212 THE TIM BUNKEK PAPERS. 



dener as much as a great speech does an orator. The 

 giving away of the fruit or putting it upon exhibition is 

 the publication of his speech. It sets the gardener to 

 talking in a very mute kind of way that all sensible peo 

 ple comprehend. I should call an orator rather stupid 

 who spouted his speech to the winds. He wants an au 

 dience. That gardener Licks both wit and manhood, who 

 is content with eating his own pears. They should have 

 a chance to speak for him. 



And this reminds me of a circumstance that has just 

 happened in Hookertown. You see, a week ago Sunday, 

 Mr. Spooner preached a sermon on the text &quot;By their 

 fruits ye shall know them,&quot; applying the doctrine, among 

 other things, to Slavery, and showing up this wicked war 

 as one of its fruits. He pictured out a big tree, and the 

 branches hung with treason, rebellion, oppression, theft, 

 murder, and about all the vices that disgrace mankind. 

 Now, you see, human nature is weak, and my mind, in 

 stead of following the thread of discourse, was running on 

 the fruits in my garden. My Bartletts were just in their 

 glory, and a man couldn t have said fruits on any occasion, 

 without my thinking of them. So when we got home 

 from meeting, I said to Mrs. Bunker : &quot; Sally, we needn t 

 be ashamed to be known by our fruits ; suppose we send 

 Mr. Spooner a basket of Bartletts.&quot; 



&quot; Very well,&quot; she said. &quot; Send the basket heaping full 

 and send it the first thing in the morning so that he will 

 know what it means.&quot; 



Sally, you see, is one of Mr. Spooner s right hand men, 

 or rather women, a modern Dorcas, to whom it seems to 

 come natural to help the poor, and make other folks hap 

 py. So I thought it fair to credit her while I credited the 

 minister, and put on top of the basket a card : &quot; With the 

 compliments of Mrs. Bunker, Matt. 7 : 20.&quot; 



I am getting to be pretty well along in life, and my en 

 joyment of gardening increases with my years. I am 



