34 FOOTING IT IN FRANCONIA 



that she wears her laurels so meekly. Not 

 that she affects to conceal her gratification ; 

 she is as happy over her genus, perhaps, as 

 over the new edition de luxe of her most 

 famous story; for an entomologist may be 

 also a novelist, if she has a mind to be, as 

 Charles Lamb would have said ; but she 

 knows how to carry it off lightly. She and 

 the botanist of the party, my "walking 

 mate," who, I am proud to say, is similarly 

 distinguished, often laugh together about 

 their generic namesakes (his is of the large 

 and noble Compositse family) ; and then, 

 sometimes, the lady will turn to me. 



"It is too bad you can never have a 

 genus," she will say in her bantering tone ; 

 " the name is already taken up, you know." 



" Yes, indeed, I know it," I answer her. 

 An older member of the family, a — th cou- 

 sin, carried off the prize many years ago, 

 and the rest of us are left to get on as best 

 we can, without the hope of such dignities. 

 When I was in Florida I took pains to see 

 the tree, — the family evergreen, we may 

 call it. Though it is said to have an ill 

 smell, it is handsome, and we count it an 

 honor. 



