Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-09-18

Grandfather had a large garden,
which he took care of every summer,
although he was getting to be almost 80
years old. He raised pota toes and corn,
tomatoes. peas, beans, radishes, cucum-
bers, onions, and melons, too-great,
big, juicy watermelons, and delicious
brown muskmelons, and all the people
round there liked to buy grandfather's
vegetables, because they were so fresh
and nice.
"You aren't going to be able to take
care of garden this year, are you,
grandfather? one of his neighbors had
asked him early in the spring.
ooh, yes," grandfather answered. eff
l keep as well as am now, 1 don't see
any reason why l can't have just as
good garden and just as big one as l
had last year."
well, am glad you are SO well" !"
the neighbor answered; "but don't see
how a man Of your age can do SO much
work"
Roy will soon be quite a help
grandfather answered, fondly patting
the head of his little grandson, who was
standing beside him.
Roy felt very happy over grandfath-
er's speech, and when the neighbor had
gone, he climbed up on the woodpile
and sat down to think over what he
could do that would really help grand
father. He didn't come to any conclu-
sion about it that afternoon, but he
kept thinking about it every day, and
at last he thought of fine plan.
He had been playing grocery that
morning, and going to mother and
grandmother for orders, and then deliv-
ering the groceries, which were clean
chips, and stones, and empty boxes, in
his express cart that father had given
him the Christmas before The cart
was of iron, and was very light and
strong, and large enough for Roy him
self to ride in. When he took orders
he had to let mother and grandmother
write out the list of things they want
ed on his slip Of paper. Roy could
write his own name, and "boy" and
"dog" and ''cat," and several other
words besides; but he hadn't the least
idea of how to spell ''molasses'' or ''cu-
cumbers," or even ''soap." OF course,
soap is a short word, but it had an
"a'' in it that Roy would never think
of putting there if somebody had not
told him about it.
Roy was watching mother write out
the list of groceries that she wanted
from his store, when his new idea came
to him. "Motherv' he exclaimed. "why
can't l take orders for grandfather's S
vegetables? 1 can let the folks write
what they want on paper, and then I
can take the vegetables to them in my
cart. Grandfather says he wouldn't
mind the work in the garden so much,
If he didn't have to deliver the vegeta-
bles afterwards" And Roy's flushed
cheeks showed how much in earnest he
was.
AS they lived in village and all the
neighbors knew Roy, mother told him
that he might try.i it. So, as soon as the
first radishes and lettuce were ready,
Roy started out. Grandfather wrote
at the top of his paper the kinds of
vegetables that he was ready to sell,
and the customers wrote their names
and the vegetables that they wanted.
Then, every morning during summer,
Roy's express cart was to be seen upon
the streets, and he was the busiest and
happiest boy to be found.
Grandfather called him his junior
partner, and said he believed the let
tuce looked crisper and the tomatoes
redder, in order to make a better show
ing in the gay little express cart.-Her-
aid and Presbyter.