WAITING FOR THE SWEET PEAS 67 



"Oh, the little ladies are but scarcely awake yet ; 

 they are just thinking about stretching their feet 

 down and stretching their arms up toward the light ; 

 wait a bit and you shall see the pretty green leaves." 



"Are n't you planting anything to-day?" she 

 asked. 



"Well," said Herr Trommel, reflectively, "my 

 roses they have a smoke this morning, so I thought 

 old Peter better have one also." 



"Your roses ! " echoed she. "Do they have tobacco 

 too?" 



"They like it sometimes. Look and see," he an- 

 swered, with a wave of his pipe toward the green- 

 house. 



The under-gardener stepped past him and opened 

 the door, but in a moment came back, coughing and 

 sputtering : "Oh, Mr. Trommel, it's awful ! Do the 

 roses like that stuff? " 



"It is not very good tobacco," he admitted, "but 

 the roses do not mind. They use it only as a a 

 cosmetic ; it kills the green fly that troubles them. 

 I have but half a pound in a little pile burning on 

 the floor." 



"Flowers have queer medicines, haven't they?" 

 said Mary, reflectively. 



