Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-10-19
THE MEAN MAN OF new JOPPA.
BY Joseph EdEar chamberiln.

straight withes before him.
Smell was confronting the dog and
eyeing him sharply. The animal
crouching and barking, did not dare
TO leap upon him.
Bars,ow few into a rage in an in
slant
What are you doing here, you
scoundrel?7 he shouted at Smell.
Maybe I am a scouudrel,~ Smell
answered; and ! have come here for
two purposes. One is TO prove that ]
did not girdle your apple trees and
the other IS TO save them"
At this last Barstow had a certain
change Of feeling. Save girdled
trees: he SAID increduIously.
Yes"
1T can't be done
= can DO it. Meanwhile come
with me, + will show you who
girdled your trees.
Barstow hesita-ed. He was angry,
and did not believe q word that Smell
had said. But the man had already
started toward the girdled orchard,
and Barstow, Walter and the growl-
ing dog followed, eyeing suspiciously
every move that Smell made.
On the edge Of the orchard Smell
threw down his bundle Of withes.
Bending over q girdled tree, he said:
Look closely at this. Don't you
see little fine crisscrossing lines
where this glrdling is done? What
sort Of an AZ do you suppose I did
that with? Perhaps you don't see
what should you say this isl"
He picked up from the dry grass
round the foot Of the tree some wads
and tufts Of finer grass.
What do these look like" he
asked. What DO they smell like"
A good deal-like-mice nests, -
said Walter, slowly.
so they do said Smell. Let's
look at some more trees
He led the way. The girdIed spaces
on all the trees showed the fine mark
inEs Of the teeth Of mice.
One would not be likely to see
them unless he bent down closely.
Round all the trees were evidences
that the mice, during the very severe
winter that had passed, had nested
there il large numbers, attracted by
the shelter Of the trees and the thick
tufts Of grass that had been left
about them.
If you had studied and practised
horticulture as much as I have, -"
Smell went on, You would have kept
your young orchard titled, and would
have hillei NJ round your trees for
the winter with little hills Of earth
packed down with the fat Of Z hoe.
That would have protected them
from the mice
Barstow said nothing.
And nov, said Smell, "wsu save
them"
He brought his bundle Of sticks
In the midst Of it he had wrapped up
q pot Of grating wax; and out Of his
pockets he drew a chissl, q hammer
and pruning knife.
Approaching one Of the girdled
trees, he took z stick from the bunch
Of withEs, which were really scions
from his own apple trees, each one
about IS thick as his finger, and cut il
into three pieces. Each piece was a
little longer than the width Of the
strip on the tree which the teeth Of
the mice had barred.
4 know what your trees are" said
Smell. There's hardly z fruit tree
planted hereabout that I don't get
acquainted with sooner or later. The
trees seem rather more friendly with
ne than The people, somehow"
Walter WINGED notlce2bly. His
father said nothing.
And I've cut these strong young
scions from my own trees, which are
good ones, Smell went on. Now you
viii see what ! shall do"
He sharpaned each, Of the three
scions At each end into the shape Of a
wedge. Then. he drove his chisel
into the wood Of the apple tree, Just
at the edge Of the bark, in three
places on the lower side Of the CIR
de" and in three corresponding
places on the upper side Of il. Next
he set the wedge-shRped end Of one Of
his scions into one the Sits 1t the
lower side Of the girdIe. and sprang
the other end into the corresponding
slit ct the upper side.
This made z sort Of living bridge
over the bare giTdled portion OF the
tree. He proceeded TO put in the
other two cuttings in the same way,
and then carefully covered their ends
with grating wax.
Now, said Smell, "the sap will go
up into the tree through those
bridges, and viii 20 down again That
is all the tree wants. The old cen
tral stem VIII rot away some time,
but these bridges will grow until very
likely they will come together. But
il doesn't matter whether they ever
come together. The tree viii live
and thrive Just the same.
SilRs BaTstow and Walter followed
Shells movements with open eyes
and mouths. Even the dog seemed
TO be interested. Smell went TO an
other tree, and declared that this one
needed only two bridges. He put
them in and waxed them. Another
tree had been gnawed upon only one
SIDE, and needed but one bridge.
All through the orchard the man
went, rapidly whiting and chiselinE
and waxing. putting three bridges
into every badly-girdled tree. The
hours went by. SilEs and his son
went Up TO the barn to finish the
chores, but came back again as soon
as they could, 10 watch silently the
strange operations Of the hOrticul-
turist
= guess he knows what he's
about, the father had said to Walter
at the barn. Anyhow, the trees
were killed, and he cant kill EN- any
deBdsr. 'Twon't DO any harm to let
him work
There. said Smell, when, at about
half mast twelve o clock the last traa