Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-08-02
Grannie'S Quilted Petticoat.
BY MARY X. DALLAS.

"My housekeeper is gone," said Mrs
Cameron, ''and actually do not know
how to fill her place. The idiot ha
married an old bachelor. He was th'
baker around the corner. and l neve
guessed when she was so obliging abou
choosing all the pastry herself, wha
was going on. let her have her littl,
girl with her, too, and paid her higf
wages; but there's no depending Oh
widows. They are always wild to marry
again. o. dear me!'
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Bonnycastle
81 can help you out of your dilemma
There's Margaret Mum. Ifyou don'i
mind a child you won't mind an old
woman of ninety, and Margaret thinks
more of home than wages. I'll send
her over. She's the best housekeeper
ever knew. / declare, l believe she
isn't comfortable if she can't see her
face in everything that can be polished.
And she and Grandma Mum eat like a
couple of canaries, and grannie never
leaves her chair, or scarcely; and Mar
garet will keep her in her own room,
and as clean as an old wax doll. Now
do try Margaret. She will suit you to
perfection"
And the result of the conversation
was that Mrs. Cameron did see Mar.
garet Mum. and finding her a nice,
tidy young woman, with an obllging
manner and an aptitude for housekeep-
ing, engaged her at once in the place OF
the recreant widow who had betrayed
her confidence by marrying the baker.
Margaret Mum took her place in Mrs.
Morton's house one Monday morning.
She brought grannie with her, and ten
minutes after Mrs. Cameron found the
old lady bolt upright in an arm chair
in the housekeeper's room, with her
knitting, gray worsted stocking, in
her hand.
She had cap with fluted ruffles on
her head and an apron with fiuted ruffies
about her wrists, and a cape, with a
fluted ruffle about it, on her shoulders.
She rose when Mrs. Cameron came
in, and said, "My duty to you, am, :"
and sat down again and went on knit
ting, like a machine that had been
wound up for the speech and was run
down again.
Ceramic won't be any trouble to
anyone" said Margaret, not lowering
her voice at all, for grannie was as deaf
as a post. "She always does exactly as
l ask her-all but one thing. She's 80,
and don't like to be harsh with her
so that one thing is a little anxiety to
me. She's my great-graDdmother,
ma'am, and she was beauty in her
day, they tell me. She's not so very
ugly now."
.The very prettiest old lady ever
saw" said Mrs. Cameron. "Such nice
white hair and baby blue eyes. But
what is the thing that troubles you,
Margaret"
"If you please, ma am, I'd better not
speak of it just now, perhaps" said
Margaret. "It's only little matter of
dress, ma'am."
"Oh," said Mrs. Cameron, "she looks
like picture now."
And then the talk about pantries and
store closets, pickle jars and potato bar
rels, and the last housekeeper's ways
and rules began.
81 don't want to be bothered about
anything,p said Mrs. Cameron, after
this was over. 81 am not strong, and ]
90 a great deal into society, ano l have
such dislike to having lady's maid
about me that l never keep one. l do
all my own dressing and that sort Of
thing, and Mr.. Cameron likes me to do
him credit. So am very busy. You
see l must have some one that l can
trust implicitly"
"Yes, ma a'am," said Msrgaret, sand
/ hope / shall suit you. I'll try my
best"
81 am sure you WILL" said Mrs. Cam
eron, and went away, well satisfied
with her housekeeper.
In the course of her afternoon calls
she met Mrs. Bonnycastle, and told her
what Margaret had said about Grannie.
"Oh, / know all about that, said
Mrs. Bonnycastle. margaret used to
be my seamstress once, before we broke
up housekeeping. She told me all. lrs
Grannie's quilted petticoat-"
Ceramics quilted petticoat" re-
peated Mrs. Cameron.
"Yes," said Mrs. Bonnycastle. "fou
know, or will know soon, that Margaret
is painfully neat. All the better for a
hired housekeeper, of course, and Gram
nie's undergarments and her own. look
just as their aprons do, marveiously
white. just think of the trouble 1t
must be to Margaret. then, that Grannie
will wear her quilted petticoaf, ten
years old this month, without allowing
it to be changed? It's been worn out
ten times over. but she always patches
it and puts it on again. It's a mass Of
patches of all colors, and the old soul
will not part with it. When Margaret