Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-08-09
A Garden Story.

garden for years and years, of the
most oId-fashioned sort. It always |
seemed in the spring as if nobody
need touch it, as if all the flowers
had come up and blossomed so many
times that they might be left alone
to take care of themselves.
Still, there was an unaccountable
persistency on the part of some
weeds. They thought it worth while
| every spring to make an effort to
capture the garden by surprise. Miss
Ann Dunning had no idea of any
such mischance. One year she sprain-
ed her ankle and had to sit in the
house on two chairs until it got we'll +:
but she routed the weeds gallantly
as soon as she could hobble out, with
her sharp hoe and shining trowel, land
| dangerous little short-toothed rake.
She would not have a man about
that part of her small domain
not she Old Mike O'Brien had been
a gardener to a lord in his native
country, and might be trusted to take
the whole care of her six short rows
of beans and forty hills of potatoes;
but she never could let him loose
among the flower beds-only once
when she had to spend great deal
of time with sick sister, and gave
him patterns of three kinds of weeds
which he might pull; even then,
scurnful as he was of her directions,
she found the top of one of her best
lilies, and nearly all the sprouts of
her favorite mint plant lying 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
poppies, and marigolds in town. 1t
was her one great luxury and pleas
ure, and one friend after another
found a chance to give her rare
bulb, or a slip from new geranlum,
or some rare flower seeds, as the
years went by.
The minister's wife had very rich
cousin near Boston, who lived in a
fine place, and was mistress of hot
house. Miss Dunning had once sue
ceeded in making something bloom
that the Cousins gardener had failed
to persuade into Towering, and there
had been more than one message and
tribute passed to and fro. 1t was g
, great triumph, and Miss Dunning
was asked to write her course of
treatment for the gardeners benefit.
But great occasions like this, when
= the little garden proved itself worthy
7 of public interest, were very rare
and many patient hours were spent
in the hot sunshine that nobody took
note of but the flowers themselves.
When frost came it brought terrible
), sorrow every year. Miss Dunning
t carried out her old aprons, and saved
d every newspaper she could get hold
of after the last of August, and all
! worn material that would cover plants
: was laid aside for putting off the evil
day of blight.
She usually took bad cold stay
;, ing out in the chilly dampness even.
), ing after evening to cover up bel
treasures and make them last few
s days longer; in fact, she felt by the
a time the dreaded blow really came, as
d if she had been frost-bitten, too, an(
+. damaged irreparably with the pop
if pies and zinnias.
a. The only pain she ever had al
Of summer in regard to her little garden
:" was her fear lest she should be in
le dulging herself selfshly. She reall,
S. did spend too much, according to he
is slender means, in this qualification
~ She knew that there were other way
in which the mouey might do NOR
good, and if contribution box pass
Sc ed her by in church after she hat
TX been buying new rose or name'
geranium of high degree, she felt a
at guilty as if she had directly robbe'
M it, and had been caught by he dea
t. cons.
f. But, dear soul! she tried in man,
y ways to give as many people as pos
sible a share in her joy, and tn
'e whole country village was the bette
;s for her beloved flower garden. SlcI
~ people and little children were sur
a to have enough of her posies th
pulpit in the old Westinghouse was
e, adorned Sunday after Sunday. Their
&c was never bride or funeral in Lit
20 tletown that did not depend more o
~ less, summer or winter, upon Mis-
Dunning's store of blossoms.
ID This year she had added to he
in benefactions. She had sent her nam
st to Boston as one kind soul who woult
( give a little city child her blessed
: country week.
= ''No boys" Miss Ann had writer
y in her plainest hand, with two o.
:, three underlinings, and if she ha6
picked Boston all over she could moi
d have found a little maid that was
,e more to her mind than the one who
fell to her share.
r She had said she would be ready
e any time after the first of June; and
IL she was little dismayed to be taken
i at her word. She wished that she
= could at least have got her wedding
done; but the spring had been very
late.