66 MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN. 



say that the president is not a man easily 

 moved are knaves or fools. When he 

 saw my pea-pods, ravaged by the birds, 

 he burst into tears. A man of war, he 

 knows the value of peas. I told him 

 they were an excellent sort, &quot; The Cham 

 pion of England.&quot; As quick as a flash, 

 he said, 



&quot; Why don t you call them &quot;The Bev- 

 erdy Johnson &quot; ? 



It was a very clever bon-mot ; but I 

 changed the subject. 



The sight of my squashes, with stalks 

 as big as speaking-trumpets, restored the 

 president to his usual spirits. He said 

 the summer squash was the most ludi 

 crous vegetable he knew. It was nearly 

 all leaf and blow, with only a sickly, 

 crook-necked fruit after a mighty fuss. 

 It reminded him of the member of Con 

 gress from ; but I hastened to 



change the subject. 



