Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-04-18

BaZeQ WIN al
miration at the object spread ont or
the bed. 1t was carefully pieced
quilt, of somewhat intricate pat
tern.
"Jimmy's bride can't help being
tickled with that" said Mrs. Dake, as
she smoothed out fold; "snd if she
knows anything about nice quilting,
she'll see that want quilted in day.
Well, guess not 1 quilted ev'ry
last stitch of it myself, and there's &
good half days work in some of them
blocks with the feather and herrin
bone patterns and the shell border al
round the aidge. I had that quilt il
the frames five weeks and three days
and I put all the time could get OIL
it, and there amt no slack work, tired
as I did get of seeing it round"
She smoothed out another crease.
"Lemme see," she went on.
"There's 2147 pieces in the quilt. an6
good many of EN- are pieces of Jim
my's baby dresses. That'll please his
wife, jest know. Here's a block
made of calico like little pink dress
he had when his ma first put him into
short dresses. I remember it was made
with low neck and short sleeves, like
they made baby dresses in them days,
and his little shoulders and arms were
almost as pink as the dress.
"And here's pieces like little dou.
lie gown he had fore he went into
short dresses. And this piece OF blue
chambrJ is like little sunbonnet he
had, all lined with fine white jaconet.
And here is piece of fine muslin with
little pink sprig in it like the first
short dress Jimmy ever had. He did
look so cunnin' in it, with the sleeves
looped back, and a tumble. curl on the
top OF his head!
"I'll show his wife.to.be all these
pieces, and if she amt tickled with
the quilt, she'll be queer one."
Then Mrs. Drake went over to an
old.fashioned mahogany bureau with
brass knobs, and took from the upper
drawer a large, square cream.tinted
envelope, out Of which she carefully
drew the ''invite" to Jimnly's we'd
ding.
"Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hol.
brook invite you to be present at the
marriage of their daughter Helen and
James Barclay Larkin, Wednesday
evening, September 14th."
Then followed the address of the
brides parents. in city four hundred
miles from Mrs. Dake's home.
"But I'm goin'!" she said, glee.
fully, as she slipped the invitation
back into its envelope. "I'd 60 if it
was twice as far. I amt seen Jimmy
for near on to five years, and he al.
ways seemed like my own boy to me
cause I never had none O. my own,
and I helped to bring him up after his
own ma died, when he want but just
in his first little trousies.
II amt been 80 far from home in
many a long year, and reckoned my
travelin' days was done, but I've got
to go and see Jimmy married. I must
see Elviry Hodge right away about
turning and making over my black
silk, and must see Samantha Rose
about new cap. I guess I'll have to
have something smart for city we'd
din, where they'll all be finished up
so. I don't want Jimmy to be
ashamed of his old aunty; but lawsy
me! Jimmy wouldn't be ashamed Of
me if went in my plain calico house
dress. He Want raised to set clothes
abovo his relations, and he amt got
nothing to be ashamed OF in any OF
his folks
Then Jimmy's aunt, her face aglow
with loving thoughts of seeing Jimmy
again, folded up the quilt carefully in
an old sheet, and laid it away IN a
lower drawer OF the bureau, saying:
II s'pose they'll have lots of nice
presents, but Ill warrant you they
won't have one that represents as
much lovin' labor as that quilt. I had
to cry a little when I quilted them
blocks with the pieces of his baby
dresses in 'em. His wife ought to
think the world and all of the quilt
I hope to the land she won't go to
using IL common.
Mrs. Dake, who was widow and
childless, lived in a small, remote
country town, in which her nephew,
James Larkin, had been born, and
from which he had gone to become a
successful young lawyer in the city.
He had not been back to the home of
his childhood for five years. As his
Aunt Susan said, he "wa'n't no hand
to write letters" but he often sent
brief notes and little gifts to his aunt
to assure her OF his affection and graft.
tude.
He had not announced his engage.
ment to her, and the invitation to his
wedding was one of the greatest sur.
prises o. Mrs. brakes uneventful life.
"He Jest wanted to give his old
aunty big s'prise," she said to Elvira
Hodge, the village seamstress, when
she came to elk over" Aunt Susan's
black sill. II couldn't believe my own
eyes at xrst. 1t don't seem no longer
than yesterday that Jimmy was run.
min round here in pinafores; and to
think of him bein' msrried-I declare
I can't git over it
"But I'll give him s'prise, too. I
don't intend to give him a hint that
I'm comm to his weddin', and if he
wont be took back when he sees me
marchin' in on him, my name amt
Susan Elizabeth Dake! Don't Won
reckon his wife'll be tickled with that
quilt, Elviry?"
"Ihey'd ought to be, that's sure, -
said Elvirs.
~ think it's kind at special Provi-
dence that I put in the frames when I
did. didn't csl'late on quiltin' it
until next winter, but I had kind of
feelin' that I'd better do it when I
did, and now it's turned out that there
was good reason why should quilt
then"
There was quite q company of Aunt
Sussn's friends at the little station to
see her of on the morning she started.
There was unusual color in her cheeks