New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-14
THE PINCUSHION.

q. neat and dainty as a little bird. She lived ~
q email square house at the end Of the VILLAGE
house with green shutters and green fence
q wbite face that always looked as though Il haA
heen washed that very morning, and shining III.
-. oves NJ windows There was bit OF garden
FOUND the house. in which Miss Peckitt grew tn.
most wonderful flowers; pansies, forget-me-nots
md woodruffe wallfowers and daffodls, roses
and lilies. sunfowers and nasturtiums, all In
,be,r due season made blaze OF color In that
garden. till the late dark days came lighted BY
the last chrysanthemums. and the garden settled
down under it's brown coat to wait the news Of
.,,,r1 that should come with the first yellow
aconte.
Our house was larger than Miss Peckitts, and
49,, 9o rden would have made good score Of
hers. but somehow our gardeners never grew
such flowers as those. Miss PecKitt used 10
come TO our house to sew. she sewed my frocks
and she sewed my pinafores, and sat among her
tapes and pins and yard measures telling me
aid stories that no one else cared about, for Miss
| Peckitt had no relatives, and had always a.
she said kept herself to herself And OF all her
stories the one liked best was the one about
the pincushion. 1t was large heavy cushion,
and I wondered why Miss Pecfitt always
brought il with her when she came Tor the day.
.I will make you a pincushon to keep here"
I said. "and then you need not carry that heavy
thing about What makes it so heavy"
"It has a brick inside 10 keep 1t steady when
7 Din my work to it," she said; and carry Il
with me because it was the last thing my young
man made for me-
Miss Peckitt smiled and sighed ana said:
oh did you ever have young man! DO tell
me about him."
At ten years old one Is not very discreet
suppose Miss Peckitt was not inclined to be
hard on youthful indiscretion, though she would
have been the first to resent 1t in those OF ripper
wears She threaded her needle and began:
! ut was when I was young girl.
She could not have been more than thirty It
this time bu; to me she seemed i'hiHeasuraoV
DID, so said:
"Jts a long time ago, then" as sympathet.
cally as / could.
.yes she said "a very long time. He was
! tho son of a farmer. and We WAS counting ever
since we was quite little things and went to
surdav-school And Willie looked to be taken
nm On hay. A share in the farm, and we was to
have been married in the spring. But it was
not to be-
What happened?
"ubv his father died my dear. and when Il
came to looking into things il VAS found he'd
borrowed money on the land. ana the interest
hadn't been paid Willie told me It VAS because
his father would grow wheat. and that seems 10
he ALWAYS A snare to farmers. So then my VII
lie said he'd pay the interest and all. II theyd
only wait But they wouldn't-and the old
place was sold up-house and buildings ana the
boasts and the land with the standing crops
They may say it's law. but IT amt justice
She bit IN her thread sharply. and said ii
was "A shame. .
"co :, was-a black shame. My Willie would
a. maid them every penny II they'd only a
waited But no: they sold the old place, and
fetched more than they looked for and there :
was near two hundred pounds over and 'na'
,h.v gave 10 Willie as was only fair And a'tef
the SAL was over saw nothing of him for Two
DAYS and then he came 10 me looking IKE uOs
that the boys are after with stones.
"u,.s all M BLOSSOM he said he always
called me that on account Of my fresh coIor
Niss peckitt touched her faded cheek win hef
thimblc and sighed. -.
".I.m on SAYS he: with this oft Of money III
make a fortune over in America. which is a 'Ns
country. and I'll come home for you. my SIT" "
III write and youl come to me
",If II was 10 the worlds end, says l.
Then lie gave me this pincushi'n' see'"''
a funny present being quite PLAIN. as YOU 'e
and IT had big stitches. but sewn yer! s"V"'
and | almost laughed as took H. was e''
. after that hadn't laughed. for Wine Nv
says: to-
BLOSSOM my dear. do you know "ha' """''
. il SO heavy?
sc I said no. | didn't.
. Its a brick out Of the old scc'h wan