The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-02
3
! The Lafayette Platter
I BY Rebecca Barrett.
Copyright. 1900, By ReDecca Barrett.
,f OHNNIE is goin to be awfu,
disappointed when he gets thi

H..
ST oHNNIE is goin to be awful
disappointed when he gets this
~ letter, tellin him l can't come
TO his weddin. don't know exactly
now to word it," and Mrs. Esterbrook
leIt her pen reposing in the bottle of
purple ink while she stopped a mo-
ment to reflect. Writing letter was
an unusual task to her, and the
thoughts came haltingly. Then the
pen shook in her feeble hand, and the
lines We're uncertain.
But at last the letter was finished.
She sealed it on the very tip end of the
hap OF the envelope, where there was
little spray of red and blue bell shaped
flowers. Then she carefully put the
stamp in the left hand corner and laid
the letter on the window sill. Hardly
had she done so when a neighbor drove
by on his way to the village and she
gave it to him to post.
II there had only been some way
that could manage to go to the we'd
din" she said regretfully as she put
the paper and envelopes back into the
worsted worked cardboard portfolio.
"But there isn't, for it would take all
of So There is the fare to Providence
and back of 81, and I'd want SO for
extras certain, so as not to go pinched.
II 1t hadn't been for that late freeze,
the currants would have come on well,
and there would have been somethin
from them; but as it is, there is moth
In now till pick the greengage
plums. But it seems to me that
can't bear the thought no way in the
world that Johnnie's to be married,
and can't be there"
She went into an adjoining room and
opened one of the glass knobbed draw
ers Of a cherry bureau. The quilt was
securely pinned in a pillowcase. She
took 1t out and spread it upon the bed
In the recess to give it a final examina-
ton.
There's not many an old lady of 80
could piece better lookin log cabin
than that. I'm not ashamed to have
the SEWN go anywhere" she said, with
pardonable pride. 81 hope Johnnie's
wife'l be one that'll prize it. There's
some choice pieces here" she contin-
ued, smoothing out the blocks with her
wrinkled and thickly veined hand.
There's piece of Johnnie's own
grandmother's weddin dress, and she
looked like picture in it. Folks all
around said that she and Orrin Hutch
inson were the handsomest couple ever
went into old Simsbury meetin house,
and guess they were right about it
too. That there green in the corner
block is some of his Aunt Eunice's
dress. The very first time she wore it
was down to ball at the Holler. Ny,
there was no wear out to that dress!
Then there are scraps of three or four
y OF my dresses in here. That one in the
middle Bissell allus called my gaudy
lfeury, and suspect it was awful gay
for me-
4 She looked at the quilt long and af-
fectionately before she did it up. Tears
glistened in the kindly, faded eyes, and
two ran down the soft, wrinkled cheeks
and dropped on the bundle.
Just now out in front Of the house
was platter of sour cherries preserv-
ing in the sun after the old code of
pound for pound"
"My, must go and stir up them cher
ries or they'll all be gettin sugary!"
said Mrs. Esterbrook, suddenly recol-
lecting herself and drying her teai
stained eyes on her folded handker-
chief.
She went out through the little lat
tice covered front doorway, where, a
few steps off, on flat limestone bowl
der, was an old blue and white platter
of the reddest and richest of preserves.
She lifted the mosquito netting and
gave them good stirring up.
"Somehow I allus think of Johnnie
fmore'n ever when do up the sour cher
ries," she observed. "How he used to
allus be on hand for lick when stir
red 'em up. I used to think had a
pretty scant measure sometimes when
I come to put 'em in the jars. He allus
said he knew the cherries would never
taste the same If they was made on
any other platter than this old blue and
white one with the landing of Gineral
Lafayette on it. Queer notion Of his.
j declare if I'd been goin to his weddin
I'd have taken jar or two Of these
for him. You needn't tell me he's lost
his sweet tooth if he is a grown man;
there's too much Of the Hosmer blood
in him for that"
San apotheosis pitcher! What find!
And to think they were keeping soft
soap in it! Even if the nose was bro
KEN the very idea Of using piece Of
crockery that dates back to Washing
TOMS time for such purpose! Who
minds driving nine miles through the
country hot July day, if one can run
across such a treasure and rescue it
from so cruel fate?" And Mrs. Ridge
way stopped her horse underneath the
shade of big beech tree that spread
itself over the road and undid the
pitcher she had purchased, to admire
it anew.