The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1897-08-07
A Frosted Garden.


the desolation that had been brought
by the first sharp frost. Everything
was killed. The lima beans hung limp
and black about their poles. Tomato
plants and sweet potato vines lay flat on
the ground and nothing could have
looked more desolute than the water
melon patch. Green melons, ranging
from the eize OF cup to the size
OF my head,-not very large to be sure
lay scattered about. connected here and
there by grey snake-like vines. walked
among them. overturning a melon here
with my stick and crushing one there
with my heel, till came to the lower
end Of the garden, where it opened into
the road; for the garden belongs 10 the
German people with whom 1 board and
is the old fashioned kind ia front OF the
house. 1t was made up Of flowers aud
vegetables and fruit trees, put together
without any order and was, even in its
best days, q curious sight. smiled to
zee that the house and the garden suited
each other better now than when the
garden luxuriated in marigolds AMI
touch me nots and cabbages and goose
berries. Now the gooseberry stalks
were stripped OF their leaves, the cab
bages had been stored long ago. and the
only flowers left were the Bachelors
Buttons along the path. These were as
erect and stiff as If the frost had only
Strengthened their wiry stems the more.
stopped at the gate, and leaning on
II, let my thoughts run loose. Strange.
ly enough l grew sentimental. The idea
OF an old bachelor like me being senti-
mental! l seldom am and l might have
known that. with my lack of experience.
my thoughts would stray into the foot
hills. and when came to the roundup,
would all stampede.
kept thinking that everybody's life
is like that garden. At the first frost
everything willis down and all the color
vanishes. The half ripe water melons
we're like the good deeds never finished,
while the dead flowers we're like hopes
blasted even in their blossoming. So l
went on in a silly fashion, trying to find
something in the garden to parallel
everything in life and something in life
to parallel everything 10 the garden.
Some OF my SMILES were stretched to
the utmost; some were SO absurd that !
blushed 70 myself in making them. But
kept on. knowing that probably l
would never write them down and that
il did, no one would read them.
was just beginning to tire OF these
thoughts when saw Dora, the daueh-
ter Of my host, standing iu the house
door with her knitting in her hands.
Seeing her, I could not resist the temp
tation to try one more simile. But l
looked around vainly for something
to which might liken her-that is, after
she bad encountered the frost. But
there was too much incongruity in lik-
ening the fresh rosy little girl to any OF
the faded flowers or frosted vegetables,
eharpened as my wits we're by recent
practice. couldn't zee any points Of
90 gave up in despair.
started down the road with feeling Of
being thwarted in my dearest wish when |
suddenly I stopped with a joyful inspir- |
alton. She'll be just like the Bache- |
lor's Buttons said aloud, shell he 80
we'll fortified against trials and disap-
pointments with her healthy body and
strong nerves that she won't notice the
trials after the first sting. She'll stand
up as straight and placid in her old age I