It was indeed a far cry from the Florentine artisan of centuries ago to this humble worker in calico and worsted, but between the two stretched a cord of sympathy that made them one the eternal aspiration after beauty.
Honey, said Aunt Jane, suddenly, did I ever show you my premiums?
And then, with pleasant excitement in her manner, she arose, fumbled in her deep pocket for an ancient bunch of keys, and unlocked a cupboard on one side of the fireplace. One by one she drew them out, unrolled the soft yellow tissue-paper that enfolded them, and ranged them in a stately line on the old cherry center-table nineteen sterling silver cups and goblets. Abram took some of em on his fine stock, and I took some of em on my quilts and salt-risin bread and cakes, she said, impressively.
To the artist his medals, to the soldier his cross of the Legion of Honor[23], and to Aunt Jane her silver cups. All the triumph of a humble life was symbolized in these shining things. They were simple and genuine as the days in which they were made. A few of them boasted a beaded edge or a golden lining, but no engraving or embossing marred their silver purity. On the bottom of each was the stamp: John B. Akin, Danville, Ky. There they stood,
Filled to the brim with precious memories, memories of the time when she and Abram had worked together in field or garden or home, and the County Fair brought to all a yearly opportunity to stand on the height of achievement and know somewhat the taste of Fames enchanted cup.
Theres one for every child and every grandchild, she said, quietly, as she began wrapping them in the silky paper, and storing them carefully away in the cupboard, there to rest until the day when children and grandchildren would claim their own, and the treasures of the dead would come forth from the darkness to stand as heirlooms on fashionable sideboards and damask[24]-covered tables.
Did you ever think, child, she said, presently, how much piecin a quilts like livin a life? And as for sermons, why, they aint no better sermon to me than a patchwork quilt, and the doctrines is right there a heap plainern they are in the catechism[25]. Many a time Ive set and listened to Parson Page preachin about predestination and free-will, and Ive said to myself, Well, I aint never been through Centre College up at Danville, but if I could jest git up in the pulpit with one of my quilts, I could make it a heap plainer to folks than parsons makin it with all his big words. You see, you start out with jest so much caliker; you dont go to the store and pick it out and buy it, but the neighbors will give you a piece here and a piece there, and youll have a piece left every time you cut out a dress, and you take jest what happens to come. And thats like predestination. But when it comes to the cuttin out, why, youre free to choose your own pattern. You can give the same kind o pieces to two persons, and onell make a nine-patch and onell make a wild-goose chase, and therell be two quilts made out o the same kind o pieces, and jest as different as they can be. And that is jest the way with livin. The Lord sends us the pieces, but we can cut em out and put em together pretty much to suit ourselves, and theres a heap more in the cuttin out and the sewin than there is in the caliker. The same sort o things comes into all lives, jest as the Apostle says, There hath no trouble taken you but is common to all men.
The same troublell come into two peoples lives, and onell take it and make one thing out of it, and the otherll make somethin entirely different. There was Mary Harris and Mandy Crawford. They both lost their husbands the same year; and Mandy set down and cried and worried and wondered what on earth she was goin to do, and the farm went to wrack and the children turned out bad, and she had to live with her son-in-law in her old age. But Mary, she got up and went to work, and made everybody about her work, too; and she managed the farm bettern it ever had been managed before, and the boys all come up steady, hard-workin men, and there wasnt a woman in the county better fixed up than Mary Harris. Things is predestined to come to us, honey, but were jest as free as air to make what we please out of em. And when it comes to puttin the pieces together, theres another time when were free. You dont trust to luck for the caliker to put your quilt together with; you go to the store and pick it out yourself, any color you like. Theres folks that always looks on the bright side and makes the best of everything, and thats like puttin your quilt together with blue or pink or white or some other pretty color; and theres folks that never see anything but the dark side, and always lookin for trouble, and treasurin it up after they git it, and theyre puttin their lives together with black, jest like you would put a quilt together with some dark, ugly color. You can spoil the prettiest quilt pieces that ever was made jest by puttin em together with the wrong color, and the best sort o life is miserable if you dont look at things right and think about em right.