^ Here they were taught in Nature's school how 

 to read and write and spell. Here they fashioned 

 for the birds, weatherproof houses, reding places 

 and food protestors with the "funny old fashioned 

 gourds " that grew on the vines that completely 

 covered one side of a big play house divided into 

 two rooms, one wherein the little people "napped," 

 the other a real play room and work room. A 

 small plate on one door said " Garden Tools " 

 and in gay yellow letters this motto: "Who puts 

 away clean, finds clean." I looked into the parti- 

 tioned garden-tool closet, and found it arranged 

 in secftions, marked " Theodore," " Richard," 

 " Vi(5tor," and " Elizabeth." For each child had 

 his own secTtion for his own tools. 

 ^ In the roomy closet there was everything needed 

 for pracftical garden work, even a child's broom, 

 brush and du^pan. These little children cared 

 for everything, and they were sometimes termed 

 "poor little rich children" because they are n't 

 permitted outside the great gates, 

 f Why should they be? All their little world is 

 within the blooming Golden Kerria hedge, bord- 

 ered with exquisite poppies, lupins, hollyhocks, 

 foxgloves, pink larkspur, purple heliotrope, lady's 

 slippers, gypsophila, gladioli, snapdragons, pan- 

 sies, forget-me-nots, sweet alyssum and roses, 

 ^ Two rose covered arches span the walk that 

 leads to the play-house, and in between is a tall 

 " stockade " on which grow sweet-peas " to keep 

 the Indians out!" 



^ The gourds were " frightfully " fascinating. 

 One was like a great snake, being very long. An- 

 other which, when dried and hollowed out, made a 

 feeding house for the tiny non-migrating birds. 

 And there was the Turk's Cap transformed into a 

 charming residence for Jenny Wren by boring an 



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