Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19


and ought to get us In strong with
whole lot Of people, but If he don't
quit know of one party whose repu-
tation as gentleman farmer is 60
Ing to be wrecked beyond repair. And
that's me.
i don't know whether 1T was Wees
auntie that started me out reckless
on this food -producin' career, or old
Leon Battou, or Mr.. G. Basil Pyne.
Maybe they all helped, in their own
peculiar way. Auntie's method. of
course, Is by THROWN out the scornful
sniff. 1t was while she was payin'
us months visit one week way last
summer out at our four-acre estate
on Long Island, that she pulls this
sarcastic stuff. Havin' inspected the
baby critical. without findin anything
special to kick about she suggests
that she'd like to look over the grounds.
oh. yes, Torchie," chimes in Wee,
do show auntie your garden"
Maybe you don't get that your gar
den.' Its only Wees way of playin'
me as useful and Industrious citi-
zen. Course, l did buy the seeds and
all the shiny hoes and rakes and
things, and I studied up the cata-
logues until / could tell the carrots
from the cucumbers: but must ad-
NIT that beyond givin the different
BEDS the once-over every now and
then and pullin' up a few tomato
plants that l thought was weeds I
didn't do much more than underwrite
the enterprise.
AS a matter of fact, 1t was mostly
Leon Battou, the Old Frenchy who
does our coollin that really ran the
garden. Say, that old boy would have
something green CROWN if he lived
in the subway and had to bring down
his real estate in paper bags 1t was
partly on his account. you know,
that we left our studio apartment and
moved out in the forty Ave minute
commutin' zone. Then, too, there was
Joe Clrollo. who comes in by the day
to cut the grass and keep the flower
beds slicked up, and do the heavy
spadin'. And with Wee keepin' books
on what was spent and what we got
you can guess / wasn't overworked
Also it's cinch that garden plot just
had to hump itself and make good.
Auntie amt wise to all this, though.
So she raises her eyebrows and re
marks: "A garden Really. should
like to see it. A few radishes and
spindly lettuce, l SUPPOSE"
Say, come have a look says T.
And when Id pointed out the half
acre of potatoes. and the long rows
OF corn and string beans and peas
and / hope called 'em all by their
right names--I sure had ~he old girl
hedgin' some. But trust her!
with so much land, though" she
goes on, lit seems to me you ought
to be raising your eggs and chickens
as we'll
ooh, we've planned for all that"
says |, ducks and hens and geese and
turkeys: maybe pheasants and
quail"
Quail" says Auntte. why. I didn't
know you could raise quail. | thought
when get started raisin' THINGS
says l, I'm apt to go the limit"
II shall be Interested to see what
success YOU nave, says She.
Sure" says l. Drop around again
next fall
you wouldn't have thought she'd
been disagreeable enough to go and
rehearse all this innocent little bluff
of mine to Wee, would you? But She
does. it seems. And of course, Wee
has to back me UP.
But, Torchy." she protests. after
aunties gone. How could you tell
her such whoppers?"
easiest thing I do" says + But
who knows what well do next in the
nourishment producin' line? Hasn't
old Leon been beggin' to go into the
duck and chicken business for
months? With eggs near dollar
dozen maybe it would be good
scheme And if we go in for poultry.
why not have all kinds, turkeys as
well:'
So a few days later I put 1t up to
him. Leon shakes his head. The
chickens and the ducks. yes: but the
turkey----' Here he shrugs his
shoulders desperate. "Je ne conuais
pals
You jennie WHAT" says l. "Ah
come, Leon. don't be u gutter"
He ayplainS that the WAYS of our