The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-11-09
Selett StOrp.
A STORY OF THE REVOLUTION.
IN. D. l778." "

A STORY OF THE REVOLUTION
Mr.. E. W. Rark.,lale in Richmond Va Dispatch
BY al means gild the initials and the
date. Marie, for those will be the chiei
points 10 consideration as an antique. Just
think Of this old hax-wheel being a century
old If it could speak how much If
might tell us Of bygone times No doubs
it. original owner thought a. much Of it
as any girl Of the present. day thinks Of
her piano. | suspect grandmother knows
something Of the fair owners history.
Lets ask her What do you guess was
her name say It was Maade Dave
uant
Nonsense. replied Marie. more likely
it was Molly Dowdy. That is name We
have been familiar with all our lives.
Don't you remember that whenever We
used to be naughty Nanny Liza would
admouish Us TO heish up at wunst or she
would call 'oIc Molly Dowdy down De
ehimbly Ne doub; the aforementioned
female was some ogrcIsh spinstcr u former
days who was no lover Of children and
came thus 20 b. handed down "a fsrrOrs.
Thus discoursed Theodore aud Marie
Farleich a. they sat iudustriously polish
inE, gliding. and ebonIHlng the hAx-whcel
which they had rosarrccted irum an obscure
eudly Of the neglected garnet, where ii
had been put oui Of the way 80 many
years before.
The craze fer furnishing ap and disPos
ing in conspicuous places al such sntiquatcd
articles had rcsChca even this htile reiired
town uf South Carolina, aud many piecs
Of rubbish that bad for more thar. half a
ccntury becn leit 10 the oomPanionship of
bats. rats, aud spiders were nov sriam-
phausiy brought again into the lishF uf
day as aa'igues aud articles Of "rsrtu.
This same aax.whecl. by the aid Vt
ebony black. gliding, aax. aud red NIB
bous, bad gone through such precsss Of
rejuycnation that its original posseSsor. if
brought face to face with IT, would never
have recognized it
After being thus bcdirened like an aati-
quated spiuster in very youihiul gala attire
i Is intended f,r corner II the modern
parlor. where, notwithstanding the Young
ladies opinion 30 the contrary, | must
ycnsarc the criticism that Il will book as
much out Of place as would NJ ID her
self if after a sle,.P four times as proiTacscd
a. that og Hip Van Winkle she we're sud
denly 10 wake and knd herself reclining
upon gcnsi armes plush sofa Ia the CON-
pany Of batch Of hdiys and gcntlemea
!. Of the period.
Is the last bow Of ribbon Is being adj
jussed the aged grandmosher of the Misses
Farleish enters She Is Immediately be-
siesg,i for the history Of NJ D. Nov,
the old lady Is as fond af ,ory.telling A.
the Father of our Country vas averss TO
il. We by no means wish to insinuatc
that the dear old lads was 10 the habit Of
coming them for the occasion, bat that she
always kept on hand ready FOR narration
quite a stock which she could rattle ots
very yolutly and gracefully a, mOmcn''s :
notice.
She now brings down her specs, from
their usual restingplace on tbs top Of her
head. wipes them on the eoFucr cf her
spotless canbrie apron, adjusts them care
fully, and looks ever them al the initials.
why, dear me she exclaims Mad
eleine Dubosss fax wheel After all
these years. too. Why, girls used TO
play spinning flax at that wheel nearly
seventy years aso. Bu, when the new
house was built on in front Of the old one
that wheel, with many other old-fashioued
things, was put out OF sight in the garrett,
ami don't believe have seen it from
that day till this I'd almost a. soon have
expected 10 see my little playmate, Alice
Green, who died in her tenth year, rise
from her grave and stand before me But
the wheel, girls; yes, It has a history, and
If YOU ve mind to hear il ! don't mind
telling YOU.
M. d. stands for Madeleine Dubose
She was a younger sister of my grand
mother and would be-let me see-your
great-great- -great-aunt She was quite a
small woman and was something over
fifteen when she came in possession Of that
wheel. She was the youngest Of three
beautiful sisters. The Dubose females
were all noted for their beauty | was
called like Madeleine by some elderly
ladies when | was young. But that
neither here nor there, my dears. Made
leine was the pride and darling of her
fathers heart The older sisters accused
him cf partiality and he always laughed
when he denied it, so it must have been
the case. | have heard she was ike a
fairy queen, she was SO 1.-THE and graceful
and beautiful. Her littla feet could never
get shoes small enougEMfor them. Her
mothers seamstress would make the tops
of satin or premella and the finest shoe
maker in all the country was employed to
put the soles onto them.
Her hands looked as if they could be
used for nothing but ornaments, yet was
told she could spin fax or cotton with the
| best.
1t was during the early years of the
/ Revolution, my dears. and the spirit OF
patriotism and independence blazed high
1t was after the best people had begun tt
follow Franklin's admonition, given few
years before to "dispense with British
luxuries and light the lamp of industry
and economy" In fact, at this time, cloth
from English looms were not so fashiona
BILE as those of home manufacture.
1t was quite frequent just then for th'
ladies to have spinning matches, followe'
by balls, at which they dressed in costume
of domestic fabrics. These were rathe
more common at the North than at tn