CHAPTER XV. 

 WEEDS FOR DECORATION. 



I .1RQM the beginning a certain part of the weeding fell to inv 

 *- share. Every one was so busy with the first rough work 

 that no time could be spared for uprooting thistles. Therefore, 

 although in my heart I really admired the richly cut leaves ami 

 sweet purple blossoms, I conscientiously dug them up wherever 

 I found them. Yes, I dug them up; but there was no embargo on 

 my utilizing them. Arranged in high brown jars along the barren 

 north terrace, they made a splendid effect. That was another 

 discovery: weeds made such a fine decoration! Once started in 

 this direction the field was limitless, and we experimented in all 

 sorts of combinations. 



Now, it sounds like a formidable undertaking to keep seventy- 

 two acres free from thistles, but I soon learned that they grow only 



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