Arizona republican., 1891-11-07
OLD CLOTHES.
A Made-Over Jacket and What It
 Did for It's Owner.


 modified thereby. l cannot say in just - what particular, but l am sure such an experience could not have failed to af- feet his views on the subject
 l was the youngest of a family of six, and the law of succession to cast off garments being firmly established in the family, l was brought up in old clothes. My sister Hannah was the eldest, next to her came Maria, then came Tom, my only brother, followed by the twins, Ludora and Isabella, and last, and in all respects least, made my entrance into the family.
 suppose the law of succession aforc- mentioned was a necessary feature of my mothers domestic economy, for she was left widow shortly after my birth, without an abundance with which to support the family. Maria, being but year and half younger than Hannah, was very noar her in size, and seldom had to suffer the infe- licity of wearing her outgrown or out worn clothes. The fact of Hannah's having a new article of dress or adorn- ment was generally considered a sutli- cient reason that Maria should have it. Tom, being the only boy, was favored; and he was the only one who was per mitted anything like extravaganza in dress. His cast-off garments were given to our neighbor, Mrs. Hobbs, still poorer than we, to be converted into garments for 'the little Hobbsss," " as we used to call her numerous off spring. Ludora and Isabella openly resented the ''made-over" garments furnished them from Hannah and Ma ria's wardrobes, and soon outgrew the possibility of being forced to wear them; but l think I must have been poor-spirited child, for I not only stayed little" so long that when had, at last, grown tall the fact was quite ignored, but generally accepted what was given me uncomplainingly, and when, on one occasion, l did give an angry expression to my detestation of our clothes and my desire for new ones, the family were astounded. My mother said she would not have thought it possible for her little Bab to show such a naughty temper and selfish spirit; and, seeing that l had brought her to the verge of tears, I refrained from further complaint, though the little Bab" was, at that moment, as offensive to me as the cast-off gar ments.
 never liked the name of "Bab," which, in fact, is not my name, and really is not name at all, being mere ly contraction of baby, which had been worn for short time by every child in the family, except the twins, to whom it could not be conveniently applied, and had. at last, like the old clothes, been given to me in final pos session, while my own regal-sOunding name of Minerva" had been laid away, presumably as too good for my everyday wear. To the title of "Bab," sufficiently diminutive in itself, was generally added the diminutive ad- jective 'little," and was called little Bab" until I was fully five feet five, which is little more than the height of eithe. Hannah or Maria; but they possessing more avoirdupois and inn portance than l, no one ever thought of calling them little.
 That this much wearing of old clothes had manifest effect upon my destiny will clearly appear from the facts which am about to relate. At the timo of which I shall speak, Hannah and Maria were both married, and Tom was in his senior year in the college at D.. An epidemic of measles causing the college to close earlier than usual, he came home in March, accompanied by a friend who was teacher there. 1 was absent on a visit to my Aunt Maria when they arrived, and when I returned home, this friend, Randolph Mercy by name whom Ludora and Isabella, though they were both engaged, declared to be 'splendid!' had gone on, taking Tom with him, to visit relatives in N.
 Soon after my return, Ludora and Isabella went to spend week with Aunt Maria and do some special shop ping with reference to the double we'd ding in which they were to figure not many weeks later. The next day after their departure my mother said: "Bab, l wish you would see that Toms room is in order. He will be back d so busy with their sewing don't think they made his room as neat as it might be-"
 found that the room might be made heater. I picked up garment which Tom had flung across a chair, and car ried it to his closet, on entering which my eye fell upon well-worn blue fan nel coat and neither garments hanging there. and a novel idea flashed into my mind. Not long since dress of dark blue serge had been made for me out of Ludora's and Isabella's old ones, and l needed jacket of some heavier ma tsrial, but matching the dress in color. to make it quite complete and com fortable for the cool autumn days. By ripping up those garments and washing and pressing the better parts of them l could get quite a respectable jacket out of them, and who would ever know from whence l obtained it? l knew Tom would not care, for, although there was still right smart of wear in them" as Mrs. Hobbs would have said, they could be worn but little more without patching, and Tom abhorred patches.
 carried the garments to my mother to consult her. She, poor dear, having practiced making over until she had reduced the work to science, jumped at the idea" to use another of Mrs. Hobbs expressions. By the close of the next day our united efforts had produced jacket which, with the ad- dition of some pretty buttons and a neat binding of braid, was really quite