Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1880 — Tom Meade. [ARTICLE]

Tom Meade.

Tom is thirteen years old, and he is big and strong for his age. His three brothers are young men, but his only sister, Grace, is not yet eleven years old. Grace and Tom go to school together in the autumn and winter, but in the beginning of June every year they go to the farm of their uncle, Mr. John Meade, near the city of Frederick, which is also in Maryland. Uncle John is not only a farmer, but he is also what is called a nurseryman, or a man who raises young trees and plants to sell. It was always such a surprise to the two children when they would visit their uncle for a day or two during the winter, to see a house full of flowers in bloom, and of leaves that were as green as the leaves of summer time. Indeed they fell in love with flowers, and their mother took great pains to make them interested in cultivating them. So when Gracie and Tom went to Uncle John’s, last spring to spend the summer, Uncle John gave them each a corner of his garden. The little gardens were easy to attend to, and as the children watered their plants every night, the plants were soon in a thriving condition. Gracie’s pets were geraniums, of which she had many kinds and colors. Tom was fond of roses, fuchias and verbenas, and he sent a number of letters to his mother about them. “Uncle,” said Tom. one day in the latter part of June, “I was reading in a life of General Washington this morning, about the way his father once spelled the name of “George Washington” in letters made of plants. Don’t you think that was a funny idea?” “Yes, it was,” replied Uncle John, “but was easy enough to do, and if you would like to try the same thing, I’ve no doubt you’ll succeed, just as Washington’s father did.” “But can’t I spell Gracie’s name in flowers in her garden ?” continued Tom. “We could ask the Ross children and the Williams boys in, and have a regular surprise. It would be as good as a picnic. ” Uncle John agreed that it would be very nice if the flowers could be made to grow quickly, but flowers are creatures of sunshine and rain. He said, however, that Tom might have all the flowers from the hot-house he wanted, which pleased Tom, because such pertnissioii was exactly what he wanted. He told Uncle John not to say a word to Gracie about the scheme, for he wanted Gracie to be surprised as well as the other children of the neighborhood. As Tom thought, over his scheme in bed tjiat r night, he concluded to get everything*ready by the morning of the Fourth of July, and on that day to have a regular garden party. He went to the hot-house alone as soon as he had eaten his breakfast, and examined the flowers that looked as though they would blossom on the Fourth. He saw that by placing a number of verbenas of different colors in small pots, he could sink the pots into the soil of Gracie’s garden and so spell whatever words he pleased. As the Fourth drew near the verbenas began to bloom, sure enough, and by the first day of July the ones that Tom had selected were in flull flower. “Yes,” said Tom to himself, as he stood and looked at the verbenas, “here they are—white verbenas, red verbenas, blue verbenas—just what I wanted—red, white, and blue. ” On the evening of the 3d of July, after Gracie had watered her garden, Tom took several basket-loads of verbena pots from the hot-house to the garden and set to work. As his plan had all been thought out, she work was easy to do, and, having sent the invitations around, Tom fell to tleep a very happy boy. When the children met at Uncle John’s on the morning of the Fourth, they made a jolly party. Tom led the way to the garden* saying that he had something to show everybody, and Uncle John and Aunt Marv walked behind. As Gracie’s eyes fell upon the wonderful letters, that looked as though they had sprung up in one night, her breath was almost taken away. She didn’t say a word at first, but, like her play-mates, stood still and looked and looked. “How in the world did you do that, Tom?” said Horace Williams. “Just look here Mr. Mead, Tom has spelled out ‘Fourth of July’ in red, white and blue flowers.” Sure enough. There were the letters growing out of the ground, each letter being made of several verbenas put together in order like the following: Fourth of July—lßßo. The letters, six in number, which composed the word “Fourth” were in red flowers, and the two little letters of the word “of’ were in white flowers, and the four letters of the word “July” were in blue flowers. The matter of arranging the colors was not hard to do, as verbenas are of many. The figures used in making the year “1880” were in pink. But while the visitors were looking at the “Fourth of July” motto, Tom was watch-

ing Gracie. Gracie’s eyes had found something of interest in another part of the garden, and she was looking that way. “See,” said Gracie after awhile, “there’s my name spelled in geraniums. ” Running over to the spot at which Gracie had pointed, the children saw the following pink letters: “Gracie.” Everybody admired the geraniums very much, and soon afterward everybody had a good laugh, when Tom sho ived them how he had spelled his own name in green cabbage in the garden. He had taken the cabbage plants up from his uncle’s garden and transplanted them. After admiring the gardens a part of the morning, during which, clumsy Will Ross stumbled over some of the verbenas. and knocked the blue letter “y” off of “July,” they all went to the grapearbor—in the shade of which they played until dinner time. Tom got a great deal of credit for his work, and was a hero all day. He felt that he was repaid for his trouble, but when evening came, there was a treat in store for them. Uncle John had sent to the city of Frederick, after seeing the flowers in the morning, and had bought some fireworks. The fireworks, crackers, Roman candles and sky-rockets, were very pretty, and the children shouted until they were almost hoarse. But uncle John kept the best till the last. “Now, Tom,” said he calling the children together on the lawn, “you have spelled Gracie’s name in flowers, see how I will spell your name in the sky.” Every eye was turned upwards. By and by uncle John touched the thing in red paper, and the word “Tom” appeared in letters of fire away up toward the stars.— Golden Days.