The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-11

as it should with SUCH care S he gave al his
flowers.
His little granddaughter, Elsie, often wept over
these failures watered them with her tears, IN fact,
and bemoaned their loss if they had been live
pets for she had been reared just like them IN the
long, sunny greenhouse. and had known other
home.
But Elsie at any rate, had not been failure,
for she was q sturdy, bonnie plant rosy and fresh
as dewy pansy in the morning and she sang like
bird all day, consolIng her old grandfather Tor the
loss of many flowers; yet she often saddened
when she thought of his poverty and ycarned to
find a way TO relieve it so that e>would not have
10 toll so constantly and worry ceaselcssly She
blamed the sol in the greenhouse.
Ut may be the SOIL said Mr.. Herold. 81 can
not tell Yet 1 have tested it often, and it seems
good It's fun of bacteria"
What's bacteria, and what good Is II" asked
Elsie.
Bacteria are very tiny things 50 small that it
needs mighty good microscope to sec them. and
they look like little rods. They alive, and they
take nitrogen which Is gas, from the air, and
leave ii in the earth rs nitric acid FOR the plants to
use as food. They tremendously useful little
things. and have only known about them for
few years; in fact, don't know much about them
yet"
perhaps" unused Elsie eve have got the wrong
kind of back-bac1-what do you call emf
Bacteria Well there seems TO be several kinds
and maybe we've managed, with my usual luck, to
have got weak sort" replied Grandpa Herold.
perhaps these are lazy!' said the girl laughing
Il will try to get load of some other earth and
inoculatc the soil here
why, that sounds like vacenatng it," cried
Elsie
Its exactly the same thing" said he a soil
containing other or better bacteria will act Just
Ike yeast in dough and spread Il through il new
life. But hardly know where to get it, and / have
s no money nc added, sadly
At that moment verX old man IN ragged clothes
knocked the glass door pecring IN at them eagerly
and shivering Elsie aud opened the door
quickly letting III blast of cold air that made her
sliiver. also. The old man rubbed ms hands as he
looked about him and IN trembling tone asked the
child for something to cat
we have nothing but bread She replied: Il
viii give you some OF that, but we nearly Us
poor as we can be-.
You are warm in here. and that's great deal :"
said the old beggar, smiling at her. Il am thank
fu 20 get bread. let ne tell you, for have eaten
nothing for nearly week"
Elsie ran quickly for the bread. for she feared
that an old max who had eaten nothing for nearly
a week might tumble over at any moment. She
had gone once without food Tor whole day. and
that was terrible, she thought what must it feel
like TO starve for seven days.
Now. when she brought it. the old man ate with
some difficulty and not nearly eagerly as a
starved man would. she thought. but she laid that
10 his age: and she could not help wondering that
he smiled genialy at her all the tune
The fact was, that The old man a great and
wonderful wizard. who spent his time discovering
and rewarding kind children, and he was so de-
lighted at finding tbs rosy-cheeked, merry lass that
he couldn't conceal his JOY. When he had disposed
of large piece OF bread with great difficulty, he
said:
"Now VIII journey on, but thank you for your
charity and hope you will be rewarded in some
way"
But" intercepted Grandpa Hegold. you can't