The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-07-10

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'
"AAd 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 it.
why, it's like a chicken trying to
get out of its shelll' she exclaimed.
What we produce ourselves, or, rath.
er, what we put nature in a 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 it, Joe," she asked him,
"that no weeds grow in my bedsY'
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 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 college pro-
lessor than 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 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 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 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 and 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 tnves-
tigate. AS she approached the man
directing the gathering of the vegeta-
bles turned, lifted his hat and babe 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 to
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-
boring that she had called one who
was entitled to be addressed as pro-
lessor by the familiar name of Joe,
but she was much delighted at discov-
ering 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 first
crop of radishes.