anything for a good
specimen."

"I've one that my grandmother made,--at least, I can get it. Would you
like it?"

"Would I? Indeed I would! But you ought to keep that, Azalea. My, what a
generous girl you are! You'd give away your head, if it weren't fastened
on! No, dear child, keep your grandmother's sampler yourself. Is it a
good one?"

"I don't know what a 'good' one is. It has flowers on it, and little
people,--queer ones,--and a long verse of poetry and an alphabet of
letters."

"And the date?"

"Yes; 1836, I think it is."

"That's fairly old. Not a collection piece,--but a good date. Is it in
good condition,--or worn?"

"Good as new. I don't want it, Elise,--that is, I'd like to give it to
you. You've been awful good to me."

"All right, Zaly, send for it, and we'll take a look at it, anyway."

CHAPTER XI

THE SAMPLER

Vanity Fair was all that its name implied. By good fortune, the weather
was perfect,--ideally pleasant and sunshiny, yet not too warm. Wistaria
Porch was transformed into a veritable Fairyland, and it was a
bewildering vision of flowers, flags and frivolity by day, and a blaze
of illuminated gaiety by night.

It was to last but two days, for, Patty said, they might hope for fair
weather for that long but hardly for three days.

It was to open at noon, and all the morning everybody was running about,
doing last minute errands or attending to belated decorations.

Azalea had the Indian booth. It was a wigwam, in effect, but it was so
bedecked and ornamented that it is doubtful if a real Indian would have
recognised it as one. However, it was filled with real Indian wares, and
the beautiful baskets and pottery were sure to prove best sellers.
Azalea received a large consignment from some place she had sent to in
Arizona, and other people had donated appropriate gifts, until the
little tent was overflowing.

Azalea herself, the attendant on the booth, was in the garb of an Indian
princess, a friend of Patty's having lent the costume for the occasion.
It was becoming to the girl, and she looked really handsome in the
picturesque trappings, and elaborate head-dress.

Just before time for the Fair to be opened, Azalea went over to Elise's
booth. As she had planned, Elise had a log cabin, and in it she had
arranged a motley collection of antiques and heirlooms that were quaint
and valuable. It was the design of the Fair to sell really worthwhile
things at their full value; an