Connecticut western news., 1881-05-11
RAKESTRAW,S SUDDEN ENERGY.
His Horticultural Labors in the
 Early Spring Morning.

Charles Rakestraw, who is in the first year of his housekeeping, was the night before last struck with the frantic idea that his front garden should be adorned with shapely flower bed, and that the work could be done none too soon. The idea struck him in the evening; it always does. He first located the spade, rake, and hoe, and next gave positive orders that he be called the following morning at five o'clock. which would allow him Ga couple of hours to fix up the affair."" The peculiarity of making fiower-beds is, that the average man scorns to attempt the work when the sun is any mentionable distance above the horizon. Therefore, it was in the early morning that MT. Rakestraw four ished his spade and ended by sinking it into the earth.
 He found the work hard very hard, and, after three-quarters of an hour of ceasel ess toll, he had not enough soil upturned to fill half dozen fower-pots. He began to think that in his case delay would not have been dangerous, but profitable. To add to his discomfort the streets began to show signs of life, and wide-awake lads to gather for matutinal marbles. People began to wonder what that withholding man was doing in his garden. Neighbor Brown, who saw the few pounds of loose earth, asked dryly: "When did the dog die ?'' and added parenthetically, "Must have been a val uable animal to bury it in such con- spicuous spot" Ten minutes after, @ 1 collarless urchin shouted to R. from the sidewalk opposite, "That ain't no place for bait"
 When the town clock struck ''six' the result of the hours labor was about three feet square of fower-bed, but still he persevered. In one unlucky and desperate-swing of the spade he brained Miss Us pet cat, and five minutes later he beheaded speckled hen which had ventured too near the scene of his oper. ations. But he viewed their dead bodies with hideous unconcern, and continued in his labor of digging, hoeing, and raking. At 6:3O that embryo bed was far different from the symmetrical, heart-shaped mound he had set out to construct. Working people passing by the house paused g moment, out of curi osity, but he pretended not to be aware of their presence. He heard one man whisper: "He's digging for gold; must be out of his head"
 Another said, glancing at the heap o1 stones R. had brought to light, ''He's going to pave the road what an indus. trious man P Then he got mad and brandished his hoe with a desperation born of fury. With three frantic hacks he struck 8 stratum of last winters snow, and that settled it. He glanced defantly at the gathering of boys out side the gate, and strode into the house with half the fower-bed on his boots, very dirty pantaloons, face scarlet | with exercise, and his lips moving, but not in prayer.
 Mrs. R., with rare discretion, hired a boy for twenty-five cents to complete the bed, and when her better half re- turned to dinner all marks of his recent depredations had disappeared. His wife is still answering the neighbors' ques- tion 'What in the world ailed your husband yesterday Was it fits ?" and | Miss J, is still looking for her cat,