Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-07-25

And when they were arranged TO her
satisfaction, and square of bright rag
carpet tackled down in the centre of the
room, Miss Ferobia felt as happy as a
king.
She was too tired after her days work
to do more than take cup Of tea and
retire to rest. But comfortable nights
sleep on the old fashioned square-posted
bedstead restored her energies, and for
the next few days she was as busy as a
mailer over her preparations.
Lem Dodson was hired to pillow the
"trucll- patch, COW with young calf
was bargaincd for, and few fowls of
the Plymouth Rock and Dorlling species
were purchased and were soon cackling
vigorously around their new quarters.
After little more help from neighbor
Dodson, and a vigorous use of the hoe
on Miss Ferobias part, the ground was
in readiness for planting, and the am
bilious market-gardener sat up till long
past her usual bed time looking over her
stock of seeds, and selecting those re-
quisite for immediate use.
There might still be late frosts, she re
Elected, as such tender plants as beans
and cucumbers, summer squashes and
nutmeg melons, would be better out of
the ground than in it for few days to
come.
But bcets and lettuce, spinach and
marrowfat peas and rutabagas, would
stand anything short of regular freeze,
and might be safely planted at once.
And, late though she sat up, the first
pink flush of early dawn did not find
Miss Ferobia mapping the next morning,
nor for many mornings to come.
She was up with the birds, aud after
a hasty breakfast out she sailed, and
hoed and raked, weeded and trans
planted, till her back ached and her fin
gers grew sore and her nose frecklcd and
/ her checks tanned. But gardening is
hard work, at best, and though Miss
Ferobia laborcd with a will, the grass
and weeds would creep in here and there
in spite of her vigilance. The purslane
-.'pusly" she called it-and horse-net-
ties grew faster than her butter head
! lettuce or white spine cucumbers.
Then the weather was not always pro-
pitious, and her first planting of sugar
corn and early rose potatoes rotte1 in
the ground.
But Miss Ferobia, nothing daunted,
rcpIanted the vacant rows with later va
reties, and in due time the seed sprouted
and gave every promise Of luxuriant
crop.
But from that time Oh it was, as the
little woman declared, "tussle' be-
tween herself and the weeds.
While she was hoeing her cabbages and
kohl robes and wedding her silver-skin
onions, the cookie burrs and wild morn
ing glories were flourishing among her
sweet corn and potatoes.
She worked early and late, however,
to eradicate the tenacious interlopers, and
finally succeeded in accomplishing her
task. When 10! one unlucky night Far
mer Nubbinss pigs forced their way
through a broken panel Of the fence, and
played havoc among the growing crops.
Small wonder, indeed, if our heroine
lost her temper at last, and pelted those
pigs with clods, or whatever came handi-
est, and even whacked one of them across
the snout with the hoe handle.
But with all her efforts it was late in
the day when the last one of the maraud-
ers was disposed Of, and the fence patched
up, after fashion.
Il will say here, in parenthesis, that 1
do believe a woman could vote, and even
10, =,
as well as a man, under some circum-
stances. When / say ''under some cir
cumstances," | mean if she were not
hampered by prejudiced and unreasona-
BILE colleagues. But when it comes to
patching rail-fences, the least said about
womans capabilities the better)
However, Miss Ferobia's workmanship,
if not exactly artistic was sufficiently in
genious to prevent further inroads in
that direction.
But for some reason, from that time on
the Fates seemed to turn cold shoulder
on her efforts.
The rabbits feasted on her early York
cabbages aud marrow-fat pease, the
striped bugs worked destruction on her
cucumbers and Cassava melons, the Colo
RADIO BEETLE devastated her potatoes, and
squash bugs ate up her Boston marrows
and patty pan squashes. The foxes,
minks, owls, and hawks, to say nothing
of opossums and weasels, thinned the
ranks of her young DorkiDgs and Ply
mouth Rocks; aud, to make matters
worse, her COW turned out to be a
Jumper" and brought disgrace on her
self and trouble to her mistress by daily
raids on Farmer Nubbins's corn-feld.
This was the last straw, aud, like the
mythical camel, Miss Fero5ia broke down
under it.
"There amt no use tryin', as l see, "
she lamentei do!efully as she set out her
one cup aud saucer, in readiness for her
tea. "a lone woman don't have no
chance at all
San here I've spent all my money,
an my garden amt wuth shucks. And
Timothy, hell say he told me how
'twould be, and that I'd better o mar
ried Jason Smallweed. And | almost
b'lieve-I-would-- No, | wouldn't,
either l won't take up with crooked
stick, if l be nearly through the woods
-"
"Evenin', Miss Feroby," interrupted a
CHEEKY voice, and there, framed in the
doorway, stood Felix Byeield, smile
frightening his honest, sun-browned
face.
Miss Ferobia shook hands with her
visitor, and drew forth a chair for him,
with secret iuttering at her heart as
she remembered her sister-in, laws insin-
uations.
But Felix was evidently bent on max
ing himself agreeable.
IAN so you've struck out for your
self, he observed. "Gittin along first
rate, l opinc. You must show me your
garden"
Il haven't got no garden, an you
sha'n't see it, declared Miss Ferobla,
inconsistency. "lt's all cho1ed up with
weeds--I couldn't keep EN- out. An
! what with tie bugs, an rabbits an pigs.