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tiest playthings. The more delicate and still richer 
perfume of the Sweet Scented Pea, arrested her 
steps, tired as she was. Its pink and white blos- 
V 
soms still lingered among the seed-vessels that had 
already begun to ripen for another year. Mary 
gathered a few, and as the little round balls laid in 
her hand, the bannered flower told her many strange 
things. 
“ This pod that I bear,” she said, “ is the type of 
many plants that are useful to man. And see how 
carefully it is preserved from injury. This banner 
protects my germ from every wind that blows, for I 
can turn my flower-stalk which way I choose, it is 
made so light and flexible. Behind my banner, I 
fold my wings over the boat-shaped leaf that covers 
the pod, and within that my seeds are protected from 
every accident. Often as you have listened to the 
stories of flowers, you have never heard, little girl, 
