Evening star., 1927-05-06
Wild Morning Glories.
n ANETt .Ianetn

little brown-eyed girl did not
~ lift her head, but remained
in a crouching position, pat
ting into place the last of the little
plants which she had been so carefully
Setting out" They stood there like
sentineIs guarding her home, for she
had placed them all along the front
of the house in a neat and orderly
row. Then she arose and surveyed
them earnestly.
Presently she put the little spade
In the basket in which she had car
ried the plants and started for the
woodshed quickly, for she had been
30 busy she really hadn't noticed that
cool drIzzle had turned into a shower
and that she was wet and shivering
But she hadn't reached the woodshed
when she heard her mothers voice
with something like horror in 1t:
Morning glories! Why. Janet Ma
SON
Janet pattered back from the wood.
ahed and faced her mother, who wa
standing in the doorway, her troubled
eyes upon the result of Janet's work
She put her hand on the little girls
shoulder. GO change into dry clothes
right Off" she said, ''youIl catch your
death of cold"
room her mother was peeling pota toes
for supper. What do you suppose
father will say about those morning
glories?" she asked. He'll say they're
bad enough in the cornfield without
having them run all over the house
You know how he hates them, and
how fast he says they grow"
Mile a minute" smiled Janet.
DO you want to tell mother now
why YOU did that, dear?" a pause.
'If you don't wait till you are ready.
You must have had a reason
Janet nodded her brown head. She
stood at the window and gazed out
past the swing in the spreading
sugar" tree to the big new red barn
which was the pride of her fathers
heart. On all sides there was evil
dence of prosperity, in the fields of
waving grain, the good fences, the
comfortable quarters for his stock.
Outsidei But as Janet turned away
and her serious gaze came back to
the furnishings of the few poor rooms
of her farmhouse home there was some
thing distinctly troubled and unchld-
like in her gaze. There was distaSte
In the look which she gave the worn.
out rug IN the living room, the low
diseolored ceilings, the doors which
hung unevenly. The house insioe and
out had the appearance of being almost
rickety and old, and Janet vaguely
felt the unhappiness which only a SEN
sitlVe child can know whose surround
lngs are inferior to those of her little
1flends. But mother must not know,
she said to herself; some way she
felt that her mother grieved, too. and
was ashamed, but that she would not
want Janet to know.
That evening at supper. Mr.. Mason
neld forth on his usual subject. No
matter how hard he tried to prevent
them, the persistent little wild morn
Ing glory vines would twine about the
tender corn stalks in his field. Every
summer the battle grew hotter be.
tween the farmer and the vines.
But Mr.. Mason always won. His
neid yielded good crops. which had
enabled him to pay for his farm and
pulid his bright new red barn. He
now planned day and night to huv
the adjoining 40 acres-the Jones
forty-as he called it expectantly.
AS he talked this evening Mrs.
Mason and Janet were silent. They
both jumped when his fist came
oown on the table, making the dishes
rattle, though they knew that fathers
bark was worse than his bite"
a mile minute" he was saying,
Hthey grow Eastern anything / ever
saw
Janet was a little frightened. AS
soon as she could she left the table.
went through the living room and
Deeked out. 1t was still raining. but
she Ventured out just far enough to
see the little sentinels standing bravely
In a row. Then she went in and wash
ed the dishes while father and mother
read the paper in the kitchen.
Breakfasts ready, Janet. Come,
A pcached egg just the way you like
it." Mrs. Mason called up the stair
way the next morning
"Kerchoo. Kerchoor' came the an
swer from Janet's little room.
Finally. when her mother came up
to see what was the matter, Janet
lay in her little bed her cheeks were
red like apples and tears were in her
eyes.
Why, whatever is the matter?"
"KerchOo"' answered Janet.
"Well, it's not surprising that you
have caught cold, out in the rain
last evening, you remember; but what
ever are you crying about?"
Between sneezes Janet sobbed out:
They're all gone, mother-scat-
tered all over the road and down in
the ditch.
Mrs. Mason went over to the win.
dow and looked out. The little senti-
nels had been uprooted and entirely
spoiled oy the rain which had turned
into downpour during the night.
Right under the caves" she said,
''of course they'd wash out Well,
the corrfield's full of 'em," she con-
soled her. She paused moment
thoughtlully. Ready to tell why you