The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-12


lately, and wondering what could
do to pass away the time"
"But," said Anna, "what are you
going to do with these things7 Do
satisfy my curiosity"
"Gladly, for l want you to utilize
your leisure time and your cast-off
garments in the same way. Do you
girls know church which has not its
visitors among the poor, the very
poor? Well, then, these articles are
for the very poor, and they will be
given to the ones who will be CRATE
full for them, old and simple as they
are, by these visitors. l know one
lady slightly, and she told me that,
from things which seemed only fit
for the rag-man, much that would be
of service could be obtained. &c."
with happy laugh, 81 thought l
would try it.
"Now, these little shirts | made
from pieces of flannel. Noone wanted
the flannel, and, by cutting out the
thin and worn parts, and piecing
them, as you see, obtained strong
and serviceable garments for some
poor little baby. Then these pima
fores were made from short remnants
of calico which neither mother, Aunt
Hetty, nor |, needed, or cared to keep.
These caps for old ladies | made from
old lace wells, mine chiefly, and the
adjoining ribbons vera mine, also, as
you no doubt perceive. The mittens
were Ned's, flung aside by him as
worthless, but we're newly-thumbed
by me and darned in every thin
place. The stockings, mended, re-
heeled and retoed, were from every
member of our family, and they have
been sight of work, | assure you'll
But" with sigh of relief, "they're
in good wearing condition now. These
handkerchiefs," taking up a pile of
neatly-folded ones, "were play com
pared to them. They are for little
folks, you see, and are made from
our cast off hemstitched ones by cut
ting off the worn hens and re hem
ming them. Too small for our use,
but sufficiently large for children.
Then these felt hats" pointing to
three, you all mustrecognize. Mine,
of course, and two and three years
old at that. Still, l have brushed
them and pinched them into shape,
and trimmed them as well as | could
with my old and worn materials"
They look very nice, and you must
have had great deal of patience to
do all the sewing there is here" said
Anna, while the others expressed their
approval in words which were very
gratifying to Lucy.
She took up a small wooden skirt
presently, of a black and white
mixture. "This,' she explained, "was
the top of one of my winter skirts, all
fraYed, soiled, and full of small holes
round the lower part, but thick and
strong at the top. So, gathered into
a smaller belt, washed clean and
pressed, hemmed over and bound, it
will last some poor child all winter
some half-clad errand-girl, perhaps,
who has to be out in every kind of
weather. Some one, anyway, who
needs it will get it. The shirt-waists
were old, but only looked them over
and have made them whole. Then
these stopping down and lifting
from the floor large bundle are
rugs for the feet of some poor old
man or woman who suffers from the
cold or from rheumatism. Not large
you see, and certainly not handsome,
since the bits of carpeting from which
| constructed them were very old,
very faded, and very shabby. Pieced
often, as you perceive, but pieced
with stout linen thread, so there will
be no rents to make my old people
fall or stumble"
well, | declared" exclaimed the
girls. "What else, please?"
only two things more," said Lucy
with a laugh, "these two. Guess
what they are!"
She held up for inspection two
pieces of wooden carpet, patched, fad
ed, darned, and hemmed upon the
frayed edges.
'Guess" she repeated.
more mats, to be sure" said Anna
"No," gravely, "they are blankets,
horse blankets"
At this there was general laugh,
and chorus of "Well, what an ideal
Well, I'm sure"
81 ransacked Aunt Mays attic one
day." explained Lucy. II didn't ex-
pect much, for she never keeps old
things, but still thought something
might have been overlooked in clean