Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-09-16
DROPPED STITCHES.
Difficult Matter to Take Them Up Again
So That They Will Not Show.

So That They Will Not Show.
Grandma Grayson sat by The library
fire knitting. Little. Tessal erept Close
to her side to watch the ever-new, ever
old process. She loved to watch grand
mas nimble fingers.
"Wnat are you doing, grandma
making all those funny-lool,ing long
Sits in your wOrk?' H.
I'm knitting what we cail railroad
stitch, dear-don,,t you Seee> When ]
reach the last row',I drop some stitches.
l drop two, then knit five, drop two
more, then knit five, and so on See?
Then, when the dropped stitches have
all run down. as we call 1t. it leaves
those long loose stitches you think 40
funny" f-'''i'.i''
Tessa gazed ihtently. Presently,
she heard Bobby's whistle in the hall
Bobby was Tessa's ,;.big brother.Hs
though but twelve years old, because
Tessa was only six. She was devoted
to him, and always wanted him to
know ell she knew SO How she called:
Come here, Bobby, and see grandma
drop stitches, and let 'em run down"
Bobby, too, watched the process with
great interest for 4 few moments.
Grandma" said Tessa, directly, Il
thought it spoiled work, to drop
stitches?"
$50 it does, dear, ordinarily. I'll
show you how to take them up when
you drop them accidentally. "a -
We'll, - said Bobby, Il guess I'll 90
on and. get my boat Boys don drop
stitches, so they don't have to know
how to pick 'em up" and he prepared
to turn away to take up his whistiing
where he had left of. 20
''Are you.fight sure Bobbys1 asked
Grandma Grayson, in 4 tone thaE made
Bobby pause. When GRANDEUR spoke
in that way, Bobby was quite sure she
''measlt something E.-F
Right sure of what, grandma
'sRight sure that boys don't drop
: stitches, and try to pick them UP oc-
. easionaily"
"Why-yes," in q hesitating way
eat least, L think am. don't know
just what you mean. Boys don't knit
--lcastwise, most boys don't-bUt you
kind O. look as if you meant something
else'' t, - go ~ So :!
Grandma smiled at the disiOinted,
uncertain way in which Bobby spoke;
but as she knew what he meant, it was
all right. ,
81 do mean something else. There
are more ways of dropping stitches
than one, Bobby; and let me tell you
ally it is one of the hardest matters in
81 al - xt,o4 a.
not show. We may 90 back and try
over, and repair the wrong; but the
long fine line that shows the path where
we have been wrong always remains
where we can see it, if no one else
knows it." A light began to dawn on
Bobby's face.
For instance, grandma?' he ques-
toned.
well. for instance. l know of q
boy who spoke hastily and diSrespect-
fully to his mother this morning. be-
cause she wanted him to do per-
fectly proper thing when he wanted
to do another. TO be sure. that boy
very seldom does such thing. but he
did it. All! Bobby, that boy dropped
a big stitch then. To be sure. hi
stopped it, and took 1t up. and re-
.pented and apologized, and his moth
rer forgave him; and no one would evel
know he had done the wrong but his
mother and himself; but they will al
ways be able to tell where the stitch
was dropped and taken up again.
Bobby flushed crimson, and his liz
trembled.
..And / know little boy who
Nthoughtlessly left a litter of chips or
the front doorstep at four O'Clock il
the afternoon, after promising h'
would clear it away. To be sure. he
did clear it away at five; but it wa.
after his mother had been grieved 3
his thoughtless disobedience. and after
his mother visitors had received tn,
impression that the mother must be al
exceedingly careless housekeeper-
when it was all the little boys fault
after all. That stitch ran way down
and clearing the dirt up at five did no
clear away the impression that tn,
strangers got of the little boy
mother"
Bobby's lip trembled more anu more
while Tessa's eyes grew bis and blacl
with sympathy. \ -
'.And l know little GIRL" salt
grandma. apparently determined t.
teach thorough lesson while she wa
about it. who does not always min,
when she is spoken to. and every tim
she does it she drops stitch"
1t was Tessa's turn to grow red.
Zone of the most dreadful WAYS t.
drop stitch is to tell lie or stca
something. One little lie told. one lit
tie stitch drcpped-it is so easy for tn
stitch to run all the way down, 3
one little lie follows another. D.
you know, Bobby, how many. man,
cases We hear of young men in banks
and other places of trust. taking thou
sands of dollars? Well. they dom
take it all at once. They take a it'll,
first, and then the stitch runs dow
clear to the bottom. because they hav
not the courage to take it up and be
gin over again. Now, I'm not goin!
to preach any more. but let me tel
you one thing: If you do drop stitch
~