Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-11-22

side of the church.
4 He ordered the men to carry TIT
cut potatoes to the field and shoy
the girls how to plant and cover
but as soon as they had done doz
en- hills to return st once. Il
was bit Of thoughtfulness on tn,
part Of the Squire, ard the girli
appreciated it, for what novice like
to work under the eyes Of an ak.
pert /?
When the Squire rode by To
field on the way to the village N
was watching a young horse Of h,i
in a pretty sharp manner, but he
took in the whole scene on the
south slope, and, to tell the truth,
he felt q bit ashamed that he had
not put his hand in his pocket and
helped the church out, for he could
have done it five times over and
not felt il in the least but that was
not his way, and be comforted him
self With the thought that the girls
were better of out Of doors than
they would be in the house.
At sbe end OF week the field
was planted, and the girls did cot
have to work all the time either.
But, nevertheless, they heayed q
sigh Of relief when the last hill was
planted. The Squire came out and
viewed the field, and declared that
the work was we'll done As FOR
the hired men, they asked each 9th.
er 10 the same breath what the
world was coming to.
Il was fortnight before the DO.
tatoes were we'll up. and three week
before 1t was necessary 10 scratch
the field over with hoe; but at
the end ofthe third week Miss Kins.
man received a note from the Squire
stating that an enemy was n the
Ian that all the tPoops should be
pushed TO the front; In other words,
that tho potatoes needed to be hosd
and the weeds cut OF. 'Weeda ase
Tie bad habits. said tbe Sq
with mock seriousness, when The
girls arrived, once allow them to
get a firm hold, and they arc terri
bic things to root out.
lntermina5le seemed the rows
which the girls nov began to weed
and bill up, bat patient industry,
day after a day, for a week accom-.
plished the task. Their bs. ks ached
aud their hands we're blist9red. bat
thee we're country girls, aud The
work in the end did not DO then. a
particle Of harm.
The girls had scarcely flushed
the hoeing, however, when the sec.
ond summons came from the Squire,
stating that another enemy had ar.
rived on the field Of battle.
II was true. The potato bugs
had descended upon the potatoes
by the tens Of thousands. Paris
green would soon have yanquished
the enemy, but much to the chagrin
OF the girls, the Squire declared,
with his hooking smile, that It was
wicked to put even an insect to
death with slow poison. Pick
them of and bring them to me, he
said, and | will chloroform them
or put them out Of the way in some
humane manner
So pick them of by ones the
girls did though it seemed as though
their backs would break before they
had finished.
Meanwhile the weeds we're ob.
tainining fresh hold. In word,
1t was one continual round Of weed
ing one week and picking off bugs
the next until the middle OF Sep
TEN Der.
II was hard work, but the girls
had the satisfaction OF knowing
that they we're keeping their enc
mics at bay, and as result there
ives not a potato patch in the whole
town that began to come up TO it in
thrifty appearance.
At length the tops began TO turn
yellow, and finally died altogether,
and it was then they began to dig
the crop.
For the frat day or two it was
real fun to dig the great. smooth
Neauties, and as one girl remarked,