Wichita eagle., 1888-08-29
A VINE.

soil which made up the front lawn Of our
residence and as we were sitting at the head
of the fight of brown stone steps which led TO
our front door, naturally we were at soma
elevation over the lawn.
1t was relief to me to find that my wife's
mind was dwelling only upon vines. had
Joined new club the week before, and l had
been expecting some little interrogations con-
corning initiation fees, dues, ETC., all prof
fered so civilly and courteously that it would
be impossible to withhold the desired infor
nation, albeit I knew that following such
coniugal interchange of confidence would
probably come gentle reminder that 1--WE
must be sure to lay in the coal in August, as
the papers anticipate strikes next winter"
/ replied most cordially to the vine sug-
gestion, "a capital idea You mean it, of
course, to be trained up the house fronts"
"Oh, yes" said Mrs. John. cit will have
to be wired up, you know, and then trained
out about each window. We have taken the
house on long lease, and it will pay to
make such small Improvements to the prop
erty."
Iassented with sufficient heartiness, still G
little fearful that another silence on my wifes
part might evolve some reference to club
matters. But Mrs. John was absorbed with
the vine. 1t and her imagination Were grow
ing together.
II shall get some sort of free growing ivy,
think" she went on Illuminating. II don't
like big leaved vine or a sprawling growth
up a house side-something clinging and
close, sending its slender tendrils out in eff
fective tracery Of rich green against the
! stone"
50 T l-r,nc
ing the ashes off the end of my cigar, and
when the words rang out on the cool night
air they reverberated through space with a
painfully fiat note.
''If you mean that womans love is q rich
green,n said my wife coldly, II agree with
you. The woman and the love are both
richly green to bestow themselves upon the
average man. john" she broke Off quite
irrelevantly, "don't read SO many cheap
novels. Stick to your business and your
clubs-oh, by the way, is the Pelham really
startedp
1. The Pelham was the new club. Tho cool
night air was no longer cool.
''The Pelhama" l repeated. ''Oh, yes, tho
Pelham" doundering easily and hopelessly.
II believe it opens shortly. Phi tell you what
| I'll do, Nan, about that vine. I'll stop at the
see you'-and then the baby cried and Mrs.
John sought the seclusion OF the second floor
front.
That is how the vino started, or, to be
strictly accurate, that is how the vine did not
start.
The next evening when approached my
home shortly before the dinner hour, gave
the premises the usual inspection which q
ont 20 yyrhp ba iS
than otherwise of his place, and was for a
moment surprised to discover a wire cable
about one-eighth inch in diameter stretching
from the little mat Of turf inside the iron
fence away up to the roof of the three story
and basement house, and, for aught / knew
to the contrary. considerably further. As
far as the naked eye could reach perpendicu-
! Iarly the wire went
For moment / said was surprised. but q
second glance downward showed me small
plant perhaps six inches in height, from
whose very heart apparently the formidable
! length of the wire took source.
"Ah." / reflected with q smile, MRS
| Johns vine has become an established fact"
! And may as well state right here that the
vine seemed entirely content to exist merely
In that capacity.
3
more from it than to get used to its new sur
roundings, drop its underground anchors,
settle itself to work as it were-but when a
week had passed and the vine had not seen
/ fit to take on a single additional leaf, much
/ less add to its stature by even the fraction OF
| an inch, ventured to ask my wife if she
had carried out her expressed intentions and
! procured free grower"
l.. IL al, l.
self; he said that it was remarkably prolific
/ in growth, and that by fall it would make a
fine showing"
"Wen," replied, facetiously, call 1 can
say is the sooner it gets down to business the
better for the showing" Several more days
| passed with the interesting specimen Of aori-
! culture remaining i'll statu quo
II know what's the trouble with that vine
! of yours, Mrs. john" remarked as we were
/ sitting again upon the doorstep after dinner
, and as usual viewing the estate.
! 'Whatl" asked my wife, quickly betraying
/ her anxiety in the matter.
! Its discouraged, y was my reply; you've
! given it too much wire; It's enough to take
/ the ambition out of the most enthusiastic
/ Crower. can imagine the poor thing gaz-
+ ing UP that stretch or cable, saying 70 elf,
| What do they take me fori | wonder II
/ they think l am Standard Oil company
vine: even an octopus couldn't reach that
/ length and words 10 that effect. You know
/ how it is yourself, If you will pardon the
i slang. Set yourself too much to do and you
/ feel at once unequal to anything. Sydney
/ Smith says, Take short views" l continued,
warming with my subject. particularly as
! nv wife made no reply. end its good, sound
/ philosophy. applicable 10 vines as well as peo-
/ pie. Ii YOU had carried the wire up to the
/ parlor window only, at first, and coaxed the
/ vine that far, it would have seen that, taking
/ the thing b. easy stages, even the roof was
/ not inaccessible. But TO have its whole life
/ work laid out or the start has broken It's
/ spirit, crushed its enterprise, overwhelmed
/ its
| '.Barker's, that's the name" interrupted
! nv wife suddenly and wholly unintelhglbiy.
Excuse ne, John, were you speaAinsi Iva
i been trying 70 recall the name Of fertilizer
/ Uncle Joe uses on his farm. don't think
| this city soil is rich enough. The vine needs
| more nocrisnmsnt.h
"You might give 4. q course Of cod Hver
| oil or few bottles Of beef, wine end iron,
| replied With some asperity.
The fertilizer was bought aid freely ap-
/ pl,ed, but CT the end o. week tie vine szl
remained passive and apparently uninter-
/ ested spectator.
at won't do, Annie,H I said, "Sarkers
isn't strong enough That Bit Of botany
| down in the yard there wants SIMMER az
| the seashore, winter in Florida and "a spring
at German spa / would also recommend
! free massage treatment"
| To tell the truth, the vine was becoming an