Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-09-19
THIS AND THAT
BY C. T.. TRACEWELL,

/ anu wonder or EStey alley.
| We have 10 officers of that rank,
you know, but there is only one who
is universally known as the Major.
What will the Major do next?" is
the question asked each morning by
residents of our alley, charming spot
in the valley.
| Before sunset that day tho ques-
| ton is answered, for the Major is a
fast worker. Somewhat hard boiled
in the field. I'll bet. at home he turns
TO his garden.
Since Spring he has made a typical,
long, narrow Washington back yard
into d wonder place, gladdening not
only his own heart, but the hearts of
! all his neighbors. who garner the re-
| suits Of his labors gratis.
| a cat may look at d king, ii is said
| So the rest of us look at the Major
! garden, with it's pergola, brick floor
arch, trellis, birdhouse, flowers, vines
! i X =
! The Major is the only householder
! in Estey alley who did things right
! The rest Of US contented ourselves
with turning over the red clay, maybe
putting in bit Of humus, sowing
| grass seed. depending upon nature to
| do the rest.
| That nature did pretty we'll by US
goes without saying. There, but for
the grace of God, goes John Wesley.
said the great reformer. as he saw a
man being led away to the gallows
| Some sort Of grace, indeed, watched
over our back yard gardens this
/ Spring and Summer
The Major, however. left nothing to
| nature; or better, he gave nature the
proper help. fixing his entire back
| yard so that all nature had to do was
| roll out of bed in the Spring and get
! to work.
! The Major dug up his entire yard
! to the depth Of two feet. just as the
| garden books tell you to. For days
| on end n" seemed Z man without legs.
/ a. he dug away at his yard. coming
! out Of his trenches now and then to
smoke Il cigarette in contemplation or
! work tione and work yet to do.
! Loads of fresh black earth and fer
! tiliZcr were mixed in we'll and poured
! into the trenches. Foot by foot the
} Major went over his entire yard leav-
ing not a square inch unimproved.
| Before the birds were up the Ma jor
| was at it. digging away as if his very
life depended upon it.
| Now when he gets that done, we
are going to see something we sad.
x X X (:
What was our Amusement, nay, hor-
ror. when the Major started hauling
back the large rocks which previously
| he had dug out Of his yard. When he
hauled the rocks away VIC sympa-
| thized with him.
/ Our yards. too, has been full of
rocks. which with much effort and
| painting we dug up. pried loose, cart
, ed away. The Major had spent hours
doing the same thing.
Now he was hauling them all back
again.
We'll. what on earth" every one
breathed.
Looking out the windows that morn
ing. we saw the Major building
stone walk, several stone walks, IN
fact. He was sinking the small boui-
ders into his enriched earth, making
paths through his garden.
By the time he had this done. con-
siderable space. was gone for flowers
Between the paths his flowers were
planted Slate borders set them OF.
Now what would he do?
We did not have long to wait.
The next morning there was pile
of sand and cement in the majors
! back yard.
Before the humming bird unwound
his dew damp wings for its trial
flights the fiower-loving soldier was
up and at it.
He was making a concrete some
thing or other, as the forms attested-
While this was setting more lumber
appeared in the yard. a trellis took
shape to go on the end of the
garage.
Then came hours of polishing the
new concrete. buffing il with more
care than d jeweler spends on his
gold.
The end supports for a pergola
went up on the concrete end. Cross
| beams were curved across the top.
This was a delicate operation, during
| which the Major consumed many
! cigarettes.
Phidias. chipping statues out of
marble. never looked upon his labors
with any more interest. 1t was a
joy to see the Major sit down for
space, cigarette in hand. regarding
his bandiwork.
He built the rest just as he had
fixed his earth-according to Hoyle,
in a first-class, work manlike manner.
There is no north wind that will
blow that pergola down.
! From its brick floor TO its end
pieces, 1t StdNuS lOuTSQudTe 10 al
the winds that blow" Gems from
The Prince of Pilsen," whistled by
the ajor, heralded its completion.
x x X
Painting the pergola came next.
Maybe the Chinese arch down the
walk was next, in reality, but the
strict chronology of this garden is
not the thing-what matters is the
idea of work we'll done for the love
of it.
Let man do work in which he
delights, it will shine out. There
will be something there that CLEANS
from inanimate bricks or concrete,
or sounds forth from march or waltz.
or is read between the lines. When
man does what he can it is we'll
enough, but when he does what he
can do because he loves to do it
it is much better.
The Major is a good soldier, we all
know. No man who builds back
yard like his out of red clay can
help but do his best wherever he
is put.
Such peoples as the Major had
were the envy of the entire neigh
borhood.
Just look at his poppies and then
look at ours sighed many an anna
teur gardener.