Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-17
Sunshine Garden
ing

| exclaimed Dorothy. IF there's no more
sunshiny work to be done, we may as
we'll give up our club"
We've had such good times, too
sighed Gertrude. There must be
something more We can do for some.
body
Edith sat looking dreamily across
the field The Sunshine Girls had ad-
journed their club meeting to the
grape arhor, for the spring day was
warm and summerlike.
DO you see a girl sitting upon the
/ piazza of Mr.. Whites house?' she ask
ed suddenly Her father has hired the
place, and they moved here last Satur-
day Her name is Beulah Tilden. She
seems very lonely. l suppose every
thing is strange to her.
i've seen her" volunteered Ger
trlde. she comes to our house to buy
milk. She is very plain. with horrid
! shade of red hair that pulls tightly
back from her freckleds face. You
don't think we ought to ask her to be.
long,"
why not?" laughed Dorothy. This
i isn't beauty club. Miss Wadsworth
has red hair and freckles and she is
lovely ....5 ... .-.'s
That's because she is Miss Wads.
worth. This girl looks very dull and
uninteresting," argued Gertrude.
We're looking for dull spots to
brighten" insisted Edith. why not
begin on Beulah's face by trying to
make her happier? She may prove a
treasure Perhaps she'll have few
sunshiny ideas. We need 'em badly
enough"
Lets go right over now and get &C.
quainted," proposed Dorothy.
i Getting acquainted was slow work
just at first. for Beulah was as shy as
she was plain looking When Edith eX-
planned about their Sunshine Club.
however, her face frightened wonder
fully.
And you really wish me to join? %
she cried. "Oh, I'd love to! We had a
Sunshine club in Brentwood. Leaving
that was one of the hard things, when
father decided to move ,
, please tell us what the Brentwood
girls did, demanded Dorothy.
I'VE did almost everything-made
patchwork iron holders. hemstitched
handkerchefs to sell, held entertain
ments and socials, hung May baskets
and sent flowers and postcards to in
. valids.'
so have we," laughed Edith. 1--WE
don't know of any next thing
81 enjoyed our surprise flower gar
dens most of ALL continued Beulah
Last spring we scattered hard flower
seed everywhere | remember an OLD
stump by the roadside that we filled
with dirt and planted with portulacas
, It was lovely when it blossomed We
had scarlet runner beans, California
cucumbers and morning glories climb
ing on old rail fences and covering w
stone heaps. Brentwood was a whole
: lot brighter because of our surprise
? gardens
> That's splendid ideal" cried Ger
trude Lets try it! Even clump o
sunfowers Nset in some odd corner q
the town would be pretty
GRANDMA Tilden saves all kinds o
; flower seeds. We will go over there
: for walk next Saturday. planned
Beulah. I'm sure she will give us some
seeds ~
"Beulah isn't dull, when you know
her" observed Gertrude, as they walk
, ed homeward
There aren't many uninterestins
! people IN the world when we know
! them" added Edith, wisely.
Y Dorothys twin, Donald and Ger
trude's cousin Richard agreed to hell
the girls with shovels and vince
8 barrow. Such fun as their sunshine
! gardening proved to be! Every desc
late nook and corner was their oppor
:. tunity. Margolds and zinnias sprant
up by the roadside; morning glorle!
clambered over the most unexpected
, places; peoples, petunias and larkspu
grew like wild flowers.
One turn of the curving country roat
revealed a clump Of goldenglows; un
der the willows there flourtshed some
hardy white phlox and tiger lille
= Edith's father had been glad to thil
7 out his overgrown flower beds.
|. The little creek beside the roat
y where horses were often driven dow
5 to drink was guarded by stout rail
: ing. Donald transplanted some wood
v bine and trained it over the posts
j where it soon made a green lear.
Y. screen. Among the stones where tn
y water trckled through, the girls plant
e ed blue violet roots. Later, anothe
S, spot was made gay with punches Of OK
eyed daisies.
Grandma Pratt's heart rejoiced in
a a newly spaded spot filled with brigh
- nasturtiums, bordered by sweet alys
sum. Old Aunt Elizabeth hobbled GU
each day to visit the gay poppy be
which the girls had made beneath ne
I. window
Such jolly fun exclaimed Ge'
trude one Saturday afternoon Whe
they were gathering wild flowers t
decorate the church for children
concert.
Were so glad, Beulah. that yo
didn't stay in Brentwood added DO
- othy. I'VE might never have thougf
tx of sunshine gardening if you hadn