94 POOR ROBIN'S PLANTAIN 



are several plants called Black Snakeroot. Peo- 

 ple who live far away in the mountains, and who 

 see almost as many rattlesnakes as they do 

 strangers call them by this name, or else Rattle- 

 snake Master, because they think the bites of 

 these creatures can be cured by their leaves and 

 roots. But Grandmother had never heard this 

 pretty flower called by Tommy's name of Wild 

 Geranium, and she thought it a poor one, even 

 though the leaves have a look like the Geraniums 

 in the garden. Two very old country people 

 whom Tommy knows always speak of it as Alum- 

 root. This is because its roots have such a bitter 

 taste. 



I said that if I had a pretty flower to name I 

 should never think of looking at its roots first, nor 

 of tasting them. Tommy answered that roots were 

 very wonderful; but, of course, he thought girls 

 would not care for them because they were not as 

 pretty as flowers. 



Both Tommy and his father belong to a society 

 for protecting wild flowers, and one of the rules 

 is that flowers must not be taken up by the roots 

 for fear of their vanishing. Still they both think 

 it would do little harm if the country people were 

 to gather a few Wild Geraniums to use instead of 

 alum, or to cure snake-bites. 



Tommy says: "It all depends on the plant 

 whether or not it should be taken up by the roots. 

 Of course it would have been very dreadful if 



