He had seen the big frozen
chunks of rain coming down, and he remembered what his father had said
about it spoiling garden and farm crops. So Hal, when no one was looking,
got a big umbrella from the rack and went out to hold it over his corn.
Mr. Porter happened to see him and told Mr. Blake.
The shower did not last very long, and when it was over Daddy Blake took
Hal and Mab into the garden to see what damage had been done. The ground
was so muddy they had to wear rubbers.
"Oh, a lot of my beans are beaten down!" cried Mab, as she looked at her
bushes.
"They'll straighten up again when the sun comes out," said her father. "If
they don't you can hold them up with your hand and hoe more dirt around
their roots. That's what I shall have to do with my tomatoes, too. The
fruit is getting too heavy for the vines. However no great harm will be
done."
"A lot of my corn is torn," said Hal. "It's too bad!"
"Not enough is torn to spoil the ears," said Daddy Blake. "A gardener must
expect to have a little damage done to his crops by the storms. Of course
it isn't nice, but it is part of the garden game. Sometimes whole
orchards, big green houses and large fields of grain are ruined by hail
storms.
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