American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-04-04
NOTHING BUT CALICO.
BY OLIVE THORPE.

| "NOTHING but a common Calico" saIt
Molly, scornfully, looking at pretty
print on the table. :" think mother
might have got me a muslin, at least.
And she threw herself into the rocking
chair in a very discontinued way.
In minute the calico began to rustic
about, and droll little smothered sort OF
| a voice broke out:
dear me! Pm not such an insignifi-
cant thing as you think. l have Won
derful history. I've seen thousands OF
marvels, and suffered a hundred times as
much as you ever dreamed of; and now,
in my mature age, when Pm as perfect as
can be made, l don't relish being
sneered at by an ignorant human being,
whom l came to serve"
"You must excuse me-" Molly began,
surprised Il didn't know"
"No, of course you didn't know" in
terrupted the voice; land that's what's
the trouble. 1t is because you small hui
man beings know so little that you think
you know SO much, and look with scOrn
on piece of calico. 1 can remember
away back when | was shut up tight in a
soft green cradle. / was a baby then,
and rocked all day in my mothers arms
and never dreamed what was to come in
my life. By and by grew too big for my
cradle; SO burst it open and sprang out
to see the world. 1t was beautiful, tell
you. The world was full of lovely
green mothers, holding their pretty round
cradles up for the breeZes to rock; and
many of the babies heads burst out of
the cradles, and the mothers arms were
full of pure white, fluffy cotton bolls, as
they called us. The sun was beautiful,
and oh! SO warm; and the tall green
trees nodded and beckoned to us, and the
fragrant winds played with us, and was
SO happy.
"But that time was short. Childhood
always is" the Calico added, with a lit
tie sigh. II was snatched from my home
by a big black mantle first human be-
ing ever saw. I've seen enough since,
| tell you. I'd be willing never to see
another; for hardly one has ever come
near me but to hurt me some way. And
l feel sure that even you, gentle as you
look, will do something unpleasant to me
before long"
Molly looked little guilty; for she
thought of the scissors that would cut
the Calico and the needle that would sew
it.
"You needn't feel sorry, though" the
strange little voice went on, "for it really
don't hurt me, you know. 1t only annoys
me little. l don't know as l care, after
all; because that beautiful sunshine
might not have lasted, and my mother
had begun to turn black and show signs
of age before l left her. And, besides, l
anticipate seeing good deal of society
when l go about with you.
"Well, that black giant snatched me
out of my cradle and stuffed me into
bag, where found lots of my friends and
neighbOIs. Dear! dear! | can't remem-
Der all the things that happened to me so
long ago. l know l went through rough
was pulled to pieces by sharp
wires, and pounded and washed and
whirled and twisted and tossed about till
l hardly knew anything. But l came out
of that noisy place a beautiful piece of
white cotton cloth. Then had a chance
to rest little and look about in the world,
till | was carried, with dozens of other
pieces of cotton, to calico factory. By
this time, you know, was older, and had
learned to observe things; and so | remem-
there. But perhaps you don't care to
hear. Maybe you think | talk too
much"
Indeed, DON'T" said Molly, eagerly.
g want to know everything about it. L
like it better than fairy Stories"
Fairy stories, fudge!" said the Cali |
co, Indignantly. " should think SO.
What are fairy stories to the wonders L
have seen? And every words true. That's |
Inc DeSl OF II.
"Well, l don't care very much for fairy |
stOries," said Molly, hesitating. "Do |
please go on"
"Well, what makes you interrupt me,
them" said the little voice. Pm not
used to being interrupted. AS l said,
then, went to the calico factory; and
though had seen lots and lots of ma
chimes and thought knew all about those
iron and steel monsters, here saw some
entirely new kinds. can't tell you, such
A child as you are, how these wonderful
servants of men worked. There were
thousands of wheels and bands and teeth |
and rollers; but can tell you what they
did to me.
1.-The first thing that happened to me
was to run through fire. Fact, though it
sounds odd, don't it? You see, when |
came from the cotton factory, had sort
Of fuzzy look from the little ends of
cotton left all over me, as you know all
cotton cloth has. Now if you look at
ne you'll see that I'm as smooth as can
be, and the fire did it. l was put on a |
roller and drawn through row of gas
burners, right through the middle of the |
blaze. Not so quickly that did not take |
ire, and the tuzz was singed off as nicely |
Is you can think. Close by the gas-burn- |
.rs was fixed brush, which took off the |
;inders and l came out clean and smooth |
CATER running through several rollers, |
hat gave me a beautiful, smooth surface, |
went to the printing machine. This is |
wonderful thing, and, of course, | can't |
describe it, for l went through SO fast | |
lid not notice it much. l was sewed on |
10 several other pieces of cloth, So that |
we made monstrous long piece, and we |
we're rolled on a big roller and started |
through. l know just how | went, and |
I'll tell you, though you must know | |
lidn't go of myself l was just pulled |
md hauled, and couldn't stop if | had
split my whole length.
"Well, the roll whirled around ever so |
ong before it came to my turn; and glad |
was to get into the light, | tell you.
First ran over IA small roller, then over |
IN iron bar, and then against the scrimp- |
ng bar which is nothing but bar of /
ron with grooves cut slanting each way |
rom the middle; and its use is to stretch |
he cloth out perfectly smooth and get out |
all creases. Then went over IA brush, to |
axe off dust. And at last l came to a big |
cylinder. l suppose you know what "a
cylinder is?"
Molly shook her head
"Well, if you'd run over as many rs | |
lad, you'd know well enough. 1t is Il
'ound thing, like piece of stovepipe,
my size you choose. This one was pref
y big. l started around this cylinder,
which was covered with blanket and was
lice and soft. The first thing | knew |
an under small roller, which pressed
ne tight against the cylinder and stamped
IN me those beautiful clusters of red Der
Al. n sl.... 4