270 THE STUDIO FAVORITE 



else was to see a bunch of Wild Carrot on a table 

 in the middle of the studio. When Mr. Leonard 

 pointed to it, he said: " The Studio Favorite." 



For a minute Tommy thought it must be some 

 wonderful flower from far away. It looked so 

 delicate and beautiful. He had never noticed be- 

 fore that its tiny, white flowers in round, flat 

 bunches were as fine as lace, although he knew that 

 many country people called the plant Queen Anne's 

 Lace. He knew the reason it was also called Birds- 

 nest was because the flower-heads, as soon as they 

 were through blooming, closed together in the 

 shape of nests. Before this day he had hardly 

 given its leaves a thought, but he noticed now 

 that they were cut in pieces as fine as ferns, and 

 that they were a soft, pretty green. 



Out in the meadows Tommy had always called 

 .Wild Carrot " the worst weed of all." It tor- 

 mented farmers when it made up its mind to grow 

 through their pastures, and made hard work to 

 clear it away. He had never liked it. 



Before they left the studio Tommy began to 

 forget about its being such a trouble to the farm- 

 ers, and to think that after all it was prettier 

 than most flowers. He remembered that I had 

 said It looked like fleecy, white clouds in the 

 meadow. 



On their way home Tommy told Grandmother 

 that he had been surprised when Francis sent her 

 the drawing of Thistles, but not nearly so much 



