“I think,” said John Landis, “it is time we began hitching up our horses and starting for home.  We have a long drive before us, and, therefore, must make an early start.  Sarah, get the rest of the party together and pack up your traps.”

At that moment the Professor came in sight with an armful of ferns, the rich loam adhering to their roots, and said:  “I’m sure these will grow.”  Later he planted them on a shady side of the old farm house at “Five Oaks,” where they are growing today.  Professor Schmidt, after a diligent search, had found clinging to a rock a fine specimen of “Seedum Rhodiola,” which he explained had never been found growing in any locality in the United States except Maine.  Little Pauline, with a handful of flowers and weeds, came trotting after Mary, who carried an armful of creeping evergreen called partridge berry, which bears numerous small, bright, scarlet berries later in the season.  Ralph walked by her side with a basket filled to overflowing with quantities of small ferns and rock moss, with which to border the edge of the waiter on which Mary intended planting ferns; tree moss or lichens, hepaticas, wild violets, pipsissewa or false wintergreen, with dark green, waxy leaves veined with a lighter shade of green; and wild pink geraniums, the foliage of which is prettier than the pink blossoms seen later, and they grow readily when transplanted.

Aunt Sarah had taught Mary how to make a beautiful little home-made fernery.  By planting these all on a large waiter, banking moss around the edges to keep them moist and by planting them early, they would be growing finely when taken by her to the city in the fall of the year—­a pleasant reminder of her trip to the “Narrows” of the Delaware River.  Frau Schmidt brought up the rear, carrying huge bunches of mint, pennyroyal and the useful herb called “Quaker Bonnet.”

[Illustration:  The old towpath at the Narrows]

Driving home at the close of the day, the twinkling lights in farm house windows they swiftly passed, were hailed with delight by the tired but happy party, knowing that each one brought them nearer home than the one before.  To enliven the drowsy members of the party, Fritz Schmidt sang the following to the tune of “My Old Kentucky Home,” improvising as he sang: 

    The moon shines bright on our “old Bucks County home,”
      The meadows with daisies are gay,
    The song of the whipporwill is borne on the breeze,
      With the scent of the new mown hay. 
    Oh! the Narrows are great with their high granite peaks,
      And Ringing Rocks for ages the same;
    But when daylight fades and we’re tired and cold,
      There’s no place like “hame, clear alt hame.”