Breaking News!CALPURNIA AND CAPTAIN TATE HAVE JUST DISCOVERED A NEW SPECIES OF HAIRY VETCH!

Just today…

The grandfather and granddaughter pair of Captain Tate and Calpurnia Virginia Tate has just received word from the Smithsonian Institution of Science that they have discovered a previously unknown species of hairy vetch, a type of plant. The letter from the Smithsonian tells all of this in writing. Captain Tate tells us, “After discovering the specimen by the river on my property, we filed it in a jar. After further study, I found a small mutant leaf on the plant and found nothing in the description of the plant in any of the encyclopedias in my possession. We then successfully sent word to the Smithsonian as well as photographs of the specimen.” Calpurnia Tate said, “After putting the mutant in the jar, my grandfather studied it until he was certain that it was a new species. We needed to know where we found it but of all the specimens, this one I forgot to mark where it was! I did find out though, and we wrote the letter.”

Captain Tate…

Captain Tate is the retired owner of a pecan plantation in Fentress, Texas, which now is owned by his son-in-law, Alfred Tate. Captain Tate, Alfred, his wife Margret, their seven children and their paid housekeepers live on the riverside plantation. In his retirement, the Captain spends most of his time in his laboratory or the family library, studying various species. The Captain also is working on a way to distill pecans.

Calpurnia Virginia Tate…

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is a young lady of eleven. Recently, she won the Fentress Fair third place prize out of three for young women’s crafts. Her mother tells us, “Callie is unexceptional at any kind of housewifery. She seems to have no aptitude for sewing, cooking, knitting, needlepoint and other things. Her piano playing is mediocre at best. It is frivolous that she spends her time discovering unremarkable species of plants.” Her grandfather said, “Calpurnia is remarkably talented in the biotic sciences. She is fantastic at collecting specimens and studying them. She is both curious and intelligent. I applaud the fact that she takes little interest in the tedious tasks that women are expected to do.”

The Tate Family…

The Tate family lives on a pecan plantation if Fentress. It includes Mr. Alfred Tate, Mrs. Margret Tate, their six sons, Sam Houston, Harry, Lamar, Travis, Jim Bowie and Sul Ross; Calpurnia Tate and Captain Tate. Also, there is their cook, Viola; maid, SanJuanna and helper, Alberto.