“No, no, Missey, not to-day,” he said; “it will rain.” “No, it will not rain,” I said. “The sun is up. The cook says it will be fair. The glass in the hall does not say rain.” “Tuts, tuts,” said the old man. “I care for no suns, or cooks, or glasses. The pimpernel says it will rain, and so it _will_ rain. Flowers, Missey, always tell the truth. When they say ‘rain,’ go, get your umbrella.” Sure enough, by noon, the rain was pouring down. After that, I looked with great respect at the tiny flower, sometimes brick red, sometimes blue, which could tell about the weather. [Illustration: A RAINY DAY.] But the pimpernel is not the only plant that is a weather prophet. We will look first at some plants, and then at some seeds, which tell about the weather. If you go into the garden, and find the African marigold shut, after seven o’clock in the morning, you may be pretty sure that there will be a rainy day. But while the African marigold stays shut for rain, the Siberian thistle gets ready for rain, by keeping open. If this thistle does not close at night, you may look out for rain next day. You see the marigold, which had origin in a hot land, stays folded, to keep the rain out of its petals. But the thistle, which had origin in a cold, stormy land, keeps wide open to get a good washing. Did you ever see near the way-side the pretty little morning-glory or bind-weed, with its pink and white blossoms? Even if it is wide open, in the early day, it twists its striped cup close together, and droops its head, if a rain cloud drifts across the sky. It seems to want to shield its stamens and pistil from the wet. There is a little single marigold, which shuts up in a hurry if the sky becomes clouded. It is called the “rainy-marigold.” Most plants which we call “weather prophets” shut up for rain. But some plants open for rain. The cause of the opening and closing is probably the difference in light. Most likely, these plants shut their flowers because there is too little light, not because there is too much moisture. But you know there are some plants which shrink from a strong light, and love the shade. You will find that most shade-loving plants, as the verbenas, do not close for rain. Lilies, tulips, and other flowers that love the sun, shut for rain. The tulip and crocus families are among our best weather prophets. Just as the gay tulip shuts at evening, when the dew begins to fall, so it shuts for a shower. Tulips are careful not to open their cups very wide in the morning, if it is likely to rain. The roses make no change; they seem not to fear wet. On the whole, you may be pretty sure, if you go into your garden, and find many flowers, as tulips, marigolds, morning-glories, and celandine, shut, it will be a stormy day, unfit for picnics or long walks. Just as some blossoms are weather prophets, so are some seeds. But in the case of the seeds it is the moisture, not the light, which affects them.