The Red Cloud chief., 1881-09-01

thought they were lady-bugs-at least
. bigger kind OF lady bug"
1--WE must pick them or" said he,
"to save the POTATOES Ioamust CON-
mence picking our eros or potato bugs
to morrow. What have you got to pick
them in?"
Nothing" said she. "save the milk
pitcher"
mill pitcher it is" said he. "Des-
perate diseases, desperate remedies.
We must commence { -night."
She brought out the milk pitcher.
Together they picked it full many
times and emptied the bugs in the bah
bling brook which ran By their cottage.
which babbling brook carried many
OF the bugs TO the green potato fields
Of their neighbors. and left them there
alive. They seemed 10 have picked all
the bugs of their vines tina. night, yet
it was not so. On arising and going
forth next morning they found as MANY
bugs as ever. They rccapcratiye AMI
regenerative power Of bugs and weeds
and all sorts of things people do not
want is wonderful. 'Evil seems catch
ing, but good is hard TO take" said
he. He was obliged to 90 TO the city,
and there in the whirl OF business his
mind wandered TO their little agricult-
ural cot and potato bugs. She all day
picked potato bugs alone, and drowned
milk-pitcherful after milk-pitcllerful in
the babbling brook. Yet next morning
the bugs. had the start of her again.
This was kept up for several days.
Meantime the swamp fern and skunk
cabbage got a fresh start on the beaa
and raddish beds and quite swallowed
them up. The potato bugs mOnOpo-
lied the entire energy and attention
of this agricultural pair. Nor was this
all. Pig-weed came. First, a cautious
old Pig-weed. who had flourished there
for generations, poked his head out q
the ground. After accommodating, he
gave the signal. Anon by scores, hum
dreds and thousands, came other Pig
weeds. She waged with them a feeble
warfare. What could the young wife
do. almost alone. against Skunk-cab-
bage, Swamp Fern, Potato Bugs and
Pig-weed? Nothing. Emboldened by
the success of the Pig-weeds, the
TRAMPs OF II VEGETABLE KINGDOM
rushed in from all quarters. There
came Dock, Black-weed, Wild Pepper
grass, Mullen and Stramonium. Or
Stink weed.
They ravaged her little fower-gar-
den. They massacred the tender
plants. They ate up their s~ustenancn.
They crowded them out of existence.
She laid down the hoe i'm despair. Ants
crowded along its handle They erected
their habitation under it.
'HOw green your garden is getting
he said to her one day. He had become
sarcastic. This was on or about the
18th of June. Sadly she took her little
hoe and cut down a few pig-weeds. She
then laid it down and took it up no
more that season. There it lay. and
the pig-weed, the dock, the wild pep
per-grass, the skunk-cabbaye and the
stink-weed came up around it and over
Swallowed it.
"HOw very green your garden has
grown" said he to her On the I'd of
August. 1t was very green. The
wicked weeds had run out both flowers
and vegetables. They had full control
of all the governmental departments of
that garden. They outvoted the orig
inal occupants ten to one. The Veg
etable Aborigines of the soil had re-
gained their original supremacy. They
climbed the fence and poked their
heads riotously and impertinently be-
tween the picket5. The accidental, va
grant sunflower was elected Mayor of
her garden. The streets and n
she had so nicely laid out between her
beds was invaded by a disorderly, acct
dental pumpkin vine. The only sur.
viving rosebush was mobbed by pig
weed. Over all this ruin the birds sung
their matin songs and Nature seemed
a blithesome and joyful as though their
kitchen garden had been a slccess.-
Prentice Multord, in the San Fran1isco
Chronicle.