Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-06-13
4 Il
Interrupted Ferns
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES o q i !; ! xstp 4 = (

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eff had not been interrupted this
morning, should have had the whole
long afternoon with you. Now l must
make a cake and"
what were the Interruptions? ask
ed Aunt Lucy with a smile, as she
gave her hat to her pretty niece and
sat down in the kitchen rocker. Il was
a bride once, you know"
81 never dreamed there could be so
many Interruptions" sighed Marion
Foss. "This morning had my sched-
ule before me, as usual, and had reach
ed 9:15, busting, when Mrs. Dodge ran
across the back yard and almost drag
ged me home with her. Just because
my mother was a nurse, she thought
ought to know better remedy for a
croupy baby than she-the mother of
four-and the doctor expected in
twenty minutes. When l got home
tried to make up the lost half hour,
but it was gone forever.
"Then, at 9:45, as I was sitting flour
for cake, Deacon Stone drove up and
presented a subscription paper for old
Mr. Rand who lost his only horse last
week. When he left, it was time to
get dinner for Harry comes home eV-
cry day exactly at noon. That is why
am making this cake at 1880 instead
Of at lis. I am sorry to have you
sit in this hot kitchen, but l love to
have you near me. Can you stand it?'
"Stand it," Aunt Lucy laughed. ut
is about ten degrees cooler today than
the day twenty years ago, when l sat
down and cried because | couldn't do
ten hours work in five. I, too, was
worrying over my Interruptions when
something feathery brushed my cheek.
I looked up into the face Of youKg
teacher who was spending the sum-
mer with friend of mine. Her arms
were full of ferns.
"'These are interrupted FERNS said
the girl. I am going to decorate the
north porch with them. Aren't they in
teresting?'
interrupted ferns!' I exclaimed,
thinking for moment she was MAX
ing fun of me. What are those black
things in the center?'
"The Interruptions, of course--the
fruiting portion the teacher explain
ed. NEARLY all ferns have the spores
hidden on the under side Of the fronds
but in this species they are very no
ticeable,' and she held up large fern
that | had always called a common
brake. Instead of bearing leaves, or
pinnae, as Miss Fulton called them,
all the way down the feathery part OF
the stem, this ferK had in the center
three pairs of very dark projections
that looked like blasted pinnae. And
those. Marion, were the spores, the es'
sential part of the fern.
"When I went back to my work
thought constantly Of the interrupted
fern. Was it possible that the inter-
ruptions that troubled me so deeply
were the fruitful part Of my life!
would not believe 1t at first, but IN
time | found it to be very often true.
And so, Marion, wonder it the thirty
minutes you spent with that distracted
mother this morning will not count Tor
more in your life than the removal OF
all dust from your house? And your
gift of money, I am sure, will DrlnS
more happiness to your unfortunate
neighbor than you and Harry could
get from your most delicious cake.
st wonder if the Interrupted fern
would grow under my pantry win
dow" said young Mrs. Foss, with
bright smile. 81 want one where can
look at it several times day."