The Mineral argus., 1885-12-03
BILL MYe's HOUSE PLANTS.
His Sacred Picnic Cactus and ihc Black and
Tan Foliage Plants.


Guilty tina. write this entry in my diary,
for this morning Abigail thought hest
for me to carry the Oleander down into
the cellar, as the nights had been grow
ing colder Of late.
do not know which / dislike most,
foreign usurpation or the olcander. I
have carried that plant up and down
stairs every time the weather has
changed, and the Gckle elements Of
New England have kept me rising and
| falling with the thermometer, and
whenever raised or fell | most always
had that scrawny olcander in my arms.
Richly has il repaid us, however, with
its long, green, timber branches and its
little yellow nut,s on the end. How
full Of promise is the glorious Scandi-
navian plant we call the Ole Andre.
How full Of promise to the eye that
are broken to the heart. The Olean-
der is always just about to meet its
engagements, but later ON it peters out
and fails to materalize.
don't know what we would do il il
were not for our house plants. Every
fall l shall carry them cheerfully down
cellar and in the spring | will bring up
the pots for Mrs. Adams TO weep softly
into. Many a night Mt the special in
stance and request Of my wife. have
risen, clothed in the one simple, cling
ing garment, to go and sec il the speck-
| led, double and tw isted Rise-up- William
| Riley geranium was feeling all right.
| have driven one toe back into my
foot almost out of sight, by prowling
around in the night and trying to kick
rOcking-chairs out Of my way, as l
CROPPED around to find newspaper
that l might spread over the three
cornercd. sacred, picnic cactus from
farther India. And yet, what has the
three-cornered, sacred picnic cactus
from farther India ever done for us
that We should try and make its life u
happy one?
Last summer Abigail brought home
slip Of English ivy. do not like
things that are English very much, but
| tolerated this little sickly thing be-
cause it seemed to please Abigail. l
| asked her what were the salient features
of the English ivy. What did the Eng
li.h ivy do! What might be its speciality
Mrs. Adams said it made u specially Of
climbing. II WAS a climber from way
back. "All right then to her did
| straightway say, "let her climb"
II was good early climber. II
climbed higher than Jacks beanstalk.
1t climbed the golden stair. Most of
our plants are actively engaged in de-
| scending the cellar stairs or in ascend
ing the golden stair most all the time.
descended the cellar stairs with the
Oleander this morning, though the
Oleander got there little more previ-
ously than I did. Parties desiring u
good secondhand Oleander tub, with
castors on it, will do well to give us a
n call before going elsewhere. Pur-
chasers desiring good set of second
hand ear mutls for tulips will find
something to their advantage by ad-
dressing the subscriber.
We also have two very highly Orna-
mental green dogoods for ivy vine. t.
ramlle over. We could be- Induced To
sell these dOgoods ut sacrifice, in
order to make room for our large stock
Of new and attractive dogoods. These
articles are rs good as ever. We bought
them during the panic last fall for our
vines to climb over, but rs our vines
died Of membranOus Group in NOvem-
bcr, these dogoods still remain ,,nclnu,
I-y" second-han dirt for plants ALWAYS
ON hand. Ornamental geranirim stumn,
ut bedrock prices. Highest cash price,
paid for slips Of black -and-tan foliage
plants. We are headquarters for tie
century plant that draws "a salary for
ninety-iivc years and then dies.
do not feel much like writing inn
diary to-day, but the physician saws
that my arm will lie better i'm a dny or
two so that il will lie more Of a pleasure
to 10 business.
We are still without a servant girl. so
do some If the cooking. I make n
tire each day and boil the teake,tlc.
People who have tried my boiled tea
kettle say it is very fine.
Some of my friends have asked me
To run for the legislature here nr,t
election. somehow | feel that I might
IN public life rise to distinction some
day, and perhaps at some future tim.
hgurc prominently in the affairs of a
One horse republic ut good salary.
have never done ANYTHING i'm the
statesman line, but il does not In,k
difficult to me. II occurs to me thai
success in public life is the result of a
union Of several great primary elc-
ments, to-wit:
Fir-tly-Ability to whoop in a felicit-
on, manner.
Secondly-Promptncss in improving
the proper moment in which to wb,ou'
Thirdly-Ready and correct decision
IN the matter Of which side to whoor
on.
Fourihiy Ahility To cork up the
whoop at the proper IA Inen, ami keep
il IN cool place till needed.
Aud this last is one Of the most i'm
portant Of all. II is the amateur ,t,,..-
man who talks the most. Fearing that
he viii conceal his identity as "a fool. he
b,hblr, IN conversation and slashcs
around IN his shallow banks in public.
A. -oon ~ ] get the house plants
down cellar and get their overshoes on
for the winter, ! will more seriously
con: idcr the question OF our political
a''''ira here IN tins new land where we
have 10 lie our scalps ON at mint ii