OUR COUNTRY HOME 



needless to state this man was not an American. He had all the 

 patience and perseverance that long centuries of training have 

 given our Teutonic brothers, and his fad outside of his business 

 was ginseng. I suppose the fact that ginseng seed takes two 

 years even to germinate, and five to seven years to produce a root 

 large enough to sell, made the progress of the sturdy little baby 

 pines and spruces seem lightning-like by comparison. We in- 

 duced him to part with some of his precious roots to renew 

 their scarlet berries in our glades and pathways. The kindlv, 

 delicate little wife presented me with " a mess of sweet corn " from 

 her early stock, apologizing for her tiny neglected flower garden 

 as she had been in the hospital for weeks. Knowing a woman's 

 fondness for sweet scents, at the first opportunity I sent her a big 

 box of rose geraniums and some sprays of white jasmine. She hung 

 in rapture over the fragrant package and from that moment we 

 each felt a special interest in the other, for we had each ministered 

 to the other 's happiness. 



