Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-01-24
AUNT PHILURA.
As Proud Of Her Bedquilts as II
They Were Brickybats
Miss Winter Makes up Her Mind to
Say Her Piece-..A Moral
Lesson OF General
Application.
boston Times, I

Mrs. Stuftiebeam was over here the other
day. and spent the day with me. The men
folks was over to tho Griggss, and so we had
considerable time to visit
She was pecin bedquits. That woman Is y
always piecin up bedquilts Her house is
running over full Of be lqu''ts. Risin star
bedquilts, settin' sun betlquilts, horseshoe
bedquilts, basket bedquilts, log-cabin bed
quilts, I bcdquilts,, 033 pieces no-two-
of-'em.alike bedquits, hit-or-miss bed
quilts, puzzle bedquilts-and l don't know
how many other kinds Of bedquilts that wo-
man has got In her house. And she always
takes her company clear through the house
and makes em look at her bedquilts, as
proud Of 'em as il they we're foreign bricky-
bats. Why, I've known that woman to let
her men folks shirts go till they wouldn't
hang on to their backs without bein' tied on),
so she could piece bedquilts
AS l was sayin' she was piecin' one that
day. She begun to talk about om right Off.
Says she:
'rve got the cutest new pattern for
Queen Victory quilt. l got the pattern from
Mrs. Griggs She's just been up to
Canada. She says they're all the 60
there"
II didn't know belquilts ever went" says l.
"Though, come to think of it, they have been
goin' ever since knew you. Have you got
the one done you was on with jest before
went awayr
"Oh yes, says she, "all done and quilted.
You'd olt to been here to help quilt. 1t had
jest l, 7S3 pieces, two inches square, and no
two of 'em alike. When get Queen Victory
done I'm going to make one of l,SS3 pieces,
an inch and a half square, in 1883 different
shades Of red and blue if can find en-"
allow are your men folks off for shirts and
overa!ls this spring. said 1. in dry tones.
Poorly" said she. II amt had time to
make their new gingham shirts, and they've
had to put on their last years ones that are
all out at the elbows This ERE quilt, when
it's done, will have q picture OF Queen Vic
tory in the middle, on Turkey-red back
ground"
"Who is Queen VictoryT' says for was
feclin' just mean enough to want to corner
her.
"Why, shes-she's-I dunno what her other
name is I'll ask Mrs Griggs, il you
want to know" says she, pickin up three
cornered yellow piece Of calico and Sewin' it
to pink and green square.
"Whatis she queen Off snys l.
"Wal, now, l didn't ask-of Canada, I
s'pose. Could get few pieces of that blue
spriggled muslin Molly had last summer to
set right in here Miss Winter! Thorn blue
pokydots would he jest what l want for Vic,
tory's eyes"
II amt the woman to refuse Victory her
eyes," says I, dryly, takin' myself upstairs
to Molly's closet to look up the pieces l
had to 80 somewhere to relieve my feelings;
ani the thoughts thought of my country
woman, while l was on my knees in that
closet, want pious ones. When | como
back she looked up through her specs, and
snys she:
"Why don't you piece up an album quilt
or puzzle quilt Miss Winter' You must
have lots Of pieces"
"For one reason says |, "1've given away
so many of my calico pieces within few
years to them that was beiquilt crazy, that
couldn't piece one without begging the
pieces ! made up my mind years ago.
went on, "that life was too short to spend
cuttn' up now calico into little pieces for
the sake of sewin' 'em together again.
There's too much reliin want to do; too
much real thiukin for a fairly bright wo-
man, to tend to; too many things l want to
study into; and even if there warn't-too
many poor and sutferin' ones round me
without respectable winter clothes to their
back or a chance of their ever KNOWN any
thin, for me to piece mlny bedluilts. 1t
would be wicked waste of time for me"
"Say," says she. interuptin' my flow of
eloquence, "would you put this strip for
her nose in of red calico or this dove-color.'
SaysI: "There is them shifess ones, who
have always got along with tuckS that have
vet found time to road and inform their
minds Such ones could tell YOU who Queen
Victory is, and what empire it is on which
the sun never sets, that she rules over.
There's them shif'less ones who sleep
under comfortabes warm enough, too-that
vet find time to read the newspapers AMI
knows what is goin on in her own country,
at least, to say nothin' Of other portions OF
the globe"
"Say, if you was goin' to have new orange
and pea green gingham this summer" said
Mrs Stutflebeam, as paused seeminly so far
away from hor l could scarcely hear her,
show should you have it made: You've jest
come from the city. How were they wearin'
ginghams most, whom you were in Boston!"
says she.
II should have it cut swallow-coat-t
fashion," says /, comm down to earth with
solid tbud, with tight pants and a cane.
The folks saw dressed in that style seemed
to he the ones with minds nearest to the bed
quilt -piecin level-what they had"
She was most good mind to be mad, and
was jest castin' about for somethin' to say to
smooth things over, when l heard n step Oh
the veranda, and there was Elder Jones at
the door,
DuttermiIk and Crime.