ther up and fall off. These two
lie folded up in the little seed from the beginning, and are full of
plant food. They don't have to be very special in shape, you see,
because they don't stay on the plant after it is grown up."

"Then every plant looks like this at first?" said Margery.

"No, dear, not every one; plants are divided into two kinds: those
which have two food leaves, like these plants, and those which have
only one; these are called dicotyledonous, and the ones which have but
one food leaf are monocotyledonous. Many of the dicotyledons look
alike."

"I think that is interesting," said Margery. "I always supposed the
plants were different from the minute they began to grow."

"Indeed, no," said father. "Even some of the trees look like this when
they first come through; you would not think a birch tree could look
like a vegetable or a flower, would you? But it does, at first; it
looks so much like these things that in the great nurseries, where
trees are raised for forests and parks, the workmen have to be very
carefully trained, or else they would pull up the trees when they are
weeding. They have to be taught the difference between a birch tree
and a weed."

"How funny!" said Margery dimpling.

"Yes, it sounds funny," said father; "but you see, the birch tree is
dicotyledonous, and so are many weeds, and the dicotyledons look much
alike at first."

"I am glad to know that, father," said Margery, soberly. "I believe
maybe I shall learn a good deal from living in the country; don't you
think so?"

Margery's father took her in his arms. "I hope so, dear," he said; "the
country is a good place for little girls."

And that was all that happened, that day.

THE TALKATIVE TORTOISE[1]

[1] Very freely adapted from one of the Fables of Bidpai.

Once upon a time, a Tortoise lived in a pond with two Ducks, who were
her very good friends. She enjoyed the company of the Ducks, because
she could talk with them to her heart's content; the Tortoise liked to
talk. She always had something to say, and she liked to hear herself
say it.

After many years of this pleasant living, the pond became very low, in
a dry season; and finally it dried up. The two Ducks saw that they
could no longer live there, so they decided to fly to another region,
where there was more water. They went to the Tortoise to bid her
good-by.

"Oh, don't leave me behind!" begged the Tortoise. "Take me with you; I
mus