, 1889-09-19
A GOOD NEIGHBOR.

charming ncighborS that ever fell to the
lot OF housc-mother. do not refer to
the kind who borrow quart of -four and
bring back two. Nor the kind who know
all the gossip of the town, and regularly
peddle II out each morning ut the back
door or leaning over the fence. This
ncighbor was one who always had some
thing to give not of money value, but %
bright thought, a kind word or reference
to the latest book or thought of the day.
She was fine botanist and as great a
lover of flowers as have always been.
One morning she would bring over to
the door one blossom and bit of quaint
original poetry; another day IL would
bc whole bunch of sweet violcts and q
rare poem she had stored in her memory;
another morning 1t might he sweet
potato vine and q suntower or u daisy
! with a merry face drawn in the disk. 1
remember bouquet she brought just a
year ago, saying; This Is the last rose
OH the table she took up blossom after
blossom, as though reluctant to give up
old friends. She touched the petals ten
derly, just as Coleridge used to pat his
books when too feeble to read them.
But us she petted them and talked in
|
the last meeting of our Domestic Science
Club, she gave me thoughts about tho
hoWers which wish to string together
as would jewels that lay loose in my
lap, so that some other woman may
know something about this beautiful
neighbor of mine.
"Did you know that in 20 there woro
only 1882 species of plants In the United
States which grew without cultivation2
In ,o2 there were 10 orders, 800 families
and 1887 species, and of these there are
226 species not found east of the Missis-
4 sippi riverP'
,'How many in Kansas" asked.
.How many right here in the geograph-
ical center of the United StatesY"
NEARLY 800 species. Just SEQ what
have In this bouquet" she replied lifting
an orchid nearly two feet long. "Sec tho
twisted stem and little waxy-white-blos-
SONS. This. | think is tho Spirauthes
Graminea, though not exactly Iike those
Eve found East" and my neighbor told
me about other rare orchids she had
found or seen.
II hunted for the gontian, but could
not find one she said, after awhile.
several years ago | found Just one, and
picked 1t over in the hollow where
found the orchid. | like what Bryant3
says about the gentian, You like best)
Whittiers Pressed Gentian'--I know
tlic Christmast gift of window trans
parency of the blue gentian, which, TO
the passer-by is only. 'clouded glass
but IN the room it takes the hue oil ths
bending skies.
. $50 from the trodden ways of.carth,
Seem some sweet souls who veil their
worth,
,--To'loving eyes alone they turn
The flowers of inward grace, that hide
Their beauty from the world outside
This sensitive plant Il ought to place
IL III u separate genus-Schrank kiA) |
found over the railroad on sandy knoll.
This branch, with its little red balls,
seems particularly sensitive. The slight.
est touch makes every leaf close. II
/ makes the change in the position of tha
/ leaf complete in three successive move.
9 mcnts: First the leaflets close in pairs,
bringing their faces together and inclin-
4 ing forward; then the secondary pctiolea
approach each other and finally tie
: main leafstalk turns directly downward,
4 bending at its union with the stem.
: think all plants have u power of motion,
: but this is marvellous"
Haven't you something to quote
Y alb out this?" | asked--"about peopie?"
1 mo, don't like that sort--'shut up
+ if not handled just so. 1t is self.love
with most of people that gets br,lisedJ
and wounded, sick and sore PoopLx
r who, are always getting hurt ought TO ~
} labeled and put in tin cans. nevcf
, spend time 10 coddle that class of pco-
soon as you get them patched up and on
. their feet they are wounded again, and
\ one never knows what at Here is
|, beautiful wild bean, not the Fapa Yul,
/. garis cultured III the gardens and which
+ you New Englandors persist In eating,
a Notwithstanding the cdict of Pythaeoras'.
n | found this in the woods deep down in
n ravine where tiny brook runs into the
a kaw. AS | piucked it thought, YOU
2 little beauty, why don't You complain
shut III here IN shade and almost dark
nessPh
at does complain; see, 1t is dressed in
! halt mourning" / answered.
. NO, replied my neighbor, at has
donned royal robes, The purple Is very
, deep on some blossoms 1t would IN.
: deed mourn il placed on the hilltop
: cannot quote amy rare bit over this, bur
somehow 1t made me think OF Mrs.
= Baxter. You need not Taught ovid
: wrote of beans in Il very respectful way,
, Mrs. BaXtler, when she lived here, wa.
y seemingly very sensible woman. She
}, was in ravine--sociaily--b She made
, the best of it and throvc beautifuIfV
. q She was kind, ncighborly, open -hand;H
y and, i'll short, an intelligent Christian
- woman and seemed like n sensible
a woman. But it seems she must nave
= really lacked some element of common
a q sense, for after they went to B. and
= her husband became superintendent of a
q railroad she became adifferent woman.
= She went far and near TO get plants fol
= a house, built a costly one and furnish
expensiyely. Instead of Mrs. BaxtleI
= being the kind, neighborly sort of q
i woman we knew here, she grew snob-
: bish, arrogant, vain and dictatorial.
, She cut the acquaintance of her most in.
, innate friends and snubbed those wha
. dare address her. Poor woman! tho
, hilltop and sunshine were her ruin.
!, She lost her friends; her sons took to
4 strong drink and her husband guzzled
y wine and beer. The last | heard OF
a them, the sons, one was in an insane
q asylum and the other worthless tel
!" low, her husband was dead and she was
n living in great poverty among her rel
), ativcs.
II "Do you know, dearie, that God
knows the exact place that is best for
his creatures in the vegetable and ami
:, NAL kingdom? Some require sand, some
~ rich loan; some need shade and sonae
:, sunshine; some must live in the valley
y, and some on the hilltop. All have ~
:, :, same care, but not the same kind of en- )
:, vironment. He loves the one in the
= valley just as much as He does the ono
% on the hilltop. l used to ask for pros
,f perity thinking only prosperity meant
"a an abundance of this worlds goods,
n But have seen so many who had moth
. ing but this worlds goods, and were
\ poor in everything else, that have be-
q gun TO say, The valley or the hilltop,
> Lord! Thou who scest the end from tile
, bepinuiuu xuoyyqst tho very haet t,laca