They turned toward him. “How’s that best managed, son?” “It can be managed in several different ways,” said Billy. “For instance, brush may be laid over the bed, but that is not a very good method. A better one is to make a— CHEESE-CLOTH SHADE FRAME Drive down several stakes on the border and in the center of the bed. Make a cover of cheese-cloth to fit over the bed, and fasten it to the stakes. You see, the cheese-cloth lets in light and air and rain, yet protects the little seedlings from the direct hot rays of the sun. “We boys will drive down the stakes if you girls will make the cheese-cloth cover,” volunteered their father. “Sew we will, won’t we, Eleanor?” laughed Mary Frances. “Was that a pun?” asked Billy. “Why, Mary Frances!” “She meant we will so,” Eleanor tried to explain, but everybody smiled. “You do not need to sew if the beds are narrow, for the cheese-cloth will be wide enough,” Billy said, “nor if you use another method of shading the seed beds. I mean if you use— LATTICE SHADE FRAME Instead of using cheese-cloth, laths are fastened to the upright stakes to form a “lattice.” “I think the cheese-cloth frame would be less trouble to make.” Eleanor was much interested. “All right, then,” said Billy. “We’ll expect you to have your part ready in time.” “Do you leave the cheese-cloth, or the lattice shade frame over them all winter?” asked Mary Frances. “No.” Billy shook his head. “After the little plants are about three inches high, you remove the frame, and let them grow with a will. By the latter part of September they will be well rooted, able to live over winter if covered with leaves when the weather becomes frosty, and sheltered from the north winds.” CHAPTER LII THE MONEY THE CHILDREN MADE “ELEANOR, if you’re going to ‘market garden’ with Billy and me, you’ll have to get up right away.” Mary Frances shook her little friend into wakefulness. “Mar-ket—gar-den-ing?” yawned Eleanor, stretching. Then sitting up, “Oh, yes, I remember now, Mary Frances! How stupid of me! It’s Saturday! My, I’m sorry I overslept!” “Never mind, girlie, but hurry up and dress. Billy’s already out in the garden putting things in the wheelbarrow.” They didn’t take much time for making a fancy toilet, and were soon out in the play house garden with Billy. “Hello, girls,” he called. “Aren’t these green peppers beauties?” holding some up. “Green peppers!” said Eleanor. “Why, lots of those green peppers are red!” “Oh, you’re no Italian,” laughed Billy, “or you would know that most green peppers turn red when ripe enough.” “What else have we to-day?” asked Mary Frances. “Of course we have our parsley, and lettuce, and tomatoes, and ‘pot herbs.’” “And cabbage, and carrots, and beans, and cucumbers,” added Billy. “And egg-plants!” Eleanor was proud to be able to add a name to the list. “All the articles mentioned, Ma’am,” said Billy, pretending to offer them for sale.