News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-05-25
SUSIE IN THE CITYS
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.
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Susie stood gazing at her vines that
already had trailed their green way to
the tops Of her window frames.
slight quicker formed between her
brows as she tried to solve the problem
of their further ascent She did not
know who lived in the studio above.
Had she known who was up there she
could easily have gone up with her
string and tied it to the rusty nails
which she had seen from her own
window. But Susie feared for her
quiet, restful evening, should she be-
come acquainted with near neighbors.
However, she did want her string
wound over those rusty nails in the
window ledge above and, as her vines
began to plead desperately for support,
Susie determined to find way Of
giving it to them.
She decided to tie a string to the
pole, and hoist it to the window above.
She realized that her act was q tritle
unconventional, but her vines were
perfectly conventional vines and need
ed support just as any vines need it.
SO she scrubbed few lines on bit
of paper and tied the note to the end
of her flagpole. When she heard foot
steps near the window above she put
her pole outside and hoisted it, after
having tied ball of Irvine to the note.
Susie called up soft THANK you,
very much" when she knew the string
had been tied and the ball came tum-
bling down to her. She knew no more
about the person above her than she
did before.
1t was a man. however. Capt Nc
Gill of the Gordon Highlanders, re-
turned to his adopted home in Ameri-
ca, and he was much amused at the
request to tie the string for the tiny
burden to climb on.
Vacation time arrived for Susie. She
worried about the care of her little
garden and realized that she would
have to be at the mercy of Gods good
rain just like all farmers if her gar
den was to remain green.
Capt McGill, the man in the studio
above, happened by lucky chance to
see Susie descend the steps with her
suit case and in a fash realized that
he wanted very, very much to know
her.
- He didn't know for a second whether
or not to make most perfect idiot
of himself and rush ont, follow her,
purchase a ticket to the same place
to which she went and track her to
the very hotel in which she expected
to spend her vacation. But McGill
decided to keep his head on his Shout
ders and just trust to fate. Conse-
quently he remained at the window
while Susie disappeared toward the
stage that carried her to the railway
station.
He felt decidedly lonesome when
Susie had gone from the studio build
ing, even though he had never spoken
with her. He looked down each day
at her small garden and it was only a
few days after her departure before
he realized that if the products We're
to be saved for her return he must
find some way of watering them.
SO after deliberate thought the hero
from the battlefield contrived an ex-
tended watering can by means of his
bath spray and lOng-nozzled can.
The rubber was sufficiently long to all
but reach the garden roots. Each
night after dark McGill watered that
small garden as if it were the fodder
for an entire army of cattle or men,
He waited for dark lest any passer-
by see him and laugh at his folly.
When Susie returned Drowned and
feeling greatly benefited for her Holt
days, her first glance upon rounding
the corner of her street was for her
gardens fate She knew from reports
that scarcely a drop Of rain had fall
en- in the neighborhood. When. she
saw her precious beans, peas and
flowers green and blooming she was
curiously puzzled, but delighted in no
small degree.
1t so happened that McGill again
stood at the'windOw when Susie came
homeward and his Scotch heart re-
joiced. He knew that by fair means
or foul he was going to become more
than merely acquainted with that "
small neighbor of his.
1t was toward evening when he
heard a soft knock at his door. He
opened it and there stood Susie her
self with dainty and very tiny basket
Of fresh pulled peas and beans and
few colorful flowers on the top.
She blushed beautifully when she
saw that her upstairs neighbor was
a man and she felt quick pity when
she saw that he had lost one leg.
"Oh," she said swiftly, 81 brought
you up these vegetables from my tiny
garden, but being a man l suppose
you can't cook them. somehow fan
lied a woman lived up here" she
added.
How did you know l cared for
7our garden?" McGill asked, by way
If OBTAINING her a moment longer.