The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-09-26
The Lone and the Short Of 1t.


Along IN the early 6prl0S, "nen tne
pillow had turned the moist brown earth !
open to the sun. Mother Crinkle's heart
was stirred within her. The oldest lit
tie woman she. 1t was - if she had ex
hailed; aud all left was trim, scant
dress. with crook in the back, tidy
neckerchiet ard = funny stick-up Cap.
Only under the cap was q live, sweet
face, aud under the kerchief was live,
sweet heart; else how could it have
stirred within her when the earth was
newt
For scores of years. every single year,
when this strange old planet had whirled
around into its spring time, Mother
Crinkle had dug and hoed and 1aked
over her beloved garden. patch, and
drawn her seed bags from the tOpmost
sell, and had sown and planted the seeds
in the hills and straight rows waiting.
And then had watched and cared for, and
weeded and watered, and guarded from
bug and beetle, until at last, when the
strange old planet had slipped into its
autumn, everything was gr wn and
ripencd, and she gathered and garnered
the roots and the fruits Of it all.
Then she folded her hands and was
glad. And the garden-earth was glad,
| because it wanted to rest.
ITS the curious-est thing" she
said.
It was an autumn day. Fair upon the
hills in the sunlight stood the sheaves
Of corn, finished and waiting. Piles OF
red-cheeked apples lay under the trees;
hundred yellow pumpkins were tum-
bled in the fence corner; pears dropped
now and then from the bent boughs; pur-
pie grapes hung heavily from the vine;
lovely, idle clamistis was one wreath of
plumes; creeper chung tenderly to the
old wall, its five-dngered leaves full of
scarlet and amber and crimson and gold
an army of golaen-rod hedged the lane,
nodding its crests in the wind; the great
elm above hung out banner or two:
while at its feet the astors stood ready
to grieve out their starry blue eyes. Eve
rytning, like the corn, was finished
and waiting.
Even Mother Crinkleis busy hands
were stayed, or she would never have
paused to say, TITS the curlous-est thing"
Mother Crinkle sat in the door. Al
she spoke, Joey, the mottled cat, rubbed
fondly against her; and Shep, the dog,
lszily winked off fly and looked up
into her face; and the chickens stopped
to listen, and the boy Ned turned from
his Jack-o'-lantern to hear; while the
maiden, leaning against the fence, turned
her graceful young head. For all wanted
to know what was curious to Mother
Crinkle, as she sat looking down across
her garden-beds. And she told them.
"Last spring, dears, planted that bed
with seeds-the costliest seed in all the
seed book, with the greatest, longest
name and the beautifulest picture to look
at. Well, 1 looked and looked an never
a seed OF 'em all came up. An says to
myself: All my care has been for
naught! But by and by-what do you
think. dears2 Some how, by hook or by
crook chow the clouds only know
don't), one single squash eeed had got in
to my nice ground, and it came up, and
it grew, and it grew, and grew, till it
spread all over everything and went over
the fence-top besid<s. Then it blossom
ed, aud the squasnes set an set; and
then they grew, until thought they
have now family of twelve squashes, as
big as ever you saw and as yellow as
butter, all settin' in their green leaves.
An nobody ever asked ;em to come! So
; you see, NY children, how the first is
last and the last first; an there
amt no KNOWN how things will
turn out. An it is the curious-est thing
in all creation how the Lord gives an
takes. and helps an hinders; and that is
the long is the long and the short of the
whole matter"
And Mother Crinkle laughed little
mellow laugh, that almost had tear in
1.-THE Independent.