The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-12-28
When Tom
Sewed
By Jane Osborn

8sNNNNNNNNNNNN - ~ = - ~ ~
Copyright, 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndcate)
When Tom Bates had advanced I
hundred feet down the roud, aftel
having left Molly, he heard subduet
from the direction of the side door ot
the Gardner house, and, turning back
he saw emerging from the grape ar
bor that clustered around the door
the bouN stopped figure of Molly's
uncle. The uncle was beckoning tC
Tom to return, and because the uncle
held one lean finger TO his lips, Ton
knew he was to return stealthily. Sc
Tom crcpt back I'm the moonlight ms
quietly as Il uight-prowliug cat till he
stood within n few inches of the old
nan.
can you knitT' asked the uncle.
"Enit-what do you mean knit?"
What do l mean-knit-I mean
knlt--worSted work, on needles, of
course"
w VII, 1 Slnuiu lullh uul.
Can you use a sewing machlne?"
Certainly not"
TON 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
''Well, can you thread needles and
sew on buttOns?"
"YeS-I suppose ] can" Tom admit
ted, 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. 81 can knit and
the minister can cut out garments as
good as anyone, 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 l guess you're not 60
ing to back out. You see, my wife
MOlly's Aunt Matty-and my son
Johns wife and the minister's wife
and Molly-well, they are running the
Red Cross society here in Dobb's Cor
ners. Well, times have been pretty
busy here. What with canning and
all, it was pretty hard for the wom-
en- folks. War times seem to come
hardest on the women, if they're pa
triotic, like our women folks are"
"What's that got to do with my
sewing buttons On?" asked Tom.
"Wait till l get to it, can't you?"
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
n box of things for the Red Cross.
Well, as said, tomatoes ripened
sooner 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, and my Mat
ty and the rest are almost worried
sick about it, They've got to get it
off Monday morning. OF course, the
minister's wife wouldn't want to see
chem finish up on Sunday. So they
have decided they will work till mid
night on Saturday. Well, here is my
mi 4
can tell Matty I am going down to the
Ftore 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 negotiate in the next county
about 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 head
quarters and we can finish them gar
ments up. We can get there by half
past seven, and we can work until
eleven. without having the women sus-
3icious. That Is three hours and a
half for four men. That's fourteen
hours. I guess we can finish up In
shat time, all right. Women waste a
leal of time talking, and if we just
fake 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 hand shake, and went off to
his lodgings in the village, feeling
chat because of the little speech of
Molly's uncle he understood the old
Ran better than he had ever done be-
fore.
The quartettte 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 n pass-key, they soon set |
to work by the light Of steady old |
oil lamp.
Knitting was not exactly easy for
the old man, and the yarn caught on
his calIoused knuckles, but he 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 ryth- |
mic click Of the slow-mOying wooden .
needles. The minister cut out pa
jamas and bed jackets with nervous
haste, humming the quick measures
of an old-fashioned camp meeting
hymn; and John. who was portly and
deliberate, stitched the pieces of
heavy cotton into garments, with new
er pause to light his pipe. Some
Lir.,nc. rnor,n rrnndn hiuncnlf 1Isnflll hr |