The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-11-11
back yard. He was questioned.

back YARD. he was questioned.
Garden" was his laconic response.
The next night he narrowed the
ground Then, he methodically made
beds and planted things, vegetables
and flowers, and set out bushes and
little trees. A few ones tried to warn
him Of Joe's rabbits, his pigeons, his
chickens. But gossip, aimed at him,
seemed to die on the lip The neigh
bors finally decided to let him get his
own experience. But they admired
him. Moreover, he was rather nne-
looking, and not a day older than
forty.
Name Jones tried to lure him into
a Irritation. But, to the Joy of the
interested, she did not succeed. He
was polite, that was all. As for Joe
he found no fault with the boy. But
one fine morning in May when he
found the pet rabbits had eaten the
tender tops from his urgrowings vege-
tables he stood thoughtfully That
night he fenced his place in high and
tight with A.aHea We 0, the finest.
closes, ra.iriy..
And the next morning as he went
to work, after getting his own break
fast Joe, safe on his own porch, cat
called at him and made a gesture Of
scorn. 1t was awful to be ignored
Used to raising trouble, Joe would
have preferred an open row to silence
and a fence
1t was not long thereafter that, in
some indescribable manner, the
Jones chickens got over the fence
miraculously, since they we're clumsy,
heavy fowls without power of fight.
They uprooted several fowerbeds and
gobbled of the tops of the peas, now
we'll above the ground. Reuben Farr
sowed more peas, and lifted the hens
over the fence.
That night he called on the widow,
casually as If in passing. She well
coined him on the porch, and bade
him smoke If he liked. He did not
talk more than a word or two, but
Name came out in white and impu-
dence, and inwardly much excited.
She wished her mother could learn to
know when she was not wanted. But
Mrs. Jones stayed, rocking interim
nably. When he rose to go she STAN
meringly mentioned the matter of the
chickens and the rabbits 1t was a
new thing to have neighbor who
did not resent things. She was so
sorry, but 1t was accidental, and
children must have pets, and so forth.
After a voluble discourse in her
pleasant Irish voice, Mary Jones, nee
Ryan, finished with her favorite Ut
of wisdom, Boys" she said, will be
boys"
Yes, Boys will be-boys," he said,
dryly. Then he went away uptown.
The next evening he added an ex-
ira foot to the height Of his fence.
The neighbors grinned, knowing
Joseph would simply consider himself
challenged. Natural history tells us
that the rabbit will bore It's way un-
der almost anything on earth. 1t
also teaches us that, like most use
less things 1t multiplies very rapidly.
There had been originally some seven
or eight rabbits. Now there were, 1t
seemed, dozens Of them. One night
they worked steadily, having some
how escaped from their alleged
hutches, and the morning found them
in Reuben's garden. They were keen
and hungry, and the young cabbages
and caulihowers suffered.
The presumably irate, but outward
ly calm gardner, let Mrs. Jones come
over, and, with the aid Of her off
spring, remove the offenders, still
nibbling. She was frustrated, and for
once her volubility failed her. Some
thing In the tall bachelors attitude
shamed her to a partial silence She
broke previous records by offering to
pay for the damage. She would buy
new plants for him. He said it would
be too late now-and he would use