The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-03
EVENING STORY
When Tom sewed.
(By Jane Osborn.)


the Gardner house, and, turning back, |
he saw emerging from the grape
arbor that clustered around the door
the bony. stopped figure of Molly'B
uncle. The uncle was reckoning to |
Tom to return, and because the uncle |
held one lean finger to his lips. Tom |
knew he was to return stealthily. So |
Tom crept back in the moonlight as
quietly as a night-prowling cat till he
stood within a few inches of the old
man.
Can you knit?'' asked the uncle.
"Knit-what do you mean knit? ~
what do mean knit mean knit
-worsted work, on needles, of
course"
Well I should think not
Can you use sewing machine ?"
Certainly not
Tom had reasons of his own to
want to impress favorably Molly's
uncle-who was also her guardian
but he did not intend to perjure him
self by claiming accomplishments that
he did not have.
We'll. can you thread needles and
sew on buttOnS?"
'Yes+I suppose 1 cam" Tom adj
mitted, slowly remembering the bach
elor buttons that he had in time past
been constrained to sew on for him
self.
'.All right the uncle said, with evil
dent satisfaction. Il can knit and
the minister can cut out garments as
good as any one, and son John can
run the sewing machine. Now, here's
what we're going to do, and since you
would be doing your share, in order TO
help out Molly, guess you're not go
ing to back out. You see, my wife
Molly's Aunt Maryland my son
Johns wife and the minister's wife
and MoIly-well. they are running the
| Red Cross society here in Dobb's
Corner. Well times have been pretty
busy here. What with canning and
ALL it was pretty hard for the women
folks War times seem to come hard
est on the women. If they're patriotic,
like our women folks are"
whats that got to do with my
sewing buttons on?" asked Tom.
Wait till | get to it. can't your"
snapped Molly's uncle. Saturday
there is to be the big send-off parade
in the big city, and seems as if my
Matty and Toms wife. had set their
hearts on seeing the boys start off.
and, of course the minister's wife and
Molly just had to go. And what is
more, they all had planned to get off
box of things for the Red Cross.
Well, as said, tomatoes ripened soon |
er than they expected, and there were
a powerful lot of grapes this year, and |
the preserving sort of put things back. |
And now, if they go in to that parade |
Saturday. they never will get that box |
packed, land my Matty and the rest |
are almost worried SICK ABOUT IL. |
They've got to get it off Monday morn |
ing OF course. the minister's wife |
wouldn't want to see them finish up
on Sunday. So they have decided they |
will work till midnight on Saturday. |
Well. here is my plan. Tomorrow
(F'riday) evening / can tell -Matty I
am going down to the store to sit !
awhile, and the minister can let on |
he has to talk to one of the elders |
and John can tell his wife he's got
- to-
those cows he is thinking of buying, |
and you can tell Molly what you !
choose, if she was counting on seeing |
you that night. And we can all get |
together down at the headquarters and |
we can finish them garments up. We |
can get there by half past seven, and |
We can work until eleven without hav-
ing the women suspicious. That is
three hours and a half for four men. |
That's-fourteen hours. I guess we |
can finish up in that time, all right. |
Women waste a deal of time talking |
and if we just take our pipes, we can |
peg right ahead without stopping at
ALL
Tom, unwilling as he was to be re-
garded as an expert needleman |
agreed. and sealed the agreement with !
a hearty handshake, and went off to |
his lodgings in the village, feeling |
that because of that little speech of |
Molly's uncle he understood the old |
man better than he had ever done be- |
fore.
The quartet arrived Friday night at |
the bare little room over the store |
that had been set aside for the Red
Cross headquarters in the village, and |
after Molly's uncle had picked the |
lock with a pass key, they soon set |
to work by the light of a steady old /
oil lamp.
the old man, and the yarn caught on
his calloused knuckles, but re set him !
self to work on an uncompleted muff- |
Ter with a will, and soon was putting |
away on his corn-cob pipe to the
rhythmic click of the slow-moving |
wooden needles. The minister cut out |
pajamas and bed jeckts with nervous |
haste, humming the quick measures
of an old-fashioned camp meeting |
hymn; and John, who was portly and /
cotton into garments, with never a |
pause to relight his pipe. Sometimes |
Tom made himself useful by cutting |
under the dill ection of the minister, |
sometimes he filled Johns pipe or |
relighted it, so that the wheels of the |
machine might run on without inter- |
ruption-
It was about 10 O'Clock and the min
ister's song was at it's loudest, the |
machine was buzzing almost as nois- |
lily. The air was blue with smoke and |
the four men were as intent on their |
work as tho the occupation had been |
a game of whist. They did not see |
the four figures that looked up toward |
the window from the street, nor did |
they hear, thru the parsons noisy |
treble, the sound of four different |
sorts of footsteps on the stairs. But |
they did hear a key in the door, and |
because Mollys uncle heard his Mat
tvs voice saying very positively: II
guess I'll find out who dared break |
into this ROOM" he reached up to /
the lamp that hung from the ceiling, |
drew it down, and with one vigorous /
puff down the chimney, extinguishesi |
the only light
Two or three screams followed in |