath- 

 er, that," until Father could tell no more. 

 When Carl failed to remember the answers, 

 his father would preach a. little sermon to a 

 small and select audience of one, to the end 

 that there must be no more questions until 

 answers were remembered, and this, perhaps, 

 was as good a lesson as one in botany. 



Carl loved to wander through field and 

 wood, where he found plants to press, or to 

 plant in the little plot now known as ** Carl's 



