Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-23
AUNT ABBY'S QUILT.
BY EN'.a RICHMOND.

sour folks amt littery. i s'pose."
said Miss Abby. AN that's the reason i
have so much trouble"
Miss Abby Was right. The H%opkinses
were not a literary family. There was
a quarto edition of Shakspere. a family
Bible, a complete Physician" and a
carefully preserved file OF the weekly
newspaper, kept on the table in the best
room, but as a general thing. the Hop
kinses neither read nor wrote. They
had not been brought up to it. There
was the farmer, a rotund, rubicund
parsonage, who was much given to 60
ing about in his shirt sleeves, and to
smoking comfortable pipes; there was
Mrs. Hopkins, who was great on pick
ling and preserving, and had on her
tongues end a certain cure for all the
neighborhood ills; there was Lefty,
whose pink cheeks and bronze brown
hair awoke the admiration of every
young mar in a circuit for ten miles
around; and there was Sam, a sturdy,
black-browed young man, who was
already beginning to disturb his fathers
conservative mind by hints as to steam
ploughs, patent reapers, and progress
i've farm machinery Of every sort.
What's good enough for your grand
fathers good enough for me-" said the
Squire.
"But the world moves, father" said
Sam.
THAT amt no reason that I should
move, too," said Farmer Hopkins, set
Ting back on the hind legs OF his chair
and looking around for a light for his
pipe.
And Miss Abby Hopkins, the maiden
aunt Of the family, had devoted all her
life's energies to the manufacture OF
a silk b%ed-quilt in pieces OF velvet, satin
brocade, rich stutfs Of every imaginable
hue and pattern, cut into tiny octagons
each one stretched over a piece of stiff
writing paper, and fastened with almos'
invisible stitches to its neighbor. Anl
it was Of the extreme difficulty Of find
ing foundations for the same that Mis-:
Abby made her little plant.
Betsy Meachan made hers entirely
out of the parsons old sermon-papers,
said she. tive often thought what
sight of theology there must hev beer
sewn up in that there quilt. And Mrs
Parsons, she cut up all her daughter:
school compositions. But our Lefty
she was never much on compositions
and it's all I can do to find an old en-
velope or a piece O paper with Sam
figuring on the back ON t."
And Miss Abby, whose sight was fail
ing fast, peered here and there like
ool,o1 ~ roo,oI> ~ Y,ol, Co., ~ ,,,o. A.
highest ambition Of her heart to finis]
the silk bed-quilt in time to exhibit t
some friends who were coming in SEP
TENDER.
Consequently when she came acros
an unsealed letter on the drawers i
Letty's room, she pounced upon it wit
delight.
"It's been read, or it would be scale,
up" she said to herself; and it ain
worth while for me to wait till Lett
comes home from the picnic to as
about it. IfIdon't get this quilt done
it'll be September before l know it,"
And straightway Aunt. Abby's hi
steel shears sealed the doom Of the lei
ter, and without loss of time it forme
a background for velvet and silken OF
tagons.
Scarcely q week afterwards, howeve,
she was stitching diligently at her VIII
dow, when the voice Of Howard Peril
the young doctor, fell upon her ear, q
he talked to Sam Hopkins.
Its no use," said he. "I told you Sc
Hopkins. She don't care for me. Sh
never will"
How can you tell whether she doe
OF not unless you ask her?". said San
Now, Perth, don't be fool"
Il have asked her. / wrote. her
letter, only a few days ago, in which
told her all. And she hasn't seen
to take any notice whatsoever Of it,"
Sam whistled a low whistle.
Perhaps" said he, "she never e,
"She did, for it was placed Oh he
table. And it was taken away, and
must have been read!"
Pm sure, PERTH" said Sam, "thel
must be some mistake"
"There isl" said Perth, moodily
"There was q great mistake when
supposed your sister could ever cal
for q struggling young physician lih
mel"
will you let sme speak to her abor
it%
"Not for the world!" cried Peril
promise me, Sam, that my unluck
secret shall be buried in your ow
heart! Promise me, upon you word
honQr!"
And then the voices receded turtle
down the graveled path, while Aul
Abby sat aghast.
ooh, lor'p groaned the unhapr
spinster. "What be I goin' to dc
What will Lefty say? And I've cut
all up and stitched it under the volv,