The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-03-12
MORNING GLORY.

Once upon time, somewhere, in Some
bodys garden, there grew Morning
Glory vine. Nobody knew how it came
there, for no one had planted it, but it
was q pretty little thing, with green
hearts for leaves and cunning little pale
green curls here and there upon its fuzzy
stem.
She wanted to get up off the ground
where she had been all of her short
life, so she crept slowly along to find
something to take hold of that she
might climb high up into the bright
sunlight. She put out her tender ten
drills and felt carefully along, for she
was blind, poor little thing, and could
not see where she was going.
As she reached out she felt something
hard. "Ah, perhaps this is something
high" thought the Morning Glory, so
she crawled up the side quite to the top,
but she was not high at all-not much
higher than the ground-for it was only
a small stone that he had found; so she
sadly crept back down the other side,
and she lay there quite discouraged.
There was an old man who used to
take care of Somebody's garden, and he
saw this plant growing there and CROP
ing about for support, so he fastened a
string from peg stuck into the ground
up to Somebody's window sill, and then
he quite forgot all about it.
The next morning the Morning Glory
felt more cheerful, and she started upon
her search again. She had not far to go
this time, because the kind old man had
fastened the peg very near to where she
lay; so she reached about with caution
to avoid another stone, and took hold of
the string.
The poor, sightless little thing did not
know that the old man had put it there
for her, but somehow she felt that it
would lead her to where she wished to
COUP toward the beautiful blue sky
and the great golden sun.
So she climbed along the string, slowly
! at first, then faster each day as she be-
i gan to know the way, until, like jack
bean stalk, she had reached the window
sill.
Now Somebody, the person who owned
the garden, was i'll; so i'll that he had to
stay always in his rvoun With an ugly
| black bandape over his eyes, and the
| doctors feared that he might never see
again.
He was very unhappy, and was often
oh, so very!-cross, and the servants
| quite feared him when he spoke to them
in harsh and authoritative voice.
He had no relatives, and he lived quite
alone in his great house, with many peo-
Pile to wait upon him, and with ever SO
much money to buy things to make him
happy, but the things that one buys do
not always make one happy, and he was
terribly wretched in his big, fine house.
One morning he CROPPED his way to the
open window and put his hand out
upon the side of the frame, and he felt a
little, sharp nail. Now if he had been
gentle the nail would not have hurt him,
for it was harmless little thing, but he
made a rough, impatient movement,
and it caught his finger and bruised it a
little.
This made Somebody very angry, and
he said some very unpleasant things
about the person who dared to put a
nail outside his window, and he felt
about, very cautiously this time, to find
the nail once more, that he might tear it
out
So he moved his hand slowly along
upon the sill, and the Morning Glory
was reaching her little hand about there
at the same time, and their two hands
met.
One did not look at all like a hand,
but it was one just the same, and the
little green hand grasped the great white
one and they seemed to know and under
stand each other at once, for the little
green hand said to the large white one
very tenderly: ooh! so you are blind
too! am SO sorry!'
The great hand did not try to find the
nail after that; it just touched the Morn.
ing Glory with soft caress and two
great drops fell upon the leaves. They
felt strangely and not at all like the cool
rain drops which sometimes watered the
Morning Glory, and something told hel
that these drops were tears.
Now, after this these two-Somebody
and the Morning Glory-grew to love
they would feel about for one another,
and the dainty Morning Glory would
nestle against his bearded cheek and
Somebody would pet her and stroke hel
leaves very gently.
And the cheerful hopefulness of the
little green plant helped Somebody to be
little bit hopeful, too. You see 1t was
harder for him, for he had not always
been blind, while she had never seen
and was so used TO it that now she hard
ly minded it at all.
One morning the Morning GLORY
brought her friend surprise. She had
kept it a secret all the while, and now
! she proudly put a great, beautiful pinl
r blossom into his hand. He could not sex
that it was pink, but he felt that it wa.
lovely, and he kissed the pretty ffowe
and murmured, "Yeu little beauty;
and that made the Morning Glory YER,
happy, for all mothers dearly love t
have their babies admired, you know.
And the next morning Somebody ha'
| d. SUI 1th LiAC hss
was a secret, too. No one knew it ye
but the doctor, and Somebody drew tn
little Morning Glory close to his lips an
whispered it into her ear. Then the littl
green hand twined about the great whit
one, and this is what it said, 81 am
glad that you are not going to be bin
any more" And Somebody understood
it, and the Morning Glory again felt tw
great warm drops which she knew to b
tears; but they were not bitter like tn
first ones; they were very sweet, becaus
they were tears of joy.
After this Somebody went away an
was gone long time. The weeks pas.
ed and he did not return, and the httl
Morning Glory was very sad; she re
!. hurt that he had left her so suddenl
and with no word of adieu.