THE GENESEE FARMER. 



223 



|ouii| |cof(f's fage. 



Last autumn, in one ot Farmer Thrifty's well cultivated 

 Ids, potatoes of all kinds and degrees were assembled, 

 it a speck or a scab was to be seen among them. They 

 ire all good, each after his kind. All sprung from the 

 ne earth, all received the same care and culture from 

 od Farmer Thrifty, and all were shortly to be carried 

 the same cellar. 



rhey lay down happy and content, basking in the sun- 

 ine of the mild autumnal sky. Presently the rotund 

 d jolly Mercer lighted his pipe and smoked away with 

 ident self-satisfaction. He recalled the glory of his an- 



gave it as his opinion that there was no great merit after 

 all in being so big and burley. " Height, now, amounted 

 to something," he said, " but to be as broad as you are 

 long was not his idea of beauty. Old Mercer might have 

 taken some prizes in this country, but he was descended 

 from the illustrious family of Flukes, who, as Mr. Mercer 

 should know, received the special patronage of the Queen 

 and nobles of England. Besides," said he, waxing warm 

 under the influence of his cigar, and au admiring glance 

 from Lady Finger, " we command the highest price of any 

 potato in the great Covent Garden market in London." 



Little Mexican noticed the admiring glance which Lady 

 finger cast on Master Fluke, and just for a moment be, 

 too, wished he was not so short and so thin. 



stors, born and bred on that very farm; what teats they 

 d performed ; how much some of them weighed, and 

 xr many prizes had been awarded them at different 

 ate and county Fairs. 



Had he been let alone, all this would have passed off in 

 loke. They knew him to be sound to the core, and, 

 ough a little coarse, he was generally esteemed a kind 

 :arted, good natured fellow, and his foibles were gener- 

 Ly excused by his companions. 



Little Mexican, however, sticking his hat behind him, 

 iked up at old Mereer with so much admiration that 

 ning Master Fluke thought that he too would like to 

 mraand as much atteution. 



Now, Master Fluke was enamored of little Lady Finger, 

 ho lay modestly concealed beneath the grass. So he 

 ipped away and preseutly returned mounted on a pair 

 ' stilts, cut from a pumpkin vine. Lighting a cigar, 

 id bowing gracefully, as he thought, to Lady Finger, he 



But lo ! while Master Fluke was smiling and smirking 

 at Lady Finger, and casting scornful glances on those 

 around him, altogether forgetful to what he owed his 

 elevation, a little Black Beetle came creeping through the 

 grass, and finding his favorite stalk, commenced drilling 

 into it with his little saw, when presently down came 

 Master Fluke, scratching old Mercer as he fell, and hitting 

 Lady Finger sirch a blow on her delicate white hand that 

 she never forgave him, and giving himself a black eye. 

 He picked himself up as speedily as possible, but his com- 

 panions could not help laughing at him, and when Far- 

 mer Thrifty came to carry them home, he found him so 

 bruised that he thought he was not worth putting into 

 the wagon. So he was left out in the cold field. 



The next day the scratch on old Mercer's side was black 

 and blue, so he was sent to market, while liltte Mexican 

 and Lady Finger were carried home and put in the warm 

 and comfortable cellar, and covered with nice clean straw. 



