The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-28
A VINE IN THE D00RYARD
THAT THRIvED AND COVERED THE
HOUSE FRONT
And Very Appreciable Effect Upon
the Minds of the Folks Who Dwelt
Enpaa

| i've Deen thinking" SAID my wire, tnat
we ought to have vine down there"
! "Down there" was the few square feet Of
soil which made up the front lawn of our
residence, and as We were sitting at the
head of the flight of brown stone steps
which Id to our front door, naturally we
were at some elevation over the lawn.
| 1t was relief to me to find that my
wife's mind was dwelling only upon vines,
l had joined new club the week before,
and had been expecting some little in
terrogations concerning initiation fees,
dues, etc, all profcred 50 civIlly and
courteously that it would be impossible to
withhold the desired information, albeit
knew that folio wing such caniugal inter
change of confidence would probably come
gentle reminder that I'VE must be sure to
lay in the coal in August, as the papers an
tcpate strikes next winter"
| replied most cordially to the vine sug-
gestion, "a capital idea. You mean 1t, of
course, to b. traiaed up the hou>e lrontW
''Oh. yes said Mrs Joha. 1T win have
to be wired up, you know, aId then trained
out about each window We have taken
the house on a long lease, aud it will pay TO
make such small improvements to the
property"
assented with sufficient heartiness, still
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
growing together.
Il shall get some sort of free-growing
| ivy, | think she went on Illuminating. 81
don't like big-leaved vine or apra wiling
| growth up a, house side--something cling
nd f.Io cap6inar re Slan3af. drill
out in effective tracery of rich green against
the stone.n
Like woman's love" | ventured,
knocking the ashes off the end of my cigar,
and when the words rang out on the cool
night air they reverberated through space
with painfully fat note.
" If you mean that woman's love is a
rich green, said my wife coldly, 81 agree
with you. The woman and the love are
both richly green to bestow themselves upon
the average man. john" she broke off, quits
irrelevantly, don't read so many cheap
novels. Stick to your business and your
clubs-oh. by the way, is the Pelham really
startedP
The Pelham was the new club. The cool
night air was no longer cool.
THE Pelham!" l repeated. "Oh, yes, the
Pelham" fioundering easily and hopelessly.
~ believe it opens shortly. I'll tell you
what I'll do, Nan, about that vine. I'll stop
in at the florists in the morniug and send
him over to see you"-and then the baby
cried and Mrs. John sought the seclusion of
the second floor front.
That is how the vine started, or, to be
strictly accurate, that is how the vine did
not start.
The next evening when l approached my
home shortly before the dinner hour, gave
the premises the usual inspection which a
man is apt to beStow when he is rather
proud than otherwise of his place, and was
for moment surprised to discover a wire
cable about one-eighth inch in diameter
stretching from tho 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 eve could
| reach perpendicularly the wire went.
For a moment | said | was surprised, but
| a second glance downward showed me
small plant about inches in height, from
whose very heart apparently the formidable
length of wire took source
"Ahl" reflected with a 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.
At first, of course, we expected nothing
more from it than to get used to its new
surroundings, drop It's underground
anchors. settle itself to work as it were
but when a week had passed and the vine
had not seon fit to take on a single add
! tional 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
"Oh, yes, indeed; the florist selected it
himself; he said that it was remarkably
prolific in growth, and that by fall it would
| make "a 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 Horticulture remaining in statu quo.
81 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.
WHAT asked my wife, quickly betray-
| ing her anxiety in the matter.
"It's discouraged, )" was my reply; you've
| given it too much wire; it's enough to take
the ambition out of the most enthusiastic
grower. | can imagine the poor thing
gazing up that stretch of cable, saying to
Itself, What do they take me for! won
der if they think am Standard Oil COM
pany vine; even an octopus couldn't reach
| Jntl anu NOluS W tilitJ tuttL. on
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,'n
continued, warming with my subject, par
| tcularly as my wife made no reply, "and
it's good. sound philosophy, applicable to
vines as well as people. If you had car
ried the wire up to the parlor window only,
| at first, and coaxed the vine that far, it
| would have seen that, taking the thing by
easy stages even the roof was not inaccessi-
BILE. 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 unintelligi-
| bly,. Excuse me, John, were you speak
| ing7 I've been trying to recall the name of
| a fertilizer Uncle John uses on his farm.
don't think this city soil is ricn enough.
| The vine needs more no Irishment."
"You might give it a course OF cod liver
| oil or a few Bottles of beef, wine and iron"
| | replied with some asperity.
The fertilizer was bought and freely ap-
piled, but at the end of week the vine
still remained a passive and apparently I'M
interested spectator.
at won't do, Anne" | said, "Barker's
isn't strong enough. That bit of botany
down in the yard there wants a summer at
| the seaShore, n winter in Florida, and
spring at a German spa. ! would also
recommend free massage treatment,
To tell the truth, the vine was becoming
| az, incubus Tho noi,vhhors nm th., hlocE