Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-08

, the empty fire place, and long grasses
stood in old-fashioned f1owet vases on
the mantel and on several small
tables.
Thank you for being prompt, and
wearing the color Of nature" she said
smilingly; land now we will have a
look at the new baby calf and some
chicks that have Matched since you
were here. Come to the barn and see
Dobbin, who is in party dress too"
Eagerly they followed her out, and
shout went up from four happy chill.
dren as the gentle old horse thrust out
his head from the stall, for it was
crowned with an immense wreath of
grass and daisies, while garland en-.
circled his neck.
Then they admired the sleek, red
calf and the downy little chicks, and
proposed names for all the newly.
come residents of Aunt Abbie's farm,
until Aunt Abbie said they must come
in and have supper.
The children expected to see more
grass decorations, and had decided
that the party" would be an affair of
curious edibles. SO they were surprised
to see loaves Of brown bread, snowy
white biscuits, great platter of as
paragus tips on toast, a corn pudding
! that looked like giant baked custard,
and dish of stewed chicken sur
rounded by rice balls, each of which
bore tiny tree of parsley in the mid
die. Around the glass tub of butter
balls stood circle of barley sugar
cows, horses, sheep, and donkeys, with
tiny cards, each bearing the name OF
one of Aunt Abbie's guests, attached to
them by green ribbons.
II was afraid said Aunt Abbie,
that you would have very scant sup
per with nothing but chicken, grass.
fed chicken at that, so had rather
a large dish, as you are not grass
EATERS" and she looked around quiz
zically.
ooh, but I like corn pudding. It's
a southern dish we used to have last
summer when we went down to Vir-
GINA to see our southern relations"
said Charlotte.
And you like it? Dear me. that's
strange! you know it's made Of grass!'
I'LL take some rice" said Bob and
Jimmy
And some asparagus, said little
Agnes.
But they are all grass" said Aunt
Abbie. Everything here is made from
grass-some of the grass family, mean
except the chicken which was fed on
corn
"Corn's not grass" said Jimmy.
ooh, yes; and the milk and butter
come from eating grass, and the sugar
animals are made from barley and
sugar cane-all of the grass family 1t
is pity! There is desert, too, of the
same kind-griddle cakes with golden
syrup-not our own Vermont maple
syrup this time. What shall we do
about it," Aunt Abbie looked about
rather forlorn1y, until little Agnes
cried:
"rll tell you! Well all be grass
eaters and eat all the good things!"
Everybody laughed, and then, as
this seemed a good idea, they all began
to eat the good things with keen
appetites.
After supper Aunt Abbie took the
piece of sugar-cane, the spears OF as
paragus, and the other things from
the table and showed them how they
all resembled each other in construc-
ton.
"see the joints in the sugar-cane,"
she said. Nov examine the grasses,
the asparagus, the corn-stalks, and see
if you do not see likeness"
Four heads bent down over the diff
ferent things she had enumerated,
and there was silence for several min
utes.
II know! Some are alike in the
seeds. some in the leaves, some in
the-the"-
Fruit" ended Aunt Abbie. Il see
Bob has a keen eye"
my! the grasses and the corn-stalks
and the asparagus stems all have
Joints" cried Charlotte" and look.
Aunt Abbie, the joints are all hollow.
THAT is another point Of resemb-
lance that makes all Of these things
grasses. Is there anything else?"
1.-THE way the leaves shoot near the
base of the stem, as in this blade OF
grass" exclaimed Jimmy. See, the
corn does 1t, too; and what is that
Agnes is watching in that glass thing
he broke off to question.
That's rice. got little from
sea captain who was here not long
ago." said Aunt Abbie.
'T see something too," said little
Agnes, proudly 1.-THE little hard
things all have little coats around
them"
The children laughed, but Aunt Alb
bic said Kindly
"Coats Is a very good name for
them, my dear. They are husks, and
they show the kinship of rice and corn
and wheat and barley. 1t is big fam
lily. isn't it:'
"And we are all Of us grass-eaters.
after all, just as much as Dobbin,' said
Jimmy, thoughtfully.
eyes" replied Aunt Abbie. The
grass family feeds most of the people
in the world either wholly or partly
In China it is the general food In the
form of rice Here we have 1t IN
breads of various sorts and in oatmeal
and other cereals
'T always thought eating grass was
sign OF stupidity said Bob. be
cause the cows and sheep and horses
eat 1t. Whew!"
"They are clever in the uses they
put their grass to, too" said Aunt
Abbie.
"HoUo" asked all her visitors to-