Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-13
"OlD NASTY PARTICULAR. !"
BY GEORGE B. BURGIN,
Author Of The Judge of the Four Corners" Z
Copyright, 1896, by the Bachelor syndicate.)

Copyright. 1896, by the Bachelor syndcate)
Attention, Rear-rank man, dress up"
said old ca plain Doubleday, rapping Sc
verely on the gravel with his stick.
BE you meaning me, master, or tother
man?' inquired Gubbins, as he permitted
his spade to drop on the ground and de-
seconded from the majestic stiffness OF
military bearing to an agricultural atti-
tude more expressive of everyday life.
How often am / to tell your snapped
the captain. 1T is a soldiers duty to
obey, not to ask questions
well. bain't bloomin soldier" grim
ly snorted Gubbins. My names Gubbins.
A plain. blunt, self-made man 1 am
And very badly put together, too cried
the captain, with chuckle. Your re-
marks, Gubbins, are totally subversive OF
discipline. When you entered my service
as gardenei-, surely 1 had a right to pre-
sumo you would obey my commands with
out argument"
Gubbns reclined on his spade.
What's the good of being a man If
bair't TO argey?" he inquired. when you
says, Rear-rank man dress up l bain't
agoing to dress up. My working clothes
Is good enough for me any weekday.
Overcome by such Grass ignorance, Cap
tain Doubleday became purple with
apoplectic rage. but the sight of Miss
Priscllla's curls at the door of the semi
detached cottage Gained him at once. He
bowed gallantly in her direction and turn
ed toward Gubbins and the boy.
Attention, Stand ct ease. Break up,
and NOV the lawn" he shouted.
Gubbins interpreted the command literal
ly, and began to break up the lawn until
somewhat roughly restrained by the cap
tain. when he grumblingiy went away to
his tool shed breathing threats of san
culinary vengeance on "'Old Nasty Par
tIcular.
Thus left triumphantly on the battlefield
the captain, lightly carrying his cane. pro-
ceeded TO demolish a dandelion which had
had the impertinence to poke itself up
through the lawn. Then he watched his
prim rows of plants with an air of de-
light, which vanished as soon rs he per-
ceived a weed in the path. He removed
The weed. ground down the gravel with his
boot, brought a small roller, and care
fully rolled the path
Any gazing into odd Nasty Particu-
lars garden would have imagired that he
was playing a game of chess with the
plants. or else conducting a series of mill
tary maneuverS. with SunflowerS for SEN
tries and hollyhocks for forces. All the
snapdragons were scientifically reduced to
an exact height. and every stately lily and
sunfiower supported by long stick paint
ed green, which was driven in at the same
level. and at exactly the same distance
from a precisely similar one. The borders
of this little garden were regulated with
prim precision. 1t had no pleasant lux
uriance of blossom. but each plant was
permitted to put forth flowers of certain
number. and any criminal prodigality on its
part sternly cut short by the ever-yigilant
captain. His foes in the village said that
"Old Nasty Particular would have fixed
the visiting hours for the bees and but
terfiieS, and put up notice board forbid-
ding them to enter the garden at unauthor-
lied times, had sucn proceeding been feas-
ible.
lie detested cats and dogs in the garden
His only familiar was a fat, bloate1 cid
toad. which hoped out from hole in the
bank and waited with widalv-opened mouth
Until needless flies and bluebottles hur-
riedly Numbered ii.
GdDbinS era veiy declared that the CAP