Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-07-10

planting and, since asparagus does not
grow in the earth like potatoes, Joe
righted them for her. After that she
relied more on her preceptor and made
no other such serious mistake.
While dressing one morning after
warm rain she looked out through her
window and saw, or thought she saw,
q faint line Of pale green where she
had put in her radish seed. Hurriedly
finishing dressing, she went down.
stairs and ran out to her garden. True
enough, there were the little green
points peeping from the surface.
This was Minna's 6rst sight Of some
thing coming from seed that she had
planted with her own hand, and she
was delighted. Looking up. she saw
Joe coming, with the garden tools on
his shoulder. and, running toward him
clapping her hands, she cried out as
though announcing some happy event:
my radishes have come upP
"And there are your string BEANS"
said Joe pointing.
Minna went to her bean bed and saw
a queer looking something pushing
aside the earth above 1t.
why, it's like chicken trying to
get out Of its shellr' she exclaimed.
What we produce ourselves, or, rath.
or, what we put nature In way to
produce, gives US very pleasurable
sensation. When Minna went out to
her garden early one morning and with
great care pulled up half a dozen
bright red radishes she was more de-
lighted than II she had received q leg
acy. Taking them into the house, she
put them into water In a little cut
glass dish and gave one at breakfast
to each member Of the family. No NOR.
sci prepared by an experienced cook
ever pleased her palate as did that
radish.
Minna was used to seeing Joe work.
Ing in his garden and often noticed him
wedding. Her own little tract did not
seem to need wedding. At this she
wondered.
"Why is 1t, joe" she asked him,
that no weeds grow in my bedsf"
'They do" said Joe. weeds grow
wherever there is ground for them to
grow on. I think that some fairy god
mother comes In the night and takes
them all out of your beds"
This was the first thing he said to
his pupil that sounded different from
what might be expected Of rustic.
Minna looked at him inquiringly, but
he stopped to use his trowel and she
did not see his face.
From this time Joe began to give
Minna bits Of information about agri-
culture that surprised her. They sound
ed rather as coming from q college pro-
fessor than a simple countryman. One
day when he was telling her how
plants breathe through their leaves, alb
sorbing oxygen and giving out carbon,
she looked at him astonished and ask
ed him where he had learned that.
Joe turned away, putting bis foot on
his spade to hide the fact that he had
forgotten himself, letting out some
thing that he had notaintended to d.
vulge.
But Minna, having had peep at
what was stored up In Joe's brain, was
not to be denied a further view. She
told him that she would like to hear
more of "that sort Of thing" as she
expressed 1t, and Joe began the un-
folding of processes Of nature. making
1t all perfectly plain and often Illus
trating what he told her by the plants
themselves. During the spring and
early summer Minna was listening to
'fairy tales Of science" and, though
she was not aware Of 1t, was becoming
interested In the story teller as well
as his tales
When the crop was ready to be gath
cred, one morning Minna, looking out
from her room, saw gentleman In q
tweed suit and q straw hat In the gar
den directing some youngsters who
were plucking the fruits Of Joe's labor.
She was not near enough to detect the
gentleman's lineaments, but he had
Joe's walk. Minna went out to inves-
tigate. As she approached the man
directing the gathering Of the vegeta-
bles turned, lifted his hat and bade her
good morning.
He was Joe.
Well, to make long story short, Joe,
who was Joseph Crosby, recent grad
uate and assistant professor at Win
terton Agricultural college, when Mr..
Gregory's advertisement appeared was
looking for a vacant plot Of ground 10
cultivate for vegetables. Intending to
do the work himself, he had appeared
In working costume and had not taken
the trouble to reveal his identity.
Minna was much confused at remem-
bering that she had called one who
was entitled to be addressed as pro-
fessor by the familiar name OF Joe,
but she was much delighted at discov-
erirg that he was an educated gentle
man. She married Joe, and when her
first baby came her husband said that
there was only one other thing that
had as much delighted her-her hrst
crop Of radishea