The Washington herald., 1907-03-31
CHAPTER L
sally AIMS Experience.

Take that chair right by the door SOS you
can get the breeze
And Aunt Jane beamed at me over her
sllyer-rimmed spectacles and hitched her
own chair little TO one side, in order to
give me the full benefit Of the wind that
was blowing softly through the white
curtained window. and carrying into the
room the heavenliest odors from field
of clover that lay in fuli bloom just
across the road. For it was June In Ken
tucky and clover and bluegrass were
running sweet riot over the face Of the
earth
aunt Jane and her room together al
ways carried me back to dead and gone
generation. There was a rag carpet on
the floor, Of the ''hit-or-miss" pattern;
the chairs were ancient Shaker rockers.
some with homely "shuck" bottoms, and
each had a tidy of snowy thread or
ohrochet cotton fastened primly over the
back. The high bed and bureau and a
shining mahogany table suggested an era
Of plain living far remote from the day
OF Turkish rugs and Japanese bric-a-brac,
and Aunt Jane was in perfect correspond
ence with her environment. She wore a
purple calico dress. rather short and
scant gingham apron, with a capacious
pocket, in which she always carried knit
ting, or some other handy work a
white handkerchief was laid primly
around the wFinBled throat and fastened
with pin containing a lock Of gray hair;
her cap was of black lace and lutestring
ribbon, not one Of the butterfly affairs
that perch on the top OF the puffs and
frizzes Of the modern old lady. but a
substantial structure that covered her
whole head and was tied securely under
her chin. She talked in a sweet old treble
with a little lisp, caused by the absence
OF teeth, and her laugh was as clear and
joyous as a young girls.
Yes, I'm a-piecin' quilts again" she
sad. shipping away at the bits OF calico
in her lap. II did say I was done with
that sort O. work; but this mornin 1 was
rummagin' around up in the garnet, and
I come across this bundle OF pieces, and
thinks I, Z reckon its intended for me
10 piece one more quilt before I die;
must a put 'em there thirty years ago
and clean forgot 'em. and I've been
settin here all the evenin' cuttin' EN-
and thinkin' about old times.
Jest feel O. that" she continued. toss
ing some scraps into my lap. There amt
any such ealiker nowadays This amt
your hve-cent stuff that fades in the
\ first washin' and wears out in the sec
pud. A caiker dress was somethin' worth
Nuyin and worth maxim up in them days
bat blae-a0weFed piece Was q dress
the spring before Abram died. When
Sput on mournin it was as good as
~. and l give it to sister Mary. That
one with the green ground and white
fgger was my niece Rebecca' s. She wore
it fUr the first time to the county fair the
year ] took the premium on my salt
risin bread and sponge cake This black
an'-white piece Sally Ann Flint give me.
1 rcolleet twas in blackberry time. and
I'd been out in the big pasture pickin
some Tor supper, and I stopped In at SAL
ly AIMS for d drink O. water on my way
back. She was cuttn out this dress.
Aunt Jane broke of with little so
prano laugh.
Did 1 ever tell YOU about Sally AIMS
experience" she said. as she laid two
three-cornered pieces together and began
10 sew with her slender. nervous old nm
gers.
TO ind Aunt Jane alone and in a rem
iniscent mood, This was delightful
DO tell me-" 1 said.
Aunt Jane was silent for a few mo-
ments. She always made this pause be-
fore beginning a story, and there was
something impressive about Il. I used TO
think she was making an Invocation 10
the goddess of Memory
Twas forty years ago." she began,
musingiy, and the way Of It was this.
Our church was considerably out O. fix
II needed q new roof. Some o. the winder
lights was out, and the t1oor was as bare
as your hand, and always had been. The
men folks managed 10 git the roof shin
gled and the winders fixed, and us women
in the Mite Society concluded we'd git a
cyarpet We'd been saViu' up our money
for some time, and we had about twelve
dollars / ricOllect what a argument We
had, for some Of US wanted the Cyarpet,
and some wanted 10 give It to furrin mis-
siOns, as we'd set ont TO do at first. Sally
Ann was the one that settled ii. She says
at last-Sally Ann was in favor of the
cyarpet-she says, We'll, If any Of the
heather fails TO hear the gospel on ac-
count OF our gittin' this cyarpet they'll
>.
And if we send the money and they do
hear the gospel ike as not they won't
repent, and then they're certain to be
damned And it seems TO me- as long as
We amt sure what they'll do. we might
as well keep the money and git the cyar-
pet I never did see much sense anyhow
says she IN givin' people a chance to
damn themselves.
We'll we decided to take Sally AIMS
advice, and we was talkin' about ap-
p'intin a committee TO go to town the
follerin' Monday and pick out the cyar-
pet when all at once 'Lizabeth Taylor
she was our treasurer-she spoke up, and
says she, There amt any use app'intin'
that committee. The moneys gone she
says, sort o. short and quick. I kept it
In my top bureau drawer, ana when 1
went for it yesterday. it was gone. I'll
pay ID back II I'm ever able. but amt
able now. And with that she got up and
walked out O the room, before any one
could say a word, and we seen her goin'
down the road lookin' straight before her
and walkin right fast.
And we've set there and stared at
each other in a sort O. dazed way. I could
see that everybody was thinkin the same
thing. but nobody said word, till our
minister's wife-she was as good a We
man as ever lived-shs says, Judge not
Them two words was Jest like a ser
mon TO us. Then Sally Ann spoke up
and sayz: For the Lords sake. don't let
The men folks know anything about this
They're always sayin' that women amt
fit TO handle money. and I for one don't
want 10 give 'em any more ground to
stand on than they've already got
80 We agreed 10 say nothin about It.
and all Of US kept our promise except
MiIly Amos. She had mighty little sense
10 begin with and haYin' been married
only about two months. she'd about lost