ge, also, that the young Lieutenant,
William Tecumseh Sherman, who when visiting in Sonoma, came with his
fellow-officers to the Brunner farm, should have attained that dignity.
Equally impossible would it have been then to conceive that in so short
a time, I, a happy mother and the wife of a Congressional
Representative, should be a guest at the brilliant receptions of the
foreign diplomats and at the Executive Mansion in the city of
Washington. Is it any wonder that in later years when my mind reverted
to those days, I almost questioned my identity?

Georgia's return from Mrs. Bergwald's before Christmas gave me a chance
to talk matters over with her, and we decided that we must leave our
present surroundings. Yet, how to get away, and when, puzzled us. Our
only hope of escape seemed to be to slip off together some moonlight
night.

"But," my sister remarked gravely, "we can't do it before Christmas!
You forget the white flannel skirt that I am embroidering for grandma,
the pillow-slips that you are hemstitching and trimming with lace for
her; and the beautiful white shirt that you have for grandpa."

She was sure that not to stay and give them as we had planned, would be
as bad as breaking a promise. So, we took out our work and hid
ourselves to sew a while.

My undertaking was not so large or elaborate as hers, and when I
finished, she still had quite a piece to do, and was out of floss. She
had pin-pricked from an embroidered silk shawl on to strips of white
paper, the outline of a vine representing foliage, buds, and blossoms;
then basted the paper in place around the skirt. The colors were shaded
green and pink. Unable to get the floss for the blossoms, she had
bought narrow pink silk braid and outlined each rose and bud, then
embroidered the foliage in green. Some might have thought it a trifle
gaudy, but to me it seemed beautiful, and I was proud of her
handiwork.

I washed, starched, and ironed the pillow-slips while grandma was from
home, and they did look well, for I had taken great pains in doing my
work. Several days before the appointed time, grandma, in great good
humor, showed us the dresses she had been hiding from us; and then and
there, like three children unable to keep their secrets longer, we
exchanged gifts, and were as pleased as if we had waited until
Christmas morning.

CHAPTER XXXI

THE WIDOW STEIN AND LITTLE JOHNNIE--"DAUGHTERS OF A SAINTED
MOTHER"--ESTRANGEMENT AND DESOLATIO