PHILIP FINDS FLOWERS 217 



Elderberry bushes stood up against the wall and 

 their fruit was ripe. Philip picked one of the 

 large bunches of berries which on the top are as 

 flat as plasters and ate until his mouth and teeth 

 were as black as if he had had blueberry-pie for 

 dinner. But what made this spot so beautiful and 

 different looking from the rest of the wall was 

 because on the other side of the elderberry bushes, 

 a vine with fleecy white flowers spread out along 

 its top. 



This may be the very spot to wait for that girl, 

 Philip thought, and he sat down among the flow- 

 ers, and snuggled in until the vine covered his 

 lap. The sun was shining down on his head and 

 was very hot, so he put on a little white cap he 

 always carried in his pocket. 



It wasn't a bit dull sitting there so long, as he 

 had the flowers to look at, and could breath their 

 sweet scent. The night before the rain had washed 

 them clean, and many of them looked as though 

 they had just opened. The name of this vine with 

 bunches of white, sweet flowers is Virgin's Bower, 

 or Wild Clematis, or else Traveler's Joy. This 

 morning Philip thought the last name suited It best 

 of all, as when he was a weary and disappointed 

 traveler it made him happy to sit by It and grow 

 cool. 



The many little things sticking out from the 

 flowers' centers gave them a fluffy look. The 

 leaves, too, were pretty, and Philip saw how strong 



