Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-09

Enabling those who win not, to endure,
And leave to God the rest.
HEARYS-EASE AND MIGNONETTE.
IT was sunny day in the latter part
of April; the grass was starting and the
trees were budding ] was in the broad
WindOW-seat looking over flower seeds,
while Douglas Carter and Joe sang col
lege songs at the piano. Douglas was
Joe's chum and had come home with
him to stay for weeks vacation. Every
now and then one of them would turn
around and ask me if | hadn't got my
garden planned yet so that | could come
and sing in the chOruses. But gardening
was new business for me, and | could not
make haste There were so many kinds
of seeds, and | could not always make
out Aunt Cree's labels on them; besides,
there were a good many the neighbOrs
had given US that had no labels at all.
The morning glories were to go along by
the kitchen windows, and the velvet mar
igolds up in the north corner of the gar
den, for Aunt Cree could not get along
without her velvet marigOlds. Then her
four o'clocks and gillytiowers must come
next, and that finished her corner. All
the rest of the flower garden was to be
my especial charge, and Joe had already
spaded it up and shaped a dozen pretty
beds for me There were hearts and
rounds and diamonds, and a star in the
center, which [ meant to SOW with pOrtu
iacas, Joe said they were SO bright. Then
/ had chosen swect-peas for one of the
rounds and was just setting away the
seeds in saucer by themselves when
Douglas and Joe swung round from the
piano, singing triumphantly the last
lines Of
9 Rolling, rolling, rolling home boys,
As we 90 rolling home,
And happy is the girl that meets us,
As we 20 rolling homer"
"Where is the aforesaid girl?" said
Douglas, as they came laughing over to
the window; | expect to find her turned
into a datfodil by this timen'
Joe sat down in the window close by
me. | was almost provoked at having to
move my saucers for him; but then Joe
is always so good-natured it would have
been shame to sCold him.
'ThcSe touch me-nOtS would look well
in a round" he said, taking up one of
Aunt Cree's little packets. They are
the double kind, all cOlors. Mothers
were very handsome last year, just be-
fore YOU came, Susie"
'They were all gone by, the first l
knew of them" I replied; but Iremem-
Der how the funny little seed-vessels
popped open at touch. / can't imagine
how the blossoms look"
"Then you are not used to flowers?n
asked Douglas, in a tone of some sur
prise.
Used to flowers! No, I was not, nor
4s.,I.
sunny homes set in gardens What |
had always been used to until now was a
narrow city house in anarrOw city street,
and an atmosphere Of the shabbiest gen
tility When my poor, WORKOUT step
mother died, Aunt Cree and Joe came to
the rescue, and took me home.
No" l said, +" have been city girl
on dingy street, where nothing ever
grew for me but one poor little ivy"
How one may be mistakenm he eX-
claimed, lightly; :" certainly thought
your eyes had got their blue from habit
of looking at violets."
what are you going to do with those
seeds you have in your hand, Susie?'
asked Joe, as sat counting them over in
some confusion.
They are some Mrs. Squires gave me,
and they haven't any label" l replied;
but they are large, handsome, striped
ones, and am sure they must be some
thing pretty, so l shall plant them where
they can be seen"
Joe leaned back and fairly rOared. |
thought it was cry rude in him, and |
was glad Douglas Carter did not laugh
Where they can be SEEM shouted
Joe. " They'll be seen if you plant them
the other side of the four-acre lot Why.
Susie, they're sunfowersl"
| know | blushed, for one does not
want to be ignorant of the commonest
little things, and then | made an I'M
guarded movement that upset some of
the open packets so the seeds ran all to-
gether. Douglas and Joe helped me pick
them out rs well as they could, but the
peoples and portulacaS got ineXtricably
mixed
Here is a packet you haven't opened"
said Douglas. . 1t is marked Hearts
ease'-my favorite of all flowers! You
know it, Miss Susie? Pansies, some call
them"
" | know them in bouquets" l said,
" but not fresh and growing"
Plant these for me, Miss Susiem he
exclaimed. We college boys haze no
time for flowers, you know | shall come
here again in the summer vacation Let
me find whole bed of heart's-ease
blooming for me. For my sake, Miss
Susie! You must plant them in one of
the hearts,"
His voice was very persuasive, and he
looked SO handsome and so much in earn
est that | nodded my head, and felt a
sort of girlish pleasure that could crafty
him in such a pretty way. | poured the
pansy seed into a saucer all by itself, and
set it on the mantel-piece Joe was
drumming ca the window-pane impatient
".
!" / don't see why didn't think of that
myself" he said, in his blunt, honest way
!" saw, Susie, there are two hearts; can't
YOU plant the other one for me? | like
migonnette tirst-rate; plant mine with
mignonette Here's paper of it now
/ knew mother must have saved some"
Yes, | will, joe" | said, laughing, and
gave the mignonette saucer by itself
also.
The sorting went on more rapidly after
that for both of them helped me about
it. We chose phloX for one bed, candy
tuft for another, pinks for third
chrysanthemums for a fourth, and so on.
MANY of the flowers were nothing but
names to me as yet, but l looked forward
to nv summers work with real love and
delight. A good many seeds got spilled
in the sorting, and there were some I'M
labeled that no one could recognize.
Here Joe had bright idea, and proposed
+I,oca noaJc CbO11I hp MIXED m