A GARDEN STORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21912, 22 September 1934, Page 4 (Supplement)

A GARDEN STORY

BY M.B. " Now is our time," whispered the weeds to each other. " That splendid storm the other week spoilt all tho beauty of the flowers. Our Garden Lady is so busy during tho day just at present, and it gets dark so early, she hasn't time to spend in the garden. She just gazes around in the morning, and says, ' Those weeds, dear me. How quickly they are growing. I simply must get them out.' " " Now let us grow," they said, '' before she has time." And grow they did. Every day they pushed themselves up higher and higher, helped by the warm sun, until the flower bed was just a mass of weeds. Now, although the Garden Lady felt worried about the appearance of the garden, there were even more disturbed whisperings among the bulbs. All the paper whites and jonquils had decided that as tho ground was so warm and moist, it was quite time that they put in an appearance. Some of the smaller bulbs grumbled about being wakened from their sleep, but most children do that, so their parents just took no notice of them. But the most annoying part of the whole thing was, although they seemed to be growing and growing, they couldn't feel the sun's rays. " I know I am above the ground," one baby paper-white said. " I can feel the breath of the wind, but I think

the sun must have forgotten to rise." " Nonsense," said its mother. " Just keep on growing. 1 am getting my flower buds ready and I can't be bothered looking after you now." The baby pa per-white stretched its head still further until at last it was rewarded with a glimpse of the sun. " Ah," it breathed. " It was worth all that effort to feel such warmth," and it looked round for the rest of tho family. But all the plants around it were quite strange. " Hullo," it said shyly, " 1 don't think 1 know' you. What is your namoP" " Ha, Ha," laughed one of the weeds. " You don't know us, eh? Well, if it hadn't been for lis, you would still be asleep. We have kept the cold winds off you." " Well," said the pa per-white, "if you kept the cold winds off, you also kept the warm sun away, so I don't think you had much to do with it at all." " You don't know what you are talking about," said the weed angrily. " Why, you have been in this world only one week, while I have been here weeks and weeks. Do you know that ] am much stronger than you are, and the longer 1 am here the weaker you will be, for I shall grow and spread until you smother." '■ What a nasty old thing you are," .said the little bulb as sho shuddered. " Well, wo shall just see," and she started to grow as fast aR she could. But no matter how she tried, the weeds clustered round, their roots spread and squeezed the bulb, their leaves spread over the top of the paper-white until it felt quite sick and turned yellow. But one day the Garden Lady came out, complete with gardening tools. One glance at the bed showed her the struggling bulbs. With a ruthless hand sho pulled and dug until all the weeds lay withering on the rubbish heap. " Ah, me," they sighed. " We don't seem to be appreciated in this garden." " I was left just long enough to ripen off a few seeds," one said. " The Garden Lady, although she doesn't know it, is digging them into the ground. Won't my children have a fine time next year covering her garden with weeds."

And although he was fast withering he had just enough breath left to give a malicious little chuckle.