The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-16
THE CATNIP GARDEN.

Once upon time there lived IN the bean
tifu city of Denver a certain gentleman 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 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.
Il will rear this little son to be a good
and great jurist," said he, "and 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, "and what q great jurist he
will becomei'
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 sick?" he exclaimed.
mo, not exactly sick" said the old
nurse, but he needs toning up. He is fat
and strong and contented, but there is
kind of look in his eyes that tells me he
needs a tonic"
"Then we will call the doctor"
There is no need of that" protested the
old urst The doctor would laugh at
you and say the baby is all right. But |
know Just as well as / know anything
that the child needs toning up"
''Well, then, what shall it be-" 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 toning up"
nc ulu lLOJ huOn
what to say. Of law, of politics, of mining,
of literature, and of other worldly things
he knew much, but of baby tonics he sim
ply knew nothing.
what the baby needs is catnip tea"
said the old nurse Nothing will tone
up a baby's system like catnip tea. Down
in Vermont an Maine an Massachusetts
they always bring up their babies on cat
nip tea, an that's why their babies make
such smart men an women"
But 1 thought catnip was something
cats ate," interposed the judge.
Law me, an so it is" said the old
nurse, ''but it s just as likely living for hui
man folks. Why, there's nothin' in the
world that'll tone up 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 l 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 it
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 l willp' cried
Judge Toll. And so he did That very
night he wrote to an old college friend in
informing linn of his diem
ma, and asking MIN to send forthwith
goodly supply of catnip, no matter how
much il 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. Obi 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 |
and.
THE baby shall have catnip tea three |
times day nowp' cried the judge.
Here's enough to last year." said the /
Did nurse.
Il tell you what we'll do, We'll plant /
some of these punches in the yard, an
whenever we need a few leaves for tea /
We can step out and pluck them. So we
viii have an ever increasin' supply"
That's a good plan" said the Judge
We will plant these healing herbs at
,nce, and they shall beautlfy and perfume
,ur premises"
That afternoon Judge Toll planted the
.atnip herb in pretty rows in his front
ard, and thereafter carefully irrigated
hem every morning and evening 1t was
how soon the plants took root,
md in less than seven days they were as
lOuriShing in their adopted soil as they
would have been or the hills of Vermont.
Whenever the old nurse wanted TO make
ca she stepped out into the yard and
tucked a few catnip leaves, stepped them
n hot water, and there it was. as natural
atnip tea as ever simmered on a stove or
rickled down a baby's throat. The catnip
,ushes meanwhile thrived and shot out
resh sprigs and leaves, and their frag-
ance filed the air for a great distance
Uncle Seth Cooley, who lived on Capitol
i'll, one morning hobbled down 70 the
oil place and leaned over the fence and
azed tenderly at the thrifty herb
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