THE SECOND BEST 



as she has never been before. Now, as she opens the gate 

 of her Garden of Eden and takes possession thereof, 

 she is glad. For nothing can surpass that intense sat- 

 isfaction which comes from the power to make things 

 grow, to create beautiful effects, to produce exquisite 

 harmonies. The mere fact of breathing in such an en- 

 vironment fills one with hitherto undreamed-of bliss; 

 and the art of acquiring knowledge not from books 

 written by man, but from the beguiling pages of Na- 

 ture's folios, becomes a passion. 



In autumn the leaves scattered over the lawn call for 

 the rhythmic swing of the long-handled rake; in winter 

 the brick paths covered with powdery snow are ever 

 ready for the vigorous sweep of the broom. What 

 better panacea for tired nerves? 



But perhaps it is after the discomfort of a day's 

 shopping in the summer heat that we appreciate the 

 most our out-of-door privileges. What bliss in the 

 cool of sunset to seize the scissors and go out to the de- 

 licious scents and sounds of one's own particular patch 

 of ground! By the time the calendulas have been 



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