The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-30

Minna became desirous Of making a
garden Of her own, and the man pre-
pared a small bit Of ground for her.
She desired to raise just such vege-
tables as she preferred to eat, and her
favorite was asparagus, which requires
several seasons to develop. However,
the farmer, whom by this time she had
come to call Joe, made an asparagus
bed for her and procured the roots.
One morning she went out TO the gar
den and saw these roots lying by the
bed intended for them. They looked to
her like Medusa's hair Of snakes.
She supposed she should plant them,
putting them in so that the snakes
should grow up in the air. When she
was finishing her work Joe came
along and, looking down at her plants.
began to laugh.
whats the matter?" asked Minna
anxiously.
you've planted them roots upper
most" was the reply.
This was Minna's FIRST effort at
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 a
warm rain she looked out through her
window and saw, or thought she saw,
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 first 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 upr'
"And there are your string BEANS"
said Joe pointing.
Minna went to her bean bed and saw
9 queer looking something pushing
aside the earth above It. $500.
"Why, its like a chicken trying to
get out Of its shellw she exclaimed.
What We produce ourselves, or; rath.
er, what we put nature In 4 Way to
produce. gives us a 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 If 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 bedsT
They do," said Joe. weeds grow
wherever there is ground for them to
grow on. 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 a 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 a college pro-
fessor than a simple countryman. One
day when he was telling her how
plants breathe through their leaves, ab.
sorbing oxygen and giving out carbon.
she looked at him astonished and ask
ed him where he had learned that.
Joe turned away, putting his foot on
his spade to hide the fact that he had
forgotten himself, letting out some
thing that he had not intended to di.
vulge
But Minna, having had a peep at
what was stored up In Joe's brain, was
not to be denied further view. She
told him that she would like to hear
more Of that sort Of thing" as abe
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 It, 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 a gentleman In a
tweed suit ana straw hat in the gar
den directing some youngsters who
were plucking the fruits of joss labor
She was not near enough to detect the
4enteman's lineaments. but he had
does walk. Minna went out to inves-
tigate. As she approached the man
directing the gathering Of the veeeta-
bles turned, lifted his hat and bade her
good morning.
No xx-aa To-