“are you bizzy, delia” arsks mr. john, cumming into me kitchen wid a barskit.

“i’m oop to me eers sor” ses i. i wus setting on the ice crame freezer, thrying to cool aff, after making the crame for loonch.

“wud you like to make sum monney” ses he.

“shure darlint” ses i.

“i’m tired of this gardin bisiness,” ses he. “now these are seeds.” he set the barskit down befure me. “theyve joost arrived. heres a book giving fool instruckshuns how to plant thim. you go ahed,” ses he “and plant thim whin you git a chance. i’d suggest” ses he “that you do it in the airly marning, but me brother james who cuts the lons at those unairthly ours wud see you, so do it whenever the feeld is cleer. and heres a dollar.”

“thank you sor” ses i. i set to wark at wance imtying the seeds from there respictible packages into me bred pan. then i give them all a good mixup thegither. the book i shuved aside wid scorn.

“anny wan i’m thinking but a doom eediot cud plant seeds in the grownd” ses i to mesilf, “and what wud i be arfter needing instroockshuns for?”

joost thin miss claire cum in to guv me the orders os i tuk it for the day. shes a bit flustered and oopset.

“o delia” ses she “what do you think. a cupple of papa’s frinds have cum up frum town, and we’ll have to kape thim for loonch. what have we got?”

“see for yersilf” ses i, biling over wid rage. company indade on winsdy, wid the tale ind of the ironing to finish, and seeds to be planted in the gardin.

“o deer!” ses she “there is’nt a thing hardly. what will we do? i’m sure none of those trade people will deliver in time. what did you plan to give us to-day delia?”

“its hash ye’ll get and be thankful” ses i.

“but theres no cold meat aven” ses she in disthress.

“i’ll attind to that” ses i.

“but——”

“now see here miss claire, its no time i have for argying wid me hands boorsting wid wark this marning. will you be going or shull i?”

“well delia deer” ses she meekly, “if you can make aven hash out of—nothing—c-cudent you just cuvver it over wid mashed pertaters and brown it in the uvven? it tastes diffruntly that way.”

“i’ll see about it” ses i.

“o delia!” ses miss claire, “be nice or i don’t see how i’ll dare to ask a speshul favour of you.”

“favour is it?” ses i toorning upon her. she roon ap to me, and befure i can shpake anuther word, shes got her arms about me.

“now lissen deer” ses she. “i’ve finished me floury hidge and this afternoon i must shtart on the beds. you do the digging for me like an angel” ses she.

“digging is it? do you tak me for——”

“please, please” ses she.

“it depinds intirely on how the loonch goes” ses i gruffly. “now raymimber not wan ward of crittersickem will i be heering to.”

“not wan word” ses she.

after she had gone i dischuvvered that there was’nt a speck of tea in the house and exactly three coffee beens oanly. i wint upshstairs speshully to infarm miss claire. “be careful now” ses i “to ignoar the subject. lit your gests think ye’ve forgotten the biverage.”

all wint well for loonch, till mr. james, soospecting the thruth, ondertook to refer to me hash as “patty de 4 grass a la delia” a dish ses he of our delia’s own invinshun. i guv wan look at miss claire, and she changed the subject. thin mrs. wolley asked the lady which she wud have—coffee or tee, and before the unforchnit craychure cud answer i spoke up at wance:

“ye’ll get neyther” ses i.

miss claire at wance requisted me to bring on sum more “snow hash.” wid that me last bit of payshunce wint, for theres not anuther speck of the stuff to be had.

“do ye think” ses i “that wan can of potted ham will feed a large family to more than wan sarve a peece?”

“potted ham!” ses mr. james, forgitting himself and the company.

“potted ham!” ses i, “for its no meet in the house at all we’re after having, and shure the potted stuff is good enuff for you.” wid that i wint into the pantry and got the can and tuk it into the dining-room and showed it to the silent family.

“is it misdoubting me word ye are” ses i. “then see for yersilves.” and i showed them the can wid its pretty ligind: “guvvymint inspeckshun.”

mr. james got up and left the room. mr. wolley, groonting followed.

“excuse me!” ses i and walked out also.

felling a bit sorry for the unforchnit family i got riddy a foine dinner, and was after rolling me pie paste when miss claire cum in and coxed me into going wid her to the gardin. she put me to wark digging a hole in the cinter of the illygunt lon, frish cut by mr. james. “the boys have gone bathing” ses she, “papa’s out driving and mama’s aslape. nows our chance. o delia how forchnit it is our gests didn’t stay for dinner too.”

thin she left me, and wint over to her floury hidge, whare she neels down and looks at the airth. all of a sudden she guv a little cry:

“cum quick delia!” ses she “cum quick.”

i rooshed over wid me ho, thinking theres a snake or tode in the grass.

“look!” ses miss claire, trimbling wid excitement.

“what! where is the craychure?”

“there! see, its me hedge!” ses she. “o delia its the first showing. in a little wile it’ll grow bigger and bigger, and by and by therell be flours—beauties. and i” ses she “did it all mesilf—wid these hands. don’t you see it—that little speck of grane.”

“sorrer a bit do i see darlint” ses i.

“why delia! its there oonless me eyes decave me.”

“they don’t” ses a bold voice boldly, and the dood nixt door lanes over the fince and stares sintimintully at the spot where miss claire is poynting. she guv a little start and blushed. then she arsks sarcarskully:

“may i arsk if you can see it at that distunce?”

“certainly” ses he at wunce, “but i belave i cud see it better if i cam a little nearer.” wid that he joomps over the fince and walks to where miss claire is neeling. together they look at the airth.

“bully for you!” ses he offering to shake the hand which she holds back timidly. “why” ses he “its—its a—a rose, is’nt it?” ses he.

“no” ses miss claire withdroring the hand she had joost surrindered. “its a hullyhock” ses she.

“well its fine anyhow” ses he, looking at her wid both his eyes popping out of his hed. “youre quite a horty culchurist” ses he.

“o no indade” ses she, “its me first attimp. do you” ses she “know anything about it?”

“well” ses he “i can tell a vylet from a rose and a dandylion from a daysy.”

“then” ses she, “you wont be intrested in my little gardin.”

“wont i” ses he, so vylently she drops her eyes. “why i’m ackshully captifated by that little speck of green” ses he. “aren’t you its creator?”

“wate till it begins to bloom” ses she enthoosicully. joost thin she seen her brothers coming in wid the bote oars on their shoulders. she started away from the dood, and wint narvissly to meet thim. the dood histated a moment, and then wint ap to the boys. he hild out his hand.

“i’m your next dure naybor” ses he “and i drapped over to make a corl.”

“how do” ses mr. james giving him a corjul shake “pretty good bathing here” ses he “ever go out?”

“o yes” ses the dood “we have a little privit beech of our own. your welcom to use it any time.”

mr. james frowned.

“the public beech is good enuff” ses he shortly, but mr. john ses at wance:

“thank you i’ll thry your place sum day.”