Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-15
How the West Wind
Won the Prize

you That the west VIVA Wou d ~ HS
that was offered in school? That does
seem queer, doesn't It, but let me tell
you the story.
One day when Bobby was In the sixth
grade. Mrs. Smith came into school and
told the pupils that the Village I'M
provement society would give a prize
for the best improvement shown IN
back yards during the spring and sum-
mer She also told that that one OF the
most interesting things to do with
back yard was to have beautiful flow
err garden. In that way they could make
any back yard look a hundred per cent
better
Bobby sighed when he went nome
that noon because his back yard was a
very ordinary one and there was no
grass growing in 1t, but there were iots
of stones. The fence which surrounded
it was a hieh wooden one. and some
times it seemed as if old bottles and
tin cans and shoes grew there IN the
yard overnight. So Bobby did not think
that in his back yard 1t was possible
to grow any flowers at all.
I am not certain whether 1t was the
West Wind or the East Wind Whlch
was listening when Bobby came home
and told his mamma about the prize
that Mrs. Smith said the Improvement
society was going to give somebody:
but I do know that it was the west
Wind which picked up little seed from
a garden across the way and carried 1t
to Bobby's back yard.
This little seed found itself in a nice
shady corner between tomato can and
an old shoe. Soon after it alighted there.
a nice warm rain came along and wash
ed some dirt over it so that 1t wasn't
long before it unfolded two little leaves
and sent them above the ground. The
next day Bobby wished to use piece Of
leather for hinge to the cover of his
tool chest. He couldn't find just what
he wished until he happened to think
that out there in the back yard was
an old shoe from which he might cut a
piece of leather just about the right
size. So he went out and picked it up,
and as he did so he noticed two little
leaves sticking their heads above the
ground.
HUH" he exclaimed. II should like
to know what kind Of a weed that is"
and he went into the house and told his
mother about 1t.
"Well,'' replied ma NINA, even II it Is
only a weed. let us clear away little
spot and loosen the earth so that 1t may
have a chance to grow. Perhaps it may
amount to something after all, and,
anyway, it will be lot of fun watch
ing it day by day."
And so while Bobby was taking away
the rubbish that surrounded the little
plant, mamma took an ordinary kitchen
fork and loosened the earth around this
plant. When she and Bobby had finish
ed their work they looked around. and
it seemed as II the other cans and shoes
and bottles and stones had grown to be
ten times the size they were before.
my goodness" exclaimed mamma.
Tets get busy and clear up the rest Of
the yard or this little plant will be so
ashamed OF its surroundings that 1t
will hang it's head and not grow at ALL"
Bobby laughed. but he got out the
rake, and that afternoon he had gath
cred together three wheelbarrow loads
Of rubbish which he took to the dump.
The next day was Saturday, and after
mamma had done her baking she came
out and said to Bobby, who was finish
ing up the work he had begun on Fri
day. DO you know. Bobby, that I
think we might try a little flower gar
den and see how it would work. I am
sure this little plant must be lonesome,
and it would appreciate some nice COM
pany."
So Bobby took the shovel and spaded
up big bed. It was brave work for a
little boy like Bobby to do, and he
stuck to it pluckily, so that when dinner
was ready he had bed about ten feet
long all ready for mamma to plant
seeds in.
After dinner mamma sent Bobby to
the store for some seeds and he came
back very much delighted indeed.
20 mamma" he exclaimed, II met
Mr.. Jones on the way down town, and
he said he had about a peck of cannas
which were not doing anything and if
I would spade up some more so as to
give hem plenty Of room, ne would
give the bulbs to me-"
swell, isn't that nice" replied man.
ma. do you know. I think that Aunt
Mary has a lot Of things she will send
to me by parcel post. I'll write to her
this very afternoon. because I am sure
that she will be more than glad to let
us have them"
wish that you could have seen that
garden after the things which Aunt
Mary sent had started to grow! Bobby
didn't have much spare time for two or
three weeks, because Aunt Mary had
sent so much, and when he and mamma
had finished planting them the yard
was we'll filled except for the space that
they left for the clothes reel and some
paths between the flower beds.
Bobby |as so we'll pleased that he
told his teacher about this. and the
about the prize that the Village I'm
provement society had offered. His
teacher thought. Of course. that he
wished to enter the contest. and so
she put his name down on the paper
so that the visiting committee might
go and see his garden during the sum-
mer.
Just before the Fourth Of July, after
school had closed, Bobby went up into
the country to visit Aunt Mary, as he
did every summer. At first he was wor-
ried for fear mamma might have to
work too hard in taking care Of the
garden, but at length he arranged with
two Of his chums who lived near by
that they might have all the flowers
they wanted and third Of the bulbs in
the fall if they would keep that garden
watered and weeded while Bobby was
away on his vacation.
Three times during the summer the
flower garden committee of the I'm
provement society visited Bobby's back
yard. and tell YOU they were pleased
with what they saw. So in September.
when Bobby went back to school. he
was very much surprised one day to
have Mrs. Smith come into the room
and announce TO his teacher and class