The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-06-27
Tlllle.a knitting L...on..

When my Grandma was young little
girls were taught to do many useful
things. Little girls thought it no hard
ship to wash and dry the dishes, and
spread up the beds after a stronger
hand had shaken the great feather
mattresses; and all the doll clothes of
those days must have been we'll made,
because the little mothers" were CIV
en- every day lesson in sewing, GRO
cheting or knitting, as soon as they
We're old enough to learn. One day,
one summer, Grandma's mother called
her three little daughters to her and
said, II am going to teach you to knit.
l will give reward for the first pair
of socks-and how proud papa will be
to wear them!" Then she gave Luz
cinda, Aida and little Tillie each a
great ball Of yarn, and set of shining
knitting needles. She patiently spent
great deal of time in showing them
how to ''set up a sock" on three
needles, and how to hold it, and how
to use the fourth needle to really
knit" The upper maid, Dinah. was
to show them how to shape the heel
and toe, and narrow" and blind off, .
as she herself was to be away for some
weeks. So every day, very soon, each
went away to her own favorite nook,
and for some time very lively race
went on for the prize. For at least a
fortnight the little girls knitted indus
triously; then Aida began to weary,
even before one sock was completed,
and Lucinda's sock grew very slowly,
though the knitting always showed
even and smooth. But how little Til
lie did work! Her small fingers fairly
flew; her little white pet rabbits nib
bled at the ball of yarn and wondered
why Tillie did not have word to say
to them. Every day she took her
stool out to the grape arbor and dill
gently knitted away, though the shouts
of the children padding in the brook
came to her ears, the loudest among
them the voices of her two sisters.
81 will finish FIRST" she said. II
will win the prize! l know cant"
After very long time to Tillie, and
a surprisingly short time to the sis
tiers, Tillie announced-it was on the
day after mammals return home-that
her socks were finished; and then
Aida wished she had not been having
such good time and had more to
show than just one-half of a sock, not
very tidy looking. Lucinda had I'm
ished one sock and it was very prettily
and evenly knitted; but she, too, was
ashamed that little Title had outdone
her. Tillie laid the pair Of socks on
mammals lap with triumphant little
smile. The three little girls lowered
near while mamma slipped one of the
socks over her hand. But what do you
think? There were about a hundred
little holes where Tillie had dropped a
stitch now and then! Alas! and the
other sock was quite as bad. Mamma
smiled as she said: ''These socks will
have to be darned before they can be
worn"
Aida laughed merrily, but Lucinda
put her arms around poor little Title
whose tears were falling softly over the
careless work. "Never mind, Tillie,"
she said, you will get the prize, for
you did knit the first pair!"
Well, Grandma's mamma-Grandma
was Tillie-gave them each a prize for
learning to knit-a little work box,
with needles, scissors, thread and tiny
thimble.
'Tillie has learned something else,
too, think" said mamma as she
stopped to kiss the tear-stained and
sorry little face. Then she gave Tillie
her workbox, a pretty blue one, and
said, in whisper, Make haste slow
ly!"
Grandma says it has been over fifty
years since she won that prize, and she
has forgotten how to knit; but the les
son she learned along with her knit
ting she will never forget. Mary
Goodwin Hubbell In Little Folks.