Behold! I show you a mystery the mystery of mortality. And an eery feeling came over me as I entered into the old womans mood and thought of the strong, vital bodies that had clothed themselves in those fabrics of purple and pink and white, and that now were dust and ashes lying in sad, neglected graves on farm and lonely roadside. There lay the quilt on our knees, and the gay scraps of calico seemed to mock us with their vivid colors. Aunt Janes cheerful voice called me back from the tombs.
Heres a piece o one o my dresses, she said; brown ground with a red ring in it. Abram picked it out. And heres another one, that light yeller ground with the vine runnin through it. I never had so many caliker dresses that I didnt want one more, for in my day folks used to think a caliker dress was good enough to wear anywhere. Abram knew my failin, and two or three times a year hed bring me a dress when he come from town. And the dresses hed pick out always suited me bettern the ones I picked.
I ricollect I finished this quilt the summer before Mary Frances was born, and Sally Ann and Milly Amos and Maria Petty come over and give me a lift on the quiltin. Heres Millys work, heres Sally Anns, and heres Marias.
I looked, but my inexperienced eye could see no difference in the handiwork of the three women. Aunt Jane saw my look of incredulity.
Now, child, she said, earnestly, you think Im foolin you, but, la! theres jest as much difference in folks sewin as there is in their handwritin. Milly made a fine stitch, but she couldnt keep on the line to save her life; Maria never could make a reglar stitch, somed be long and some short, and Sally Anns was reglar, but all of em coarse. I can see em now stoopin over the quiltin frames Milly talkin as hard as she sewed, Sally Ann throwin in a word now and then, and Maria never openin her mouth except to ask for the thread or the chalk. I ricollect they come over after dinner, and we got the quilt out o the frames long before sundown, and the next day I begun bindin it, and I got the premium on it that year at the Fair.
I hardly ever showed a quilt at the Fair that I didnt take the premium, but heres one quilt that Sarah Jane Mitchell beat me on.
And Aunt Jane dragged out a ponderous, red-lined affair, the very antithesis of the silken, down-filled comfortable that rests so lightly on the couch of the modern dame.
It makes me laugh jest to think o that time, and how happy Sarah Jane was. It was way back yonder in the fifties. I ricollect we had a mighty fine Fair that year. The crops was all fine that season, and such apples and pears and grapes you never did see. The Floral Hall was full o things, and the whole county turned out to go to the Fair. Abram and me got there the first day bright and early, and we was walkin around the ampitheater and lookin at the townfolks and the sights, and we met Sally Ann. She stopped us, and says she, Sarah Jane Mitchells got a quilt in the Floral Hall in competition with yours and Milly Amos. Says I, Is that all the competition there is? And Sally Ann says, All that amounts to anything. Theres one more, but its about as bad a piece o sewin as Sarah Janes, and that looks like itd hardly hold together till the Fairs over. And, says she, I dont believe therell be any more. It looks like this was an off year on that particular kind o quilt. I didnt get mine done, says she, and neither did Maria Petty, and maybe its a good thing after all.
Well, I saw in a minute what Sally Ann was aimin at. And I says to Abram, Abram, havent you got somethin to do with appintin the judges for the womens things? And he says, Yes. And I says, Well, you see to it that Sally Ann gits appinted to help judge the caliker quilts. And bless your soul, Abram got me and Sally Ann both appinted. The other judge was Mis Doctor Brigham, one o the town ladies. We told her all about what we wanted to do, and she jest laughed and says, Well, if that aint the kindest, nicest thing! Of course well do it.
Seein that I had a quilt there, I hadnt a bit o business bein a judge; but the first thing I did was to fold my quilt up and hide it under Maria Pettys big worsted quilt, and then we pinned the blue ribbon on Sarah Janes and the red on Millys. Id fixed it all up with Milly, and she was jest as willin as I was for Sarah Jane to have the premium. There was jest one thing I was afraid of: Milly was a good-hearted woman, but she never had much control over her tongue. And I says to her, says I: Milly, its mighty good of you to give up your chance for the premium, but if Sarah Jane ever finds it out, thatll spoil everything. For, says I, there aint any kindness in doin a person a favor and then tellin everybody about it. And Milly laughed, and says she: I know what you mean, Aunt Jane. Its mighty hard for me to keep from tellin everything I know and some things I dont know, but, says she, Im never goin to tell this, even to Sam. And she kept her word, too. Every once in a while shed come up to me and whisper, I aint told it yet, Aunt Jane, jest to see me laugh.