e gauze neck-kercher and a piece of
red satin ribbin for ye, for I'm set on that chintz. Now hurry up 'nd
fix the loom right off. The web's ready, then we'll card the wool.
I'll lay ye a penny we'll have them 'leven yards wove by Friday.
To-day's Tuesday, Thanksgiving comes a Thursday week, an' ef we have
the chintz by sundown a Saturday there'll be good store of time for
Mahaly Green and you to make it afore Wednesday night. We'll hev a
kind of a Thanksgiving, after all. But I wisht your pa----" The
sentence ended in Hannah's apron at her eyes, and Dolly looked sober;
but in a minute she dimpled and brightened, for the pretty chintz gown
was more to her than half a dozen costly French dresses to a girl of
to-day. But a little cloud suddenly put out the dimples.

"But, Mother, if somebody else should buy it?"

"Oh, they won't. I've fixed that. I promised to fetch the cloth inside
of a week, and Squire Dart laid away the chintz for me till that time.
Fetch the wool, Dolly, before you set up the web, so's I can start."

The wool was carded, spun, washed, and put into the dye tub, one "run"
of yarn that night; and another spun and washed by next day's
noon--for the stuff was to be checked, and black wool needed no
dyeing. Swiftly hummed the wheel, merrily flew the shuttle, and the
house steamed with inodorous dye; but nobody cared for that, if the
cloth could only be finished. And finished it was--the full measure
and a yard over; and on Saturday morning Sylvester's horse was
borrowed again, and Hannah came back from the village beaming with
pleasure, and bringing besides the chintz a yard of real cushion lace,
to trim the ruffles for Dolly's sleeves, for which she had bartered
the over yard of cloth and two dozen fresh eggs. Then even busier
times set in. Mahala Green had already arrived, for she was dressmaker
as well as tailoress, and was sponging and pressing over the black
paduasoy that had once been dove-coloured and was Hannah's sole piece
of wedding finery, handed down from her grandmother's wardrobe at
that. A dark green grosgrain petticoat and white lawn ruffles made a
sufficiently picturesque attire for Hannah, whose well-silvered hair
set off her still sparkling eyes and clear healthy skin. She appeared
in this unwonted finery on Thanksgiving morning to her admiring
family, having added a last touch of adornment by a quaint old jet
necklace, that glittered on the pure lawn neckkerchief with as good
effect as