The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-04-20
The QUILT LEGACY.


~ 1871. nE Mcclure NeWspaper byndtcAte.l
Josiah Prism lacked the business
acumen Of his ancestors, and when he
died the home which had passed down
his line for generations was his only
legacy to his two daughters
The city came. Massive buildings
lowered menacingly above Miss IS
TIERS wee shop, and homes of modern
architecture grew around their wedSh-
er-beaten home, till the sisters felt
showed aside-elbowed into their re-
spective, old-fashioned corners by the
busy, self-seeking, hustling throng;
and her little shop became Miss Es-
theirs life. and home an oasis In viii
derness of people, most Of them with
foreign accent in their speech and for
eign methods In their ways: while
Miss Lucretia rarely ventured beyond
her well-kept garden.
Miss Esther periodically. conscie1-
tlously. sold her prewar stock at pre-
war prices. and the alarming postwar
replenishments bit into her narrow
margin SO keenly that one evening.
when she locked her store, she thought
that upon the twenty-fifth day of this
bleak November there'd be little to
make her and her sister thankful.
AS she walked the two city blocks
to her home, her step was as deliberat-
ly sedate. her poise as perfect as II
the world were at her feet; yet, her
heart was so unanimously timorous
that she closed the door with Its shin.
ing brass knocker quickly, almost with
bang-as IL to shut out the grasplng,
giddy, up-to-date six O'Clock thr0ng /;
and the noisome grievances Of her day
dimmed to the soft froufr0u Of her
sisters black silk az Miss Lucretia
came down the hall to meet her, and
announce dinner. just as she had done
every evening Of every business day
for the twenty years which Miss Els
ther had been the breadwinner.
After they'd eaten their toast, Miss
Lucretia carried the tea things to the
drawing room, while Miss Esther
turned the oil lamps economically low.
Esther" confded Miss Lucretia, be-
fore blazing wood fire In the open
CRATE, "this Is the last Of the tea. The
buffers gone, and there's only one
more rising Of bread flour In the bar
rel, and all is sold that can be sold
without everything going under the
hammer"
Miss Esther's sigh swelled her fiat
bosom. Business Is dull-extremely
dull, Lucretia," she c0nflded In her
turn. People advise advertising, but
/ shrink from Haunting my store news
through the blatant newspapers and !
fear Its rent will use all my capital
this month. 80, t
Miss Doyney was In tOday--she's
opening a tea room, and II / could
match this chintx she would commits
sion me to decorate her place. a.,
! sfIt / MSiild put M aiflxe. On Easy
street, she continued, lingering the
bright-hued sample she took from her
skirt pocket.
."I.et me see that, Esther" Miss Luz
cretla held out her hand. "Seerns to
me I've seen some just like II some
where"
Probably when you were a child"
Miss Esther replied vaguely. III !
could match It anywhere It would be
at Wallis In Boston, but Its price would
be exorbitant-quite prohibitive. No,
it's no use--the game ID not worth the
candle"
II think I'll retire, sister," Miss Es-
Their said YEARLY very early In the eve
ming. Miss Lucretia epined she, too,
would go to bed.
Each took small lamp and silently
climbed the shadowy, creaking stairs
Miss Lucretia's brow wrinkled In
memory searching frown.
"Where in the world have l seen
chlntz like that?" she kept asking her
self.
ESTHER" she futtered, "don't you
remember Aunt Anstice Dolbear's leg
acy?"
Straight to an old brass-studded
hair trunk they sped, simultaneously
opened the creaking lid and dragged
a bulky quilt from the place where II
had lain untouched for twenty-five
years.
Down In her room, Miss Esther, the
reserved, the self.contained, lighted Q
lamp with eager, trembling fingers
and compared the sample futterlngly
Miss Lucretia also held 1t far on anf
near to her dim vision.
They agreed-it matched.
ave just got to get scissors ani
rip It off now" said Mlss Esther, ''ant
measure 1t before I can sleep d wink.
The sharp-pointed scissors soon gavt
a vent she slipped her fingers through
the opening to hold her work the bet
ter. They touched something crisp
she ripped faster, her faded blue eyes
protruding as the crispiness proved Il
be a dollar bill. She gasped. and slip
ped her hand In furthermore crisp
| ness.
With trembling haste they clipped
them off, and placed them In neat pile
--one thousand Of them.
Neither spoke; the moment was to,
tense. too freIghted for speech. Sim