The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-28
WEE-0W-0W, SAID TABBY.
And the Matriarchal Maltese Lit Out
for Denver, 800 Niles
Distant.
Forth Rushed Myriads Of Cats
and Joined in tho Wild
Stampede.

AVeA0AAS~1
and Joined in tho Wild
Stampede.
saturnalia In the Judges Garden Of Trans
planted Catnip-The Treat Of
Lifetime.
Once upon a time there lived in the
beautiful city of Denver certain gentle
man Of the name of Toll, and he was
Judge. All over the state of Colorado and
elsewhere, too, the Judge was famed for his
goodness and his learning. In fact, he was
10 GOOD and 10 learned that one Christmas
eve Santa Claus came and brought him q
sweet little baby son.
The judge was very proud.A
81 viii rear this little son to be good
and great iurist," said he, land when am
old and feeble he will be the staff and COM
fort Of my age"
One Of the first things Judge Toll did
was to hire nurse to take care of the
pretty little boy, for it 80 happened, sadly
strong enough to carry the baby and amuse
it all the time. The nurse was kindly old
lady, who had lived away down in the far
east, whore there were many baby girls and
some baby boys, 90 she knew about babies
and just how to take care of them.
This baby was very fond Of his nurse;
and he would lie in her lap and admire her
antique style Of architecture, or he would
pat her wrinkled cheeks and COO the sweet
est baby music imaginable.
This made Judge Toll very happy.
''How handsome the baby is,' he would
say to himself, land what great jurist he
will become!"
But one day the old nurse came to the
Judge and said: 1--WE must do something
for the baby"
The Judge was vastly astonished.
"You surely do not mean to tell me that
the baby is sick2'' he exclaimed.
''No, not exactly sick, - said the old nurse,
'sbpt he needs toning up. He is fat and
strong and contented, but there is kind Of
look n his eyes that tells me that he needs
..Then We will call the DOCTOR"
''There 10 no need Of that" protested the
old nurse. "The doctor would laugh at
You, and say that the baby was all right.
But know just as we'll as know any thing
"Well, then, what shall it be?" asked
hive syrup, belladonna2''
None Of them,'' answered the old nurse.
'.for they are all drugs, and the baby
doesn't need drugs. What he needs is
The Judge said nothing did not know
what to say. OF law, of politics, of mining.
of literature, and of other worldly things
he knew much, but of baby tones he knew
simply nothing
the old nurse. Nothing will tone up a
baby's system like catnip tea. Down in
Vermont an Maine an Mass chusetts they
always bring up their babies ON catnip tea,
an that's why their babies make such
smart men an women"
'But I thought catnip was something
cats ate, J" interposed the Judge.
Law me. an 80 1t ISL said the old
nurse, ''but it's just as likely living for hu-
man folks. Why, there's nothin' in the
world that'll tone up weak system like q
blessed child ,Pinin' for what'd be the
Il know nothing about it at ALL" said
Judge Toll, but il you say that the baby
needs catnip, will get some for him."
nip-into every drug store, every grocery,
and every DOCTORS Office, but not q sprig Of
it could he find anywhere.
"You will have to send east for it, the
druggists said-"it doesn't grow ont here in
Colorado
''Then send east for it willv' cried Judge
Toll. And 90 he did. That very night he
wrote to an old college friend in Massachu-
setts, informing him of his dilemma and
asking him to send forthwith goodly sup
ply OF oatnip, no matter how much it cost!
Well, in about three weeks time there
came along large express package from
the east, and when the judge opened it he
found that it contained forty-nine punches
of green catnip. Oh! how fresh and fra
grant they were, and how their green leaves
the arid plains and muddy rivers to the
ferny wild woods Of dear old Yankeeland!
1.-THE baby shall have catnip tea three
times day nowl" cried the judge.
Here's enough to last a year." said the
old nurse.
''i'll tell you what we'll do, we'n plant
some of these punches in the yard, an
whenever We need a few leaves for a tea
We can step out and pluck them. So we
will have an ever increasin' supply {
That's a good plan," said the Judge.
I'VE will plant these healing herbs at once.
premises"
That afternoon Judge Toll planted the
catnip herb in pretty rows in his front
yard. and thereafter carefully irrigated
them every morning and evening. It was
surprising how soon the plants took root.
and in less than seven days were az flour
ishing in their adopted soil as they would
have been ON the hills Of Vermont. When
ever the old nurse wanted to make q tea,
she stepped out into the yard and plucked
. A0W OotuAV Aedvc0p Dt06p0W tQo1U III QOt
water and there it was, as natural q catnip
tea % ever simmered on stove or trickled
down baby's throat. The catnip bushes
meanwhile thrived, and shot out fresh
sprigs and leaves, and their fragrance filled
the air for q great distance.
Uncle Seth Cooley, who lived ON Capitol
hill. one morning hobbled down to the Toll
place and leaned over tho fence and gazed
tenderly at the thrifty herb.
Jest as nat'ral a. ever, said Uncle Seth,
slowly and sadly, as his nostrils dilated.
s'Jest as nat'ral AZ whom NIFTY an used to
no huckla berryin' in the medder. near the
plum trees, out in Pelham. Say, jedoe, yon
wouldn't mind givin' me bookay on 'en1,
would We? I'd kind o. like to smell 'em and
take 'em homo to Nifty" And old Mrs.
Baxter came over from, 4ANj addition
and begged q .'bookayn's ~
softly over the coarse green leav1 - il ~
sight Of them awakened memories of tho
time when old Uncle Dan'l and abe started
ont in life together in . little frame cottage
rat Dummerston. ON the West river, iest
six miles FIN Brattleboro'." O, yea, the
Yankee folk came from all parts Of tho city
of Denver to ESQ that wonderful front yard,
70 pluck the catnip lsayes and to tell mar
vellous stories Of the cures the herb had
effected. And all this time the rows Of cat
nip kept growing and growing and growing,
and the fragrance went up and was waited
hither and thithef by the breezes.
A WaV mn ON ton of a Yerv hiQh mountain