Browning chief., 1945-03-16

stove golng, Phebe would say.
More work.
Sometimes the parlor wouldn't be
used all winter. But it was on Quilt
ing Day. If a woman had her quilt
ing in her everyday living room,
she'd have to have pretty good ex-
cuse or be talked about.
By nine o'clock the first buggy
would show up, then surrey would
appear, because it wouldn't do to 60
in wagon on a stylish day like
quilting; pretty soon, Mrs. Gerilda
knabb would come over the brow
of the hill in her sidesaddle, and I
would have to dash out and hold her
horse close to surrey step so she
could get down.
Haying and threshing and clover
seed hulling and road-work day be-
longed to the men. But Quilting
Day belonged to the women. 1t was
all right for man to deliver his
wife at quilting, but he had to
get away as fast as he could. If
he went to the house and sat down
with the womenfolks and tried to
be sociable, they'd have run him
out with brooms. No man in his
right mind would 60 near the house.
1t wasn't proper for the women to
sit around and visit; get right down
to work, because work was more
important than manners. 1t was
tremendous honor to be the first
woman at the frames.
There, in the middle of the floor,
would be the frames with the quilt
to-be strung between them, and with
cotton batten between the two
lengths of cloth. The cloth would
be stitched to the edging, but the
quilt hadn't been frightened. When
all was ready, one woman would
take hold of one ratchet wheel and
another woman would take hold Of
the other ratchet wheel and Phebe
would dash up and down the frames
giving the cotton the last smoothing
out, then she would say, "Tighten!"
and the women would begin twisting
the ratchet wheels. A wooden tongue
fitted into the teeth of a wheel and
each time the tongue fell it gave
click. 1t was hard job to get the
quilt started just right, because if it
was Slowed, the whole thing would
be collywobbled and no amount of
work would ever get it straight. So
Phebe would dash up and down the
frames, tightening pins and loosen
ing threads, and having one woman
tighten and another loosen until the
quilt was finally squared on exactly
right. "Fasten!" she would order,
and the women would push the
wooden tongues down so they
wouldn't fly loose and cause no end
of trouble.
Phebe was the leader. They all
asked her how she wanted this done,
or how she wanted that She would
tell them, now and then stopping to
show how she turned a corner, or
put in a rabbit ear. Ma wasn't i'm
portant today.
When the row of white lines was
finished, Phebe would say, II guess
we can turn now" The women would
60 to the ratchet wheels and Phebe
would say, "Roll," and the ratchet
wheels would move and the little
wooden tongues click; then the wom-
en- would 60 back and take up their
needles.
The other women would be in the
sitting room visiting, or helping Ma
in the kitchen. But that was only
until the quilters got tired. Now and
then one of the women from the sit
ting room would get up and 60 to the
frames and say, 81 expect you're
tired, Mrs. Kennedy. I'll take your
place for a while"
Mrs. Kennedy would say she
wasn't in the least tired, but in
minute the new woman would be at
the frames and Mrs. Kennedy would
be in the sitting room visiting.
On other days the polite thing was
for everybody to sit down to dinner
at the same time, but not on Quilt
ing Day. The frames must be kept
turning. The women who were not
quilting would eat, then go to the
| frames; those who had been quilt
ing, would 60 to the table. Not
much to eat, but one expected fancy
things, because today was workday
Get as much done as possible
After while we'd see Pa coming
through the yard; then we'd hear
him on the back porch taking off
his overshoes. He'd sit down at
the table, but there'd be no grace
He'd gulp down his food and get out
of the house as fast as tramp.
After dinner the women would get
sleepy and the chatter would fall
off; now and then one would hold
her hand, with thimble on the mid
die finger, up to her mouth and try
to hide yawn. Then she'd say, Il
was up with calf last night" and
everybody'd understand.
Now and then one of the women,
without word, would get up and
leave the frames and put fascina-
tor over her head.' We'd all know
what that meant. When she came
back in she'd hold her hands over
the stove and say, "It's getting real
chilly outside"
Finally the quilt would be done