Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-08-06
A GARDEN STORY.

The story began on piece Of ground, or
perhaps ought to say, ia II, where there bad
been flower garden for years and years. OF
the most old fashioned tort. 1t always
s"emed in the spring as II nobody need touch
it, az II all the flowers had come up and bios.
somed no many times that they might be left
alone to look after themselves.
Still, there was All unAccouutable persist
eney on the part OF some weeds. They
thought it worth while every spring to make
an effort to capture the garden by surprise
Miss Anu Dunning had no idea OF any such
miHchance. Que year she sprained her ankle
and had to ait in the house on two chairs un.
til it got well but hhs routed the weeds gal
lantly as soon as the could hobble out, with
her sharp hoe and shining trowe, and dan
gerous little short-toothed rake.
She would not have a man about that part
OF her small domain-not she Old Mike
O'Bren had been gardener to a lord in his
native country, aud might be trusted to take
the whole care of her six short rowh OF beans
and forty hills OF potatoes but she never
could let him loose among the flower beds
only once -wh' she had to spend great
deal of time with Il sick sister and gave him
patterns Of three kinds of weeds which he
might pull; even then, scornful az he was OF
her dire ctions, she found The top of one of
Nv p'HN iiiNFs huh MI Tue hpTOutb VI
her favorite mist plant wing with the pig.
weed and rag weed on the garden walk
Sometimes she got very tired but after all
it WAS very good for her to spend so much
time out OF doors, and she had the prettiest
sweet peas, and peoples, aud marigods, in
town. 1t WAS her one great luxury aud
pleasure, aud one friend after another found
chance to give her rare bulb, or a slip
from a new g~ranium, or SOME rare flower
seeds, ~ the years went by.
The minister's wife had very rich cousin
near Boston, who lived in fine place, and
was mistress of hot house. Miss Dunning
bad once succeed, d in making something
boom that the cousins gardener had failed
to persuade into hOwering and there had
been more than one message and tribute pass
to and fro. It WAS great triumph, and Miss
Dunning was asked to write her course OF
treatment for the gardeners benefit.
But great occasions like this, when the lit
tie garden proved itself worthy OF public in
terest, were very rare, and many patient
hours were spent in the hot sunshine that no.
body took note Of but the flowers themselves
When frost came it brought terrible sor-
row every year. Miss Dunning carried out
all h.r old aprons and saved every newspaper
she could get hold OF after the last OF August
and all worn material that would cover plants
Nh9 aiSo ihiu hsiue lOT putting On Tue eNll uhy
of blight
She usually took bad cold staying out in
the chilly dampness evening after evening to
cover up her treasures and make them last q
few days longer in fact she felt by the time
the dreaded blow really came, as if she had
been frost bitten, too, and damaged irrepara.
bly, with the peoples and zinnias.
The only pain she ever had all summer in
regard TO her little garden, was her fear lest
she should be INDUCING herself selfishly. She
really did spend too much, according to her
slender means, in this qualification. She
knew that there were other ways in which the
money might do more good, and il a contri
button box passed her by in church after she
had been buying new rose or named ge-
ranium Of high degree, she felt as guilty as
il she bad directly robbed it, and had been
caught by the d-acons.
But dear soul! she tried in many ways to
give rs many people as possible a share in
her JOY, and tue whole country village was
the better for her beloved flower garden.
Sick people and little children were sure to
have enough Of her posies the pulpit in the
old meeting house WAS adorned Sunday after
Sunday. There was never a bride or q
funeral in Littletown that did not depend,
more or less, summer or winter, upon Miss
Dunning's store Of blossoms
lhlh year sue hhu huueu 10 ner Denetac
tons. She had sent her name to Boston as
one kind soul who would give little city
child her blessed country week
mo boys" Miss Aun had written in her
planest hand, with two or three undertakings,
and If she had picked Boston all over she
could not have found little maid that was
more to her mind than the one who fell to
her share.
She had said that she would be ready any
time after the first of June and she was a
little dismayed to be taken at her word. She
wished that she could at least have got her
wedding done but the spring had been very
late.
On the first of June itself, she had gone to
the depot to me 1t the unkn)Wu visitor, and
the little white house was put in a. careful
order for the reception of small Peggy MEAL.
lister IN if she had been Queen Victoria her
self.