Evening star., 1914-09-26

aunt Molly will talk about ne
neighbors for an hour. Go empty hand
ed. and the weather or her rheumatism
is all you'll hear about
And don't imagine that scandal is u
be had for the price of harmless gossip
If you want to know why John Smlti
left home, or why Percy ana Ma"I'
broke off their engagement, you'd pet
ter take a dressed chicken or han
or something extra fancy in the way u
a cake. A glass of jelly would nar9l!
get an admission from Aunt molly
that she ever heard of Mrs smith oi
even knew that Percy and Mamie "ei
''keepin' company"
Where does Aunt Molly get az tne
gossip and scandal she peddies! NAT
the question Jane asked when chance
caller was putting her next 10 sne
game. It's simple. when you take hu-
man nature-or the nature OF gossll
lovers-into account. Folks VINO IKE
to hear gossip also like to talk II, ano
those who trade with Aunt MOL! III
variably give up as mucn as theS
ceive in the way of news. SO her mouse
becomes a sort of neighborhood clear-
ing house. with toll from each custo-
mer toward its upkeep
Plans Of "Friend1y Neighbors."
There is to be a meeting of the
Friendly Neighbors Club" Wednesday
evening. at which the committee on
marketing is to submit report. We
have worked out and are going to ask
the club to adopt a scheme OF market
ing our produce, but we are not going
to give any hint of what the scheme
is until the meeting is convened.
Our committee knows that no matter
what scheme 1t proposes there is pound
to be opposition, but by Keeping the
scheme secret until the meeting is held
we will prevent any opposition being
organized. There couldn't very Well De
organized an opposition when the Or
ganizers didn't know what they were
going to oppose.
l don't believe there VIII De mucn
trouble putting our plan through, Tor
the issue that threatened at first to
cause a serious split seems to have
been removed. There is no longer any
insistent demand that We should start
doing business this fall. commit
tee, appointed by Jane and composed
largely of advocates of immediate ac-
ton. made a thorough canvass of the
neighborhood. and reported at this
weeks meeting that there would not
be enough produce to justify starting
business until next spring.
Having. as it were. taken the wind
out of their own sails, there was moth
ing for the ''progressives' to do but
accept the verdict; so the only ques-
tion remaining to be decided is as to
the method Of procedure. Our COM
mlttee InlnkS IL iS 50 wen loi lilieol
with arguments in support OF the plan
it will report that there will be MOTH
ing for the club to do but adopt it.
Garden Work Is Done.
1 spent several hours Tuesday after
noon oiling up my garden tools and
putting them away for the winter.
Garden work is done for this year. If
it wasn't for the chicken houses 1 am
building, I'm afraid I'd find time hang
ing heavy on my hands. OF course, 1
have the COW to milk night and morn
ing, except when Will Jarvis relieves
but I've been so busy this summer
that it seems like comparative idle
ness.
1 can't say that I look upon my first
years gardening as an unalloyed sue
cess. The harvest hasn't been at all
what 1 imagined at planting time it
would be. but on the whole / reckon
I have done as well as could be ex-
pected of a novice. We've had all the
fresh vegetables we could use at home,
with a small surplus to sell and give
lima beans and string beans and beets
and corn until frost comes. and I still
have my late potatoes to dig. There
ought to be enough potatoes to do us
through the winter, with about twenty
bushels to sell.
But my most valuable crop, aside
from the health of myself and my
family, has been experience. I'll plant
my experience with my seeds next
spring. and shall hope for an ample
return. E. S. NJ.