San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-28

Knd l may DIS well state right mere that the
vine seemed entirely content To exist merely
in that capacity.
At FIRST of course, we expected nothing
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 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 a free grower"
"Oh, yes, indeed; the florist selected it him
self; he said that it was remarkably prolific
in growth, and that by fall it would make
fine showing"
Well" | replied, facetiously "all can
say is the sooner it gets down to business the
better for the showing" Several more days
passed with the interesting specimen Of dori-
culture remaining i'll statu quo.
II know what's the trouble with that vine
of yours, Mrs john" remarked as we We're
sitting again upon the doorstep after dinner,
and as usual viewing the estate.
"What" asked my wife, quickly betraying
her anxiety in the matter.
ats discouraged" was my reply; you've
given it too mucn wire; it's enough to take
the ambition out of the most enthusiastic
grower | can imagine the poor thing gaz-
ing up that stretch of cable, saying to elf,
What do they take me fOri | wonder if
they think | am a Standard Oil company
vine: even an octopus couldn't reach that
length, and words to that effect. You know
how it is yourself, if you will pardon the
slang Set yourself too much to do and you
feel at once unequal to anything. Sydney
Smith says, Take short views" | continued,
warming with my subject, particularly as
my wife made no reply, and it's good, sound
philosophy, applicable to vines as well as peo-
pie If you mad carried the wire up to the
parlor window only, at first, and coaxed the
vine that far, it would have seen TIT taking
the thing by easy stages, even the roof was
not inaccessible. But to have its whole life
work laid out on the start has broken its
spirit, crushed its enterprise, overwhelmed
its
"Barker's, that's the name" interrupted
my wife suddenly and wholly unintelligibly.
Excuse me, John, were you speaking9 I've
been trying to recall the name of a fertilizer
Uncle Joe uses on his farm | don't think
this city soil is rich enough. The vine needs
more EOurISEm2ut
You migaS E:vG i L course Of cod liver
oil or a few bottles OF beef, WINE and Iron,"
| replied VIII sO!-la aSJei'ity
TIE fertilizer was LJusIt and freely ap-
Piled but at the end of week the vine still
remained passive and apparently uninter-
ested spectator.
ut won't do, ANNIE" said, "Barker's
isn't strong enough That bit of botany
down in the yard there wants a summer at
the seashore, a winter in Florida and spring
at German spa. | would also recommend
free massage treatment"
To tell the truth, the vine was becoming an
incubus. The neighbors on the block mani
tested an uncomfortable interest in it They
looked in curiously only at first, then rather
derisively, and now when they passed an ex-
preston of contemptuous pity stole over their
countenances that was not agreeable. We
had lived so little time in the neighborhood
that felt our reputation was not sufficiently
established to stand this sort of thing. l put
on bold front though, and tried in a mean,
masculine way to shift the responsibility. /
made jocose remarks, loud enough to be heard
two doors away on either side, to my wife
about her vine, and felt sneaklngly better
when l saw that such cowardly humorous
efforts provoked heeting and rapidly sup
pressed smile from either adjacent doorstep.
l went further. l blush to say that made
that vine, and Mrs. Johns hand in it, the sub
ject of a beer saloon story, and l can only
offer in extenuation that it was q sort of
family beer saloon on the next corner, very
choice and exclusive, frequented chiefly by
the adult male residents OF the block We
were all husbands and householders together.
so to speak, behind the hip doors of that cool
retreat, and as the fellows, after had set up
the drinks, laughed hilariously at my account
was led on rather further than my first in
tentions. Afoerward l regretted my ver-
bosity.
Six weeks went by. The middle of May
gave place to the first of July, when, one
evening, my wife met me with a smile of
triumph upon her face, and, turning me
around on the doorstep, pointed down to the
much maligned and heretofore immovable
vine.
Did you seer she asked, expectantIy.
did see, Since had looked at the thing,
aud | was sure had -'-n--al that way that