250 FLOWERS THAT HAVE ESCAPED 



highway seemed like some other spot when Ground 

 Pink was in bloom than when Wild Roses and 

 Wild Strawberries were covering the ground. 

 That was all early in the summer, though, and I 

 was still surprised at everything. Now I am more 

 used to things here, and even Tommy thinks I 

 have learned a great deal in one season. When I 

 go back to the city I'm sure it will seem very dull. 



Close to one of the Wild Phloxes a Rubber- 

 plant was growing. Its leaves looked bright green 

 and fat, as they always do, and any one could have 

 told them from the Phlox leaves, even if they 

 hadn't had little notches all around their edges. I 

 picked a good many of them, for I wanted to pinch 

 their undersides until the skin was loose, and then 

 to blow them up into little bags. 



Tommy can't understand why all girls like to 

 make bags of the Rubber-plant's leaves. He says 

 they are no use after they are made. The reason 

 really is because it's fun to blow them up without 

 their breaking, and because it's something that 

 can't be done to other leaves. 



" Does the Rubber-plant ever have a flower? " 

 I asked Tommy. 



" Of course," he answered, in a way that made 

 me think the question was silly. 



" All plants do," Philip whispered. 



" This flower comes, though, when nobody 

 seems to be looking, and it is much less curious 

 than the leaves. It isn't even pretty." 



