A PLAYGROUND
“Sudden in their ways,” just described Dick and Dolly. After getting
their aunt’s sanction, they flew back to the toolhouse, and tumbling in
at the door, nearly upset Pat by their sudden dash for spades and hoes.
“She says we can!” cried Dolly; “how do you begin, Pat? What do we do
first?”
“Dig, of course,” declared Dick, seizing the biggest spade he could
find.
“All right; where shall we dig?”
Dolly grabbed another spade, and skipping out of the toolhouse, began to
dig frantically in the path that led from the doorstep.
“Whisht! now! Miss Dolly, don’t be fer sp’ilin’ me good path!”
Pat was amiable, but the vigorous enthusiasm of these children began to
appal him. He was always deferential to his employers, and he looked
upon the twins as members of his employers’ family, and so he considered
himself under their orders. But he also began to see that he must direct
matters himself, if these impetuous youngsters were to have a real
garden.
“Well,” he said, “if so be’s yer aunts has give permission, we must make
the gardens fer ye. But we must do ’t dacint an’ proper. Don’t begin by
diggin’ up me tidy paths.”
“I won’t, Pat; I’m sorry!” and Dolly carefully smoothed away the clefts
she had dug with her spade.
“Now, we’ll consider,” said Pat, greatly interested in the plan. “First
of all, where will ye be selectin’ the place?”
The twins gazed around, at the various gardens, terrace, woodland, and
water, and then Dolly said, decidedly:
“In the woods; that’s the prettiest place.”
“Oh, ho!” laughed Pat. “Why, little miss, ye can’t grow things in the
woods! Leastwise, only ferns an’ moss! Don’t ye want flowers, now?”
“Oh, yes; of course we do! And I forgot they have to have sunshine.”
“Goosie!” cried Dick. “Now, I think a place near the pond would be nice,
and then we can fetch water easily,—for I s’pose we have to water our
flowers every day, don’t we, Pat?”
“Yes; onless it rains fer ye, which it sometimes do. Now, s’pose ye let
me s’lect yer place, an’ then do ye pick out yer own choice o’ flowers.”
“Do,” cried Dolly. “You know so much better than we do where a garden
ought to be.”
Pat considered carefully for a few moments, casting his eye thoughtfully
toward various parts of the estate.
“Come on,” he said, at last, and the children followed him, as he strode
off.
Just beyond the beautifully kept terrace was a stretch of lawn, entirely
open to the sunlight, save for a big horse-chestnut tree in one corner.
Here Pat paused, and indicating by a sweep of his arm a section about
seventy-five feet square, he said:
“I’m thinkin’, instead of only a garden, by itself, it’d be foine for ye
to make yersilves a rale playground.”
Dolly’s quick mind jumped to the possibilities.
“Oh, Pat, a playground, all for ourselves, with our two gardens in it!”
“Yes, miss; and an arbour, and seats, an’ a table, an’——”
But he got no further, for Dick and Dolly seized him by either hand, and
jumped up and down, fairly shouting with delight.
“Oh, Pat, Pat, I never heard of anything so lovely!”
“How could you think of it? Let’s begin at once!”
“But ye must behave!” cried Pat, shaking his hands loose from their
grasp, and waiting for them to stop their antics.
“Yes, yes; we’ll behave!” said Dolly, suddenly standing stock-still, and
looking very; demure. “What do we do first, dig?”
“I’m thinkin’ yez better dig a whole acre,—an’ see if ye can’t work off
some of yer animile sperrits! Such rampageous bein’s I niver saw!”
“We’ll be quiet, Pat,” said Dick, earnestly; “now let’s begin.”
“Well, thin,—first, we must plan it, sure. Suppose we drive a shtake
here fer wan corner; and thin the big tree will be the opposite corner.
Now ye see the size av it.”
“Yes,” agreed Dolly, “it’s a lovely size.”
“Thin, supposin’ we plan to set out a little low hedge all around the
four sides, wid an openin’ or two——”
“And an arched gateway!” cried Dolly, with sparkling eyes.
“Yes, miss, say an arched gateway or two. An’ then, inside ye can have
three or four garden-beds,—fer sep’rate plants, ye know,—an’ yer
arbour, an’ whativer else ye like.”
“Oh!” said Dolly, sitting plump down on the ground from sheer inability
to bear up under these wonderful anticipations.
“Now, what’s to do first?” said Dick, eager to get to work.
“Well, first we’ll lay out our flower beds. Now I don’t s’pose ye know
the difference between seeds an’ plants, do ye?”
“Oh, yes! Plants grow from seeds.”
“Well, av coorse they do. But I don’t mean that. Ye see, some flowers ye
set out as plants; an’ some ye raise from seeds.”
“Oh, I think seeds will be most fun,” said Dolly: “You just stuff ’em in
the ground and then they grow, don’t they, Pat?”
“Well, yes, miss; if yer seeds is right, an’ yer ground’s right, an’ if
ye stuff ’em in right, an’ take care of ’em right, afterward.”
“Oh, we can do all that,” Dick assured him, grandly, and Pat’s eyes
twinkled, as he replied:
“Av coorse ye can!”
Then Pat called Michael to help him, and they drove stakes and tied
twine to them, until they had the playground distinctly marked out.
“Now, we’ll consider yer flower-beds, an’ lave the other considerations
till later,” announced Pat. “Ye see, yer seed-beds must be in the
mornin’ sun, an’ have the shade of an afthernoon. So, wid the big tree
ferninst, we can aisy manage that.”
“Seeds seem to be pretty particular,” observed Dolly.
“They be that, Miss; but so likewise is the plants. Some wants sun an’
some wants shade, an’ if they don’t get what they wants, they jist lies
down an’ dies!”
Then Pat and Michael selected the best spots, and marked out two oval
flower-beds of goodly size, and two straight, narrow seed-beds somewhat
smaller.
“Miss Dolly’s, we’ll say, will be on this side, an’ Master Dick’s on
that. Now, if so be’s ye childhern wants to dig, fer mercy’s sake dig!
Ye can’t hurt the ground.”
Pat well knew that his own strong arms would spade up the beds later,
and he would fill them with the right sort of soil, and get them in
perfect order for planting; but the twins were delighted at the idea of
doing their own digging, and went to work with their usual enthusiasm.
It was hard work, but they enjoyed it, and though not very
scientifically done, they did manage to dislodge the soft turf, and
riddle up the dirt beneath.
“I s’pose it won’t be such hard work after the digging is dug,” said
Dolly, looking at her blistered little palms.
“Why, Dolly Dana!” exclaimed Aunt Abbie, who came out just then, to see
how the gardens progressed; “don’t you dig another bit! You poor, dear
child, your hands are in a dreadful state! Go in and ask Aunt Rachel for
some salve.”
“No, indeedy!” declared the valiant Dolly. “I’m going to plant my seeds
now!”
“Oh, no, miss,” said Pat. “Them beds isn’t ready yet. Nor ye haven’t got
yer seeds.”
“Don’t be too impetuous, Dolly,” said Aunt Abbie. “This afternoon, we’ll
plan out what is best to plant and then by to-morrow, if Patrick has the
beds ready, you can do your planting.”
Dick was still digging away, manfully, quite unwilling to admit there
were blisters on his own hands.
But Aunt Abbie made him stop, for though the digging was good fun, there
was no use in causing himself needless pain, and Patrick would do the
beds all over, anyway. So Aunt Abbie persuaded the children to turn
their attention to planning their playground.
She quite approved of Pat’s suggestions, and sent for Miss Rachel to
come out and assist with the plans.
Both ladies were very fond of gardening, and entered enthusiastically
into the idea of the pretty playground. Miss Rachel instructed Pat to
buy and set out a low hedge of privet all round the inclosure; and they
decided on two entrances, front and back, each to be adorned by an arch
covered with a flowering vine.
An arbour was planned for the centre, but Dolly chose to call it a
playhouse. For it was to be big enough to have seats and a table inside.
It was to be built tent-shape; that is, very long, slender poles would
be set up in pairs, meeting at the top, like the letter A. There would
be about a dozen pairs of these poles, each pair about two feet apart,
and thus they would have a long arbour on which to train vines and
flowers.
A ridge-pole along the top would keep it all firm and steady, and
quickly growing vines should be chosen, which would soon cover the whole
frame.
Michael, who was clever at carpenter work, volunteered to make a table
and benches, and Dick, who was also fond of tools, felt sure he could
help.
Aunt Abbie said she would give a garden swing as her contribution to the
playground, and Aunt Rachel said she, too, would give something nice,
but what it would be, was a secret as yet.
Then it was nearly dinner-time, so they went back to the house, and the
four sorry-looking little hands were carefully washed and anointed with
a soothing lotion.
Heatherton people approved of midday dinners, and so the hungry children
sat down to an ample and satisfying meal, to which they were fully
prepared to do justice.
“You know,” said Aunt Rachel, as they chatted at table, “you are to take
care of these gardens yourselves. Pat and Michael have all they can do,
already; and though they have helpers in the busy seasons, I expect you
two to weed and water your own flower-beds.”
“Of course, Auntie,” said Dolly; “that’s what we want to do.”
“Else they wouldn’t be ours,” chimed in Dick. “There are lots of
flower-beds around the place, but these are to be our very own. And how
can they be, if we don’t do all the work on ’em?”
“That’s right,” said Aunt Rachel, approvingly. “Patrick will superintend
your work, and he or Michael will keep the grass and the paths in order,
but the rest is for you to do. Do you know anything about flowers?”
“Not a thing!” declared Dolly. “But I want to raise violets and
carnation pinks.”
“That proves you don’t know much,” said Aunt Abbie, laughing. “Why,
those are the very things you couldn’t possibly raise!”
“Why?” said Dolly, looking surprised.
“Because they are too difficult. They require hothouses, or, at least
cold frames. You must content yourself with simpler blossoms;
nasturtiums, phlox, asters, peonies——”
“Oh, those are just as good,” said Dolly. “I don’t care much what
flowers they are, if they’ll grow.”
“I like big plants,” said Dick. “Could I have sunflowers and hollyhocks,
Aunt Rachel?”
“Yes, my boy; I’m sure you can manage those. Have a hedge at the back of
your playground of those flowers, and also cosmos and goldenglow.”
After dinner they went to the library, and made lists of the flowers
they would have. Aunt Abbie drew diagrams of their gardens, and advised
the right kinds of flowers to grow together.
“I want you to grow up to love gardening,” said Miss Rachel, “but as you
are now quite young, and very ignorant on the subject, you must begin
with the simplest and easiest sorts of plants.”
Then the aunts explained how the children must plant seeds in their
seed-beds, and after the tiny shoots sprang up, how they must be
separated and thinned out.
“And throw away some of them!” exclaimed Dolly in dismay.
“Yes; that’s to make the others stronger and healthier plants.”
“What do we plant in our big gardens?” asked Dick.
“Well, there you can have such plants as you want. Roses, geraniums, and
Canterbury Bells are good ones. And then, you transplant to those beds
your seedlings that you have already started yourselves.”
“And can’t we plant any seeds in the flower beds?”
“Oh, yes; such as do not need transplanting. You can have borders of
portulacca, candytuft, sweet alyssum, and such things.”
“My! it sounds grand!” said Dolly, to whom nearly all these names were
new.
“Now suppose we go out there again,” said Aunt Rachel, “and see what
seeds Pat has on hand. Then we’ll know what to buy for you.”
So back went the quartette, and found the playground had assumed quite a
definite air.
A narrow strip of upturned earth showed the line of the hedge that was
to be set out. The flower-beds and seed-beds were neatly cut in shape
and properly spaded. Little stakes marked the places for the arbor
poles, and white cords outlined paths that were yet to be cut.
“It doesn’t seem possible it’s ours!” said Dolly, drawing a blissful
sigh of contentment.
“Now here’s some seeds as I already have,” said Pat, offering a box of
packets to the children.
“Oh, can we plant some now,—right away?” asked Dick.
“Yes; let us do so,” said Aunt Abbie, who was nearly as eager as the
children to get the garden started.
So they selected nasturtiums, poppies, marigolds, and morning glories
from Pat’s box, and all went to work at the planting.
The aunts showed Dick and Dolly how to poke a little hole in the ground,
about three inches deep, and then drop in a nasturtium seed. Then they
covered it over with dirt, pressed it down lightly, and watered it.
This was an enthralling occupation, and the children worked carefully
and did just as they were told. Poppies came next, and these seeds were
planted quite differently. The ground was made quite smooth, and then
slightly watered. Then Pat showed them how to sprinkle the fine seed
scantily over the top of the ground, and not put any dirt over it at
all. A thin layer of cut grass was scattered over them to keep the seeds
from too much sunlight.
“How do you know that some seeds must be planted one way and some
another?” asked Dick, looking at Patrick with a new interest.
“That’s me business, Masther Dick. We all has to know our business av
coorse.”
The morning-glory seeds could not be planted just then, as they had to
soak in water for two hours, so next they set out some pansy plants.
These Pat had expected to use elsewhere, but at Miss Rachel’s direction,
he handed them over to the twins.
This was a new sort of work, and even more fascinating than
seed-planting. The tiny plants were fragile and had to be handled very
carefully. Then a hole must be dug with a trowel, the plant set in, and
the soil gently filled in about it.
The twins each had a half-dozen pansy plants, and Dick set his in a
group, but Dolly arranged hers in a border. Then Miss Rachel said they
had done enough for one day, and she marched them off to the house to
get rested.
But did Dick and Dolly rest? Not they! They didn’t seem to know what the
word meant. They went up to their playroom, and sitting together at the
table, they drew diagrams and plans for their playground until the
aunties called them downstairs again.