Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-12-17
CLOAK FROM THE MAYFLowER
Treasured Relic Belonging to a Bos-
ton Woman Has Been Re-
snewed Many Times.

Ch1 POsSSSSOF, a boston woman, VINO
is a daughter of about everything
yet invented. The word possessor is
used advisedly. The woman herself
would think it sacrilege to say owner.
To her the relic is an heirloom, more
precious than gold, yea. than much
fine gold, and far above rubies, reports
the Washington Star.
These are the facts in: the case. The
woman's remote. Mayfiower ancestor
certainly had aboard that famous YES
sci cloak like unto the present day
garment. It was long and ample, of
the blue camlet, lined throughout
with sad-colored paduasoy, lightly
quilted. Naturally it was cherished
as garment of state. But moths are
no respecters of persons, neither OF
even Puritan piety. They feasted or
dark blue camlet through several sea
sons, until the garment of state would
not wrap even it's owners dignity
His wife, like John Gilpin's, had fru
gal mind. The paduasoy lining seemed
to her nearly as good as ever, so she
whipped off the blue outside for
pattern, cut new cloak by it out of
snuff-colored Flemish broadcloth-in
a trice her good man had a new gar
ment, line enough to wear at the gov
ernor's own levee.
Inc good man wore it with due care.
but in spite of gingerly handling, the
paduasoy came in rags before the out
side had even lost it's first gloss.
those were hard days among the
Pllgrims-the best new lining avail
able was of homespun red flannel. It
ooth looked well and wore well-still
1T could not compare with Flemish
broadcloth. The snuff-brown outlast-
ed three full Innings, and might have
come down to this day, but that it
was worn in a day-long rain, got
soaked, was hung before the fire to
dry, and through carelessness was
scorched right down the middle of the
back.
The lining, however, was unscatb-
ed-the new lining of plaid sarcenet.
nghtly padded and quilted in a Scrip
ture text. Throwing it away was
not to be thought of, so again there
was span-new outside, this time a
blanket cloth of rich bottle green.
VI the bottle green's vicissitudes
there is neither tradition nor record
until thecloak reappearsa sober black
"nether 1t had gone voluntarily into
mourning or suffered the degrada-
ton of the dye pot there is no means
OF Knowing. Instead of the plaid
sarcenet there was most disreputa-
BILE flannel, coarse and sleazy. in bue
a muddy drab. With the revolution
passed and boughten goods once
more plenty, the drab was most intol-
cradle and not to be endured. It
gave place to the black lutestring.
which appeared to the cloak's cler-
zeal owner as best suiting with his
place in the social economy. When
his eldest son went to college, the
cloak went with him. He aspired TO
be known somewhat as a man of
fashion, yet dared not too deeply
outrage the family traditions of
thrift. A new garment out and out
he knew his father would not stand.
SO the cloak went to a fashionable
rePaEer, who gave it first brand
new lining and then a new outside.
AS it left his hands it appears to-
day, save that it is something the
worse for years of steady wear. It
did not begin, you see, to be a relic
until the resourceful collegian had
grown-up daughters. Even then
there was certain tinge of patron
age in the sentiment toward it. It
was an old thing, it had been good
they would pack it away in cam
phor to show in later times that
they were not parvenues Their an
cestor had worn broadcloth, even in
callow college days, broadcloth we'll
cut and we'll finished-the tailor, YOU
see, had shipped and slashed his
model to meet his own view.
Then the cloak lay so years buried
in odorous oblivion, brought to
Light maybe once in two years. to be
looked at reminiscently, summed. re-
folded and bundled into it's appoint-
ed place. Throughout those dark
years it hardly dreamed of the plo.
rious Avatar awaiting it. It was
only along about 1876 that the craze
for ancestry, and to be daughters
Of everything, began. New England
has the craze, somewheres wildly.
somewheres virulently. The Boston
case is yirulent. She has
spent years of her life. as her sister
says. publishing and furbishino."
Now when she goes to colonial teas
and revolutionary breakfasts draped
n the old cloak. which has been
q cd nd