The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1908-10-21

something to take the taste out Of
your mouth
I'm sorry can't offer you flower
for your button 'ole,' ses Bob, perlte-
ly, but it's getting so near the flower
show now l can't afford it. If you
chaps only knew wot pleasure was to
be 'ad sitting among your inherent
flowers, you wouldn't want to go to
the public house so often
"Bill Chambers did bit o thinking
as they walked up the road. and by
and by e turns to Joe Gubbins and
e SEES:
"'seen anything O. George English
lately, Joe?'
Yes, ses Joe.
"'Seems to me we all ave. ses Sam
Jones.
None of 'em liked to say wot was
in their minds, aving all seen George
English and swore pretty strong not
to tell his secret, and none of em
liking to own up that they'd been dig
ging up their gardens to get money
as ed told 'em about. But presently
Bill Chambers SEES:
without telling no secrets or
breaking no promises, Joe, supposing
a certain 'Ous was mentioned in a
certain letter from forrin parts wot
'ouse was it?"
Surprising it was So ses Joe,
careful, too; the second 'ouse count.
ing from the Caulif1ower.'
"'The ninth ouse, you mean ses
Henery Walker, sharply.
"'Second 'ouse in Mill Lane, you
mean,' ses Sam Jones, wot lived there.
Then they all see 'ow they'd been
done, and that they wasn't, in a man.
ner o. speaking, referring to the same
letter.
while they was talking who should
come along but George English his
self!
Evening" he ses, but none of 'em
answered i'm; they all looked at Hen
cry to see wot e was going to say.
"'Wot's up? ses George, in sur
prise.
Gardens ses Henery.
$50 I've card ses George.
'He shook, is cad and looked at
them sorrowful and severe at the
same time.
Mark my words ses George Eng
fish, speaking very slow and solemn,
therell be no blessing on it. Whoever's
made is fortune by getting up and
digging is garden over won't get no
real benefit from it. He may wear
black coat and new trousers on Sun
day, but e won't be Apply. I'll go and
get my little taste O. beer somewhere
else e ses. I can't breathe here
He walked off before any one could
say word; Bill Chambers dropped is
pipe and smashed it, Henry Walker
sat staring after i'm with is mouth
always one to take advantage, drank
is own beer under the firm belief that
it was Joe's.
81 shall take care that Mrs. Paw
lett ears O. this ses Henery, at last
"'And be asked wot you dug your
garden up for ses Joe, and ave to ex-
plain that you broke your promise to
George. Why, she'd talk at us for
years and years.
"'And parson 'ud preach sermon
about it, ses Sam; where's your
sense, Henery?'
eve should be the larfing stock
for miles round ses Bill Chambers
If anybody wants to know, dug my
garden up to enrich the soil for next
year, and also to give some other chap
a chance of the prize
ONE next day, an er voice got that
squeaky with surprise it was painful
to listen to her. All the chaps stuck
to the tale that they'd dug their gar
den up to give the others chance,
and Henery Walker, e went further
and said it was owing to a sermon on
unselfishness wot the curate 'ad
preached three weeks afore. He 'ad
a nice little red-covered 'ymn-boolz
the next day with From a Friend
wrote in it.
"All the gardens but one was worse
than Bob's The only better garden
was Ralph Thomson's, who lived next
door to i'm, but two nights afore the
flower show is pig got walking in it's
oiCCp. NdlpA Sdlu ~ was {, lily SIcIy
to i'm 'ow the pig could ha' got out:
it must ha' put it's foot through a
hole too small for it, and turned the
button Of it's door, and then climbed
over four-foot fence. He told Bob
e wished the pig could speak, but Bob
said that that was sinful and unchris.
tian of i'm
There was quite a crowd on flower
show day following the judges. First
of all, to Bill Chambers astonish-
ment and surprise, they went to is
place and stood on the 'eaps in is
garden Judging 'em, while Bill peeped
at 'em through the kitchen winder
'arf crazy. They went to every gar
den in the place, until one of the
young ladies got tired of it, and asked
Mrs. Pawlett whether they was there
to judge cottage gardens or earth
quakes.
Everybody 'eld their breaths that
evening in the schoolroom when Mrs.
Pawlett got up on the platform and
took slip of paper from one of the |