Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-23

And she would have been ceiehrstad =
q wonderful conversationalist IL
nau oeen born to wealth. and in Bos-
ON. instead of spending her f;rst
twenty years in learning and teach;nr
music in q Western State.
nus despite hes disadvantages Mime.
os uape1nlche!, consciousness Of her
oMn superiority to criticism v de-
r:.II'o her. and never failed to impress
w,i.nm more - less intensity those with
wnom she same in contact.
50 when Nine. Pumpernickel opened
n ner ,sallse, and from every part of it
calhe tumbling out silk rags, snip
pings n clippings of every shade
ano shape, and she said in her CAV
way: u travel like an esthetic rag
man. It's my crazy quilt You must
=, one. Everybody. is making them.
Ihey are ehqant." Mrs. Batterby i'm
mediately decided to have one.
That night, when Mr.. Batterby, who
as one of Chicago's prominent men, had
peen requested 10 attend a Qualification
meeting" downtown, arrived home at
lo;3o p. NJ, he looked over the bannis.
ters INTO the dining-room, and inyolun-
tarily exclaimed:
up yet? Why what in the world
Well might he exclaim.
|. The floor of the room into which he
looked was strewn with rags; the din
lng-table was heaped with them; and.
bending over the table, arrayed in loose
wrappers, their cheeks flushed, and
their hair dishevelled in their eager
ness, were his wife and her guest, pull
ing about and tossing around the heap
OF scraps.
80, I'm making a crazy quilty" alb
stractedly returned his wife, scarcely
raising her eyes from her work; "Mme.
pumper9ickel.. is helping me plan
MI. Batterby looked on a moment,
his habitual abiding sense of a mans
inability to comprehend the mysterious
workings of the feminine intellect enab-
ling him to maintain a becoming COM
posure of manner.
"Well, good-night!' he said, with the
air OF giving up a problem.
But rs he turned to go his eye was
caught by the familiar pattern OF n
silken fragment. He drew it from the
heap. "My old necktie! another of my
scarfs.."
"Now, Gustave!" cried Mrs. Batterby,
ssnatching it away; .'you gave up wear
ing that years ago."
"Here is one / boughtin Paris" said
Mr.. Batterby, giving another pull atthe
pile ard bringing out a rich blue satin
scarf.
"And she is So close and stingv with
them! she won't cut one!' cried Nine.
Pu%mpernickel, gaily.
"Here, Nine. Pumpernickel. I'll
give you this for you1' quilt" very gal
lantly responded Mr.. Batterby, hand
ing over the bright silkcn ribbon.
"Oh!" involuntarily gasped his wife.
''Why, Gustave! I've been saving that
to use IN some such way these five
years"
$50, thank you Mr.. Batterby! Now 1
shall always have something to remind
how your wife feels! But 1 shall not
divide with her."
"No, you keep it ALL" loosely ad-
vised Mrs: Batterby, keeping up the
joke, and he betook himself to bed,
leaving the two women delying into
their rags.
They finished their squares, though
Mrs. Batterby had to letthe baby cry .
little while till she pieced out q corner;
but there was not quite the same cor
diality between them as before Mr.. Bat
terby's entrance. Mrs. Batterby' good
sens was all that restrained her from
jealousy. She knew what a belle and
tlirt Nine. Pumpernickel used to be, and
really" she was mentally saying,
gray hairs and wrinkles would
not prevent her being a coquette yet.
Will she really take advantage of Gus
tave's fun and carry away the scarf she
knows i was h%oardingP" But Nine.
P~umpernickel (who had q keen sense of
humor and read. Mrs. Batterby's mind
like a book) really did carry the scarf
away to her room and her valise, and
poor little Mrs. Batterby (who lay
awake that night planning squares. and
thought long about that beautiful tie
and Gustave's reckless generosity new
er saw again the treasure Of which her
husband and her guest had so ruthlessly
despoiled her.
Immediately after breakfast the next
morning the two women sat down to
their work.
III SOlnS W 4CG N4aly N1cSS GIe
baby and pick up the house. I'll just
let things 60, and devote myself to
YOU"
eyes, and Wen see how many
squares of your quilt we can finish while
I'm here"
1--WE must 60 to the opera matinee
this afternoon, you know"
'Dear me! 1 hardly feel as if I could
take the time" cried Nine. Pumper-
nickel, who was a musician by nature
and training and adored opera.
They worked on their respective
squares till the last minute, barely al
lowing themselves time to dress and
swallow a cup of tea each.
..We shall be q little Late" said Mrs.
Batterby when they were almost at their
destination. The next moment she gave
a little cry of CONSERVATION.
90 mercy! II 1 didn't leave our tick
cts on the mantel-piece!'
SHOW long will it take us to 60 back
for themP'
..Forly minutes, and forty back. Call
;t an ho,r and a half. The oDera will