The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-17

/ then, husbands never get any credit fer
anything they do"
Il should think" said one of the women
in the party, that even if it did cost
little more to raise your own vegetables
you'd feel repaid because then you'd he
sure of always having them fresh, crisp
and deliciously young and tender right
| from the garden, instead of hauled about
town for two or three days and sold from
a wagon"
l. "Humph!' exclaimed Thomas Angus
Ttus; Just gaze on the other side of tie
picture Not only is 1t great deal more
trouble to raise your own vegetables. but
| 1t is great deal more expensive Every
dlsh OF pease on our table has cost US
about dollar a half peck, when 20 cents
would have bought enough peas to last
us through the summer
Perhaps your family likes pease bet
ter than other people," suggested some
one, as peas" appeared to be the especial
object of his hatred.
No assured Thomas Augustus, ut
terly Indifferent to the humo- of the sit
uation, nobody but the person who has
tired knows how much time and money
1T takes to make a garden n success. L
work in the garden morning and evening
| never have time to stop at the club and
have game of dominoes or drink a bot
lie of beer. While everybody else is do
ing that l have to board a confounded
car and rush home to hoe and spade and
| grub and work. Oh. I'm the family man,
all right, all right
1T certainly agrees with you" said one
| of the party Il never saw you looking
SO WE'LL"
Even after giving up all my time to
| it" he went on, I'VE have to hire a
very expensive man to look after the
garden for as. and besides that an extra
man very frequently must be employed,
who charges 81 for himself and 81 for his
| horse and plow, and when YOU count It
all up and realize that the beloved peas
| you are eating have cost ycu about ST.
not cent less-for half peck. all your
roseate dreams of suburban life and
household economy receive a rude jolt.
In fact, 1t is anything but Come into
the garden. Maud affair | never
dreamed that little place, just city
| lot in the country, you might say, could
| cost so much and eat up money as ours
! has"
| II adore it," said Anastasia," and those
! little things can overcome when we have
| had the proper experience"
| II don't see how you are ever going to
| overcome such condition as having all
| of one kind Of vegetable rpen at the
same time" Thomas Augustus declared.
Last summer every blasted tomato in
| tho patch got busy and got ripe at the
same time and Anastasia actually had to
| buy a new cook book to find out how to
serve them. We had tomatoes raw, to-
natoes stewed tomatoes baked, tomatoes
| oroiled tomatoes and cheese, tomatoes
| and eggs, tor atoes fried. tomatoes
| picked, catsup-ed, tomatoes ad infinitum,
until l was afraid l was going to have
a tomato heart"
wish l had lived near you" suggested
one of the women, II just love tomatoes!"
well, you could have had all you
| wanted" said Thomas Augustus. we
| couldn't give them away to the neighbors
even, because they We're all in the same
boat, too"
But the best part of our life in the
/ country" Anastasia broke in, paying no
attention to Thomas Augustus troubles,
| SIS our poultry yard"
''Oh, yes" said Thomas Augustus. as
we started in that direction. You can sea
there hundreds of my hard earned capt.
| tai invested IN those fuzzy. feathered.
cackling, growing, foolish, fluffy things.
| They wake mo up before daylight, and
they screech all night long. and my life is
| one long, miserable. awful nightmare.
! Oh, it's terrible!'
As we started home, loaded down with
| all sorts of delicious fresh vegetables
which Anastasia had given us, we re-
marked upon the utter difference in
| tastes that existed between this seeming
ly mismated pair of people.
There's one thing certain and sure
said one of the women in the party,
whether Thomas Augustus likes the SIM
Pile life or not, / think he's got a pretty
| strong minded wife to combat, and l
think the odds arc On her, don't you''