The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-01-16
When Tom
Sewed
By Jane Osborn


Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
When Tom Bates had advanced a
hundred feet down the road, after
having left Molly, he heard subdued
but high-pitched whistle. 1t came
from the direction of the side door of
the Gardner house, and, turning back,
he saw emerging from the grape ar
Dor that clustered around the door
the bony, stopped figure of Molly's
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 I mean-knit-I 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.
"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. II 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, guess you're not go
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 Dobbs 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"
whats that got to do with my
sewing buttons on?" asked Tom.
swat till I 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 I 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
them finish up on Sunday. So they
have decided they will work till mid
night on Saturday. Well, here is my
plan. Tomorrow (Friday) evening
can tell Matty 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 cen 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-
picious. That is three hours and a
half for four men. That's fourteen
hours. / 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 hand shake, and went off to
his lodgings in the village, feeling
that because of the little speech of
Molly's uncle he understood the old
man 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 foc>the Red