I
YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR GARDEN RIGHT AWAY
THIS is the story of a year, and begins on New Year's day. It is the story of a garden – a little garden – and of a little boy and girl who owned the garden, and of the Chief Gardener, who helped them.
And the name of the little boy was David, after his grandfather. So they called him Davy, because when grandfather was a little boy, he had been called Davy, and this little boy wanted to be just as his grandfather had been – just the same kind of a little boy, with the same name and all.
And the name of the little girl was Prudence, and she was called Prue. For when her mother was a little girl, she had been called Prue, and the Chief Gardener still called her that, sometimes, when he did not call her just Mamma. And the little girl was five years old, and the little boy was 'most seven – "going-on seven" the little boy always said, when you asked him.
The garden was in a window, at first – in two windows, side by side – called a double window. It had to be in a window, because outside it was very cold, and the snow was white and deep on the beds where the Chief Gardener had flowers and vegetables in summer-time.
Prue and Davy were looking out on this white, snow-covered garden on New Year's afternoon. Christmas was over, and spring seemed far away. And there had been so much snow that they were tired of their sleds.
"I wish it would be warm again," said Davy, "so there would be strawberries and nice things to eat in the garden; don't you, Prue?"
"And nice green grass, and dandelions and pinks and morning-glories," said Prue, who loved flowers.
Then the little girl went over to where the Chief Gardener was reading. She leaned over his knee and rocked it back and forth.
"Will it ever be warm again?" she asked. "Will we ever have another garden?"
The Chief Gardener turned another page of his paper. Prue rocked his knee harder.
"I want it to be warm," she said. "I want it to be so we can plant flowers."
"And things," put in Davy, "nice things, to eat; pease and berries and radishes."
"Oh, Davy, you always want things to eat!" said the little girl. "We've just had our New Year's dinner!"
"But I'd be hungry again before the things grew, wouldn't I? And you like strawberries, too, and short-cake."
The Chief Gardener laid down his paper.
"What's all this about strawberry short-cake and morning-glories?" he asked.
"We want it to be warm," said Prue, "so we can have a garden, with pinks and pansies – "
