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"Bleccch," said Becky,a face "What're those for?"

Natalie looked archly at herlooked slightly embarrassed "Well," she said Then she poured herself some more coffee "Want soain "I decided I would make some dandelion wine"

"Hey," said Gretchen "That's neat How do you

"Tell thehed

"I don't kno toLast night, when I was just about to fall asleep--you kno you get these great ideas when you're just about to fall asleep?--it occurred to me that it would be terrific to make dandelion wine Have either of you ever tasted dandelion wine?"

They shook their heads

"Neither have I," said Kay Ar to do, last night But I remembered that there aren't any dandelions in our yard Natalie's father is a fantastic gardener Every spring he does s to the lawn, so that there are no broad-leafed weeds That includes dandelions Have you ever noticed that we have no broad-leafed weeds in our yard?"

Becky and Gretchen giggled "No," they said

"Well, take a look, when you go out No broad-leafed weeds Anyway, as I was lying there half-asleep, I rehbors two doors away, the Gibsons, have terrible dandelions Millions Obviously they haven't conquered the broad-leafed weed problem So I decided to use the Gibsons' dandelions

"But the Gibsons are away this weekend Their daughter is being married in Denver No way to call and ask their permission"

She took another sip of coffee "So I decided to steal their dandelions I thought I would do it very early in the , when no one would see me in their yard

"So I set irls kno to set a mental alarm clock?"

They shook their heads

"Well, that's a different subject, but I'll tell you about it sometime It has to do with self-hypnosis Anyway, five o'clock caot out of bed very quietly, because I didn't want Alden to knohat I was doing, in case he would have thought I was quite mad Do you think I'm quite mad?"

"No," said Becky

"Yes," said Natalie

"Well, he half woke up anyway, and said, with his eyes closed, 'What ti?' and I said, 'It's five o'clock, and I' to the bathroom,' and he said, 'You should have your kidneys x-rayed,' and then he turned over and was sound asleep again, and I got my bathrobe and went downstairs

"I went over to the Gibsons' yard, through the O'Haras' back yard, wearing ot there and stood in the , incidentally; the sun was just coht yellow, it has soI realized I had nothing to put the dandelions in

"So I took off an to fill it with dandelion blosso a white nightgown, and I think Iover and picking flowers in the sunrise It's a beautiful nightgown, by the ould you call it translucent, Natalie?"

"No Transparent"

"Perhaps Well, there was no one around So I filled up ether and tied them, so that it was a nice bundle, and then it occurred toit on my head, you know, the way native women do in the South Seas?"

Becky and Gretchen were hysterical

"Don't laugh" Kay Arh the O'Haras' yard, very carefully, with my bathrobe full of dandelion blossoms on my head It was a nice exercise in posture, I think Anyway, that's what I was doing when the milkman drove into our driveway and , but I confess that I becaoas slightly indecent, although I do think I'd call it translucent, Natalie--

"And of course I couldn't put my bathrobe on, because it was filled with dandelions--"