166 TOMMY AND HIS FATHER AFIELD 



they had been there awhile and walked along the 

 little path that leads to the village. There Is a 

 stone wall by one side of this path, and high bushes 

 stand beside It which Tommy says bear Choke 

 Cherries. They are not quite ripe yet, but even 

 If they were they would have a puckery, choking 

 taste that would make anybody dislike to eat them. 



While Tommy was looking at the Choke Cher- 

 ries his father called out: "I believe that's 

 Spreading Dogbane. Yes, surely it Is Dogbane." 



Tommy had never noticed the plant his father 

 pointed out, although he Is so quick at seeing 

 things out-of-doors. But the Dogbane grew close 

 to the Choke Cherries and their leaves slipped In 

 and out together. It was because It had just 

 opened Its flowers that his father saw It so quickly. 

 Tommy climbed right up on the stone wall and 

 took some of the Spreading Dogbane In his hand. 

 It was a new flower to him, and of course he saw 

 It was very beautiful. 



I can't exactly tell how Tommy feels when he 

 finds a new flower; but I know It makes him very 

 happy. He says when he's a man he hopes he'll 

 discover some flower that even botanists don't 

 know about. This he thinks would be just as 

 fine a thing for him to do as It was for Columbus 

 to discover new land. But before he can do this 

 he has to learn all about the flowers that are al- 

 ready known and have their histories written. 



At first the Dogbane flowers looked to Tommy 



