Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-10-23

ouppOSluB IL was SO, SeS JUG,
careful, too; the second 'ouse count
ing from the Caulifower.'
1.-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.
so 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
lish, speaking very slow and solemn,
there'll 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 'appy. 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
wide open, and Sam Jones, who was
always one to take advantage, drank
is own beer under the firm belief that
it was Joe's.
Il 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 a sermon
about it, ses Sam; where's your
sense, Henery?
1--WE should be the larfng 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
chance Of the prize
Mrs. Pawlett and the parson came
'ome 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-book
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 its
sleep. Ralph said it was a mystery
to i'm 'ow the pig could ha' got out;
1t 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 a 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 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 caps in is
garden judging 'em, while Bill peeped
at EN- 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 tnat
evening in the schoolroom when Mrs.
Pawlett got up on the platform and
took a slip of paper from one Of the
judges. Then Mrs. Pawlett put 'er
glasses on her nose and just read out,
short and sweet, that the prize OF
three soverelgns and a metal teapot
for the best-kept cottage garden 'ad
been won by Mr. Robert Pretty.
'You would 'ardly think that Bob
'ud have the cheek to stand up there
and make speech, but e did. He
said that IL q told 'em all ed done to
make sure o. the prize they'd be sur
prised. He said that ed been like
Ralph Thomson's pig, up early and
late.
HE finished is remarks by saying
that e was going to give tea-party
up at the Caulifiower to christen the
teapot, where ed be pleased to vel
come all friendB.S II IA