The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-12-20
The Quilting Bee.
A Georgia Sketch, by Betsy Hamilton

The Quilting Bee.
A Georgia Sketch, by Betsy Hamilton
One night in the Christmas old Mi
Robertson she gin quiltin'. 1t
into rainin' that mornin', but I air
never seed no sort of weather that cou
back down this settlement from gwi
to barty.
Pap lowed if they knowed it wou
rain tadpoles and pennywinkles they
go to a frolic, weather they was ak
or not. But if any of 'em goes tn
drunk, and gifts to cuttin' up, it dor
take long to ak 'em off, in perticler
Buddy and ky Robertson is abol
One feller tried it thar that night. ]
was drunk, and timber as a dish-rag, "a
windin' all over the house, and tried-to
"set up to- Sissy Tucker. She wheel
ed on her heel and left him. Then he
sot in to cussin', and he got tuck one
by the year-Buddy he mighty quick
showed him the big road. 1t made Mol
Freshours monstrous mad she lowed,
"Sissy Tucker sighted Skimp, and when
she sighted Skimp Wigginsokef she
sighted her brothers. ;"
We uns mought have walked over
thar that night, but we didn't want to
git our Sunday shoes ruint in the mud /;
so Buddy he taken us in the OK waggin,
and we had power of fun, for Jinsy
Whetlock was along.
She came home with me from Atlanty,
Georgia, when Invent over thar to see
Cousin Calline Mason, and she never
was at a quiltin' in her life. When we
fust got thar the house and pi-a-zer was
jam full, and it looked like they yas
ell shs5sd 4ase5 at Yestn Ye o5sR spd sat Matip oT
a pin drap, they was all SO still, and
settin' up stiff like they was afeared to
move. Theo had the benches outen
the school 'ouse sot around again the
wall, and a-settin' on 'em thick as bis
cults in oven, the gals all on one side
of the room, and the boys on t'other.
The gals had thar heads combed slick
as ribbins, and thar faces full of skin
powders.
If Bud Hamilton can't stir and mix
crowd together, nobody else needn t
try. The old folks was all in "t'other
house" across the pizer a-quiltin' and
left the young folks to thar selves.
They was watin for the fiddler, but
the minute Buddy got in he sot 'em all
to playin' kissin' games. He tied a
knot in the cornder of his Handkerchief
and let in to hittin' ky Rober' son over
the head.
"Contented or discontented, Ike2
say quick, or I'll beat you till you
tell me.
"Discontented."
"What'll content you?"
"For all hands to play Johnny Brown. I"
"I don't want to play that; it's got
kissin' in it, and nav don't low me to
kiss" says Mandy Strong.
"Well, you uns ken start you up a
game of thimble over thar in the corn
der. All them that's in favor ofplayin'
Johnny Brown till the fiddler comes,
jine hands in the ring" says Buddy.
"I'm discontented again." says ky.
"What'll content you?"
ssFor Miss Arminty to stop quiltin',
and come out t'other house in here and
jine the play"
That sot the whole gang to gigglin',
for they knowed he didn't want her,
and was maxim fun. "Miss Arminty"
is a sharp-nose, long-neck old maid,
that goes ever 'whar, whether she is
wanted or no, and talks about ever
thing and ver'body. Ever'body's bus
mess is hern; she is too idlesome and
do less to have any of her own. Her
tongue is the occasion of heap of
devilment in the settlement. never
lets her hear me say nothin', if l can
help it. She is shore to tell it, and git
it all twisted so by the time you hear
it agin you are ready to swar you never
said it.
l tuck Jinsy in "t'other house" to
see the quilt. The room was most full
of old women, and dim with terbacker
smoke from thar cob pipes. Miss
Gooden and NAV and Aunt Nancy and
old Miss Strong was doin' some good
honest quiltin', but t'others was doin'
more talkin' than work.
Old Miss Freshours had left the quilt
bekaze her feet was cold, and drawed a
three-legged stool up in the cornder,
and slipped her feet outen her shoes,
and stuck 'em to the fire to warm.
She was tellin' dream she had about
the comet and the world a-comin to a
eend, and it was so miracklus ever body
held thar breath and never batted thar
eyes. She had big snuff mop in her
mouth, and as she talked she spit on
the hath.
Old Miss Green sot right fernenst
her on t'other side Of the fire, chin in
her hand, and elbow on her knee, pufin'
away at her pipe. She is monstrous
fat, weighs over two hundred. She
doctors the whole settlement on roots
and barks and yerb-tea mixtries, and
they say she can't be beat maxim of a
pine-pitch plaster.
The fiddler had come, and dancin'
was gwine on in t'other house. We
could hear ky ROBBERS sons big mouth
callin', "Balance all" "Swing cor.
ners," "All promenade. Old Mis-:
Freshours is terrible old sinner, bu
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