The National tribune., 1903-06-04

Christian way, anyhow. Come, now,
Maria, if you will go home with your
mother and me and wait till Will is well,
I'll give you the south medder for a we'd
ding present. It'll make you and VIII a
| splendid place to build a home, and you
shall have the prettiest wedding dress in
! indianapolis, and can invite the whole
State Of Injianny."
| Maria's heart almost stood still. Was
her father going to withdraw his consent,
after all! She was just framing decided
negative to his proposition, when Mrs.
Klegg came to the rescue.
Now, Father, you just fix up some
way to get that linen for Maria. Them
sheets are fine as can be, and Annabel can
get real pretty dress out Of them. 1t
would be a sin to use them in the hospital
here an let them darkies mummix them
over as they do the other hospital wash.
They'd be ruined in one turn in the tub.
| | tell you what I'll do" she added reso-
lntely: IF you decide that you amt got
the right TO buy them outright, just ap-
propriate them, and I'll send to Mandy to
git out them linen sheets in the cedar chest
in the north room, and send them down
here to replace them. Mine are the finest,
and l know it. l helped your grandfather
plant the fax, girls, and | heckled it. and
spun and wove them sheets myself.
| hdTid Sut W nave ueE NtuulIIo ultSS,
and they amt no time to fool away"
The Deacon studied minute, and con-
cluded that he could pay good valuation
| for the sheets into the Christian Commits
sion fund.- and it would be all right. The
question settled, the Deacon was hustled
out of the house to get the sheets, so that
Annabel could get TO work on the dress.
I'm going out to the Kitchen" an
nounced Mrs. Klegg. Il don't suppose
1 . &1..A hrtr h ,lov,
| ton in which l can put fruit cake and
know whether it will come out all right.
l never did see such shiftless people in all
my born days.. They cook about every
thing in a frying-pan. There amt a piece
of tinware in the house that is fit to use,
and our henhouse at home has more con-
veniences than this great big barn Of a
place, which looks as though it might
have stood from the foundations of the
world. / will say that they knew how to
build brick houses"
| Zone of the boys said that there was a
legend here that the bricks in this house
came from England" observed Maria.
| well, they amt to be sneezed at, for
they are hard as stOne," replied Mrs.
Klegg as her matronly form disappeared
through the kitchenward door. Just then
the Deacon came along and paused at the
door long enough to toss into Annabefs
eager hands the beautiful linen sheets she
coveted for the wedding dress.
| Come Maria." she said gaily, as she
threw one open on the table, 'let me
measure your dress skirt. 1 believe that
it will have to have only two seams, be-
cause these sheets are so very wide. L
might-tuck the skirt" she said reflective
ly, as she knelt at Maria's feet, holding
up the folds Of linen. and measuring the
width of the hem. Which would you like
the best, Maria? Hemstitching, or tucks?
II had time 1 would hemstitch above
every tuck, but l haven't"
''Oh, let it be tucks," said Maria quick
ly. Il want you to hurry it up. l can
help you run them"
! Shall l make it very long on the
ioor?'
why. think it would be prettier that
way. Mary Wallace's drug all around
nearly three inches. 1 don't know but it
was longer in the back"
| well, you can wash this; that is one
mercy. Will it need to be more than nine
yards around the skirt?"
| -think-that ought to be
wide enough" replied Maria reflectively
as she bent over to get n glimpse of how
much of the length was on the floor
Nine yards amt much, though, for this
linen is awful fine and soft. Say, Anna
bel. do you 'spose You could make them
| SOIeS uhc tHstl uIcsS hIS over 10
indianapolis got from her sister in Paris?
| thought it made the front look real
pretty, but it cuts into the goods just
scan'lOus."
| Annabel settled back on the floor and
studied minute, then gathered up the
goods and bounded to her feet. Il can
gore it all right, for l saw the dressmaker
at Willow Springs fix one. She didn't cut
it. you see. She just turned the gore back
on the under side. She said that gored
skirts wasn't going to last forever. She
was sure they would soon so out, and then
the goods would be ruined for making
lover. Here, this is the way to do it," and
soon the two girls were bending over the
table deep in the mystery of ''gores," the
very first that began to appear on the
| yoIuminOus dress skirts Of the period.
Just then Mrs. Klegg appeared on the
scene. "Girls, I'm plum exasperated
about getting anything decent to make
that fruit cake with, and can't find
anything to bake it in but this long
handled frying-pan, and it won't go in the
'Oven. Elephant wants me to bake it by