The Portland daily press., 1888-10-26
A WIDOWS APPALLING MEMO
RIAL.
Mrs. Parthena Barton's Astonishing
Tribute to Her Diseased Spouse.

| l'Si6ShAOo wv DCopdlCu W N. L. Su0
Mrs. Pathena r. Barton, whose years ex-
ceed by sixteen the allotted three score and
ten, lives in cosey little farm house about
five miles east Of Vergennes. Her husband
died several years ago, and since his demise
the aged widow has been hard at work upon
memorial wreath. which she finished
short time ago.
Mrs. Barton was comfortably esconced ia
an easy chair, which was drawn up in front
OF the huge kitchen fireplace, when a cores
pondent of The Sun recently called upon
her. Above her head upon the snowy wall
were the words, I'm Memoriam,, over which
hung the memento of her late husbapd
livery Eyer color produced by art or nature shone
forth from the memento, which was arranged
IN tho form OF a wreath, and articles which
were ITS component parts would puzzle a
| junk dealer.
'1Taint nateral." said Mrs. Barton, ito
| build MONUMENTS an put flowers on the
graves of friends What you want is a
| memento that's a reminder. That's WHY /
made that wreath as it is. Every piece of it
| has got hiStry.
| just then Mrs. Barton's son came into the
room, and at her. request took down the
wreath "Ill tell you what it's made of"
she began. nc. they amt no use of that.
either. I've got it all written down for my
| children, and you can copy it,
In the upper right hand of the wreath are
stuck dozen or more raisins and Mrs. Bar
toms description begins with these.
The raisins," she writes, ''are the last
MI Barton bought. and kindly said to me,
Eat every one of these yourself and use
none of them for cooking The first flower
is piece of the lining of his coat, and the
white in it piece of his collar. Ali the but
tons, watch keys and pencils were his. The
third, with red button, the same. The but
ton ls 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
it himself The little pIaru mower On
outside and the striped flower on the inside
were pieces of his pants. The flower with a
key in the centre Is piece Of the lining OF
his coat The black and white flower Is
piece of his necktie, made with piece of my
dress The red flower is inside piece of
| his handkerchief that he wore in the winter.
| The brown flower on the outside is piece of
| his coat collar.
"The white flower is some of Mrs. Lemuel
| Eldridge's hair, and the brown hair around
| it some of her daughter Julia's, Mr.. BartOn's
| first wife. The beans, mellon, squash, and
orangeseeds are some. he saved. The cloth
| of the bird is piece of the shirt in which he
| died, and the feather next to his head is
| from a fowl he raised. The purple and
white flower is made of necktie and piece
| of my dress.
! 1.-The buckles, fish hook and line and watch
| chain and little saw were all his. The cam
| let flower below the bird is a piece of his
fathers cloak, which he wore after his
fathers death. The shavings in the centre
| of the flower were taken from Mr.. Barton's
| coffin, and the leaf at the right side of the
flower is piece of his boot. The black silk
flower inside is piece of his coat lining.
The white edged flower with black button
was piece of his hatband the red silk a
| of hon Tho hnff
and white flower was piece of his necktie,
and the velvet in it piece of his coat collar.
The centre flower is some Of his pants, and
the pegs on the stamen he often used while
is piece of his coat. The black silk flower
on the outside is piece of his necktie, and
the plaid inside is piece OF his vest that
made while at the Water Cure in Northamp-
ton 1861; the red plaid is tfower part of the
| lining OF his coat.
".Ihe blue plaid with a white button /.
some of his mothers dress that she spun
and wove. The inside flower is piece OF
his stock and suspender. The dark plaid
flannel flower, is piece of his undershirt
and the black inside piece of his necktie
} The thick petals in the gray flowers were bis
hair, and the edging mine. The teeth and
the toothpick that came next were his. The
| piece in the end of the wreath grew in the
wood that was on his farm where he was
born and lived u years: The wall paper OF
the sides and bottom of the vase was somt
he bought for our parlor."
!, The astonishing wreath is enclosed in
frame, which is as fearfully and wonderfully
made as its contents Mrs Barton describes
| | it as follows
"On the top of the frame at the left is
, smelling bottle that his second wife, Lorette
used in sickness. The spectacle case wa
his and the bottle Of pills that he left. Th
dark piece of door knob is one that h
often used, and all the watch keys were his
and all the buttons. On the left hand is
|. vial of cheese that his wife, Lorette, mad
in 1874. The red article below is one he lait
Q by for some use. The awl handle was his t
use.
"The bottom of the frame: The glas
4 knobs were on his bureau. The red match
D box in the centre is the best article he made
n it was for me to carry matches in when
If went to meeting Ia the evening, and he wa
not able to go. When 1t was dark l carrie
n a lantern. On the right side of the frame
= his knife handle. AT the right of that ar
i two pieces of ancient pottery presented b
lr lege. He was brought up by Mr.. Bartor
These pieces were found in Iowa in 1874
U. Above this is piece of horehound cand
4 that he kept for his cough. He made th
v little red measure and wrote on 1t what
n was for. The pockeJ comb was one he use
n many years. The little cherry stones a.
e, from the choke cherries he gathered fro
ut the tree by our pantry window. The wa
ao nuts were presented by Mrs. Mary Dowd
Ie Ie year or two before Mr.. Barton died. All ii
D work on the frame was the labor of my po
le old hands. Many of these things are sacr,
ay to the memory of the precious dead. :.
in PARTHENA r. BARTON"
Mrs. Barton sees no incongruity in &
si .a above conglomeration. To her it is all p
a. thos. She is proud of her work, and isssnC
he engaged in making memorial wreath
ay herself.