The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-02-23
On Flossiie' S
Advice

I'm sure | don't know. / bought
both kinds of bulbs and they got
mixed, and now every bowl has some
flowers with yellow centers and some
that are white and everybody tells me
a different story about which is which.
But that doesn't matter nearly so
much as the rest of It," Young Mrs.
Tomlinson sank into her wicker chair
and began to arrange the delicate tea
cups, and after that she uncovered a
pile of cheese sandwiches.
1T is all lovely" exclaimed her
friend. "All-tea, cheese, sandwiches
and flowers / am cold and hungry,
so hurry the tea, and do tell me what
Flossie said that wasn't true"
None of it was true-about the
bulbs" declared young Mrs. Tomlin-
son, sternly, And she started ME
on them, you know. She was here last
summer when we gave our rubber
plant to Aunt Sophie because Harry
said 1t was too big to live with and
it go, for it was the only thing l ever
made grow, and have spent a for
tune on ferns and various kinds of
plants. They die the minute | touch
them. So Flossie suggested bulbs.
They were quite cheap, she told me.
"'Just get some cheap, plain glass
bowls said Flossie, and you can
gather enough pebbles this summer to
fill them. Then get the bulbs-at rs
cents dozen-and you have flowers
for the entire winter. Plant them two
weeks apart and then keep them in
the dark for two weeks. In six weeks
they bloom and you can keep taking
out your bowls as the old flowers die
1t sounded delightful, so l decided to
try it.
THAT was in July. We were going
north for the rest of the summer, SO
just made note of it and watched
for pebbles. Whenever we were in
swimming or were walking by the
lake l made everybody pick up peb-
bles for me. Harry said his pockets
were full of stones ell summer long,
and he got awfully mad once because
emptied the cigars out of a new
cigar box to put stones in, though |
covered up the cigars and they weren't
hurt a bit.
81 brought back four boxes of stones
perfect beauties, blue and white and
yellow and pink. Then l began to
look up bowls. Flossie said the bowls
would cost almost nothing at all, and
1 began to look for plain glass bowls.
The cheap ones were dreadful pressed |
glass things and the only pretty ones
were 81 each, so I got two of those
and then looked at pottery bowls.
Harry says that there's where l lost |
my head, but-I looked on the bowls
as an investment. And l got some
beauties. They cost more than the
others, but thought they were worth
the money, and the Japanese clerk
was such dear about choosing them.
"Then got the bulbs. And instead
Of costing 25 cents dozen they were
three for a quarter. Flossie said
went to the wrong place, but 1 didn't
know that, and | had bought six
bowls, so l had to have plenty of
bulbs.
About October l began to set
them out so they would begin bloom
ing about November Is. l never have
got over this part of it. Harry has
always given his cigar boxes to a
leighbor boy and he came over to
play in our basement one day and
,ound my pebbles in those boxes and
brew them all into the alley!
Harry wasn't at all sympathetic.
He simply refused to go and gather
more pebbles by the lake, which he
night have done to save expense, and
10 had to go back to the bulb store
Ind buy little ugly, commonplace
stones for ten cents quart.
Il finally got one bowl started in
he dark in the coat closet. There
Harry found it before it was a week
I'D and spilled it all over the silk ,
apels Of his new tuxedo. OF course,
lis tailor could fix that, but he insists
N counting it in as part of the ex-
,ense. He never seemed to care for I
ny bulb ambitions.
THAT bowl was broken, and of
curse it was the incest, and the little
ender sprouts were harmed, so I had {
o begin again. l took all the things
tut of the closet and had the janitor
nut up some shelves, and it didn't cost
much and was splendid place for the
,ulbs.
But all winter Harry has said that
lie hasn't been able to find a thing
n its proper place. He quieted down
bit after the bulbs got to blooming
until he got his newspaper in bowl
me night, and then you really should
ave heard him rave, though it was
ust his own carelessness.
"Of course, have learned lot
bout bulbs. tell Harry that next
ear, since have my equipment,
will go much better. 1t is
n investment, you see. so l must go
IN, for there are only the bulbs to
uy.
"If you ever want to try them, dear,
ONE to me, or ask Harry We know.
70 have another sandwich"