OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



of Madam Polemonium I might not have been so 

 ready to undertake her culture! Gayly I pinched off 

 the first flower stalks here and there along the border; 

 cheerfully I searched for any indications of such pur- 

 pose among the leaves; very beautiful was the shining, 

 dark-green effect between the bricks and bright colors 

 of the garden plots. Of course it cannot be supposed 

 that Madam Polemonium consciously began to dis- 

 guise her object in life, but certainly those flower stalks 

 grew harder and harder to distinguish from the leaves, 

 and I could almost hear her chuckle when I cut off 

 one of the latter by mistake! Finally convinced that 

 she was utterly discouraged I took a vacation for three 

 days. The advantage she took of my absence was in- 

 credible. Nearly every plant had shot up a lovely 

 stalk of pale-blue florets, and they made so charming 

 a picture that I almost left them. 



"This is too wrenching for my sensibilities," I con- 

 fessed. "Don't let 's have Polemonium next year." 



"Well, you know there 's nothing takes the place of 



box." 



80 



