semont, to
my way of thinking," approved Tom.

"What is it? I hardly remember myself," said Dorothy thoughtfully.

"Why, across the front there's a privet hedge, clipped low enough for
your pink garden to be seen over it; and separating you from the Clarks'
is a row of tall, thick hydrangea bushes that are beauties as long as
there are any leaves on them; and at the back there is osage orange to
shut out that old dump; and on the other side is a row of small blue
spruces."

"That's quite a showing of hedges all in one yard." exclaimed Ethel Blue
admiringly. "And I never noticed them at all!"

"At the new place Mother wants to try a barberry hedge. It doesn't grow
regularly, but each bush is handsome in itself because the branches
droop gracefully, and the leaves are a good green and the clusters of
red berries are striking."

"The leaves turn red in the autumn and the whole effect is stunning,"
contributed Della. "I saw one once in New England. They aren't usual
about here, and I should think it would be a beauty."

"You can let it grow as tall as you like," said James. "Your house is
going to be above it on the knoll and look right over it, so you don't
need a low hedge or even a clipped one."

"At the side and anywhere else where she thinks there ought to be a real
fence she's going to put honey locust."

They all laughed.

"That spiny affair _will_ be discouraging to visitors!" Helen exclaimed.
"Why don't you try hedges of gooseberries and currants and raspberries
and blackberries around your garden?"

"That would be killing two birds with one stone, wouldn't it!"

"You'll have a real problem in landscape gardening over there," said
Margaret.

"The architect of the house will help on that. That is, he and Mother
will decide exactly where the house is to be placed and how the driveway
is to run."

"There ought to be some shrubs climbing up the knoll," advised Ethel
Brown. "They'll look well below the house and they'll keep the bank from
washing. I noticed this afternoon that the rains had been rather hard
on it."

"There are a lot of lovely shrubs you can put in just as soon as you're
sure the workmen won't tramp them all down," cried Ethel Blue eagerly.
"That's one thing I do know about because I went with Aunt Marion last
year when she ordered some new bushes for our front yard."

"Recite your lesson, kid," commanded Roger briefly.

"There is the weigelia that Dorothy has in front of this house;