160 ST. JOHN'S-WORT FLOWERS 



Fritz's witch stories, and I asked Grandmother if 

 she knew what they could be. 



She said Wilhelm Fritz believed more in 

 witches than was sensible, but that she knew a 

 story for St. John's day, and that if Tommy and 

 Philip came in the afternoon she would tell it 

 when she was taking her tea. 



I ran over to tell this to Tommy, so that he 

 would surely come, and then we went for Philip. 

 On our way across the meadow we looked for the 

 Common St. John's-wort. 



Just as Herr Wilhelm had said, ever so many 

 of the buds had unfolded and the little plants 

 looked quite proud of their bright, yellow flowers. 

 Tommy said his father had told him this country- 

 man of Wilhelm Fritz's was just as much a weed 

 as Daisies and Black-eyed Susans, and that the 

 farmers couldn't bear it because it devoured their 

 soil. 



" From now on," Tommy said, " we'll find it 

 in lots of places, and often along the roadsides. 

 But because this one is from Europe doesn't mean 

 that our country has no St. John's-worts of its 

 own. There's one I see often with smaller blos- 

 soms than this, and not so many stamens in the 

 middle. It's not very pretty. Professor Bonn 

 calls it Smaller St. John's-wort. 



" The prettiest one that grows about here," 

 Tommy went on, " is Shrubby St. John's-wort, al- 

 though to myself I call it fluffy instead of shrubby. 



