Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-05
THE CATNIP GARDEN.

too, 1he JuuSe was FAMED Tor MS goodness
and his learning. In fact he was so good
! and so learned that one Christmas eve
! Santa Claus came and brought him a sweet
| little baby son.
The judge was very proud.
81 will rear this little son to be a good
and great jurist, 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 so happened, sadly
enough, that the baby's mother was not
strong enough to carry the baby and amuse
it all the time. The nurse was a kindly
old lady, who had lived away down east.
where there were many, many baby girls
and some baby boys, so 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 would pat
her wrinkled cheeks and COO the sweetest
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 becomer
A'Ao OaiC way ILt nurse came To l1e
judge and said, eve must do something
for the baby
The Judge was vastly astonished.
You surely do not mean to tell me that
the baby is sicks" he exclaimed
NO, not exactly sick said the old
nurse, but he needs toning up. He is fat
and strong and contented. but there is a
kind of look in his eyes that tells me he
needs tonic"
Then we will call the doctor"
There is no need of that, protested the
old nurse. The doctor would laugh at
you and say the baby is all right But 1
know just as well as l know anything
that the child needs toning upH'
well, then, what shall it hee' asked
Judge Toll. "Paregoric, squills, castor
oil, hive syrup belladonna?'
None of them" answered the old nurse,
''fOr they are all drugs, and he doesn't
need drugs. What he needs is toninC up. -
The judge said nothing-he 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 sim
ply knew nothing
"What the baby needs is catnip tea, -
said the old nurse. Nothing will tone
up baby's system like catnip tea. Down
in Vermont an Maine an Mass chusetts
they always bring up their babies on cat
nip tea, an that's why their babies make
such smart men an women
But / thought catnip was something
cats ate interposed the judge.
Law me, an so it isl said the old
nurse, but it's just as likely living for hui
man folks. Why, there's nothin' in the
world that ii tone up a weak system like a
bowl of strong catnip tea. l hate to see
this blessed child pinin' for wha d be the
maxim of him
Il know nothing about it at ALL said
Judge Toll, 'but if you say the baby needs
catnip will get some for him"
Judge Toll went all over town for catnip
into every drug store every grocery and
every doctors office, but not a sprig of il
could he find anywhere.
"You will have to send east for it, the
druggists said; lit doesn't grow out here
in Colorado"
Then send east for it | willr' cried
Judge Toll And so he did. That very
night he wrote to an old college friend in
Massachusetts informing him of his diem
ma, and asking him to send forthwith a
goodiy supply of catnip. no matter how
much it cost
Well, in about three weeks time. there
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 and assertive odors took one back
across the arid plains and muddy rivers to
the ferny wild woods of dear old Yankee
landl
THE baby shall have catnip tea three
times day nowr' cried the judge.
Here's enough to last a year" said the
old nurse
II tell you what well do, well 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 good plan" said the Judge.
1--WE will plant these healing herbs at
once, and they shall beautify and perfume
our premises. p"
That afternoon Judge Toll planted the
catnip herb in pretty rows in his front
yard, and thereafter carefully irrigated
them every morning and evening 1t was
surprising how soon the plants took root,
and in less than seven days they were as
fourishing in their adopted soil as they
would have been on the hills of Vermont.
Whenever the old nurse wanted to make a
cCo ouc otcppcd OUT lnGo bHe YARD ana
plucked a few catnip leaves, stepped them
in hot water, and there it was as natural a
catnip tea as ever simmered on a stove or
trickled down baby's throat. The catnip
bushes meanwhile thrived and shot out
fresh sprigs and leaves, and their frag-
rance filed the air for great distance.
Uncle Seth Cooley, who lived on Capitol
hill, one morning hobbled down to the
Toll place and leaned over the fence and
gazed tenderly at the thrifty herb.
Jest as nat'ral as ever" said Uncle Seth
slowly and sadly, as his nostrils dilated
Jest as nat raj as when NIFTY an | used
20 go huckleberryin' in the medder, near
the plum trees, out in Pelham. FAY, jedge,
you wouldn't mind givin' me booksy on
'em, would We? I'd kind o. like to smell
'em and take 'em home to NIFTY" And
old Mrs. Baxter came over from Evans
addition and begged ''bookay," too. She
cried softly over the coarse, green leaves,
as II the sight Of them awakened memories
Of the time when old Uncle Dsn1 and she
started out in life together in little frame