Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-09-02
BOBBY AND BETTY GET
LESSON ON THE SNOW
One Wanted Il Every Day and One
Wanted Never to See Il
Again, But

my. how / hate this old snow"
complained Betty as she came stamp,
ing into the kitchen covered with the
fast falling fakes.
I'm all wet with 1t. ! wish It would
never snow or rain, or do anything like
that to spoil my Sunday haiti"
Just like a girl" returned Bobby
sneeringly. Never likin' anything
that is worth likin'. This here SNOW
is just fine. Just as soon as it stops
I'm going out to clean off our walks
and Mrs. Brown hollered over and
told me to do hers and she's give me
a quarter.
so this old snow, as you call it,
Will put that much in my savings bank,
anyway, and maybe more.
Then after supper us boys are 60
ing to the hill on Greer e n with
our sleds. o, boy! Give me snow
every day in the year!"
Mother smiled indulgently. "Chil-
dren, children" she said. "You are
both wrong. Betty is wrong to hate
the snow, and Bobby, you are wrong
to wish for snow all the time"
Gee, you're funny, mother" said
Bobby. I'VE can't both be wrong
She thinks just the opposite from what
l think, so one of us must be right"
"Well, you both agree that you like
bread and butter and jam, don't your
Yes, indeed, Said Bobby.
"Yes," assented Betty.
"Well, If Betty got her wish and
there was never any snow or its
equivalent; and if Bobby got his wish
and there was snow all the time,
neither of you would ever get any
more bread and jam, or much else to
eat"
I don't see that" said Bobby. Betty
kept silent, knowing that her mother
generally knew what she was saying.
"All right" said mother, cheerfully,
Lets discuss Betty's proposal first
never have any more rain or snow
again, as she said. Her Sunday nat
would not be spoiled by the wet, but
I'm afraid something much more i'm
portant would be spoiled. Can either
of you guess what?"
Betty blushed at her own thought
lessness as she answered: "The
gardens and crops, of course. I did not
think of them"
They are tolerabIy important,
though" aren't they?"
'They surely are" admitted Betty,
"the most important things in the
world"
well, how does this heavy snow
help them?"
Il know" cried Bobby. SIT makes
the ground moist and when 1t melts
the water trickles down through all
the little cracks and is stored under
the ground for the roots of the plants
to go down and drink in the spring
and summer"
And" put in Betty, eagerly, some
Of it runs into little .rtverlets if it
melts too fast to soak into the ground.
And the riverlets run into creeks and
the creeks run into the rivers, and
there Is always rich soil around the
creeks and rivers and more food can
be raised there than other places"
Right" said mother to both. BE
sides it covers up the winter wheat
and nourishes it and protects it from
hard freezes so that we will have
plenty of bread. And it soaks around
the roots of fruit trees, so the trees
will draw lots Of sap and we will have
something from which to make Jam
for u bread. The winter SHOWS and
spring rains give the sap that makes
our fruits ripe and juicy, and food
products mature and attain perfec-
ton"
II did not do much thinking, moth
err" admitted Betty, ashamed Of her
words.
well I'm a regular NUT" confessed
Bobby. "You need not tell me what
would happen'if I had my wish about
snow every day in the year. / a
see 1t now-no fruits or vegetables or
anything'at all to eat. Pm willing now
to take my SHOWS in the winter and
my sunshine in the summer in the
good old-fashioned way. But as long as
there is a good nov today I'm going
to hustle out to see what I can earn,
for I only need another dollar to get
another War Savings Certificate and
SO I'll be saving money at the same
time the snow is saving fruit juices
and things for us. Put on your old hat,
Betty, and come along"