Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-12-08
THE SPOOPENDYKES.
The Mild Tempered Man has a Session
of Plant Transplanting.

"My dear" said Mrs. Spoopendyke
look ing up from her plate, and regard
ing her husband earnestly. "My dear,
it is getting late in the season, and Pm
afraid my plants will be spoiled by the
frost. Don't you think it is time they
were taken in?'
"P'raps So" smiled Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke off you think so why don't you
take 'em up?"
"Won't you do it, dear?" smiled
Mrs. Spoopendyke, sweetly.
"Come on!" replied Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke, dropping everything and piepar-
ing for the fray
Mrs. Spooendyke put on her bonnet
and followed her husband into the gar
den.
"You want to he a little careful with
some of them,' she suggested. ga
good many of them are tender plants
and want to be handled gingerly."
"You trust me-" retorted Mr.. Spoop-
endyke, grabbing a rose bush with both
hands and giving prodigious jerk.
"Dot CAST the BUSH" he roarcd, rs his
hands slipped off, leaving two-thrds Of
the skin behind.
81 didn't mean that one" squealed
Mrs. Spoopcndyke. THAT one is to be
: covered up with straw. Try some of the
others.
This one Of en- o." asked Mr.. Spoop-
cndyke, and no caught hold III Il tough
| old geranum. Come into the house
ont of the coldr' he cried, apostrophiL-
| ing the plant. Come 10Th from the
teeming earth and be blessed with light
and warmth in the garrett" aud he
took I deatL grip OH the plant hall way
( be,wson tie root and the top. "The
( question beio,. the house is, dirt or
| Spoopendykc, shall the ground absorb
him, Or shall he dod gasted fruit Of
much cultvH,ol let go its hold and
come out "l the garden, Maud" and
with this cxoydiuin, delivered with IL
yell, Mr.. Spoo2endyke broke the gera-
mum OF short AMI sent it over the
fence TO join the rosc.
"Iou are lousing them ALL" cried
Mrs. Spoopendyke, her face flushed and
her sou, veXed by the fate OF her plants,
81 wanted to save that one
"Next year We'll plant 'em the other
end up, and then they will grow out OF
the ground OF thcic own Accord
snorted Mr.. Spoopendyke, making for a
tuberose. Now let's see what this
thing is tied to! Ii il isn't made fast to
! IA Chinese laundry on the other side of
the globe, well see what the bottom
looks like before the intense cold sets
inv
"Don't pull that up!" protested Mrs.
Spookendyke, in despair. 81 only
want to save the bulb Of that"
"Hear what the lady says" de-
manded Mr.. Spoopendyke, grasping
the stalk, and spreading his legs for an
unparalleled cxertion. ave are indii-
ferent to the upper works, but the bulb
has become Il matter of necessity! Put
aside vain pride and show" but here
he put in all his strength, and rolled
hall way across the garden, crushing
vines and shrubs and winding up
against fence with crash that shook
every board in it.
"Did any of the bulb get away?" in
quired Mr.. Spoopeudyke, dazed by his
fall. cam | to understand that the ex
cavation was not a success?" he bawled
recovering himself with mighty effort.
"Lead me to where the balance OF this
/ lxr 10 10
thing belong to the show?" and he
caught hold of tomato vine. "Is
there Il bulb annex to this thing of
beauty and joy until get hold of it
BE still, sad heart, until get started"
and he wrenched the vine from the
socket and whirled it around his head.
"One more bulb to hear FROM" and he
paved into the earth in vain search for
the root, showering the dirt in all d
rections. "There!" he puffed, when lie
had built sort of cave in the place out
of which the vine had come. I'm
most throughv' and he went at il again.
"Dust thou art, to dust returnest, ne'er
was spoken of this hole" and with tbs
peroration MIR. Spoopendyke gathered
himself up into lump and came down
hard on both feet in the excavation he
had made.
81 might have known that you didn't
know anything about it," moaned Mrs.
Spoopendyke, who was anxious to dis
tract his attention from the fact that
there were several beds of flowers he
had not marauded.
"Might, might ye"" roared Mr..
Spocperdyke, rising in his wrath rs he
found it Mpossible 10 convince his wife
that he had done it all for the best.
"Think ye might have known that
diun't know anything ahout it, With
what ye might layo known in this
world and what We don't know, We only
want 4 name carsoG in your back, and
the paint scratched off, to be the front
seat in tie first class in n public SCHOOL,
Some day when it rains, and l can't get
out Oh account OF the toothachc, I'm
going to lit you up with eight languages
and reputation, and start an intelli-
gence Off G witt. yon.' aud with this
tribute To- his wife's capacity, Mr.. Spoop-
endyke plunged into the house, put on
his las hind side before, and dirtcd ont
10 tel his friend Specklewottlc that he
thought something of buying the lot
next door, and raising fruit next season
| "a ha vas a,,ra his oynarienra in farm.