Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1927-09-09
WILD
MORNING
GLORIES
20 by d. J. walsh.1

- llIt nef Heuu Dut Teiiidiheu III
a crouching position, patting into place
the last of the little plants which she
had been so carefully "setting out"
They stood there like sentinels guard
ing her home, for she had placed
them all along the front OF the house
In neat and orderly row. Then she
arose and surveyed them earnestly.
Presently she put the little spade In
the basket In which she had carried
the plants, and started for the wood
shed quickly, for she had been so busy
she really hadn't noticed that cool
drlzzle had turned into a shower and
that she was wet and shlverlng. But
she hadn't reached the woodshed
when she heard her mothers voice
with something like horror in 1t:
Morning gloriesl Why Janet Ma
sonl"
Janet battered back from the wood
shed and faced her mother, who was
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, you'll catch your
death of cold"
When Janet came back from her
room her mother was peellng potatoes
for supper. "What do you suppose
father will say about those morning
glorIes?" she asked. Hell say they're
bad enough in the cornfleld 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, dearT 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
pnst 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,
Outsidel 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
something distinctly troubled and un
chldllke In her gaze. There was dis
taste In the look which she gave the
WORKOUT rug in the living room, the
low dlscolored ceilings, the doors
which hung unevenly. The house In
side and out had the appearance OF
being almost rickety and old and
Janet vaguely felt the unhappines:
which only sensitive child can know
whose surroundings are inferior tC
those Of her little friends. 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 tC
know.
That evening at supper Mr.. Mason
held forth on his usual subject. Nc
matter how hard he tried to prevent
them, the persistent little wild morn
ing glory vines would twine abou
the tender cornstalks in his field
every SuIllncT luc Duitic BiSW hOhtS'
between the farmer and the vines.
But Mr.. Mason always won. His
fields yielded good crops, which hat
enabled him to pay for his farm ant
| build his bright new red barn. Ht
now planned day and night to buy
The adjoining 40 acres-the Jones A
AS he called II expectantly.
As he talked this evening Mrs. Ma
son and Janet were silent They boil
jnmpcd when his fist came down OF
TIE table, making the dishes rattle
though they knew that fathers "barl
was worse than his bite"
"A mile minute" he was saying
"they grow EASTERN anything ! eve
saw"
Janet was a little frightened. Al
soon as she could she left the table
went through the living room an(
peeked out. II was still raining, bu
she yentured out just far enough L
see the little sentinels standing brave
ly In a row. Then she went In ant
wished the dishes while father an'
mother read the paper In the kitchen
breakfasts ready, Janet. Come
A poached egg just the way you lik'
IT, Mrs. Mason called up the stair
way the next morning.
"Kerchoo! Kerchoop came the an
swer from Janet's little room.
Finally, when her mother came uI
70 see what was the matter, Janet Ia!
in her little bed; her cheeks were ret
like apples and tears were In her eyes
"Why, whatever is the matterT
"KerchOO answered Janet.
swell, It's not surprising that y0l
have caught cold. out in the rain las
evening you remember; but whnteve
are you crying aboutT
Between sneezes Janet sobbed out
They're all gone, mother--scatteret
all over the road and down in tn
ditch.
Mrs Mason went over to the win
dow and looked out. The little senti
nels had been uprooted and entlrel.
spoiled by the rain which had turnet
into a downpour during the night.
fright under the caves" she said
"of course they'd wash out. Well, tn,
cOrnfield's full of EN- she console,
her. She paused a moment thought
fully. "Ready to tell why you set sucl
q store by emT she Inquired. Their
was no answer, and she placed he
20