Just a little fluffy ball of fur, Fawn and brown, and smooth and soft as silk; Just two cunning little paws of tan, Velvet-gloved, to dabble in the milk. Little paws to pat my tired face, Spring and play, and help me to forget. Little, merry, restless, tireless feet— Just a little playful, happy pet. Just a little yielding, graceful form, Cuddled softly down beside my cheek; Just two little tender, fawn-like eyes, Looking all the love they cannot speak; Just a little song of sweet content, Murmured soft and low beside my ear; Just a little kitten I have loved— Not forgotten, and to memory dear. —Mary Morrison. SOAPWORT OR BOUNCING BET. (_Saponaria officinalis._) The plant commonly called Soapwort or Bouncing Bet also bears other popular names, many of which are purely local. Some of these are Hedge Pink, Bruisewort, Sheepweed, Old Maid’s Pink and Fuller’s Herb. It bears the name Soapwort because of a substance called saponin which is a constituent of its roots and causes a foaming that appears like soap suds when the powdered root is shaken with water. Soapwort belongs to a large group of plants called the Caryophyllaceæ, or pink family. In this family there are about fifteen hundred species. These are widely distributed, but are most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere, extending to the Arctic regions and to the tops of very high mountains. The popular and beautiful carnations and some of the most common plants that grow abundantly in waste places also belong to the pink family. The Soapwort comes to us from Europe, where in some localities it is a common wild flower. In this country when it was first introduced it was simply a pretty cultivated garden plant. However, it lives from year to year and spreads by means of underground stems. It was not very long before it had escaped from yards to roadsides, where frequently large patches may be seen. The flowers are large and quite showy. The color of the petals is usually pinkish white. Blossoming in July, August and September, the Soapwort often beautifies waste places which other plants seem to shun. It is perhaps more generally loved than any other of our old-fashioned garden flowers. It grows luxuriantly without cultivation and seems to quite hold its own even among rank growths of weeds and grass. It is hard to tell what is the significance of the name Bouncing Bet, perhaps the most popular of all the names by which this plant is known.