MARY, LEARNS PRUNING 101 



the old woman who fell asleep on the King's High- 

 way." 



"The King's Highway?" said Mr. Trommel, per- 

 plexed for a moment. "Yes, yes, I remember ; she 

 was the old lady who had her dresses made short 

 while she slept ; yes, yes. It would be much the 

 same feeling, I think ; but I doubt not that the for- 

 sythias' dresses were prettier. Anyway, it is an 

 unkind thing to do. We wait until the shrub is 

 through with the pretty dresses before we take them 

 away." 



"What do we prune next? " asked Mary. "I know 

 how now." 



"We go now," said Mr. Trommel, walking ahead of 

 his assistant down the narrow box-bordered path, 

 "we go now to -an invalid. This is my invalid," he 

 said, stopping in front of a large Japanese quince. 



"What is the matter with it t " inquired Mary. "It 

 looks as if there was something wrong." 



The old gardener shook his head sadly. "I think 

 it has the nervous prostration, Liebchen." 



"Nervous prostration ! " echoed his listener. "Oh, 

 I know all about that ! Mother had it, and Donald 

 had it when he came back from college, and grandma 

 had it, and Aunt Margaret has it now," she enumer- 



