Mohave County miner., 1890-10-04
[ PATCHWORK QUILT.


house, amidst your counterpanes and
comfortables which you looked at five
minutes before buying, perhaps, one
6i those old-fasbioned patchwork quilts
made OF the tiniest pieces, arranged in
the most intricate patterns over which
at least one pair Of eyes were strained
for days and weeks before quilting
time came, and all those puffy little
diamonds were marked ont, amidst
chat and laughter, by half-a-dozen
ladies? Did you ever Ia childhood,
sit upon the bed and hear the history
OF the variopS pieces of chintz?
That's piece OF your first colored
dress; that | had when / was girl;
that was your grandmother's morning.
gown; this Is piece Miss s. gave
me. have heard such history many
a time, and little pictures used to pass
before my eyes with tho words.
could see just how grandma looked In
the morning gown. ] could see my.
self a baby. taking toddling steps In
the blue fTock 1t seemed so funny to
have been a baby--when was an i'm
portant person of fye years. II
doesn't seem half SO funny how, for I
have begun 10 doubt whether | shall
ever be anything else. and to know
Just how many big babies there are la
this world,
Dear old patchwork quiltsl We've
lost something in losing them, think,
apd probably Mrs. Mumford thought
80. too, for whenever any OF her chil-
dren were found sitting with those idle
hands, for which Doctor Watts de-
clares that Satan always finds some
mischief she invariably remarked;
You better get your patchwork"
They always okeyed, those three lit
tie girls, Lucy Ruth and Olive, aud
there were piles CT quilts ia the up
stairs rooms where spare bedding was
stored-quilts Of many colors, quilts
OF only two. quits with large, square
blocks. and quilts with intricate pat
terms. like Chinese puzzle, quilts
that had been made by people In their
nineties, and quilts that had been
made by people who could not yet say,
Il am nine years old" Piecing a
quilt wns the first work and the last
OF she members OF the Mumford fam
lily. l think an ancestor made some
patches on board of tho Mdgt7oleer. AT
least IL was said so.
When q young person married, q
dowry Of quilts bad always been pro-
yided-always would be while Mrs,
MumfOrd lived. When Olive was ff-
teen, she had been told that the whito
and Turkey red quilt which her great
grandmother had made was TO be
among her share. as the eldest daugh-
'er "f tho house. She laughed then.
and said.
II shall always stay at home with
you, mamma. shall be the old maid
daughter"
A year afterward she did not think
this, whatever she might have said, for
the year had made her feel that she
was no longer child, and she had
met HARRY Martin, no had put an en-
gagemep, ring on Olives finger, and,
II All vent well. her seventeenth birth
DAY would find her matron.
Nothing like seeing your children
settled before yuu are broken down
yourself. said the mother; and there
upon began to teach Olive the higher
mysteries of pastry. Plain cooking,
every girl of that family quite UNDER
stood.
A lover a.ways takes great interest
in his lady's handiwork. Harry re-
garded all the little pieces Of sewing
which passed through Olives hands
with immense admiration, aud the
homely patchwork was just as fine in
his eyes as anything else; aud there
was often much talk about the pieces,
and, once or twice, he had cut them
out. after the cardboard patterns, loy.
Ing to Eneddle with anything that she
was busy with, in old true lovers
fashion.
One evening, when he went in. he
found the girl looking. as an artist
might look at rare old master, at a
long breadth OF fold-fashioncd, towering
chiatz.
Mother has Just given me this,
Harry" she said. 1T Is like a gown
OF old aunt Hepsiba's. Ii shimmers
like silk. and see how fine it Is. But
fancy wearing such large pattern.
Look! butterfly on a bough, and a
rose, ard butterfly on a bough again,
The difficulty will be-" said Olive,
pausing TO consider, '.how to get the
pattern into a patch without spelling
'1'll help you,n said Harry; and to
work he went, and for a pleasant hour
or two he kept cutting patches. A
bud and butterfly on one, rose on
the other, bud and butterfly, and rose
again.
''An1 he has not spoiled one. man.
ma" said Olive. in q tone of pride.
I'm sure / should have cut a dozen
butterflies heads off, If had tried"
So the young things laughed over
their exploits, and then slipped merri-
rily away to have their lovers chat
where nobody could listen.
1t was the last The next day, Har-
~ Martin was missing. and with him
large sum of money from his en-
ployers safe. The news spread
through the country town like Wild
fire. Harry was an orphan, and the
son Of an old friend Of the head of the
firm. II was understood that they
would be rncrciful. but his character
was bligbted forever.
No one doubted his guilt but Olive.
She steadfastly declared him innocent.
Weeks passed on, and there was no
news of him-at least, none that
reached the Mumfords' ears; but one
night, when Mrs. Mumford went out
TO the cow-house to see that Crummie
was safe for the night. some one came
out OF the darkness. and called to her.
''Wlio Is that?" cried the lady, her
heart giving one great throb.
'.Ifs Harry" said well-known
voice. .+Ohi Mrs. Mumford, let me see