Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-08-02
(By w. X. Putney in WOman's Maya
Zine.)

SnOuIQ tell you IudI IhS
Wv West Wind won a prize 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 Improvement Society would
give a prize for the best improvement
shown in back yards during the spring
and summer. She also told them that
one of the most interesting things to
do with back yard was to have
beautiful flower garden. In that way
they could make any back yard look
a hundred per cent better.
Bobby sighed when he went home
that noon because his back yard was
a very ordinary one and there was no
grass growing in it. but there were
lots of stones. The fence which sur
rounded it was high wooden one, and
sometimes it seemed as if the old bot
ties and tin cans and shoes grew
there in the yard overnight. So Bob
by did not think that in his back yard
it was possible to grow any flowers
at all.
I am not certain whether it was the
West Wind or the East Wind which
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 1 do know that it was the West
Wind which picked up little seed
from a garden across the way and
carried it into Bobbys back yard.
THIS little seed found itself in
nice shady place between a tomatoe
can and an old shoe. Soon after 1t
alighted there, a nice warm rain came
along and washed some dirt over 1t
so that it wasn't long before it un-
folded two little leaves and sent them
above the ground. The next day Bob
by wished to use piece OF leather
for a 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.
'Huhi" he exclaimed, Il should
like to know what kind Of weed that
is" and he went into the house and
told his mother about it.
well" replied Mamma, "even if
is only a weed, let us clear away a
little spot and loosen the earth so
that it may have chance to grow.
Perhaps it may amount to something
after all, anyway it will be lot OF
fun watching it day by day"
And so while Bobby was taking
the little plant, Mamma took an ordin-
airy kitchen fork and loosened the
earth around this plant. When she
and Bobby had finished their work
they looked around and it seemed as
if the other cans and shoes and bot
ties and stones had grown to be ten
times the size they were before.
''My goodness" exclaimed Mamma,
'let's get busy and clear up the rest
of the yard or this little plant will be
so ashamed of it's surroundings that it
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 af-
ter Mamma had done her work she
came out and said to Bobby, who was
finishing up the work he had begun
on Friday. do you know, Bobby, that
1 think we might try a little flower
garden and see how it would work. L
am sure this little plant must be lone
some, and it would appreciate some
nice company"
So Bobby took the shovel and he
spaded up a big bed. 1t 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 NAM
ma to plant seeds in.
After dinner Mamma sent Bobby to
the store IOr SOI10 S00uS duu hO SAhAS
back very much delighted indeed.
"Oh, Mamma" he exclaimed, Il
met Mr.. Jones on the way down town
and he said he had about peck OF
cannas which were not doing anything
and if 1 would spade up some more
so as to give them plenty OF room, he
would give the bulbs to me-"
well. isn't that NICE" replied Nam
ma. do you know, think that Aunt
Mary has lot of things that she will
send me by parcel post. I'll write to
her this very afternoon, because l 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 Nam
ma had finished planting them the yard