"Biennials; be sure you get the names; it is just as well to learn a thing thoroughly in the beginning—a few facts, names or dates thoroughly fastened upon the memory are better than a vague idea of a whole subject, without any definite knowledge. We classify plants as annuals, biennials and perennials; those which live one year, those which die after perfecting the seed the second year, and those which live on year after year."
"Aren't we almost through with roots?" asked Ella.
"I could tell you a great deal about roots, but I suppose you want to get to leaves and flowers, so we will drop the subject of roots and take up the stem next time," said Mrs. Browne, smiling upon her impatient little girl.
[CHAPTER III.]
MORE ABOUT LEAVES.
"WHO wants to study in vacation?"
The speaker was Mr. Browne's nephew; he sat upon a stump in the woods not far from the pretty booth where Mrs. Browne awaited the coming of her class. He kicked his heels against the half-decayed bark which, giving way under the repeated kicks and falling to the ground, was picked up by the youngest of the trio of Brownes and stored away for the gypsy fire which he proposed to build after a while.
"And botany too! I don't care a flip about that stuff; I wanted to go fishing; it's lots more fun."
"But we can't fish all the time; and mother makes botany real interesting. The other day we had to talk about roots, because that comes first, and we thought it would be terribly stupid; but it wasn't! We liked it first-rate, and we know quite a number of things now about roots, so come on, Charlie."
"Bother!" Charlie very slowly descended from his perch, and followed the others with a scowl on his rather handsome face. Mrs. Browne welcomed him with a smile, not appearing to notice his surly mood.