The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-06-05

her rag-bagl She laughed with pleas
ure at the absurd thought.
Mrs. Upton began TO bestir herself
in earnest after this with her work.
She succeeded in getting Mr.. Upton to
send her piece of cotton cloth by
having him personally inspect the
sheets and pillow-cases and under
clothing, article by article, and by re
ceiving humbly a severe lecture on
their condition, to the effect that it was
such as no self-reSpecting woman would
allow, and why hadn't she begun to
darn earlier, and why had she patched
them with new cloth that the Bible
itself told her would tear away, and SO
on to the end of the chapter. She must
take the worst sheets and make under
clothing of the parts that were left; he
wasn't going to buy any. No time for
else had she to do with her time? MIR.
Tipton," said his wife, made resolute,
not for herself now, not because she
wanted any new under-clothing but her
winding sheet, but because she wante
for her rag-oag the shreds and clip
pings resulting from the manufacture
of new cloth into garments-''Mr. Tip
ton, if was to die, | haven t the decent
articles to lay me outr'
swell" he answered her, his thin
red beard bristling, as it seemed, in
double redneSs while she faced him as
he had never seen her do before, Il
don't know anybody that that would
hurt but yourself ~ But he sent her
the piece of cloth.
"Seems as if l hadn't gone to work
the right way with him in the first
place." said Mrs. Upton to herself. 81
ought to have stood right up to him, and
put my foot down them"
But she went to work the right way
with her cloth, and cut, and skimped,
and pieced her cores. and picked up
her threads. and saw her rag bag swell
with a heart that swelled too with hope
and satisfaction. She had looked at the
muslin that she meant to have down in
Rainey's store, thirty cents yard; she
began already to see its luminous sheer
ness floating about her dear child's
pretty shape.
"Ah. Mr. DUSTIN" she said. when
next the tinman came along with his
cart, chow are rags to-day? No higher?
And paper just the same, you say?
well, now, Miss Upton, old papers
brings me just about the same's they
have this two year, excep' pamphlets
they're a cent an half pound. But
I'm leetle expecting rags to rise"
You arer" she exclaimed, in joyful
accents, and thrust her bag behind her.
Eyes; rags is sensitive. They feel
he affairs of men as if they was still
l-clothing of 'em. You let a central
surOpeing war come on, and rags will
70 kiting. It's sometimes an excellent
hing for the market if a plague or an
Epidemic breaks out in the East rags
20 up as if they knew it. That's odd,
low?"
81 should say so. How do you &C
count for it?"
"Well, dom knows 1 do account.
It's one of the mysteries, like the mys-
cries Of tides. Pears as if rags could
eel. And you don't want new dip
yer to-day? Got one-a good one;
bought of you when 1 slung it on;
,lock-tin, double bottom. No? Well,
mother time, l reckon. I'll trouble
'Ou, though. for drink of water. if it's
landy." And he saw that she had
plugged the hole in the dipper with
,it of match, and cut the ends off
mooth, and he knew there was a great
laul in reserve for him before long.
Poor Mrs. Upton saw that he had
cen it. "He's always getting the bet
or of me-" she said. IF | was some
women rdwet my rags till they weighed
ike water!' But as she wasn't some
women she took it out in watching the
newspapers and trying to keep up with
he ineXtricable confusion of the foreign
Jews, hoping to be able to see the war
loud in season for her rags; and if
yer woman prayed devoutly for an ep-
iemic in the East, Mrs. Upton was
ertainly the one. But then L doubt if |
my woman ever did.
Day by day Mrs Upton added to her
store. She did not 90 to |
walk but she scuffed along a bit of |
'aper in the street till, getting it where |
he could secure it unobServed, to bring !
Iome; she stole out sometimes in the |
vening and tore down such of the adj |
ertising bills and posters rs were not
pasted, that she might by so |
much increase the sum of her revenue,
vhen she should be ready to call in her
reasurer. She tore certain old books
rom their bindings, and even soaked
nd looseEed the binding for what they
we're worth. She went up in the attic
nd ran her fingers through the bundle
f old family letters there. These her
mother had written her when she was
It school herself; these had come from
Ter dear father when he was last at sea.
10, she couldn't. These were her
ister's letters; they told of troubles and
orrows and small wants. Well, they
night 90. But then if Matte died they
hey would be just as precious as the
Tiers: no. Still, she might die herself,
nd then who would care for them?
md they would be at any ones mercy
and all the private things in Mattie's.
he wasn't going to have that. She
ever did approve of keeping family
,tters and there would be more as
me went on. But if Matties went,
he would have no Partially; all must.
Ill did.
Here was another old trunk-old
etters, old deeds, old notes long paid,
Id account books of hundred wears
go, papers showing were the old Tip
5ns had gotten the better of the neigh
ors with whom they dealt, maps of
Id farms, notebooks, almanacs.
What conceivable value had they for
nybody but Eddie Ochiltree? They
hight 60 with the rest; and 90 they
id. And if any missing document
nat would have supplied the gaps in
he history of Captain John Mason, or
ave touched new point about Raleigh
r Sir Ferdinando Gorges, went into
ternal oblivion with them, Mrs Upton
either knew nor cared. What was