The Ordway new era., 1915-03-19
AELEN's eREAT-eRANDmoTHER.


she spent an hour each day in Grand
ma Greats room. One day, while
Helen was sitting with her. she asked:
How old are you, Grandma Great?"
81 am eighty years young, my DEAR"
was the reply.
"Young?" said Helen. Il thought
eighty very old"
NO" answered Grandma Great,
mot II your heart is young"
And is your heart young?" inquired
Helen.
"Yes. my heart is young: all these
things keep 1t So" said Grandma
Great. pointing to the old-fashioned
furniture around the room.
Helen looked her thoughts very
plainly. She did not understand how
all that old furniture could make any
one feel young.
"Then l have many other things"
Grandma Great continued, which you
do not see, and when l feel a bit like
growing old l look at them and ! am
young again. Would you like to see
them?"
Helen's curiosity was really aroused
derful things could make Grandma
Great feel young.
Grandma opened the drawer OF an
old-fashioned bureau. There were won
derful boxes. One was called a hand
kerchief box; 1t opened In the middle,
and two little tapes held it together;
then the covers opened on either side.
Grandma Great took out a little lace
collar. 1t was fine as spiders web.
This was one of my wedding col
lars" she told Helen. Then there was
fine linen handkerchief. yellow with
age. with the tiniest flowers embroid-
cred in one corner. There was chain
made of hair. with a gold clasp, and
also ring made Of hair, with little
gold buckle, which make 1t look like
tiny belt.
Grandma Great handed her a pic
ture.
See II you can tell who this is"
she said. Helen looked and saw a very
pretty girl. with black curls and pink
cheeks. Her eyes were black, like her
own, and she had on a dress made
oh! SO queerly-of flowered material
II was eighteen when that was
TAKEN" said Grandma Great. Helen
thought she looked like beautiful
wax doll and wondered II Grandma
Great was as young and pretty as that,
and then she wondered IL some day
she would be old like Grandma Great
She had never thought OF 1t before.
Here is picture of your great
grandfather. taken when we were mar
ried." Helen saw a handsome young
man, with blue eyes and brown, curl
ing hair. He looked very straight and
he had on a high collar, and 1t looked
to Helen as though he had yards Of
black satin wound around 1t. Then
there was a fan. with pearl sticks, and
on one of the outside sticks was tiny
mirror. She was told that 1t would be
hers some day.
Then there was funny pair OF kid
gloves-pale pink, with little brass
hooks. These were my wedding
gloves" said Grandma Great, ''and
these were my travelling gloves" Helen
thought she never had seen anything
SO funny as the second pair, which
were bright green.
Then there were queer little ties
with tassels and pair OF stockings
the color of the pink gloves. 'They
were my wedding stockings. and your
grandmother wore them when she was
married." said Grandma Great. "and l
hope they will be yours, some day."
Helen thought that very odd. She
did not want to wear old stockings
when she was married. There were
locks of hair, tied with ribbon, and pic
lures of people in queer-looking
clothes.
Here is a breastpin your great
grandfather gave me, with his hair in
it."
Helen took it In her hand and looked
at it. She thought it very odd that
anyone should want to wear a pin
like that. There was watch with
a gold face, and on the back of the
case was a house and trees. THAT
will be yours. Also" Grandma Great
told her, but Helen did not think she
would ever wear such big watch.
"My wedding dress is in that trunk.
Would you like to see it?" Helen told
her she would. for she often wondered
what was in the trunk covered with
hair.
"Oh, my; that is beautiful" ex-
claimed Helen, as Grandma Great held
up a dress of pale pink silk. with little
sprays of green on it. The skirt was
very full and long, and the waist
looked as though 1t might fit Helen.
your grandmother wore this dress
at her silver wedding" said Grandma
Great. 81 wish you might, but I'm
afraid it will not hold together till
then. Here is the shawl wore, also.
that you will have and can wear,
think" 1t was the palest pearl color,
with fringe around it and embroidered
with big flowers And these were