When Freda went to bed that night her mind was made up . She would adopt Jordan Slade 's grave . Thereafter , Freda spent her few precious spare-time moments in the graveyard . She clipped the blueberry shrubs and long , tangled grasses from the grave with a pair of rusty old shears that blistered her little brown hands badly . She brought ferns from the woods to plant about it . She begged a root of heliotrope from Nan Gray , a clump of day lilies from Katie Morris , a rosebush slip from Nellie Bell , some pansy seed from old Mrs. Bennett , and a geranium shoot from Minnie Hutchinson 's big sister . She planted , weeded and watered faithfully , and her efforts were rewarded . `` Her '' grave soon looked as nice as any in the graveyard . Nobody but Freda knew about it . The poplar growth concealed the corner from sight , and everybody had quite forgotten poor , disreputable Jordan Slade 's grave . At least , it seemed as if everybody had . But one evening , when Freda slipped down to the graveyard with a little can of water and rounded the corner of the poplars , she saw a lady standing by the grave -- a strange lady dressed in black , with the loveliest face Freda had ever seen , and tears in her eyes . The lady gave a little start when she saw Freda with her can of water . `` Can you tell me who has been looking after this grave ? '' she said . `` It -- it was I , '' faltered Freda , wondering if the lady would be angry with her . `` Pleas 'm , it was I , but I did n't mean any harm . All the other little girls had a grave , and I had n't any , so I just adopted this one . '' `` Did you know whose it was ? '' asked the lady gently .
`` Yes 'm -- Jordan XXXXX 's .
Bell Bennett Freda Gray Hutchinson Morris Slade evening night poplars