224 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



*^^As many times as you will, Mrs. Mill- 

 irons/" ]\Irs. Waring answered. "They are 

 absurd little cups, aren't they? I could 

 not resist the temptation, though, to bring 

 them out, on the occasion of my first en- 

 tertainment in Wimbledon, for they are 

 all gifts, and I think them so pretty/' 



"Aren't we to have any of the Exten- 

 sioners this afternoon?" Mrs. Conway 

 asked, languidly, but Mrs. Wearing felt 

 a subdued though intense interest await- 

 ing her reply from every woman in the 

 room. 



"Not a single one," she replied, with a 

 little laugh. "This is just for us older 

 residents," and then it was that she had 

 begun to tell them her plans. 



"'Yes, you remember that the house was 

 in pretty poor shape," she went on, "but 

 we could not afford to pay more rent than 

 was asked for it, nor could we afford to 

 live in it in the condition in which we 

 found it. So we went ahead and made 

 every change which we could do ourselves, 

 and now I can't begin to tell you the nice 

 things Mr. Tucker says about our grass, 

 :)ur window boxes and our flowers. Why, 

 I believe he would cheerfully do anything 

 we could ask him to in the way of repairs 

 and conveniences." 



"No doubt. But you are pets of his," 

 remarked one woman. 



"I hope he does really like us," Mrs. 

 Waring said. She paused a moment, and 

 looked at the faces before her, and con- 

 tinued: "But it is my honest belief that 

 every one of you could manage him in 

 just the same way. You see, just now, he 

 has a great fad for improvement work, and 

 then, too, I think if we were to undertake 

 it, there would be a chance for us to take 

 a great deal of the shine off the Exten- 

 sioners." 



She laughed as she spoke, and watched 

 for the effect of her words. As she had 

 thought, she had struck the only chord 

 which was responsive just then, and there 

 was just enough spice of their own spirit 

 in her remark to arrest their attention. 

 So, sipping away at their tea most gen- 



teelly, they listened without further in- 

 terruption while Mrs. Waring outlined 

 her plans. 



"We will have a regularly organized 

 league," she said, "and we must get every 

 family in the neighborhood interested. 

 You see, one or two neglected places would 

 quite spoil the effect of all we wish to do. 

 All of our work should be undertaken in 

 accordance with the sentiment of the ma- 

 jority, and in our meetings we can have 

 no end of nice little social features." 



She showed them a great portfolio 

 which Mr. Tucker had lent her. It con- 

 tained his collection of photographs and 

 booklets made the previous winter, when 

 he was planning the new houses. The 

 beautiful large mansions with elegant 

 grounds did not appeal to them, but Mrs. 

 Waring, watching every phase of their 

 feelings, saw their interest quicken and 

 kindle over the pictures of cottage homes, 

 with verandas and fences draped and 

 wreathed with vines, and the many lovely 

 improved back yards. She told them that 

 Mr. Tucker had agreed to pay such prizes 

 as the league should decide to offer, as 

 well as to furnish the seeds and plants to 

 begin with. 



"Poor old fellow !" ejaculated one lis- 

 tener. "I wonder what's got him ! He 

 must kinder have soft'nin' of the brain, 

 to be so reckless with his money." 



The woman laughed at this, and Mrs. 

 Millirons remarked, "If I'm to have an 

 improved back yard at all, at all, faith, 

 and I'll have to sthart operations by im- 

 proving me childhren !" 



Mrs. Waring's eyes flashed and bright- 

 ened, for in Mrs. Milliron's jocular re- 

 mark she fancied she saw the sprouting of 

 a tiny leaf, one from the seed she was 

 trying to sow. 



The league was duly organized, and its 

 members set to work with varying degrees 

 of enthusiasm. The slim young poplars 

 outlining the sidewalks had scarcely begun 

 to hoist their canopies of light green 

 leaves, when, in each place, there showed 

 young plants in boxes and beds, where the 



