Natalie stood by and watched, and when Rachel said: “Now you’se kin go on wid dis job. Ebery vine has to be hunted on and dem tater-bugs killed off.”
“Rachie, I just can’t crush them the way you do!” complained Natalie.
Rachel looked at the girl for a moment, then said: “Neber mind dis way, Honey. I’ll git Sam to fix you up a tin can on a stick. You kin have some kerosene in it and brush dese pests into t’ can by using a short stick. Dey can’t fly away, when once dey fall in dat kerosene.”
“But Rachel, isn’t there a way to keep the horrid pests away from my garden?” asked Natalie anxiously.
“Yeh—we’se will have to squirt Paris Green or hellebore on the leaves, I rickon,” returned Rachel thoughtfully.
“Then tell Frances to buy some next time she drives past Si Tompkins’ store,” said Natalie, turning her back on the potato-beds and starting work on the bean-plants.
The weeding had all been finished, and most of the potato-vines had been cleaned of the beetles, before the noonday meal was announced to the busy workers. They were half famished, as was usual nowadays, and hastened to the house to wash and clean up before appearing in the dining-room.
Frances drove to the Corners and not only got the powder for Natalie’s plants, but also got the two girls who were to attend the Scout meeting that day. Having left them at the house, she drove on to Ames’s farm for Dorothy.
Mr. Ames came out of the corn-house when he saw the car and walked over to speak to Frances. Dorothy was almost ready, so while there were a few minutes to fill, Frances told the farmer about Natalie’s potato-bugs and the powder she bought.
“Tell her to use it when the leaves are damp with dew in the mornin’—it has better results that time. Ef she squirts it on dry, an’ the leaves are dry, too, the eggs won’t die. It is the wet paste made on the leaves when the powder melts in the dew that chokes off the young so they can’t breathe.”