“Jist as soon’s you finish yer dinner an’ yer noon chores, Moses, I want you to go weed them beets,” instructed Mrs. Wopp. “The weeds is chokin’ them out an’ I see the gophers has been eatin’ some o’ them, too.”  
“When I do my dishes, , can I work in the garding, too?” inquired Betty.
 
“To be shore you ,” was the reply, “but don’t hurry too much an’ smarsh the crockery.”
 
Although the temptation to reckless haste was great, Betty resisted it. It was not long, however, before a pile of shining blue willow-ware was restored to its accustomed place on the oil-cloth-covered pantry shelves, and Betty, seizing her sunbonnet, hurried out of doors.
 
The sun shone brightly and the atmosphere had that brilliant clarity, to the prairie. Several on the grassplot between the house and the barn. Betty ran around to the further side of the house where lay the garden. Here Moses and his mother were already hard at work.
 
The whole garden had been fenced in as a precaution against the of predatory animals. Molly, the black cow, or Josh and Jake, who had no proper sense of the fitness of things, would have liked nothing better than to sample Mrs. Wopp’s prize and crop of Indian corn, and to into the soft earth whatever did not suit their dainty palates.
 
One corner of the garden was to flowers, and in this spot the soul of Betty delighted. True, there had been many to conquer before a satisfactory result had been obtained. The which had first appeared in the spring had been destroyed by a cruel frost. Other seeds were sown with many hopes. These grew feebly and were carefully tended by the child. Then the heavy rains came, several weeks, and it seemed as though the tender plants would be bodily washed away. Betty, clad in Moses’ slicker, visited them one stormy day, and as she realized their danger, her tears with the rain-drops on her cheeks. But the Storm-King was only his worst, because his was nearly over. Next morning, when Betty rose, the clouds had rolled away and the golden sun himself was peering at her through the curtains. Since that time of anxiety the plants had grown and thrived and excepting for an occasional day of strong winds and the nibblings of a few gophers, had had no setbacks.
 
Around the outside of the garden was a border of mignonette. Inside of this was another of white candytuft. This double wall encircled a splendid array of flowers. There were nasturtiums, red and yellow, a mass of sweet peas clambering up a yard or two of chickenwire, bright marigolds and asters of various colors. pansies added their soft charms to the display. But most brilliant of all stood a few hollyhocks. Many of their kin had perished in a struggle against the fierce winds.
 
Outside of the flower garden proper and between it and the vegetables, were several rows of gay sunflowers. Mr. Wopp approved of these , because the seeds were “sich grand feed for the chickings.” Betty looked on these sentinels with sorrowing pity, because they had not the daintiness of the other flowers.
 
as Betty had tended this little garden, it was considered to be a family possession, the child’s own particular treasures lying beyond its fragrant border. Her cherished morning-glories and climbing nasturtiums found a welcome support in the old wooden fence.
 
When Betty entered the open garden gate she noticed Nancy sitting patiently beside a gopher hole watching for the tiny to appear. In order not to disturb her pet, the child took a roundabout course to the patch where Moses and Mrs. Wopp were working.
 
“Afore I begin weedin’,” she announced, “I b’lieve I’ll make two , one orl yaller an’ one orl white, an’ some sparrer-grass in both.”
 
“They’d look purtier, Glory, ef you’d put more colors in,” commented Mrs. Wopp.
 
enjoying her task, Betty flitted from flower to flower until she had gathered an armful of the lovely blossoms. Then visiting the vegetable beds she appropriated a few feathery sprays of asparagus. Returning to the house, she made up her bouquets. One, a great mass of yellow, lightly flecked with green, she set on a small table which stood in the darkest corner of the dining-room, then stood back to view the effect.
 
“It looks jist as ef the sun had crept into that corner at larst,” she .
 
After setting her white on the large dining-table, Betty again hastened to her beloved garden and began weeding where her ministrations were needed. As she worked, she hummed “Sweet and Low” softly to herself. The school children had lately learned to sing it.
 
“I carn’t think what’s happened to my carrots this year,” said Mrs. Wopp, vexedly, after a time. “Hardly any hev come up, an’ them as did come, aint growed much. We’ll shorely not hev many carrot puddin’s nor pies this winter, nor mulligans neither.” The concluding part of this speech was of vital interest to Moses, who delighted in all the mentioned.
 
“Mebbe them new seed catalogue folks cheated us, Mar,” he suggested.
 
“Mebbe you’re right, Moses; mebbe the seed was no good,” sighed Mrs. Wopp. “Anyhow, it’s too late now to put in any more. We carnt know ef the heart o’ a seed is good no more nor we kin know the heart o’ our next-door neighbor. The seed may ’pear to be good enough from the outside, yet arter all be lackin’.”
 
A period of silence followed excepting for the slight sounds made by the workers, the humming of flies, the of an occasional bee and the faint rustlings of the tall stalks of corn.
 
“I guess Nancy’s got tired wartchin’ fer the gopher to come out,” remarked Betty, presently. “She’s left her job an’ gone away. P’raps she thinks she can git a mouse in the barn easier.”
 
“Moses, I hear yer comin’ with the hay,” announced Mrs. Wopp, suddenly. “You’ll hev to go help him with it.”
 
Not the boy his task. Weeding after all is thankless work. The weeds will persist in growing in spite of every discouragement.
 
When Moses reached the barn he found Mr. Wopp just drawing up his team of heavy-work horses beside a small corral where the hay was to be deposited. On the load beside Mr. Wopp. Moses’ wondering eyes Jethro—Jethro whose greatest joy was to run beside any vehicle and range the country as far as he could on both sides of the trail.
 
“What’s Jeth perched up there fer, Par?” demanded the boy.
 
Before answering, Mr. Wopp solemnly handed Moses first the then the dog, after which he slowly and carefully himself.
 
“Two coyotes most hed him,” he explained. “Jist near the big , the spunky little critter started chasin’ them. Then they turned on him an’ he done some fine sprintin’. I tried to turn the team to go an’ meet him, but the hosses acted up, an’ as soon as I got them quieter the dog was atween them an’ the coyotes slinkin’ away. It were a close shave fer him.”
 
Moses eyed his pet with . “Pore little beggar, he’s clean tuckered out,” he said. “He’ll need a good supper.” According to Moses’ idea, an excellent meal was the for all earthly troubles.
 
The Wopps, father and son, attacked the load of hay with such that it was quickly............