52 GARDEN OF A COMMUTER'S WIFE 



more ambition, and certainly more experience, and 

 his wife also might be occasionally useful." 



"To a married man I have no possible objec- 

 tion, but to having his family on the place, no, if 

 you please. There are doubtless very competent 

 married men and women, but they are rarely mar- 

 ried to each other. Oh, father, do you remember 

 the last time those rooms were occupied? You 

 surely haven't forgotten Peter Schmidt?" 



" No ; for though he insisted on straight lines, 

 worshipped cabbages, and slighted the flowers, he 

 was the most faithful worker we ever had or ever 

 shall have," he replied, very significantly. 



" I beg pardon. I should have said, do you 

 remember, Mrs. Peter Schmidt," I hastened to 

 add. 



At this, father laughed until the tears came to 

 his eyes, though there was a time when it was not 

 considered a laughing matter, and fled to his gig, 

 which Tim was driving around from the stable. I 

 following to bespeak for the next morning the man 

 with the shovel, who, by the way, is an infinitely 

 superior grade of being to the "man with the 

 hoe," who merely walks slowly along, shuffling his 

 inefficient tool. 



