The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-07-19

COuIIuudl oOhLCC VI SLACA W AlCls
"When the minister's prayin' for
the widders an orphans he'd better
make mention of one more" said she.
once, "an' that's women without front
winders. "
She and her mother had planned to
save money enough to have one some
day, but they had never been able to
bring it about. A window command
ing view of the street and the passers-
by would have been q great source of
comfort to the poor old woman, sitting
and sewing as she did day in and day
out. AS it was, the few objects of in
terest which did come within her Wis
ion she seized upon eagerly, and made
much of. There were some children
who, on their way from school, could
make a short cut through her yard,
and reach home quicker. She watched
for them every day, and if they did not
appear quite as soon as usual she would
grow uneasy, and eye the clock, and
mutter to herself, 81 wonder where
them Mosely children can be?" When
they came she watched their progress
with sharp attention, and thought them
over for an hour afterward. Not bird
which passed her window escaped her
notice. This innocent old gossip fed
her mind upon their small domestic af-
fairs in lieu of larger ones. To-day
she often paused between her stitches
to gaze absorbedly alta yellow bird vi
brating nervously round the branches
of a young tree opposite. 1t was early
spring, and the branches were all of q
light green foam.
THAT'S the same yaller bird I saw
yesterday, do b'lievc," said she. II
recken he's goin' to build a nest in that
ellum."
Lately she had been watching the
progress of the grass gradually spring
ing up all over the yard. One spot
where it grew much greener than else
where her mind dwelt upon curiously
81 can't make out she said to a
neighbor, "whether that ere spot is
greener than the rest because the sun
shines brightly thar or because some
thin's buried thar"
She toiled steadily on the patchwork
quilts. At the end of q fortnight they
were nearly completed. She hurried
on the last one one forenoon. thinking
she would carry them both to their
owners that afternoon and get her pay
She did not stop for any dinner.
Spreading them out for one last look
before rolling them up in bundles she
caught her breath hastily.
''What hev done?" said she. "Mas-
sy sakes! Ihevn't gone an put Mis-
Bliss caliker with the little pink rose
ont in Mis- Bennets quilt! hev, jest
as sure as preachin'! What shell | do?"
The poor old soul stood staring at
the quilts in pitiful dismay. "a hull
fortnt's work" she muttered. "What
shell do? Them pink roses is the
prettiest caliker in the hull lot. Mis-
Bliss will be mad if they air in Mis-
Bennet's quilt. She won't say nothin'
an she'll pay me, but she'll feel it in
side, and it won be doin' the squar'
thing by her. No; if Pm goin' to arm
money I'll arm it,
Martha Patch gave her head Jerk.
The spirit which animated her father
when he went to housekeeping in a
piece of house without any front win
| dow, blazed up within her. She made
| herself cup of tea, then sat deliber-
ately down by the window to rip the
quilt to pieces. 1t had to be done pref
ty thoroughly on account of her admi-
ration for the pink calico, and the
quantity of tit figured in nearly
every square. 81 wish he'd front win
der to set to while I'm dom ont" said
she; but she patiently piled her scis-
sors till dusk, only stopping for short
survey of the Mosely children. After
days of steady work the pieces were
put together again, this time the pink
rose calico in Mrs. Bliss quilt. Mar
tina Patch rolled the quilts up with q
sigh of relief, and sense of virtuous
triumph.
'I'll sort over the pieces that's left in
the bags" said she, ''then I'll take 'em
over an git my pay. I'm gittin' pretty
short of vittles.n
She began pulling the pieces out OF
the bed-ticking bag, laying them on
her lap, and smoothing them out pre-
paratory to doing them up in a neat
tight roll to take home she was very
methodical about everything she did.
Suddenly she turned pale, and stared
wildly at tiny scrap of calico which
she had just iished out of the bag.
"Massy sakes" she cried; sit amt.
is it?" She clutched Mrs. Bliss quill
from the table, and laid the bit of calico
beside the pink rose squares.
'It's jest the same thing" she
groaned, IAN it came out on Mis- Ben.
nets bag. Dear me SUI! Dear me
SUI"
She dropped helplessly into her chair
by the window, still holding the quilt
and the tell-tale scrap of calico, and
gazed out in bewildered sort of way
Her poor cid eyes looked dim and weak
with tears.
''Thar's the Mosley children comm, >
she said-"happy little gals, laughin'
an hollerin', goin' home to their moth
er to git good dinner. Me a-settin'
here's lesson they amt larned in theil
books yit; hope to goodness they never
will; hope they won't ever hev to piece
quilts fur q livin', without any from
winder to set to. Thar's dandelior
blown out on that green spot. Reckon
thar IS somethin' buried thar. Lordy
massy! he0 | got to rip them two quilts
to pieces agin an sew 'em over?'
Finally she resolved to carry bit OF
the pink rose calico over to Mrs. Ben.
nets, and find out, without bctraying
the dilemma she was in, if it was
really hers. ......