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Show H T z I I THE MAGIC QUILT1 H A JUVENIUE STORY BY AARY CAROLINE MYDE In little home on the cdgo of a B wood there lived llosalle and her Iiaur 1 filler Hlile. The houio ie built of H Iom and had hut one itynn, one win- Hj dow, one door nun a lig chimney H pushing lt wny through a miserable Hj root at thatch Itoanlle ablvereil when. H ercr the little tiller awoke, for aha Hj knew that each meal brought them to H tnuch nearer the end of the food There HH o but two potatoea left and only a BH crutt of bread Wile awoke crying bard Hl for something to eat llosalle gave her 9 the cruet and set the potatoes to roost- B Inx In the ashes of the big fireplace H Against tho panea nf the one window 1 there had beeu a feeble drlxtle all the H morning and now It began to pour In B I or rent J. and Itoaalle and i:isle were H farced to the chimney place to keep B dry. Even hero the rnlndropa some- 1 timet managed tu find tho way and H pultereil and hissed aa they fell on H the Are Itoaalle went to a large wood- H hoi and flung handful after handful of H dry sticks on the flamci H There came a pound upon the door H aa If soireont were hitting It In n great H hurry to get In llosalle crept caullous- B ly lo the window and looked out All H that ahe could 10 at Ihe door waa an H ol I woman, In a high, peaked hat and H a patchaork quill pinned over her H ehouldera lo keep off the rain H "i'oor old creature," cried Itniatle to H lierie If, and (he flew to the door to let H her In. The old woman made a low H courteiy and entered hobbling Her H face waa wrinkled and very ugly and H 'her feet were quite baro flhe made H her way acroia the room to tho fire- H iPlar where ahe aank wearily upon a H "I am aorry for you," salil Itoaalle, H pityingly. "I ought lo have opened H Ihe iloor looner," and alio looked at the H water dripping from the quilt and j making little poola on the floor B "Ulna you, my child." responded the BSJ old woman. "I waa doubting It you H would let audi an ugly old woman H come In H "Indeed I would," said Itoaalle hon- H eslly. "I am very aorry for you Won't H you pleaan take off your thlngiT" and H ahe glanced from the dripping quilt to H the high, peaked hnt The old woman'a B eyca atmoat twinkled na iho unfair H tnrd the quilt and laid It on Iho floor, H but the did not take oft her hat H "She It hungry," thought Itoaalle), H swallowing her own hunger "Won't H you hare thli ronst potato?" the aild H aloud, and drawing It out of the hot H aahea, the broke It open, iprlnklltrg It H with tall and banded It to the old wo- H "My child, you are tery good," tald h- the old woman, telling the fmxl and H waling It o greedily that toon nothing H waa left but the crisped, brown thell H "I am very aorry for you," said flota- H He," "but We have no morn potatoes. H l'erlinpt when my father cornea home H from Ihe wnr wo thall hnve plenty, I H with he would ruin aouu, but he l far Aa Ilotallo tald Iho third time, "1 am H torry for you," the old woman'a face H grew actually lovely. B "My dear child," the aald, "I have H been clear round the world to And H somo one to tay to a poor, ugly, old H woman ' I am aorry for yuu ' At last H 1 hear It from a little girl, who gives H me thclter and her bit mouthful of H food Do you know that these wordt. three tlmea repeated by you, have H broken my wretched enchantment? t H am ouco more inyielt and yau thall he rewarded Thlt quilt I lend you It It H In lit block!, and each block will yield H you a with. Alter I leave touch cath H block with your hand, and all It at you gfgfgH command" H Speaking thut, a marrclout thinge I H wit taking place In the old woman I H Her bent and ibrlvclkd body wat be I turning upright and beautiful, her I B peaked hat had changed to n crown of I HHHH gold, and her coarte aud ragged gown I H to a dreta of filmy primrose gauie. I Hj Bhe wat now a luvely fairy. With her I H start trantfurmed to a fragile wand Hj atudded with Jewell the touched the H One, two H I bid thee 1 To H Aa the H Then with a ihlmmer and flaih that H lighted tho dull room like n bunt of B tunthlne, ihe Honied toward the Ore- H place and vanlthed up the chimney. At H thlt Inttant the rain ceated Ilotallo BHHH1 catned Vtlth attonlihinent at all time HHVH phenomena, while little Ultle clapped HLH her handi with glee nt the pretty SrMj transformation HH "Oh, Klllel lin't It wonderfult" cried jHQ nooalle nt laat. "And tho quilt, the fiftECH hat left It to lit Hon beautiful It Il InKSl II la made of elrct ami tllk and qullt- H rd with gold' What wat I to do with iBHH It, Hltle? To with? Ut me aee, I ByH will with right away What thall It be nBRS for?" and tbe laid her hand upon n red KXj&H tllk black covered with round lymboli KMHWfl of orange elvet that augetted gold to 9KhB her. ' I with, I with for money good. MHf to buy u each tome hearty food " nnH Aa her fingers preaaed thblock ahe .tTwB felt lying tnugly In tbe rotton wadding MiMnfll eereral eolnt. In n moment iha had JiyUUB aelietl the aelaaora to rip the block ?jflB!B open, when out there rolled from It n 'fljgmMi dozen gold plecea, while the block U Wggffi "'" became detached from tho real of yafffSSm tna I"1" nnJ "fw ,lp llll clllmne'r- )9JMQ Ultle laughed and clapped her hnnrta M9gg aaln nt tul i""1, ''Kllt nml I(0M"e- SKk her face fluthed with delight, Kthcrel BH up the coins and tried tn count their BH value. Thla wat Impossible, toy the v;i nr seen so much money before,, to the hid It, all but one coin folded the quilt most carefully nd put It Into the chest that had been her mother's most valued piece of furniture Then tying on Klsles bonnet, the ttarted with her to the village lo buy tome food "r guest maybe you've beard frum your father?" aald the baker, of whom they bought some bread and cakes "When li he coming home?" "I dun'l know," aald ItiiMlle, and the coin went Into hit till, without bli having any Idei of III origin The basket filled with food wat heavy, and little wnlked very slowly, tu that It wat nearly dark when they reached their lonely home Illtle wet heartily fed aud tucked Into her cradle with a plum-Jumble to munch upon while Itoealle put away her new tluek of eatables and tried to decide what nait tu wish for "I think I had belter wnlt till morn, log and lake all night to choose what It thall be," the laid to her titter, who wat already atleep "How nice It would be to wish tor a new home, made of ttone with a tight ihlngle roof and a vine growing over the front porch " rtotalle, by Ihe light of the still crackling fire, drew the quilt from the chest, pressed her flngera upon the lecond block nnd wished for n new homo supplied with every comfort Inside In-side and out, to say nothing of the vine over the front porch I.Ike the first, the second bluck ripped Itself free from Ihe rest of Ihe quilt and flew up Ihe chimney Kven aa Ilotallo refolded the quilt and put It In the cheat there ecmed something unusual going on about her, but she went tu bed without trying to sea what It wue, and atranRS lo nay was at once aileop. not to iinl.cn till the tun.au hour high, looked In through the wlmluwa of her pretty new home nnd aroused her Utile, too, was awakened by the bright sun, nnd, sitting up In her bed cradle, laughed to sea herself In n fine new room Her rradlo and tho cheat In which Ilotallo kept tbo quilt were the only things unchanged "Isn't It beautiful here, now?' exclaimed ex-claimed llosalle "1 wish father were here tu help us enjoy It. I am going tu atk the quilt to wrlto him a letter for me, because I don't know Just where he It, and tell him to come home thlt very day, It he can " She opened the chest, drew out the quilt and, laying her hand on tbe third bluck, said "Dear quilt, won't you please write father a letter, and tell him he'd better I come home and tee tho new house of I ttone yuu have built for us alone." I Immediately there shifted out from I tbe edges of the block a letter stamped I and addressed to llosalle't father.whlte the blotk fluttered loose from Ihe rett of the quilt and sailed acrott the room I to the new fireplace, up which It dlt- I appeared I "Deurl" ciclalmed Uosallo, picking I up the letter, "why didn't I with It i'nt I directly to father, he won't get It for ft I lung time It I tend It by the village pott," and touching the fourth block, the tald "IMcaic, quilt, speed today, father'i letter on Ita way, Ilrlng him ero night to his daughters, two, as you kuow so well how to do " Nn sooner had she said this poor little lit-tle rhyme than the letter vanished and the fuurth block followed the others up the chimney She put what was left ut the magic quilt again Into the chest nnd began at once to get everything ready for her father's return During tho day nn ano came, but toward to-ward nightfall thcro was a heavy atep upon the new front porch, llosalle watching knew It was her father and hurriedly opened tbe door to find him standing there, his hand covering his eyes ' Oh. fatherl " the cried, "I knew you would came, the quilt never falls Why do yon cover your eyes?" "I am Just oft the battlensld. Itoaalle," Itoaa-lle," he said, "where a shot destroyed my sight The rest I ennuot tell sou nbout, only that I am here If I could only see yau and Ulile, we would never complain " "You shall see us, father," said Itota. lie. taking hit hand and leading him across the roam tu tho chest. "Feel this, father, It Is all that li left of the quilt Now I shall with that you get back your sight," nnd the pressed be; hand upon tho fifth block In a twinkling It had separated from tho last block and whirled up the chimney, and Ilosalle'a father's light had been perfectly restored. "What magic Is this?" he cried. "I can sea as well as evert" "It Is the precious quIU, as I told you, father she answered putting tht last Slork Into his hsnd "Seeing Is believing, hetald, looking st the block curiously "Put It awsr. llosalle. to with by when you are msr-rltd msr-rltd " llosalle took It from him. "I wish for nothing more now thsl you are home but that we thall live long and bo happy ' Thlt wat enough' Tbe block flutter-ed flutter-ed from hit fingers, drifted scroti the room, up the chimney letvlng the gill of long life and hpplnes In the pretty home on the edge of the wood De-troll De-troll Pre I'reaa |