ey were pieced and quilted, the Rising Sun, the Lion's Paw, and
the Star of Bethlehem being Mrs. Sapp's favorites. From the pile resting
on a chair between the two beds at the back of the cabin, quilts
representing these patterns were brought and unfolded for Elvira to
admire; and each one had reminiscences connected with it which she must
hear. One was pieced when Jack was a baby, one was Mary's work and
property, and another was quilted in one day by the neighbor women on
the occasion of a quilting-bee, which Mrs. Sapp proceeded to describe in
all its particulars.

As darkness settled down, the other members of the family came in from
their various chores, and, as the evenings were yet cool, a fire was
made in the fireplace. Then, seating himself by one of the jambs, Mr.
Sapp opened the spelling-book, and, calling Charley into the middle of
the floor, pronounced one row of words after another for him to spell,
until several pages had been gone over and not a single word missed,
greatly to the pride and admiration of the father. But by nine o'clock
the fire got low, and the family began to yawn. It was time to go to
bed, and, without saying good-night, the different members retired to
their allotted quarters,--Mr. and Mrs. Sapp to the bed by the fireplace,
Jack and Charley to one bed in the back part of the room, and Mary and
the school-ma'am to the other.

Thus, with few variations, the days passed until the first week of
school had gone. Elvira became better acquainted with her pupils, with
the Sapp family, and, through them, with the news and gossip of the
neighborhood. One evening she found Mary, who was a young woman grown
and older than herself, standing outside the back door, crying bitterly,
while her mother stood by, talking to her with the air of one who could
be liberal in some views and yield many points, but who felt that a firm
stand must be made somewhere. On explanation, it appeared that Mary
wanted to go to the nearest station on the railroad and ride to the next
station east, a distance of thirteen miles, for the purpose of making a
visit; but Mrs. Sapp was not willing that she should do so, giving as
her objection that there was so much danger in riding on the cars,
adding that if Mary would wait till corn-planting was over, her father
would take her through in a wagon. She had never been on the cars
herself, and could not give her consent for one of her family to enter
upon such risks. So Mary, wit