(signed) Juliana Horatia Ewing.
LAST WORDS.
A Final Collection of Stories.
BY
JULIANA HORATIA EWING,
AUTHOR OF "JAN OF THE WINDMILL," "SIX TO SIXTEEN," "A GREAT EMERGENCY," "WE AND THE WORLD," "JACKANAPES, AND OTHER TALES," "MELCHIOR'S DREAM, BROTHERS OF PITY, AND OTHER TALES," "LOB LIE-BY-THE-FIRE, THE BROWNIES, AND OTHER TALES," "MRS.OVERTHEWAY's REMEMBRANCES," "A FLAT IRON FOR A FARTHING."
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. D. MURPHY.
BOSTON:
ROBERTS BROTHERS.
1891.
Copyright, 1891,
By Roberts Brothers.
PREFACE.
"Mary's Meadow" first appeared in the numbers of Aunt Judy'sMagazine from November 1883, to March 1884. It was the last serialstory which Mrs. Ewing wrote, and I believe the subject of it arosefrom the fact that in 1883, after having spent several years in movingfrom place to place, she went to live at Villa Ponente, Taunton, whereshe had a settled home with a garden, and was able to revert to thepractical cultivation of flowers, which had been one of the favoritepursuits of her girlhood.
The Game of the Earthly Paradise was received with great delight bythe readers of the story; one family of children adopted the word"Mary-meadowing" to describe the work which they did towardsbeautifying hedges and bare places; and my sister received manyletters of enquiry about the various plants mentioned in her tale.These she answered in the Correspondence columns of the Magazine,and in July 1884, it was suggested that a "Parkinson Society" shouldbe formed, whose objects were "to search out and cultivate old gardenflowers which have become scarce; to exchange seeds and plants; toplant waste places with hardy flowers; to circulate books on gardeningamongst the Members;" and further, "to try to prevent theextermination of rare wild flowers, as well as of garden treasures."
Reports of the Society, with correspondence on the exchanges of plantsand books, and quaint local names of flowers, were given in theMagazine until it was brought to a close after Mrs. Ewing's death: butI am glad to say that the Society itself is still in existence, andany one who wishes to procure a copy of its Rules can do so by sendinga stamped envelope to the Secretary, Miss Alice Sargant, 7 BelsizeGrove, N. W. Miss Sargant was the originator of the scheme, so itsmanagement remains in the best possible hands, and Professor Oliver,of Kew Gardens, has consented to become President in Mrs. Ewing'splace. She owed to him her first introduction to Paradisi in soleParadisus terrestris, as well as many other kind acts of help onflower subjects.
HORATIA K. F. GATTY.
May, 1886.
CONTENTS
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