CHAPTER IX 



The Fields beyond the Garden 



It was now time to think of the more substantial 

 foods, and the boys eagerly sought the cultivated 

 fields to the east of the garden to see what they 

 might supply. 



A field of corn first attracted their attention, and 

 it was a welcome sight. At first, they parched the 

 grains and ate them whole; then they tried cracking 

 them and boiling them into a coarse mush; and, fin- 

 ally, they found that by soaking them in water they 

 became soft and could easily be crushed between 

 stones into a kind of meal, which was then made in- 

 to little cakes. While the corn was green, they had 

 all the roasting-ears they wanted; and, of course, 

 they saved seed and kept planting a little every few 

 weeks. 



'Til declare, a big patch of goober peas!" ex- 

 claimed William. '' I used to grow a few myself." 



*' What's that?" inquired Henry. 



*'I reckon you'd call them peanuts, but I prefer 

 goobers," William retorted. "See how the little 

 stems curve and dive into the ground after the flow- 



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