n the cold days came and the poor little Glory grew faded and had to
crawl under the dead leaves for protection.

When the summer came again up came the little Glory, but it was a sad
little flower. Now it longed to climb, but it was too small to do
anything but lie on the ground.

After a while it grew near to a bush and put its weak little vine
around it, hoping to get off the ground.

"What do you mean by trying to cling to me?" said the bush. "I have
all I can do to take care of myself."

So the poor little Morning-glory dropped back to the ground. By and by
it grew long enough to reach a tree and slowly it climbed up the big
trunk until it came to the branches.

"Now I shall be able to see the world," it thought. "This tree is big
and will shelter me, and I can climb to the very top."

As soon as the big tree saw what was happening it told the little
Morning-glory it would not have it climbing about its branches, because
it would spoil its leaves.

"What are you doing in our woods?" asked the tree. "You should be
growing in a garden, on an arbor or up the side of some little house.
How came you here?"

The poor little Glory had to tell how it ran away from its mother with
the breeze and was left alone in the woods all winter.

"Please don't send me back to the ground. I cannot see a thing there
and I am so lonely," pleaded the little Morning-glory.

"I am sorry for you," said the tree, "but I cannot have my leaves
spoiled on any account. I'll tell you what I will do, but you must be
satisfied and never ask for more liberty. If you do, back you go to
the ground."

The poor little Morning-glory was so lonely and sad it was ready to
promise anything to get off the ground.

"You should stay where you are, but you cannot grow up any higher. If
you do I shall grow my twigs and leaves about you and crush you," said
the tree.

So the little Morning-glory had to promise to stay on the trunk of the
tree and never grow any higher, but it sighed for its mother vine, and,
because it could not climb, never grew any big blossoms, but tiny
little flowers which sighed because they could not stretch out their
vines and grow. But the tree kept the little Glory to its promise and
not a vine could get above the trunk.

And then one day when the days grew cold and the Morning-glory vine was
going to sleep for the winter, the runaway Glory was heard to say to
the other blossoms: "Children, be careful of the br