Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-12-05
A WONDERFUL WREATH
The Appalling Memorial Made by
q Vermont Widow.
A Fearfnliy and nIarvelously Construotse
Tribute to the Memory Of Her Hus-
band to which the Good Old
Lady Points with Pride.

exceed by sixteen the allotted threescore
and ten, hives in costly little farm house
about hve miles east Of Vergennes, Vt
Her husband died several years ago. and
since his demise the aged widow has been
nard at work upon 9 memorial wreath,
which she finished a short time ago
Mrs. Barton was comfortably ensconced
in an easy chair, which was drawn up In
front Of the large kitchen fireplace. when a
correspondent of the New YORK. Sun recent
ly called upon her. Above her head upon
the snowy walls were the words, ssIn
Memoriam," over which hung the memento
OF her late husband. Every color produced
by art or nature shone forth from the me-
mento, which was arranged in the form of
wreath, and the articles which were its
component parts would puzzle q Junk
dealer
"Tain't nateral," said Mrs Barton, s.to
build MONUMENTS an put flowers on the
graves of friends. What you want is me-
mento that's reminder That's why
made that wreath as it is Every piece of
1t has got q hist'ry."
Just then Mrs. Barton's SON came into the
room, and at her request took down the
wreath. "pn tell you what it's made off,
she began. mo, they amt no use of that,
either. I've got it all written down for INV
children, and you can copy it."
In the upper right hand Of the wreath ara
stuck dozen or more ralsins, and Mrs.
Barton's description begins with these.
The raisins," she writes," are the last
Mr.. Barton bought, and kindly said to me:
Eat every one of these yourself and usa
none of them for cooking The fat flower
is piece Of the lining of his coat, and the
white IN it piece OF his collar All the
buttons, watch-keys and pencils were his.
The second flower is piece of his sock, and
the third, with red button, the same. The
button is one that was on the cushion at
church, and the black piece of his necktie.
All the leaves but two are pieces of his
clothes. The plain cloth in the flower on
the outside is piece of his mothers dress.
The bristles are those he often handled
while mending his boots.
The little spoon by the leaves Is one he
used in taking his catarrh remedy; he
MADE 1t himself. The little plaid flower on
the inside were pieces Of his pants. The
flower with key in the center is q piece of
the lining Of his coat. The black and white
Hover is piece Of his neclktie, made with a
piece OF my dress. The red flower inside ia
piece OF his handkerchief that he were in
the winter. The brown fiowcr on the out
side is piece of his coat collar
''The white flower is some of Mrs. Lem
uel Eldridge's hair, and the brown hair
around it some of her daughter Julia's, Mr..
barton's first wife. The beans, melon.
squash and orange seeds are some he saved.
the cloth of the bird is piece of the shirt
IN which he died, and the feather next to
It's head is from fowl he raised. The pur-
pie and white flower is made of a neoktie
and piece of my dress. The buckles.
nsh-hook and line and watch-chain and lit
tie saw were all his. The camlet flower be-
low the bird Is piece of his fathers cloak.
which he wore after his fathers death The
shavings in the center of the flower were
taken from Mr.. Barton's coffin, and the leaf
at the right side of the flower is a piece of
MS boot, The black silk flower inside is a
piece OF his coat lining. The white-edged
hover with black button was piece of
MS hatoand; the red silk piece of his
pocket handkerchief The buff and white
Hover was piece of his necktie, and the
velvet in it piece of his coat collar. The
center flower is some of his pants, and the
pegs on the stamen he often used while
mending his boots. The dark flower inside
is piece of his coat. The black silk flower
on the outside is piece of his necktie, and
the plaid inside piece of his vest that I
made while at the water cure in North
ampton in 1851; the red plaid flower part OF
the lining of his coat.
1.-The blue plaid with a white button ia
some OF his mothers dress that she spun
and wove. The inside flower is a piece of
his sock and suspender. The dark plaid
flannel flower is a piece of his undershlrt.
and the black inside a piece of his necktie.
The thick petals in the gray flower were
his hair and the edging mine The teeth and
the toothpick that come next were his. The
piece in the end Of the wreath grew on tho
wood that was on his farm where he was
porn and lived seventy-two years. The wall
paper on the sides and bottom of the vase
was some he bought for our parlor."
The astonishing wreath is inclosed in n
frame, which is as fearfullv and wonder
fully made as its contents. Mrs. Barton de-
scribes it as follows:
On the top of the frame at the left is a
smelllng-bottle that his second wife, Lor-
ette, USED In sickness. The spectacle-case
was his and the bottle Of pills that he left.
The dark piece Of q door-knob is one that
he often used, and all the watch-keys were
ms, and all the buttons. On the left hand
Is vial OF cheese. that his wife, Lorette.
made IN 1874. The red article below is one
he laid by for some use. The awl-handle
was his to use
The bottom of the frame The glass
knobs were on his bureau nThe red
matchbox in the center is the best article
he made; it was for me to carry matches in
when went TO meeting in the evening, and
he was not able to go. When it was dark
carried lantern. On the right side of the
frame Is his knife handle. At the right of
that are two pieces of ancient pottery pre-
sented by Isaac Warren, the first student
OF Oberlin College He was brought up by
Mr. Barton These pieces were found in
Iowa in 1S46 Above this is piece of hore-
hound candy that he kept for his cough. He
made the httse red measure and wrote on it
what it was for. The pocket comb was one
he used many years. The little cherry
stones are from the choke cherries he gath
cred from the tree by our pantry window.
The walnuts were presented by Mrs Mary
Dowd year or two before Mr. Barton died.
All the work on the frame was the labor of
my poor old hands. Many of these things
are sacred to the memory Of the precious
dead. PARTuESA r BARToSn
Mrs. Barton sees no incongruity in the
above conglomeration. To her 1T is all
pathos. She is proud Of her work, and is
now engaged in making a memorial wreath
for al