Gned the Knowledgeable Gnome, being a garden
gnome, was no taller than a blade of grass. His friends
called him knowledgeable because his house was among
the roots of a large oak tree in the garden of some Big
People, and he had learned quite a bit about the huge,
mysterious beings. Others called him foolish. A gnome
fears being seen by a Big Person more than just about
anything, and Gned had some very exciting adventures.  
Gned roamed the vast lands of his garden almost
everyday. Of course, when you are only two inches tall,
your vast lands aren’t terribly impressive to bigger folk;  
but Gned knew his lawns and flowerbeds as






well as an Indian knows his plains and forests, and loved
them as well, too.  The Big People’s house, which just
happened to be in the middle of Gned’s garden, was a
lovely place with sparkling windows and cheery red
shutters. The Big People who lived there were lovely folk,
too, even if they lumbered about in a huge, clumsy way.
They planted flowers every spring and kept fairly good
guard against the garden slugs that Gned was
sometimes forced to combat. (Or so he said. There were
rumors that he simply turned and fled, but some people
will say anything.) The Big People watered the garden
when it was dry and pruned the bushes when they grew
too wild. Gned approved. Of course, once there was an
unforgettable instance of hot tea leaves being poured out
a window, but Gned put the mishap down to stupidity
rather than supposing that his Big People would play at
besieged-castle.  Yes, Gned was a happy gnome as sole
possessor of the vast lands of his garden. Until it
appeared.  It was a fine, spring morning and Gned
hummed happily as he walked the perimeter of the
petunia bed. He carried a stout twig that he called his
Anti-Ant stick over his shoulder. Ants can be very, very
bothersome: ready to steal just about anything, and quite
dangerous in their hordes. On this fine morning, however,
Gned felt ...