Show an ein 1 heirloom ar air I 1 0 om by martha mcculloch jV illiams Copy copyright richt 1912 by associated literary press blessed be hobble skirts ahson alison ejaculated surveying her slim litheness in the long mirror rose her sister laughed softly as ehe she returned better say blessed be flesh it if grandal hadrit weighed near three hundred oud neer never get a skirt out of hie his sunday best black broadcloth trousers don dont t you dare I 1 IE if one breathes feal real loud in this village folk are sure to hear allson alison adjured turning to look at herself over her awn about der and the gossips would say sacrilege rather than thrift I 1 m sure grandal himself would approve dead this ten years what harm can it do to have his left leftover over clothes help us round a hard cornera 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 m we e hai haen en t got and other people doing all sorts of things this tills town Is going to be real giddy allson alison answered sighing at the end of a giggle three wed dings already announced that means bt at least a dozen parties of sorts luncheons not counted and tableaux tor for the missionary and ana two germans it if no more hose rose chanted allson alison took up the tha chant with 0 and three strange very strange young men a coming to the weddings and likely to stay on awhile with their kin rosy nosy posy I 1 tell you its it s distinctly hard lines A new party frock apiece Is the most we dare hope for and even they spell a month mouth without buttel praise be you didn dian t make snake that new melton last fall you would hardly have put it on with aunt anne so III but whatever we would mould do if you ou thought of grandal I 1 surely dont know really I 1 believe though it sounds like magic III get a swagger outfit from his suit he wore more it only once poor dear rose sighed and he was always particular as to his clothing I 1 wish we dared spend a little for touches of color though you can stand all 4 blessed be hobble skirts sk it black with your yellow hair and blue eyes I 1 hate to see you nun like 01 it if I 1 only drel d rel re alison ex clamed dare what rose asked A alison answered with a breathless 1 I giggle sacrifice our best heir A loom but aunt anna anne will never agree 1 you mean the waistcoat rose died cited catching her breath alison nodded rose darted away ay up the stairs to the garret where 0 the waistcoat which had come down from a beau 0 of colonial times lay linen wrapped in lavender in a wink she was back with it unwrapping the they fell apart re vesting a fabric of degree brocade whose satin ground once a royal toyal scarlet powdered with rosebuds yel yet low white and pink bad faded to a soft delicate indian red time had likewise improved the rose hues they seemed to melt one into another ahson alison gasped at the sight of the rich bl blendl endings it it seems wicked even to think ot of cutting it up she said but of 01 t it set off my black it shall set it off rose said stout ly kunt anne would never agree her conscience wouldn t let her but once the thing la Is done shell she 11 be ble glad I 1 found her crying yesterday over our bank account she seems to feel t w m aa as her fault that things are as they are j 1 why I 1 do believe there theres s enough ifor or a narrow panel besides revers and cuffs cuff s alison answered eagerly she had been measuring the waist coat white while her sister spoke j it was very long and had been built tor for a man over six feet it was as neither frayed nor spotted and aad bad still its full complement ot of carved lanne rock crystal buttons no bonderaunt wonder aunt anne cherished it it was all that I 1 tad ad come down to her in the divis 1 in of ancestral treasures from the most distinguished ot of her great grandfathers i fate ordered it that she came through the door froia from the living room just as alison scissors in hand made to begin snipping tte tle fine hand set stitches she had slipped a kl ki mono over the unfinished frock she elie bad 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 side all about wag 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 AI 41 hand fell she held the waist coat away amay from her saying in a choked vo ce rose take it back I 1 I 1 somehow I 1 cant spoil it it feels as though it would be spiritual murder A hand tell 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 s sobs the while to think 5 ou t come to me your oldest friend anne dear I 1 in m ashamed of y ou 0 o I 1 11 I 1 now your girls feel almost as though they were more mine but your bilde has had its reward not many girls under the conditions m would ouid forego as nobly as our alison don t tell her and rose we me overheard not yet at least it would hurt them to know we knew but you ou are going to be sensible and let me ad tance valice 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 barder I 1 than ever but after a little agreed meekly to do as her friend bade the friend mrs norris lane a rich widow childless with two adored and adoring nephews was unobtrusive unobtrusively the great lady of barlotte charlotte town perhaps there was no direct se quence of events but people began to notice early in the season that lane narris and howard lane the great lady ladys s nephew s were mighty attentive to the agnew girls rose and allson alison felt as it they bad had found a fairy godmother all at once aunt anne had ceased morr worrying ying she had only smiled mysteriously and told them things were not so bad as they had threatened to be then at christinas christmas she surprised each of them with a dainty new gown tu ta which mrs lane had added all the other things gloves fan slippers silk stockings and cobweb kerchief alison was not able to thank you for the lump jump la in her throat even rose had to turn away her eyes and that night band hand in hand they tod told aunt anne of their plotting and what had withheld t them em from carrying it out she patted their bent heads saying as tears dropped upon allyons bright hair it would have been murder dear children murder of something in hes relie reverence rence tor fox family ties and traditions I 1 am glad indeed you made the blank frock much better use the cloth than let let moths ruin it in the end but the waistcoat means something it is a sort of patent of nobility only fine gentlemen wore such garments I 1 know knowl pose broke in and we came near showing we didn dian t de serve to belong to him then the two ran away to make ready tor for a very ery i late part party aunt went ment too and as she came away she bad had the happi ness of sealing with ber her approval a double betrothal |