you think o' that!" said June indignantly, and Hale had
to hedge a bit.

"Well, I don't know whether it REALLY does, but that's what they SAY."
A little farther on the white stars of the trillium gleamed at them
from the border of the woods and near by June stooped over some lovely
sky-blue blossoms with yellow eyes.

"Forget-me-nots," said Hale. June stooped to gather them with a radiant
face.

"Oh," she said, "is that what you call 'em?"

"They aren't the real ones--they're false forget-me-nots."

"Then I don't want 'em," said June. But they were beautiful and fragrant
and she added gently:

"'Tain't their fault. I'm agoin' to call 'em jus' forget-me-nots, an'
I'm givin' 'em to you," she said--"so that you won't."

"Thank you," said Hale gravely. "I won't."

They found larkspur, too--

"'Blue as the heaven it gazes at,'" quoted Hale.

"Whut's 'gazes'?"

"Looks." June looked up at the sky and down at the flower.

"Tain't," she said, "hit's bluer."

When they discovered something Hale did not know he would say that it
was one of those--

"'Wan flowers without a name.'"

"My!" said June at last, "seems like them wan flowers is a mighty big
fambly."

"They are," laughed Hale, "for a bachelor like me."

"Huh!" said June.

Later, they ran upon yellow adder's tongues in a hollow, each blossom
guarded by a pair of ear-like leaves, Dutchman's breeches and wild
bleeding hearts--a name that appealed greatly to the fancy of the
romantic little lady, and thus together they followed the footsteps of
that spring. And while she studied the flowers Hale was studying the
loveliest flower of them all--little June. About ferns, plants and trees
as well, he told her all he knew, and there seemed nothing in the skies,
the green world of the leaves or the under world at her feet to which
she was not magically responsive. Indeed, Hale had never seen a man,
woman or child so eager to learn, and one day, when she had apparently
reached the limit of inquiry, she grew very thoughtful and he watched
her in silence a long while.

"What's the matter, June?" he asked finally.

"I'm just wonderin' why I'm always axin' why," said little June.

She was learning in school, too, and she was happier there now, for
there had been no more open teasing of the new pupil. Bob's championship
saved her from that, and, thereafter, school changed straightway for
June. Before that day she had kept apart from her school-fellows at
recess