Natalie: A Garden Scout Part 14

Before sundown that day, three beds were on the way to producing their vegetables. One bed was planted with tomatoes and one with cabbages, the third was used for beets and radishes-plants which had been kept in the cellar from the evening before.

"To-morrer we will git the other beds done and you'se kin seed 'em down wid all you'se wants to raise," said Mr. Ames, as he mounted the old buckboard and prepared to drive home.

"Oh, Mr. Ames!" called Natalie anxiously. "Do you have anyone who drives to the Corners to-night, or in the morning, so they might get our seeds from the mail?"

"I'm goin' in m'se'f t'-night. Yeh see, Si Tompkins has sort of a country-club meetin' at his store every week on this night, an' I hain't never missed one!" bragged Farmer Ames.

"What do you do at the meetings?" asked Natalie wonderingly.

"Oh, mos' everything. Lately it has be'n all about the damp cold season, an' how we are goin' to get our truck goin' ef this weather keeps up.

Some of th' farmers exchange advice on matters. Then when the weather ain't bad, we talks about polerticks. That old League of Nations kept us fuming fer th' longest time! But now that it's dead, we let it bury itself."

Both Natalie and Mrs. James laughed appreciatively at his explanation, and the former added: "Well, if you will only bring our seeds, if they have arrived, I won't dispute your rights to argue on politics."

"That I will, and gladly," returned the farmer as he drove away.

Natalie turned to Mrs. James and asked whimsically: "Did Mr. Ames mean he would gladly argue politics with us, or gladly bring the seeds back?"

"He meant both, I'm sure," laughed Mrs. James.

But he did not appear again that evening, and Natalie wondered why not.

Mrs. James laughingly replied: "Because he, most likely, is the speaker for the night's meeting at the store."

Although this was said jokingly, it was exactly what occurred and detained the farmer from driving home until after ten. As the farm-house was dark at that time, he decided to take the package of seeds home and deliver them in the morning when he put in his appearance for work.

The farmerettes were ready for him, when he finally drove in at the side gate. Natalie watched eagerly as he got out of the vehicle-she wondered if he had the seeds.

"I got th' seeds, ladies, but I be'n thinkin' about them pertater seeds what my brother told me about las' night when we druv home from Tompkins' Corners. Yuh hain't got no pertaters figgered on yet, have yeh?"

"Laws no! I forgot all about potatoes," exclaimed Natalie, using Rachel's favorite exclamation when amazed.

"Well-no harm done," returned Mr. Ames. "My brother has a reputation fer growin' th' best pertater seed in the state, an' he says he kin spare yuh about a peck, ef yuh let him know at once. I allus gits mine of him, an' my crops never fail."

"A peck! Why, Mr. Ames-a peck of seed will plant that whole field!"

cried Natalie, nodding to the big buckwheat field that adjoined her farm.

It was the farmer's turn to look amazed now. He glanced from the speaker to Mrs. James and back again. Mrs. James laughed and said: "Did you think potato seed looked like our other seeds?"

"Of course,-doesn't it?"

Then Farmer Ames threw back his head and gave vent to a loud guffaw. His Adam's apple jumped up and down in his throat as he gasped for breath, and his under lip came near being drawn out of sight in the suction caused by his gasp.

"Wall, ef that don't beat the Irish!" exclaimed he, when he could speak again. "Mebbe we'll have a few other surprises to give Miss Natalie afore she is done farmin'."

"I haven't a doubt of it!" retorted she. "But just now you might explain about potato seed."

"How much seed would you have ordered for a patch of ground about six beds' size?" asked Mr. Ames instead of answering her request.

"About a pint,-maybe half a pint would be enough."

Rachel had heard the farmer's loud laughter and having learned the cause of it, she decided to spare her little mistress any further ridicule. So she got an old potato from the basket and, having washed it carefully, went to the door.

"Oh, Natty! Ah say, Mis' Natty! Come right heah, Honey."

Natalie turned and smilingly nodded at Rachel; then excused herself to Mr. Ames and ran up the steps of the kitchen porch.

"See heah, Chile! Don' you go an' show your ig'nance about farmin' in front of dat country-man. Now watch me, Honey, an' den go back an' play yoh knew it all dis time! Let Mis'r Ames think yuh was funnin' him."

Rachel then took the large potato and showed it to Natalie. "See dem leetle dimples in diffrunt places on its skin? Well,-dem is called 'eyes,' and when a pertater gits ole, dem eyes begins to sprout. Every sprout will make a pertater vine, so farmers call dem eyes 'pertater seeds'-see?"

"Really! Why, Rachel, how interesting!" cried Natalie, taking the potato and studying the eyes.

"Yep! An' what's more, you'se kin cut a pertater what has f'om two to six eyes a-growin', into pieces so one big pertater will plant as many vines as pieces you cut outen him."

"This potato has five big eyes, Rachel," said Natalie, counting carefully.

"An' bein' a great big pertater, I kin cut five pieces-watch me."

Rachel then deftly cut the five sections and handed them to Natalie.

"But it isn't bestes to cut so many slices, cuz the sap leaks out and that loses a lot of de power to grow a st.u.r.dy plant, Natty. When pertaters is plentiful, we gen'ally cuts 'em in half-an' the skin pertecks the sap from runnin' away. Ef we wants to use all dese five pieces, we has to put 'em in the hot sunshine fer an hour er two, to dry up de cut skin. Dat keeps in de juice when de slice is in de ground. And de juice is what feeds de sprout until it grows above de ground."

"Rachel, you are a brick! Now I can go back to Mr. Ames and show off all I know!" laughed Natalie joyously, as she ran from the kitchen and joined Mrs. James and the farmer again.

But there was no opportunity for her to display her knowledge, as Mrs.

James had an invitation ready for her. "Mr. Ames says he would like to have us drive with him to his brother's farm and see a model little place. We can bring back the potato seed and, at the same time, get lots of good advice and ideas about running our farm this summer."

In a few minutes more the three were crowded in upon the seat of the buckboard and Rachel stood in the kitchen doorway watching them drive off. Their gay laughter echoed back to her as she returned to the sink to finish the dishes, and she smiled as she murmured to herself: "Ef dis summer out on a farm don' make dat chile oveh inter a new bein', den my name ain't 'Rachel!'"

CHAPTER VIII-MISS MASON'S PATROL ARRIVES

The drive from Green Hill Farm to Mr. Ames's brother's farm was enlivened for Mrs. James and Natalie by the driver's gossip about the neighboring farmers whose places they pa.s.sed. One farmer made a speciality of raising poultry, another tried to raise flowers, but his greenhouses were not arranged well, and his plants generally froze in cold weather. Still another farmer planned to raise nothing but market-truck, but he kept postponing the attempt and thus never amounted to anything.

All these various plans gave Natalie food for thought, and she had many schemes outlined in her head by the time Mr. Ames drove in at his brother's farm-gate.

The house and front gardens were as neat as wax, and one could see from the road that the farm itself was well cared for. Mr. Ames spoke the truth when he bragged of it as being a model farm.

Mrs. Ames came to the side door at the sound of wheels crunching the gravel, and smiled a welcome at her brother-in-law.

"I brung the leddies I tol' you about," explained Mr. Ames, as he jumped out and turned to help Mrs. James and Natalie.

After introductions were over, Mrs. Ames remarked: "I'll go call my husband. He's at the barns tryin' to coax a few little pigs from the mother."

"Oh, oh! Are they tiny little pigs!" cried Natalie excitedly.