174 OUR PHLOXES AND HELIOTROPE 
if our Aunt Amanda returned, she would not know 
the Six Spruces for her old home. 
Although Joseph and I watch the garden closely, 
there are sometimes things going on there that we 
know nothing about. This morning, while I was 
picking off a few dead leaves in the rose fan, I spied 
a chippy bird’s nest closely tucked in one of the 
bushes. It was quite empty. In fact, this nest 
had been made, the eggs laid, and the young fed 
and taught to fly, all without our knowledge. We 
do not remember even to have seen the chippies 
about the rosarium. I do not mean that there 
have not been many chipping sparrows at the Six 
Spruces. They are as numerous here as robins. 
But we have noticed none that awaked our sus- 
picions concerning the nest in the rosarium. 
These birds must have managed their building 
and housekeeping very cleverly. Every day I have 
been among the roses, but no mother bird flew out 
in wild alarm, nor did I hear her mate calling to 
her. Perhaps they were wdse enough to know that 
Joseph and I would do them no harm, and there- 
fore they made no sign at our coming and going. 
They must have brought the horsehair, with which 
the nest was lined, from near our barn; yet Joseph 
did not notice them about there. He is astonished 
that a whole family has been raised on the triangle 
without his knowledge. We cannot imagine what 
will happen next. 
Sometimes we wonder what goes on in our gar- 
