Middletown transcript., 1894-01-27
Doxs AND BurroNs.

81 =
How One Woman Managed to Keel
Her Boys Well Dressed.
was not acquainted with the lady,
but / bad often seen her and heard
that she was s.in business . fact CON
veying to nay mind the impression that
she was away from home the greater
part Of the dav. She kept house, but,
as runaor had it, she kept no servant
and had adopted two destitute children.
But few days ago I heard some re-
marks Of hers which suggested that
she might have commendable methods
of accomplishing large amount of
work. was waiting for my car in the
Rapid Transit Transfer Station, when
this woman and a Mrs. Banks, who
was known as rather talkatiye, in
quisitive person, entered and sat down
together.
"How ever do you get along, I'd just
like to knowl And those two strapp-
ing boys! How old are they3" asked
Mrs. Banks.
''Rob is twelve and Tom is ten.n
eAnd you make their pants and shirt
waists and everything! why do you
do It'll
"Cheaper. could hardly afford to
keep them properly clothed if I had to
buy everything for them."
''And the neutrality-suspicious. and ALL
Don't know how one boy can keep
me mendins and sewing on buttons till
Pm tiredi Isn't it an awful bother Pr
ssNo bother at all.n
sob, now, that's all talkl You're
mortal just like the rest of US. 1t
must take just as much time for you to
sew IN button as for anybodyl''
81 never have sewed on their but
tons.n
Mercy what makes them stay !
When they play with my Harry I've
noticed again and again their buttons
are always on-shoes and waists and
pants and all. Why dom tsthey come
Off"
''They do come off,"
"Just .whsti I said. And how do
they sst ona"
1.-THE boys sew them on.''
'Wsll, since when have boys taken
to sewing on buttonsl I'd like to see
Harry sowing on onel Why, he
would lot his clothes drop of first"
''Rob and Tom have no choice about |
it. They have to sew on their own
buttons just the sane as they have to |
comb their own hair and wash their |
own faces.''
"But how do they know howa"
ut was no trouble to teach them
that. Anybody csn leern to sew on
button properly"
SIT would bother 10 more than
doing it myself. Harry would shout,
Ma, where's needlsl where's some
thresdf Me, csn's fnd the scissorsl
Where's Q buttonl And then 1t
wouldn't bs done. How do you man.
asel"
"My boys never leave their room
with q button OF. II 0 button is off
when they 90 upstairs. it mutt be on
when they come down. Each boy
has little case, I made him-a long
ish pastebosrd box, the width of a large
spool. Wires cross the bog ct even
1istsnces, cad on eeeh wire 10 q spool
Of coarse white thrcsd, of coarse black
thread, Of blAeh linen thresd, and OF
medium si1e black xnd white thread.
The boz is fastened to the wall and the
'pools can't get away. Each boy has
! pair of scissors hangins by a long
'ibbon to ANAL by the boz. Fastened
% the box is needle-book, pin-cush-
on, piece Of waI and an emery. On
iop ofshe box is another boz containing
'very kind Of button on the boys
clothes. Every Saturday night they
iarn their own stockings. T had to
larn my own stockings when I was ten
md if a girl can a boy CAM
"At any rate you make their
lothes!''
''Yes, but the most I do Is the cut
ing out and finishing. The boys do
ii themachine sewing or nearly all.
Rob says he could make whole shirt
waist if it weren't for the button holes,
Dd believe he could. t
"Don't they object? Harry wouli
uss the life out of himself and COM .
lain until I went wildln
Probably because he would feel
hat you expected him to object. Myl
oys accept the situation as philosophi-
ally as they do eating with their forks p
nd taking baths. They are better off a
or doing such things. It impresses
hem with a sense Of personal response Ii
ility.n
''They must be very queer boys, said a
frs. Banks, incredulously, N
At that moment The queer boys ap. c
cared upon the scene. After hearing
his conversation naturally eyed their v
lothessvery closely. They were un- b
nqaestionably well fastened together.
me Ornamental buttons on their | d
rouser knees, usually lacking in whole
in part, were all on. Their shoes 81
7ere well blackensd stockings were well q
ulied up, their neckties were well tied;
fact, they seemed noticeably well
ressed, though close observation failed .
. show that they wore = fortune on
heir backs.