ME. TEOMMEL TEACHES BUDDING 189 



and there, on the other side of the fence, where the 

 gardener could not see it, came up a fine strong 

 shoot, a little eglantine, just like its papa. 



"Then the graft, the adopted baby, grew weak and 

 thin and the little eglantine grew fat and strong. Be- 

 cause why ? The eglantine was treating the graft as 

 in the fairy stories the wicked stepmother treats the 

 child that is not hers. All the food everything 

 went to the baby on the other side of the fence. 



"But the gardener did not know this. He was 

 troubled about his fine rose. He stirred the ground. 

 He put on the liquid manure. But the graft had 

 none of it. The eglantine sent all to its own baby. Yes. 



"By and by the graft, the little aristocrat, died; 

 but the eglantine over the fence was starred all over 

 with little roses. After a while the eglantine the 

 papa died also. It had given all its food to the 

 baby. "When the gardener dug up his dead rose- 

 bush, it was only then he knew what had happened. 

 He found the root going to the other side of the 

 fence; then he saw the little eglantine with its pretty 

 roses. Then he knew why his fine rose had died." 



"How did the eglantine know that the gardener 

 could n't see its baby if it was on the other side of 

 the fence ? " asked Mary. 



