The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-03-03
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y THE QUILT LEGACYx
BY DORA LEFAvoUR.
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I@ l9il. by Meclurs Nswspaper syndIe.t

| ''SN 'he hVmc WHiNn nhu pdsseu uONH
his line for generations was his only
legacy to his two daughters.
The city came. Massive buildings
lowered menaclngly above Miss Es-
TIERS wee shop. and homes OF modern
architecture grew around their wealth
er-beaten home, till the sisters felt
showed aslde-elbowed into their re-
spective. oldfashioned corners by the
busy, self-seeklng. hustllng throng
and her little shop became Miss Es-
TIERS life, and home an oasis In a will.
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 patriotlcally. consclen-
tiously. sold her prewar stock at pre-
war prices, and the alarming postwar
rcplenlshments bit into her narrow
margin so keenly that one evening,
when she locked her store. she thought
that upon the twenty-ffth 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 scdate. her polse as perfect as II
! the world were at her feet; yet, her
heart was so tumutuously tlmorOus
that she closed the door with its shin
Ing brass kuocker quickly, almost with
a hang-as II to shut out the grasping,
giddy, up-to-date six o'clock throng
/ and The noisome grievances Of her day
dimmcd TO the soft froufrou of her
sisters black silk as Miss Lucretla
came down the hall to meet her. and
announce dinner. Just rs she had done
every evening of every business day
for the twenty years which Miss Es-
ther had been the breadwlnner.
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
Iaore rising OF bread -four I'm the bar
rel, and all is sold that can be sold
! without everything going under the
hammer"
Miss Esther's sigh swclled her fiat
bosom. Business Is dull-eXtremely
duh. Lucrctla" she conhded In her
turn. People advise advertising, but
| shrink from fnunting my store news
through the blatant newspapers and |
fear It's rent will use all my capital
this month.
Miss Dovney was in today-she's
opening n tea room, and II | could
match this chintz she would commits
sion me To decorate her place.
at would put us quite on Easy
street" she continued, lingering the
D bright-hucd sample she took from her
y skirt pocket,
{ Let me see that Esther" Miss Lu-
| cretia held out her hand. Seems to
me I've seen some just like It some
where"
probably when you were a child"
Miss Esther replied vaguely, 'If !
could match Il anywhere II would be
at Vnil's in Boston, but Its price would
d he cxorbi;ani-quitc prohibitive. No,
4 It's no use-the game is not worth the
candle"
o "i think I'll retire, sister," Miss Es-
, ther said wcarily very carly In the eve
ming. Miss Lucrctia oplned she, too,
would go to bed,
Each took small lamp and silently
climbed the shadowy, creaklng stairs.
Miss Lucretn's brow wrinkled In
Inemory-searchlng frown.
"Whcre In the world have l seen
e chIntz like that?" she kept asking her
self.
Esther" she Guttcred. don't you
remember Aunt Anstice Dolbear's leg
acyr'
Straight to an old brass-studded
hair trunk they sped, simultaneously
. opened the creaLing lid and dragged
!, a buiisy quilt from the place where Il
had lain untouched for twenty Ave
years.
Down Ia her room, Miss Esther the
OBSERVED. the. .sc,f-contained. lighted q
. lamp with eager. trembling fingers,
aad compared the sample nutteringly,
Miss LucretIe also held Il FAR of and
uear 10 her dun vision.
They sgreed--It matched.
+rve just got 20 get a scissors and
RIP Il on now" said Miss Esther. "and
measure It before can steep wink. "
THE sharp-polnted scissors soon gave
b vent: she slipped her fingers through
the opening TO hold her work the bet
ter. They touched something crisp
Il SHE ripped faster. her faded blue eyer
| protrudlng s'the crispiness proved to
lee dollar bill. She gasped. and slip.
ped tier hand In farther--more crisp
| Ness.
, With trembling haste they clipped
them on. and placed them In neat piles
--onc thousand of them.
Neither spoke; the moment was toe
tense, too freighted for speech. Sim
| al -