u can have 'em; I ain't got any use for 'em, and don't
s'pose I ever shall have. I'm too old to piece patchwork, myself--my
eyesight ain't what it used to be."
For a moment Linda was speechless with delight, but finally she found
her voice, and cried out:
"Oh, Mrs. Burbank! All those lovely crazy pieces! Do you really mean to
give them to me?"
"Of course I do, and I'm real glad to see ye so pleased, my dear. Them
silk pieces have laid in that chest years an' years, doin' nobody any
good; an' they shan't lay there no longer, if they can make a little
girl so happy."
And the good old lady looked happy herself as she opened another chest,
and, taking out an old pillow-case of home-spun linen, began to fill it
with the wondrous "crazy pieces."
When she had crowded them all in and tied the bag with a piece of twine,
she said:
"Now, you can take 'em right along with you, an' whenever your father
happens to come this way ag'in, he can bring me back the piller-case,
for it was one of Mother Burbank's, and I shouldn't want to lose it.
I declare for 't!" she added, "I forgot all about your father, child,
I got so took up with lookin' over them pieces. He's got the buggy
mended, an' he's come back after you, so you must come right down.
I want you an' he should have dinner 'fore you go; it's all ready."
And happy Linda went down to the kitchen, where she found her father and
Johnny, and Deacon Burbank, who had just come home to dinner.
Mr. Trafton was hungry, and quite willing to take dinner at the
deacon's, instead of waiting till they arrived at East Berlin.
They all became very well acquainted in the course of the meal, and Mr.
Trafton promised to bring Linda to see Mrs. Burbank, whenever he came
that way.
"And I will bring my crazy quilt and show it to you, when I get it done,
Mrs. Burbank," added Linda.
Whereupon Johnny spoke up, and said:
"If you don't get on with your crazy quilt any faster than my sister
does with hers, you won't ever get it done!"
And Linda told him that sounded just like Fred!
Johnny carried the pillow-case out to the buggy and tucked it under the
seat; and Linda could think of nothing but her crazy pieces all the way
to East Berlin.
When she got home and showed them to Fred, he declared they were the
jolliest, craziest lot of pieces he had seen yet!
And when Linda's quilt was commenced, all the girls went wild over it;
but she laughingly refused to tell them where he
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