FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>  
e needle went in and out, and a buttonhole formed itself in the firm, narrow line that makes of a buttonhole a work of art. "I wish I could rhyme words as well as I can stitches," Polly thought to herself, as she held up a completed buttonhole, with the honest pride of a good workman. "Sixes,--Trixes! that heart were Trix's! That ought to be made to go. A double rhyme, too! I don't believe he expects a double rhyme." And in and out and in and out her thoughts plied themselves round and about the two words, and her cheeks got quite hot with the pleasurable excitement of this new mental exercise. At last she tossed down her work, and, fetching a piece of brown wrapping-paper, proceeded, with many erasures and tinkerings, to inscribe upon it the following verse: Were hearts the dice and love the game, Of no avail were double sixes; On every heart is but one name, We nought could throw but _double-Trixes!_ "Rather neat," said Polly to herself, "rather neat! Now if he were to send it with two bunches of roses of six each, I think it could not fail to make an impression. I should rather hate to pay another person to make love for me, though," she went on, with a little toss of the head; and then she picked up her work and began again to "rhyme buttonholes." When Dan came home to supper he had much to learn. He was lost in wonder over the rhyme which Polly repeated to him, but still more impressed by the four great silver dollars she had to show; for her impatient customer had already called for the verses. "Jiminy!" cried Dan; "that's most a week's earnings for some of us!" "Yes," Polly replied, demurely; "that's what Mrs. O'Toole would have paid me for sixteen baby-dresses. Things even themselves out in the long run, don't they, Dan?" As though Polly knew anything about the long run, by the way! Before Christmas Polly was driving a pretty trade, not only in ideas but in sewing. She had in all ten dozen pocket handkerchiefs to mark for Christmas customers, besides towels and table-linen, sheets and pillow-cases. People had found her out, and she had to refuse more than one good order for lack of time. But needlework alone, quick as she was in doing it, would have given her but a meagre income, had she not been able to furnish "also ideas." One lady, for instance, came to ask her for an "idea" for a Thanksgiving dinner, and Polly not only suggested the idea, but
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>  



Top keywords:

double

 

buttonhole

 

Christmas

 
Trixes
 
earnings
 

demurely

 
replied
 

impressed

 

repeated

 

sixteen


called
 

verses

 

Jiminy

 

customer

 

impatient

 
silver
 

dollars

 

needlework

 

People

 
refuse

meagre

 
instance
 

Thanksgiving

 

dinner

 

suggested

 

income

 

furnish

 
pillow
 

Before

 

driving


pretty

 

Things

 

dresses

 

sewing

 

towels

 

sheets

 

customers

 

supper

 

pocket

 

handkerchiefs


cheeks

 

thoughts

 

expects

 

pleasurable

 

excitement

 

tossed

 
fetching
 

mental

 

exercise

 

narrow