88 MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN. 



family of children next door. Their power of 

 selection beats mine. If they could read half 

 as well as they can steal awhile away, I should 

 put up a notice, " Children, beware ! There is 

 Protoplasm here? But I suppose it would have 

 no effect. I believe they would eat protoplasm 

 as quick as anything else, ripe or green. I won- 

 der if this is going to be a cholera-year. Con- 

 siderable cholera is the only thing that would 

 let my apples and pears ripen. Of course I do 

 not care for the fruit ; but I do not want to take 

 the responsibility of letting so much "life-matter," 

 full of crude and even wicked vegetable-human 

 tendencies, pass into the composition of the 

 neighbors' children, some of whom may be as 

 immortal as snake-grass. There ought to be a 

 public meeting about this, and resolutions, and 

 perhaps a clam-bake. At least, it ought to be 

 put into the catechism, and put in strong. 



