Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-01-02

phia when cousin Lewis used ia
team il with four awful nice crea
lures; be hauled dry goods aud gro,
ceries ssfore canals and railroad,
were known
This green stripe was present Oh
her birthday; she had it made up
With hows on the sleeves, low 10 the
neck and gathered full on to wide
bslt; was so plump that it filed up
smoothly as a pillow.
And u, tho second cousins looked
at the old tins patchwork, and
sometimes they laughed and some.
times thsy were sad and again the
tide would run on into a story thai
was really quite like reading from a
woman's magazine.
But this was long years ago; and,
after all that quilt had tale, fo-
second cousin Sally coaxed second.
cousin Lydia to have q quilting 10
her newAnouse in the upper cham Der
and invite every body to it. And she
did; AM what then Well they set
long tables and the women ate irst
ard thon the men and boys came in
from tho corn-husking and ate at the
second table. They had sight et
merrImbnt 800. And after supper
they flirted the now quilt and waved
it after an old.time custom, and gave
it an UPWARD toss and away it flew
like winged bird and spread itself
ali over the bald, shiny pate of Dsa.
con Merrill, widower with two
boys jest entering their teens. How
the youngsters did roar out their
laughter! Then. according to Gus.
tom, the men tossed the Quilt over
TO the side of the room where the
women were huddled, and that per-
verse Bnd shameless quilt just flew
as direct as a bird of prey, and fold.
ed itself 10 soft, puffy, smothering
way all over the sleek head of sec.
ond-consin Lydia Cummings She
firted il off quicken one could say
sack ROBINSON" and looking over
at Andrew Hunt she said. "Did
everl Now Andy for shame on ye."
Her bushes made her downright
handsome, aud suppose the Deacon
thought so TOO. fer he stroked mis-
twig Of gray hair forward over the
broad. b,ld apace, and looked first
this way aud then that way as
though he didn't feel disposed to
quarrel with the dispsnsations of o
wise providence.
Andy said, an hour afterward,
when he went to hand the deacon a
cup of nog, be grabbed away off to
one side for the handle Of the tin
cup. and it was because his head
was turned away to the shadowy
chimney-corner where Lydia was
engaged untying linen bag to get
OUT some hops to send Lucy Ellen
Kimbali for her earache.
Margaret Monahan said she'd bet
curl that Deacon Merrill was
saached. with o warmin' about his
ss.ssss z 1870 srsz. Ike fe'a rot cast
since Mary Ann's death"
We don't know what the gossips
said abont the affair of the Quilt, bat
we do know that there was a sign
10 it, and that the sign came to pass;
it was q true sign for one evening 10
the May second. cousin Sally had fix
ed up real smart both herself and
her square room. And in the loft,
looking out of the window for q dea
con astride sorrel horse, sat second
cousin Lydia and she did not look
long for sure enough here came the
deacon and the circuit preacher.
Both wore stiff cravats and looked
as if they were sta ched from
crown to ls. They never smiled
at all. Why should they 4! Marriage
is no chiId's play.
Second. cousin Sally told us that
the lsst time she saw L., dia's quilt
1t was somewhat faded, bu. still 10 a
good state Of preservation, and COW
cred two little brownies of grandsops
the children of one of the boys. who
was il his teens whom
Lydia roe like q full moon 10
her msiesty to shine, new mother
in that lonely household. The quilt
for years was on the big trundle bed
of the rollicking, growing lads of the
deacon's. They made tents out of
it on their uplifed feet many time,
and isrked it about until the stitches
cracked; but Lydia didn't care so
long as they were happy and had a
sunny childhood filing up with
memories so much pleasanter than
her own. She rather enjoyed hav.
ing the lads "take the tailor out of
the venerable quilt. for both she and
the superstitious deacon had often
averred that If it had not been for
that very same article Of bed gear,
their lives had flowed on apart, both
lonely, each needing the other,
and not knowing it at all. That
patch work was the link that welded
together two separate lives; it was
the omen Of good, the best, and pref
tiest and most Useful quilt that any
girl ever made. 1t was blessed
gu Ii and they both said thousands
of times that it was.
RosELLA RICE.