The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-28


work quilts, swaying ia "a !eng line under
the elnas and naples The old orchard
made a blossoming background for them,
and farther on on the horizon rose the
beauty Of fresh verdure and purple mist
on those low hills or knobs" that are
to the heart of the Kentuckian as the
Alps to the Swiss or the sea TO the sailor.
] opened the gate softly and paused
for a moment between the blossoming
lilacs that grew on each side of the
path. The fragrance of the white and
the purple blooms was like a resurrec-
tion-call over the graves of many dead
spring; and as I stood. shaken with
thoughts as the flowers are with the
winds, Aunt Jane came around from the
back of the house, her black silk cape
huttering from her shoulders, and cal
leo sunbonnet hiding her features in its
cavernous depth. She walked briskly TO
the elothes-line and began patting and
smoothing the quilts where the breeze
had disaTranged them.
Aunt Jane" I called out, "are you
having a fair all by yOurself?"
She turned quickly, pushing back the
sunb0nnet from her eyes.
why, child" she said. with a happy
laugh. you come pretty nigh skeerin'
me. No. amt havin any fair; I'm jest
glyin' my quilts their spring atrin'. Twice
a year 1 pat 'em ont in the sun and
wind: and this mornln' the air smelt so
sweet. l thought il was a good chance
To fresLen 'em up for the summer It's
about time 10 take EN- IN now"
She began 10 fold the quilts and lay
them over her arm, and ! did the same.
Back and forth we went from the clothes
line TO the house and from the house
10 the clothes-line. until the quilts were
safely housed from the coming dewfan
and piled on every available chair in the
front room ] looked at them in sheer
amazemenL There seemed to be every
pattern that the ingenuity of woman
could devise and the industry of woman
put together-'fo ur-patches. " "ninepatch-
es." 'log-cabins," "wild-goose chases,
rising suns heXagons diamonds, and
only Aunt Jane knows what else. As for
color, a Sandwich Islander would have
danced with JOY at the sight Of those
reds. puppies, yellows, and greens.
Did you really make all these quilts,
Aunt Jane?" 1 asked wonderingly.
Aunt James eyes sparkled with pride.
Every stitch of EN- child" she said,
except the quiltia. The neighbors used
10 come in and help some with that. I've
heard folks say that piecin' quilts was
n0thin' but a waste O time, but that
amt always so. They used to say that
Sarah Jane Mitchell would set down
right after breakfast and piece till it was
time TO git dinner. and then set and
piece till she had 10 git supper. and then
piece by candlelight till she fell asleep in
her cheer.
Il ricolect goin' over there one day,
and Sarah Jane was gittin' dinner in
big hurry. for Sam had 10 so 10 town
with some cattle, and there was big
basket o. quilt in the middle o the
floor. and the house lookin' like a pig
pen, and the children runnin' around half
naked. And Sam he laughed. and says he
Aunt Jane. if We could wear quilts and
eat quilts we'd be the richest people in
the country sam was the best-natured
man that ever was, or he couldn't a put
up with Sarah James shiftless ways.
Hannah Crawford said she sent Sarah
Jane a bundle o. caliker once by Sam,
and sam always declared he lost 60. But
Uncle Jim Matthews said he was ridiu
along the road jest behind Sam. and he
saw sam throw ii into the creek jest as
he got on the bridge ! never blamed
Sam "a bit if he did
But there never was any time wasted
on my quilts. child. / can look at every
one of en- with a clear conscience. ]
did my work faithful; and then. when I
might "a set and held my hands I'd
make a block or two o. patchwork, and
before long I'd have enough to put to-
gether in a quilt / went TO piecin' as
soon as I was old enough to hold a needle
and a piece o. cloth, and one o. the
first things 1 can remember was settin' on
the back doorstep SEWN my quilt pieces
and mother praisin' my stitches Nova
days folks don't have to sew unless they
want to- but when I was a child there
warnt any SEWN machines, and it was
about as needful for folks TO know how
to sew as it was for 'em TO know how
10 eat; and every child that was well
raised could hem and run and backstitch
and gether and overland by the time she
was nine years cid. Why, I'd pieced
four quilts by the time / was nineteen
years old. and when me and Abram set
up housekeepin' had bedclothes enough
for three beds
I've had a heap O. comfort all my life
maxim quilts, and now IN my old age
wouldn't take a fortune for 'em Set
down here child. where you can see out
o. the Winder and smell the HIacs, and
Veil look at 'em all. You see, some
folks has albums to put folks pictures
in 10 remember EN- by, and some folks
has book and writes down the things
that happen every day SO they won't
f0rgit I'm; but honey. these quilts is my
albums and my diries. and whenever
the weathers bad and 1 cant git out to
see folks, I jest spread out my quilts
and looks AT 'em and study over en-, and
IT'S Jest like goin back fifty or sixty
years and Twin my life over again.
''Ihere amt nOthin' like piece o cali
keF for briHgin' back old times. child,
unless it's a flower or a bunch O thyme
or q piece o penayrOy Anything that
smells sweet. Why, I Gao go out yonder
ia the yard and gether a bunch o. that
purple lilac and Jest shut my eyes and
see faces 1 amt seen for fifty years
and somethiu' goes through me like a
flash o lishmin, and it seems like I'm
young agin jest for that minute
Aunt James lands We're strOking loving
~ 'nine-patch" that resembled the coat
of many colors.
Now this quilt. honey" she said. Il
made out O. the pieces o. my children's
clothes. their little dresses and waists
and aprons Some OF ems dead and
some of ems grown and married and a
long way of from me. further off than
the ones that's dead, I sometimes think.