OCR Text |
Show An Heirloom By Martha McCutlocli-Vf'HUams (Copyright, 1912, by Associated Literary Press.) v "Blessed be hobble skirts," Alison ejaculated, surveying her slim littleness little-ness in the long mirror. Rose,, her sister, laughed softly, as she returned: "Better say blessed be flesh! If grandad hadn't weighed near three hundred, you'd never get a skirt out of his Sunday best black broadcloth trousers." "Don't you dare I If one breathes real loud in this village- folk are sure to hear," Alison adjured turning to look at herself over her own shoulder. shoul-der. "And the gossips would say sacrilege rather than thrift. I'm sure grandad himself would approve dead this ten years, what harm can it do to have his left-over clothes help us round a hard corner?'' "None in the world," Rose assented merrily, adding with a touch of wistfulness: "It Is so hard our stock passing dividends, just at this special time. We could do so much with that five hundred we haven't got." "And other people doing ail sorts of things. This town is going to be real giddy," Alison answered, sighing at the end of a giggle. "Three weddings wed-dings already announced that means at least a dozen parties of sorts luncheons not counted." "And tableaux for the Missionary society, and two germans if no more," Rose chanted. Alison took up the chant with, "And three strange very strange young men a-coming to the weddings and likely to stay on awhile with their kin. Rosy-posy, I tell you, it's distinctly hard lines. A new party frock apiece is the most we dare hope for and even they spell a month without butter. Praise be, you didn't make that new melton last fall you would hardly have put it on, with Aunt Anne so ill. But whatever we would do if you hadn't thought of grandad, I surely don't know. Really, I believe, though it sounds like magic. I'll get a swagger outfit from his suit." 'He wore it only once poor dear," Rose Bighed. "And he was always particular as to his clothing. I wish we dared spend a little for touches of color though you can stand all "Blessed Be Hobble Skirts." black with your yellow hair and blue eyes, I hate to see you nun-like." "0! if I only dare!" Alison ex-clamed. ex-clamed. "Dare what?" Rose asked. Alison answered with a breathlesB giggle: "Sacrifice our best heirloom heir-loom but Aunt Anne will never agree" "You mean the waistcoat!" Rose cried, catching her breath. Alison nodded. Rose darted away up the stairs, to the garret where the waistcoat which had come down from a beau of colonial times, lay, linen-wrapped. In lavender. In a wink she was back with it, unwrapping the Bwathings. They fell apart, revealing re-vealing a fabric of degree. Brocade whose satin ground, once a royal scarlet powdered with rosebuds yellow, yel-low, white and pink, had faded to a Soft delicate Indian red. Time had likewise improved the rose hues they Beemed 1o melt one into another. Alison gasped at the Bight of the rich blendlngs. "It it seems wicked even to think of cutting it up," she said. "But O! wouldn't it set off my black?" "It shall set It off," Rose said stoutly. stout-ly. "Aunt Anne would never agree her conscience wouldn't let her. But once the thing Is done she'll be glad. I found her crying yesterday, over our bank account she seems to feel It was her fault that things are as they are." "Why! I do believe there's enough tar a narrow panel besides revers end cuffs," Alison answered eagerl she had been measuring the waistcoat waist-coat while her sister spoke. It was very long, and had been built for a man over six feet. it was neither frayed nor spotted and 1 ad slill its full complement of carved rock-crystal buttons. No wonder Aunt Anne cherished it it was all that had come down to her, in the dlvis-im dlvis-im of ancestral treasures, from the most distinguished of her greatgrandfathers. great-grandfathers. Fate ordered it that she came through 1 the door from the living room just as Alison, scissors in hand, made to begin snipping the fine handset hand-set stitches. She had slipped a kimono ki-mono over the unfinished frock she had contrived the short coat, which would be new and jaunty by and by, hung raw and limp over the back of a chair at her aide. All about was the litter and disorder inevitable to close contriving. Rose stood gazing at her sister both were too intent to note the opening door. Suddenly Alison's Al-ison's hand fell she held the waistcoat waist-coat away from her, saying in a choked voice: "Rose take it back. I I somehow I can't spoil it it feels as though It would be spiritual murder." A hand fell upon Aunt Anne's shoulder a soft hand, heavy with rings and only faintly wrinkled. It drew her back, leaving the door a little ajar. Very shortly the owner of it was saying, hushing Aunt Anne'B sobs the while: "To think you wouldn't come to me, your oldest friend. Anne dear, I'm ashamed of you you know your girls feel almost as though they were mine. But your pride has had Its reward. Not many girls under the conditions would forego as nobly as our Alison. Don't tell her and Rose we overheard not yet, at least. It would hurt them to know we "knew. But you are going to be sensible, and let me advance ad-vance you those delayed dividends. Also, you are to remember, cabs are a wicked extravagance when one has friends with cars, and next to nobody to fill them." At that Aunt Anne cried harder than ever, but after a little agreed meekly to do as her friend bade. The friend, Mrs. Norrls Lane, a rich widow, childless, with two adored and adoring nephews, was unobtrusively the great lady of Charlotte town. Perhaps there was no direct se quence of events but people began to notice early in the season thai Lane Norrls and Howard Lane, the great lady's nephews, were mighty attentive to the Agnew girls. Rose and Alison felt as if they had found a fairy godmother all at once Aunt Anne had ceased worrying she had only smiled mysteriously, and told them things were not so bad as they had threatened to be. Then at Christmas she surprised each of them with a dainty new gown to which Mrs. Lane had added all the other things gloves, fan, slippers, silk stockings, and cobweb kerchief. Alison was not able to say thank you, for the lump in her throat. Even Rose had to turn away her eyes. And that night, hand In hand, they told Aunt Anne of their plotting and what had withheld them from carrying It out. She patted their bent beads, saying as tears dropped upon Alison's bright hair: "It would have been murder, dear children murder of something in yourselves reverence for family "tie? and traditions. I am glad Indeed yoi made the blank frock much better use the cloth than let let moths ruin II In the end. But the waistcoat means something it is a sort of patent oi nobility. Only fine gentlemen wore such garments " "I know!" .Rose broke in. "And we came near showing we didn't deserve de-serve to belong to him." Then the two ran away to make ready for a very late party. Aunt went, too. And as Bhe came away she had the happi-neBs happi-neBs of sealing with her approval a double betrothal. |