They all do it; or, Mr. Miggs of Danbury and his neighbors. Being a faithful record of what befell the Miggses on several important occasions ...
James Montgomery Bailey
Paperback
(RareBooksClub.com, May 14, 2012)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 Excerpt: ...man; and the miserable gardener starts for home to head off the robbers, and finds his wife at the gate with his own hat on, and just about to close a bargain with a smooth-faced individual for a two-hundred-dollar mowing-machine, and a pearl-handled, ivory-mounted hay-cutter. He first knocks the agricultural implement agent on the head, and then drags the miserable woman into the house, and, locking the door, gives himself up to his emotions. GETTING YOUR VEGETABLES FRESH. The chief charm of having a garden of your own is the fresh state of the vegetables which daily garnish your table. Any one who has always depended upon a store for his supply does not have the faintest conception of the superior flavor, tone, and elasticity of vegetables gathered fresh every morning from your own garden. Aside from this benefit, gardening is the most healthgiving occupation known to man; unless we except that of a physician, which we don't. There is a man who lives on the other side of our street, who has a garden, and has fresh vegetables every day, our folks say. We don't know any thing about that; but we do know he has a garden, because we see him out in it every morning, in shirt-sleeves and slippers, picking cucumber and squash bugs. We know when he gets hold of one, by the way he shuts up his mouth and fingers. Sometimes he doesn't catch the one he is after, and sometimes he makes a 'half-dozen passes at one bug. Every time he makes one of those passes he says something. The first remark is not very plainly heard, but the next is quite so; and the observation that follows after the sixth unfortunate pass appears to go completely through our head. He jumps around this way for about an hour, and, having got his blood up to fever-heat, goes in and drinks a cup of boi...