Show A A SCRAP OF CLOTH It was one ne day early in March and the weather was as fearful cold and dreary Winter seemed to have grown angry that its its' time was so short and was showing all its te temper per that one day The snow and sleet fell felland felland felland and the wind whirled it angrily about piling it up in little hard heaps by bythe bythe bythe the fences Our hou house hom e seemed as S dark and gloomy as a prison all except except except ex ex- Grandmas Grandma's room and that was lighted up by a cheerful fireplace Then her room was always pleasant no matter how dreary the weather Maybe that was what fathers father's sister Aunt Ann thought of for when I looked out the window there she came running from her own home across the street all bundled up in a shawl She shook the snow from her clothing clothing clothing cloth cloth- ing and we all went up to Grandmas Grandma's room and settled down before the fireplace roaring w k Father nodded sleepily in the chimney corner and little John sitting t on the floor shot marbles against the toe of his boots Grandma sat stirring the hot coals with a poker while Aunt Ann pretended to be knitting knitting knitting knit knit- ting but I know she nodded twice to each stitch and then opened her eyes and stared straight straight- ahead for five minutes Presently she stretched out her arms straightened herself up up and began I forgot to tell you about that Omer Orner boy wat fell off a chair and urt is harm Grandma grunted Huh then he harmed his arm arm by f fallin llin off a cheer did he I 1 d didn't say cheer I 1 said chair Aunt Ann answered hurriedly hurried- hurried ly ly- I was afraid there was going to t-o be an unpleasant discussion so sor r while Grandma was thinking of something to say I picked up a scrap of cloth from my waste basket and called out so loudly that papa woke up with a start and John shot a marble into the fireplace See Grandma r what whai funny cloth Grandma took the piece in her hand Well ell well well Heres Here's a aL L piece of that old brown and red check with the black bars You remember remember remember ber it dont don't you Ann she said holding up the scrap of cloth and looking looking looking look look- ing at it tenderly That must be nigh onto forty years old She straightened herself in her chair chair and rocked gen gently ly back and ann forth Grandma was going goin to tell ell a s story ory and ld we got ready for it Aunt Ann untangled her yarn her y yarn rn and ne tuck tucked d the ball under under her arm papa settled comfortably in his chair and Johnny put his marbles in his pocket and sat d down flat f on on the floor with his head leaning against fathers father's knee Yes Grandma began I I 1 made mad that cloth cloth- th the summer the army came out l h here hereto r to o U Utah h and we thought t t they e might j l 11 us or q drive iy us away away You had to be mighty to take J eer of everything you had else you'd soon he without anything an for you couldn't buy a thing id i'd d just ius got one dress for my Jane and I thought s she e was fixed out l. l B But t one day I washed v s jt it it Jane e had on ort an anol old rag of a th thing ng and hung it out to dry dy T The eJ boys oy were ere mighty and set fire to a ar a. a r r bunch of f Y weeds ed close l se by and and the theA dress p caught fire Jire and nearly y all bl burned up alp l p 9 f X r ny e noticed d it it J took th the few fete scraps left and patched up th g girl FI a waist from it t but h she didn't have a d decent cen dress to hern her tier n name J Jane ne cried crie and n crie J. J an and 1 1 felt real sorry real sorry y for or her per l but ut I couldn't help it I told J Jane re I rec reckoned ned we co could get some som more H wool p r t pon and th then n Id I'd make Inake some cloth loth for for h her F new Clew dress dres Grandma sa sat stirring the fi fire with a far away look in in h her eyes yes Aunt Ann Ann r rattled her her- needles briskly r and J John 0 11 made papa jl jump by putting a apin apin apin pin through the leg of his trousers i How long tong was a it it before you got the he wool Grandma I as asked ed A Well just then theil she he went on without looking up we we got word t that t all th the pe people north th of a cert certain in place were were to go south so o wed we'd all allbe 1 be together if the army should try to toh hurt rt us We Ve w were re on th the north northside northside side and we bundled d our t things ings into a wagon and nd started south so th and Jane all ragged We lived in a tent that summer and there wasn't a bit of wool to be had harl She used to feel fee y bad lad especially when any one Ole c came rne to tu our ur place and nd her dress did look a fright One morning we were busy husy taking taking- care of some berries that the boys had haq brought down from the mountains when some travelers drove up and asked if they could stay tay there that day Jane looked at her dress and then and then at me me so pitiful that tha I I. I didn't Ow what to do But I 1 told tolg them to st stay y anyway and while they we were e putting up their team Jane got ou out some li little tle scraps craps of cloth we were sewing together for a piece of c carpet and wrapping a piece of quilt around her sat down own in in a low chair and began to sew She She- sat here all day sewing sewing- and sewing and wouldn't even ven get up to have her di dimer iner There was wa a young man there ther a little older than Jane and he sat and sat and talked to to her nearly all afternoon He Het t wanted her to take a little walk in inthe the evening but she she- wouldn't and he felt a little hurt and went away from her Ii H Here re Grandma stopped and l looked at my father He was sitting erect and his eyes shone with interest Oh he said I remember it I remember it Jane did look so and shy lovely sitting there wadded wadded wadded-up up in a quilt You remind me of her now Annie he said looking at me with your scraps all around you and your feet drawn up in the chair If she were here he sighed and sat quietly looking into the fireplace Aunt Ann rattled her needles as Grandma continued After they they'd d dall all gone to bed Jane jumped from her chair and running to me put put- her head on my shoulder and cried crier until she fell asleep I pulled her into bed bed and and lay down by her Next morning she told me to tell the folks that she she- w was s sick and she stayed stayed stayed-in in bed until until- they drove off Then she came came to me and said Mother I thought of how to get me a dress yesterday yes yes- We can just make the carpet out of the rags I sewed and I can make me a skirt of ot that that I hadn't thought of that but just as soon as she mentioned it 1 went to work and we soon had her tier a skirt that looked something like this carpet p. p Grandma added pointing to the floor Y Aunt Ann was vas bent on her work intently picking up a stitch Well Vell f that was a deal better than better than some of em ad in them times It I t wasn't so had said father I didn't have any coat and had to herd sheep barefoot 1 should like to have seen her I wish we hadn't gone away that next morning Well Jane was pleased I can tell you you Grandma began again She didn't run and hide any more but really wanted to togo go around with other people One Saturday afternoon she went to to- the square where they was races and gettin a bucket of service berries for th the prize and all the boys went there too x j While they was gone I stepped into a neighbors I stayed quite awhile and when I came back there sat Jane in the corner of the tent with herold herold her ner old ra ragged ged skirt on tenderly patting th the dog She looked up at me without saying a word but her lip was was was-a a a. a quivering Then she got up and went out doors I found her carpet skirt hanging on ona a a aline line all covered with dust and mud The boys told me when they come r home rhome that some little girl had called out O 0 look What a funny dress dress and and Janes Jane's face had turned as red and th then n she started to to-ru to to runt home gom but the and she she fell fell downin down down- skirt kin was so o narrow around the bottom it tripped her in the dirt din After Alter that Jane wouldn't go anywhere for a long time dime But one i 5 l. l day a crowd came for tier her to to- togo go up the canyon choke cherries They had on good dresses and Jane come out to me where I was makin soap She said Mother and then she just broke out I looked down at the soap for a little while and pretended that the steam hurt my eyes Never mind Jane I said Ill fix you some lunch and andy y you you you-go ugo go and arid have a good time lime All the rest of em have got nicer things she said I told her never to mind that and hurried and put her some lunch in in a pretty little basket Id I'd hauled all the way across the plains She went off with the crowd They was all and laugh laughin in but she kept lookin back at me and Id I'd wave my hand and nd then shed she'd go on I allowed allowed allowed al al- lowed shed she'd forgit it about it when she got to I went back to tend my soap and was and how I could get Jane a new dress I happened to look out across the street and there come Jane herself a as fast as she could She put her arms around my my- neck and cried and said one of the boys wa was makin fun of her dress Then she sat down on a rock and looked so sad that I determined she should have a new dress right away When the soap got pretty near done I left Jane to watch it and went to every house in the neighborhood I was a good and I told em to let me take some wool and Id I'd spin it and color it and weave it if they would let me have part of the cloth I I- I got a party big bundle and started to work on it the next day Jane helped me nie and when 1 I got the wool done I found there was enough cloth for Janes Jane's dress and one of the boys a coat We got word then that there wasn't going to be any more trouble and we could go back home again That was when you folks moved here it Bub Grandma asked lovingly at my father I 1 remember ber you passing us on the road and knew you yon because you had stayed with us its that one night Yes answered papa we came here then and settled on the lower farm We Ve lived in a wagon box for a month or so Oh but tut Grandma when did you yon get the dress done clone 1 I asked Well Vell just as soon as we got settled I pitched into th the Hie dress cause canse causer r I wanted Jane to have it for a dance they was goin gom to have in the school school house The night before the dance I set up all night and Jane did too almost We got the dress done Jane had such black hair and I done doneit it up in curls When she got her new dress on she looked good enough for anybody She danced around the house as h as could be he and was so o glad d she even cried She soon felt better end nd went off to the dance laughing After shed she'd go gone e I set down in fr front nt of oj the fireplace and nd cried like a little baby When I got rested up up I I went went to the dance I just to see how Jane looked Just as I got there they was was- dancin the Pany Express and Jane a right among em They was play- play in that old tune they used to play so much on the fiddle You know Grandma began humming the tune and rapping with the poker on f 4 t 1 the e grate John opened one eye rath rather r lazily and then then dropped to sleep again ain O 0 yes Aunt Ann cried out Ive danced with that thata a good many times Father was looking intently at the scrap of f cl cloth th I t. t Jane wasn't alone much that night Grandma resumed She danced ev every ry time She didn't come n Home alone neither Did Did she B Bub b. b with a sly glance at my my lath lather father N No 0 assented my fath father r that was was t the e first night I ever took her herbut herbut hut but it wasn't the first time l I ever wanted to I paid two bushels of wheat for that dance but it was worth it Youre You're so much like your mother he continued turning to me and I felt his hand tremble as he aid on my 11 head ad He smoothed the scrap of cloth tenderly laid it in his coat pocket and then took it and handed it to Grandmother Here FN you keep it he said I might lose it F. F May I have it Grandma inquired looking at me I nodded my head I r. Im glad we dont don't have such times any more began Aunt U t I. I rolling up her knitting I guess Ill I'll have to go OJ its it's quite storming f. f White clouds were chasing over the sky and the sun was shining from between them I helped Aunt Ann get wrapped up and then came back to Grandm Grandma Father had gone out and little John lay fast as asleep j 11 on floor cloth her knee kne e. e 4 on the Grandma was smoothing the piece of on J L W I put my arms around her neck Grandma I said you keep keepit it it now but hut someday when when when-w when when-when when t J Y Yes s yes I know child child she he answered when 11 Im I'm dead you'll find 1 t it d room m it itin in little br broken ken hefe here p. p and crossing the ro room she carefully laid the I basket she had brought from her southern home i Jin D. D C. C t t f r. r 1 i t i. i jr |