New Walks in Old Ways 



dows of the porch had, on the contrary, 

 to be helped before it became a party 

 to the scheme. We had to support its 

 efforts at first with wire or twine. 

 It seems happy enough now, after 

 some eighteen years, but it would 

 really not take much of an effort on 

 your part or mine to coax it away. 

 You see, these vines are like ourselves. 

 They differ in their ideas of growth 

 and development and devotion, just 

 as we do, and you will find that the 

 Virginia creepers of this world largely 

 outnumber the cultivated Ampelopsis 

 of your catalogues, with which this 

 reference was begun. Of course, the 

 cinquefoliated plant is vastly hardier. 

 It laughs at zero, and defies all drouths. 

 Adverse conditions in time will surely 

 kill the other. Still the ivy more than 

 compensates in beauty, refinement and 

 in fast adherence to anything to which 

 it gives itself, for its unfortunate lack, 

 in this iron climate, of mere physical 

 strength. Tear away from its em- 

 [12] 



