The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-10-25

poem, I'd ought to be able to dream
out a common rag carpet pattern"
Thus reasoning to herself, Mrs. Huff
ate her pie and cheese and went to bed,
and, being very tired, soon dropped
asleep.
She was sleeping heavily when her
husband called her in the morning.
Her first words when she arose were:
"Well, it didn't do any good. l
didn't dream anything about that car
pet, although l did dream Of forty
other things. ! must hurry up my
work, and have Gideon take me and
the rags over to the Widow Watts
and see myself that she understands
just how that carpets got to be wove. "
But when, two hours later, she went
into her little sewing room to get her
rags and chain, they were not to be
found.
Gideon, she called to her husband,
who was putting the horses to the
light wagon in the barnyard, shave
you carried them rags out to the
wagon"
mo" called back Mr.. Huff II amt
seen your old rags. I'll be glad when
l have seen the last of 'em, and you've
done a-settin' up O. nights a-puddlin'
over 'em, and undermine your con-
stitution and your health"
"Well, they amt here" said Mrs.
Huff, land left them here last night,
all ready to be carried out. Hammer,
we you seen them rags2"
mo" replied Hannah, the hired
girl, II amt seen a solitary thing Of
EN-"
That's queer" said Mrs. Huff, irri-
tably. 'They never TUX legs and
walked off of their own accord. Sam,
l don't s'pose you've seen anything of
my ragsa'
Sam, the farm hand, happened to
pass the open window at that moment.
Your rags, Mis- Huff What rags3"
why, my carpet rags"
Didn't know you had any," re-
piled Sam, briefly, as he went uncon-
cernedly on his way.
Then began an active search for the
rags. Mr.. Huff was called in, and so
singular was the disappearance of
such bulky articles that he Joined in
the search with considerable interest.
''It's the queerest thingr' said Mrs.
Huff, for the fifteenth time, as she
looked into places in which the bags of
rags could not possibly be. Its my
opinion" she said at last. that some
body has stolen those rags. They must
have done i'll They never got away
alone; any one with common sense
knows that"
No trace of thief could be found.
but one could easily have come and
gone without the family knowing it,
as the doors and windows were seldom
fastened. In fact. some of them had
been left wide open the night before
to admit the cool air at the close of
hot day.
After an hour Of unavailing search
Mrs. Huff dropped YEARLY into
chair and said, in choking voice,
"Well, they're gone, and gone for
good, and SOS my chance of getting
the prize at the fair next week. Some
body must have stole 'em. I reckon
now that Calisty Horn will get the
premium with her carpet"
well, well, what if she does2" said
Mr.. Huff, consolingly. you've had
it three years hand runnin', and you'd
ought to give somebody else a chance
anyhow"
''They all have just as good chance
as I've had, replied Mrs. Huff. "And
the premium amt nothing at all COM
pared to the loss of that carpet that l
had callated sure on putting down in
the settin' room this fall"
The rags were not found in the days
that interviewed before the fair, and
Mrs. Calisty Horns carpet did get the
first premium.
''And such a looking carpet as it
was" said Mrs. Huff, somewhat spite
fully. "The rags was half an inch
wide, and she'd got too much copperas
in her coloring, and the stripe was
nothing to compare to what mine
would have BEEN"
Her loss and defeat weighed heavily
on Mrs. Huff, and she lay awake a
long time thinking the whole matter
over after she had gone to bed, when
she came home from the fair.
Sometime after midnight Mr.. Huff
awoke to find himself alone in bed,
and as he opened his eyes he fancied
he saw some one pass the door lead
ing into the hall.
Harriet" he cried, sis that you9"
There was no reply.
81 wonder" he said, eff that woman
has got up in the dead of night to be-
gin on another carpet. She shan't do
It'll Harriet, what are you doingi
You sick2"
Still Harriet did not answer. Mr..
Huff arose, wrapped quilt around
him, lighted candle and started out
to investigate. AS he stepped into the
hall he heard noise as of some one
moving around in an unused attic
room above him, room that had not
been entered for weeks, and which was
now filled with all the odds and ends
of things that will collect in house
as the years go on, and which great
many people save, under the impress
sion, usually delusion, that they will
sometime ''come handy"
Among the useless rubbish slowed
away in Farmer Huff's attic was the
frame of an old carpet loom on which
Mrs. Huff had woven many a carpet
in her younger days; but years had
passed since the loom had been in use.
The moonlight streaming in through
window showed Mr.. Huff that the
attic door was open, but there was no