Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-12-17


terest in this new industry was not con-
fined to the girl members of the Kindly
Deeds Society. The boys wished that
Madelaine could teach them something
that the Belgian boys did. Dick hap
pened to say something of this sort
to the teacher and after few moments
thought, she said, ''Dick, why
don't you see if you can find some nice
patterns for the lace makers. 1t would
please them very much if you could,
for they are getting tired of those very
simple ones Madelaine taught them.
Dick thought of this good deal, but
couldn't think of anyway to find
pattern and he knew he couldn't draw
one out of his own head. But one
day that autumn when all the leaves
had fallen from the trees, he happened
to be standing at his gate when he
noticed the shadows cast upon the walk
by the overhanging leafless elmtree.
The little twigs at the end of the
branches were perfectly mirrored, as
it were, on the stones and kind of in
SEPARATION came to the boy and he said to
himself, why wouldn't those shadows
make a pretty pattern for the girls
lacework. III try and see if can copy
any OF them" Running into the house
he soon came back with sheet of paper
and pencil and getting down OIL his
knees began to try to copy some of
them. 1t was hard work and he ddn'
feel as if he was very successful, for
what he had drawn couldn't possibly be
of any use. Just then Harold came by
and asked him what he was doing. Dick
showed him his drawings and told him
what he meant them for. but they
weren't good for anything. Harold
looked at them for moment and then
exclaimed, why don't you get some
tissue paper and trace the shadows.
Then they will be enough sight better
than these for patterns. Dick said,
81 will, and hurried into the house.
Soon he was back with some tissue
paper and another pencil which with
sheet of paper he gave to Harold. Till
nearly sunset those two boys worked at
tracing the shadows. They brought
their drawings to the teacher the next
morning. She was delighted with them
and said they were just the things.
Then she showed them how they could
easily transfer their tracings to stiff
pieces of paper and that then they could
be used by the lace-makers. One winter
morning when Dick woke up he saw
that his window was covered with most
beautiful frostwork. Jumping out of
bed he seized some tissue paper and
pencil and traced good deal of it and
afterwards transferred his tracings to
thick paper. To his great delight they
made patterns even more beautiful than
those from the trees. The interest in
lace making became so great that soon
nearly every family in the town had at
least one working at it. They did not
attempt to do anything with what they
made, and, being beginners, of course
their work was very simple and there
was not much of it. One evening
Molly's father, who had been watching
her and her mother and Madelaine at
work. said, 90 other, why wouldn't it
be good idea to make an exhibition at
the next county fair of all the lace made
here in town. I'm sure people would be
interested in it." She agreed and at the
time when things had to be sent she got
all the members of the sewing circle to
bring their lace to her house with their
names att ched to it. The teacher did
the same at school with the girls. When
the fair opened this exhibit attracted
more attention than anything else in
that division, and the highest of all the
prizes for women's work was awarded
to Carry's mother for her piece of lace.
A few days after the fair closed she re-
ceived letter from a well-known dry
goods firm in New York, one of whose
travelling statesmen had happened into
the fair. The letter said that the firm
would be glad to buy all the lace ex-
hibted at the fair and any more they
could make; and it would be glad to
buy the patterns if they were for SALE
A very considerable check came back
after the lace and the patterns were
sent, and the money received was de-
voted very largely to getting things
for Christmas. But the best thing
about the. new industry was that they
had got new and most interesting oc-
cupation with which to brighten the
long winter days and evenings.