Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-12-11
!l!l:' NEXT BEST THING.
SgssSIssSs E.sufA Adsita Kirkss,an.
Rsly11eht. ~. " the Mcclure News

@&-Sa&IrTdfFSEfxE5 49,
70 tho city?'s repeated Mri
M - shIally. Weil, I guess rot. Lett
Saag1@Meei$SyOusjest get them foolish idea
W. g1ata cut IS your head!''
SINAke ~ dropped her eyes to the carpe
W. 81 her In. For weeks. months. sh
81 Aasssss drsaine lot going to the city to dc
49, TIM talent for art which she wa
1sureshS Rossessed. She might hav
q Enown that was useless to fope-tha
tNAcaWou meet with no sympathy fron
EjMsE@rarent8 h seemed nnconsctousl
u seJldiced AGAINST any new order 9
But Llsetitia James was not the sort 0
Gr! % waste time mourning over the in
Sf SyltAnie. She was far too sensible. Real
ting h futiHty Of further argument, sh
q ~ about contenting herself with the mex
best thing; quilt making.
u can at9least paint with ragst" sh,
Id ruefully. II shouldn't wonder II
sconld take q prize at the county fair thii
y 2 for the best quilt--even II / can't evel
Yin q prize In q salon for painting"
II Investing fhet total of her long-accumu
Atng butter and eggsSmoney into silks
49, velvets OF every conceivable shade
y tint, she turned her bedroom into
st she laMghtngiy called a quilt ar
dstss studio. and set to work. Five
weeks remained before the opening OF the
E3air. In that time she hould be able tc
~ - y INICG sQulllSs she COl0 uSTSell. 49,
Tie 1rst one completed she called her
l6ird OF Paradise quilt. in its center
tgras efnblazoEed a harmoniously brilliant
1OiFd. surrounded by q russet-green grape
wine. A conventional design Of single
8rapo leaves formed the border.
W. "Oh. 4. will surely take a prize!" she
thought delightedly.
Yet. with tho completion Of the next
lone. she said the same thing This one
iiehe called he Garden quilt. its design
Eybelng an old-fashioned garden with intri-
teately winding paths.
ut in better than the last she thought
happily. az she laid 1t away.
4 With the completion OF the third. how
ljsver. she had no word Of Joyous conf
dence. she had only feeling. Silent with
pride. she spread * out on the bed and
stood shove II.
a felled fruit tree formed the main de-
agn OF this one. Beside the tree stood a
stump from which slender green shoots
Gprouted. The tender green of the sprouts
atruck tho brightest note OF color In the
ent1re design. Around its border was em-
hroidered q couplet which Lefty herself
had composed:
Eel the free and pick the fruit:
But you cannot kill the root
The Quilt of Ambition she named Ii
softly. as she folded It way with the rest.
The day OF the fair arrived. Excitedly
sahs climbed into the great farm age
With the family and drove to the far dis
lAants fair grounds. The three quilts had
been sent there previously. and she was
s.afre with eagerIiess to see them on exhi-
bltioR.
Just as she had dreamed. they occupied
the most econspicuous position in the
handlwork booth.
Look ather,." she cried excitedly.
~lclntching h arm beside her. See! My
taA.setk%AnA - Jy&y n,,s% 1,rc II nlro- kIo Arc<
ssprtxe!''
Receiving no h turned dis
ssappotntediy. Then she gasped. The arm
u Gn6n d Slutched was mot her fathers,
young mans.
..I beg your pardon" h began In
eonfusion.
Rut the young man swept away her
81 embarrassment in = breath.
.sDid you do that quilt7'. he inquired.
ssD0 ycu paint i"
she sNared at him. An at once she
swokired 1hRt his face was refined and
sentative, his hands long and artistic, his
keenseyes Enthusiastically those of q critic.
Mo- she answered interestedly. quite
obIlvtous to the fact that she was violat-
- one of the cardinal laws in her moth
11sB code D etiquet, by chatting with
ger INC I don't paint. / wanted
q 81 avaySAnd study. but my people
wouldn't hear OF it: 30 / decided to paint
with rags. instead!
III young man took . step nearer the
p94ne quilt.
Sa#sssgUnusual NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to tonal
5valMes..'' heSsaid.. Then turning. he smiled
0ympAtheticaily into her eyes. "Tm ar
artist. too he introduced himself: ..onl,
x nm IA that had 1 chance. My name,
Winthrop. I come from New York. And
MI cAn a It up with your folks. b,
0eosge, you're going TO have = chance