New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1775-1865 -- Fiction
She had more lessons to learn now. And grammar was curiously associated
with Mrs. Murray being so sweet and attentive to the British officers
while the Federal soldiers stole along--she could fairly see them with
her vivid imagination. History began to unfold the great world before
her. Another thing interested her, and this was that every pleasant day
Daisy Jasper came to school for the morning session. She was very
backward, of course, for she had never been to school at all. She could
walk now without her crutch, but Sam was always very careful of her. The
Jasper house became the rendezvous for the girls, as the Deans' had
been. Even bonnie Prince Charlie was allowed to go there. Daisy loved so
to see them dance to the music of her wonderful box. But Charles had not
been able to buy his accordeon. He needed a new suit of clothes if he
had any money to throw away, and Mrs. Reed insisted this should be put
in the bank when his father said he could buy him all the clothes he
needed.
Some of the girls at school were making pretty things for a fair to be
held in the basement of the Church of the Epiphany in Stanton Street,
and they begged Hanny to help. They were to have a fair at Martha's
church also, and the little fingers flew merrily. Hanny had found a new
accomplishment, and she was very proud to bring it into the school. This
was crocheting. Next door to the stable in Houston Street lived a very
tidy German family with a host of little children. The man did cobbling,
mending boots and shoes. His wife did shoe binding and stitching leather
"foxings" on cloth tops for gaiters. Button shoes had not come in. They
either laced in front or at the side. And very few ladies wore anything
higher than the spring heel, as it was called. To be sure, some of them
did wear foolishly thin shoes, but there were rubbers unless you
disdained them; and they were real India-rubber, and no mistake, rather
clumsy oftentimes, but they lasted two or three years.
The little German girls, Lena and Gretchen, took care of the babies and
did the work. It seemed to Hanny they were always busy. Lena knit
stockings and mittens and caps, and her small fingers flew like birds.
One day she was doing something very beautiful with pink zephyr and an
ivory needle with a tiny hook at the end.
"Oh, what is it?" cried Hanny eagerly.
"Lace. Crocheted lace. A lady on Grand Street will give me ten cents a
yard. It is for babies' petticoats. And you can make caps and hoods and
fascinators. It plagued me a little at first, but now I can do it so
fast, much faster than knitting it. And I am to have all the work I can
do."
"Oh, if I could learn!" cried Hanny.
"I'll show you because you are so good to us. Your boy brought mother
such a package of clothes. But I am not going to teach the girls around
here. They will be wanting to do it for the stores. You can make lace
with cotton thread and oh! elegant with silk. That is worth a good
deal."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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