186 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
When near the Scottish camp the foremost of the in¬ 
vaders removed the heavy shoes from their feet so that 
their steps might not be heard, and thus stealthily ad¬ 
vancing barefooted, a heavy, quick-tempered soldier trod 
squarely upon a huge thistle, the sharp points of which 
gave such sudden and exquisite pain that he cried out 
with a bitter curse in his agony. His cry aroused the 
outlying Scots, apprising them of their danger. With 
wonderful alacrity they sprang to their arms, and meet¬ 
ing the foe widely divided for the purpose of encompass¬ 
ing the camp, they were enabled easily to overcome them, 
which they did with great slaughter. 
The unfortunate soldier who had so unwittingly given 
the alarm w'as captured alive, and when he had told the 
story and the Scots knew to what their deliverance was 
due, they resolved to adopt the Thistle as the national 
insignia of their country. In all ages and among almost 
every people flowers have been adopted as symbols, types 
and emblems of human characteristics—affection and 
loyalty. Surely nature bears no product more gracefully 
adapted to such symbolism than the flowers in the infinity 
of their forms, colors and poetic significance. 
George Eliot says : “ Is there not a soul beyond utter¬ 
ance, half nymph, half child, in those delicate petals, 
which glow and breathe about the centres of deep color?” 
Zenaida. 
THE SARGASSO SEA. 
Within the wide Atlantic’s reach 
(So comes the tale to me), 
There lies a lake, some furlong’s stretch, 
Called the Sargasso Sea. 
It has no waves that roll and toss, 
There storms and tempests cease, 
No frailest bark can suffer loss, 
Haven’d within its peace. 
The Gulf Stream bends above ils place, 
With mighty, onward flow', 
And winds and tides move on apace, 
Around it and below. 
Yet there it lies, so calmly still, 
Naught can disturb its rest; 
Elsewhere the storm fiend has his will, 
But ruffles not its breast. 
Dear friend, upon life’s ocean wide 
We’ve traveled, man and wife, 
Just half way o’er, from side to side ; 
Men call it middle life ! 
The onsets fierce of youthful days 
No more our quiet vex, 
And hope and fear, and blame and praise, 
Do less and less perplex. 
We feel not yet the “slowing up,” 
No feebleness is ours; 
There still is strong wine in the cup, 
Once garlanded wfith flowers. 
Whence comes this calm, so free from fear ? 
It surely, love, must be 
That we have reached mid-ocean here, 
Our life’s Sargasso Sea ! 
Elizabeth P. Allan 
[The carious facts about the Sargasso Sea are found in Maury’s 11 Physical Geography of the Sea,” and elsewhere.] 
THE PLANTS THAT GREW IN JOHNNIE’S GARDEN. 
S UCH a brown, hopeless-looking patch of ground as 
it was that bright May morning ! 
“ I don’t believe I can ever make anything grow here ! ” 
sighed Johnnie, leaning disconsolately on his spade. 
“ Oh, yes, you can,” answered his mother, encourag¬ 
ingly. “Just see the handsome pictures on these papers 
of seeds! And I will give you some slips of heliotrope 
and geranium, and some pansy-roots from my bed. 
Won’t it be beautiful when they are all in blossom? And 
you are so fond of flowers, Johnnie 1 ” She did not add, 
w'ise mother that she was, “ And the doctor says that it 
will be so good for you.” Mrs. Dean remembered that 
boys were not fond of medicine in any form. 
Johnnie went to work with renewed energy. He spaded 
the little patch of ground over thoroughly, raked it with 
his tiny rake till not a hard lump was left, and then be¬ 
gan to build around it a wall of the smooth, white stones 
left in a huge pile by the well-diggers, in the corner near¬ 
by. Back and forth he traveled with his little wheel¬ 
barrow till the shapely mound was nearly surrounded. It 
was hard work ; the sun shone brightly on his steaming 
face, and there were tiny blisters on the small white 
hands, when mamma, seeing that the work was beginning 
to lag, came to the rescue. 
“Better wait awhile, till you get rested, Johnnie,” she 
called from the porch. “ Please come and help me slip 
these geraniums.” 
She held in her hands a soup-plate, covered to the 
