“How much seed would you have ordered for a patch of ground about six beds’ size?” asked Mr. Ames instead of answering her request.
“About a pint,—maybe half a pint would be enough.”
Rachel had heard the farmer’s loud laughter and having learned the cause of it, she decided to spare her little mistress any further ridicule. So she got an old potato from the basket and, having washed it carefully, went to the door.
“Oh, Natty! Ah say, Mis’ Natty! Come right heah, Honey.”
Natalie turned and smilingly nodded at Rachel; then excused herself to Mr. Ames and ran up the steps of the kitchen porch.
“See heah, Chile! Don’ you go an’ show your ig’nance about farmin’ in front of dat country-man. Now watch me, Honey, an’ den go back an’ play yoh knew it all dis time! Let Mis’r Ames think yuh was funnin’ him.”
Rachel then took the large potato and showed it to Natalie. “See dem leetle dimples in diffrunt places on its skin? Well,—dem is called ‘eyes,’ and when a pertater gits ole, dem eyes begins to sprout. Every sprout will make a pertater vine, so farmers call dem eyes ‘pertater seeds’—see?”
“Really! Why, Rachel, how interesting!” cried Natalie, taking the potato and studying the eyes.
“Yep! An’ what’s more, you’se kin cut a pertater what has f’om two to six eyes a-growin’, into pieces so one big pertater will plant as many vines as pieces you cut outen him.”
“This potato has five big eyes, Rachel,” said Natalie, counting carefully.