Ghosts of Christmas Past

No Christmas Spirit
by members of RCTQ 2004
Chapter 1
--Butterfly

Take Note : gas lamps, treadle SMs are allowed in this tale


Once upon a time, long before electricity was invented, there was a huge
house in the middle of Main Street, with smaller houses on each side of it.
It became known as The Lady Mary's House. All and sundry would stop by on
their way to and from work each day inquiring how Miss Mary was doing.
The answer would always be the same. "I'm sorry", the butler, Raoul would
say, "but there has been No Change".

--Alice in NJ

My sister Pearl and I grew up in a small cottage at the North end of town.
We would pass by The Lady Mary's House every day on our way to school. The
house was surrounded by a white picket fence and our pace slowed as we
counted the pickets. Each day we counted the pickets. We were stalling
actually, hoping to see a curtain move or a face in a window. We thought it
strange that we never saw anyone on the beautiful porch. Rocking chairs
rocked in the gentle breezes as if they knew that's what they were created
to do. A spiral of smoke escaped from the tall brick chimney, so we knew
someone was inside. But who? And what were they doing? After school we
would often visit the General Store to buy a piece of penny candy. This the
earnings from doing our chores that week. The "town" ladies would gather in
the store and gab about this and that, but would always grow very quiet when
we entered. We knew they were discussing Lady Mary and speculating what she
was like and why no one ever visited her. We wondered too.

Next.....

--CNYsticher

Nobody remembered the last time they had seen Miss Mary - was it last week?
Last month? Last YEAR??? Everyone, from Mr. Abrahms, the crotchety old
gentleman who ran the piecegoods store (and repaired the treadle machines
for the Ladies Quilting Society), down to the little Johansen child, Sven,
loved Miss Mary and smiled whenever her name was mentioned. If they really
knew what was going on in the house, maybe they would have been filled with
a little more of the Christmas Spirit.

Unbeknownst to the population of Thimbleville, Miss Mary was in perfect
health! She had special plans for this Christmas, and, as most
quilters/craftspeople do, had gotten totally wrapped up in her project.
She had her own schedule - rising with the sun, eating only when Raoul would
place her tray directly in front of
her, and stopping only when the Lamplighter reached the gas lights in front
of her house.

NEXT!!

--Debbi
Lady Mary would be bustling around the house from early morn to late into
the evening. She wanted everything to be perfect. The table decorations were
as wonderful as she remembered when she was a child, the tree had the old
ornaments that were put upon the tree with love and care by her grandmother.
Gramma would tell some of the most wonderful stories as each ornament was
lovingly unwrapped in the storage box and carefully laid upon the branches
of the tree. The candle lights would flicker giving the rooms a warm and
cozy feeling.

The quilt frame was off to the side with one of Lady Mary's most wonderful
pieces of work. No one knew that she was a quilter with an eye for the
minute detail. She worked on this quilt all year, but would it be ready in
time?

NEXT

--Two x over

however...
back in town, at the general store, people were abuzz with gossip. All
anyone heard from Raoul was "NO CHANGE". "NO CHANGE!" they would
gasp..."what can be the problem???" "Is Miss Mary sick, is she mentally
ill, is she sleeping? Has she drank too much herbal tea?" They would
whisper to one another. But not a one would dare ask Raoul, as he walked
into the General Store to ask for yet another spool of sparkling green
thread.....

"Third time this week, that man has been in here for thread", Mr. Bumble the
shopkeeper mentioned to no-one in particular.....

NEXT

--clancy

Since Lady Mary's husband had passed, she'd not left the house. Her husband
had been much older than she but it had been an arranged marriage of sorts
and she'd learned to love him. He'd been a good man, but Mary still had a
soft spot in her heart for her first love, Daniel, the man her Father
banished from the house because he was simply a Blacksmith - 'never', he
would shout, 'is my daughter to marry so below her station in life'. There
seemed to be a lot of activity at Mary's place these days - but still no one
saw Mary. Candle light shone from her bedroom window till the wee hours of
the morning, and local gossip was that a strange carriage pulled up to the
back of her house almost every night.
Next .......................

--Mary in TN

Mary (who was no lady at all) listened with glee at Raoul's reports from the
village. Her plan was working better than she had hoped. Only a few more
days were left before everything was in place and so much left to do!

Mary bent over her work, concentrating on completing the task before her.
Many a day had passed with only Raoul and a spoiled calico cat to break her
solitude. "All that has changed now," she thought, recalling the mysterious
visitor during the night. Just thinking about it made her heart beat rapidly
and her bosom heave with excitement.

Meanwhile, back in the village....

--cleo
All the young marriageable women were enamoured with Raoul - a man secure
enough in his masculinity to carry quilting thread - and in a color other
than traditional white. Each one went to their wise old
grandmama for guidance in casting a snare for the virile thread-carrier -
secretly hoping that whatever poor Mary might have would not be contagious,
especially to Raoul. The other single men in the village
heaved a sigh of relief that some of the attention was deflected off of them
and onto another. The fathers were worried and started oiling up the
shotgun, just in case. After all, thread was one thing, but their
daughters were something else.

And, both Raoul and Mary . . . .

--Patti
chuckled to one another, when he returned home, as they knew the village
people must be bursting with curiosity to know what had kept Lady Mary
indoors for so long. They had only ever known her as the owner of one of
the most beautiful gardens in the village. They were accustomed to see her
tending her rose garden from dawn till dusk, and even later, when there was
watering to be done. However, there was one place in the village where
there was no speculation about Lady Mary and Raoul; no curiosity; no
shopping, even. In a very large house on the outskirts of the village, there
lived twelve homeless children with a staff of professional carers. The
staff had no interest in the goings on of the village; all they could think
about was the damage the last storm had done to their roof and how they were
going to pay for it. The children were only interested in their own
preparations for Christmas - a tree from the garden, home-made ornaments,
painted cards and small presents bought from a peddler ....



--JAPID



It had been snowing for some time now... Big fat lazy snowflakes that stuck
to everything they touched. The Children were bundled up in what layers
they had, with thin hats and threadbare mittens. Twelve snowmen danced
across the front yard. Snowballs flew from one hastily built snowfort to
another. The laughter of children rang out through the chilly morning air.
On Main Street, Raoul stopped and listened for a minute. He whistled a
merry tune as he headed back to Lady Mary, another spool of thread in his
hand.



--- Kellie

Now it came to be that my sister Pearl's husband has an Aunt whose daughter
just got a job at that home. Sally Ann was just there as a temp for one of
the ladies who had an emergency at home back in Alabama. Sally would come
home and call her Aunt and tell her of the lovely children who were so
melancholy at night. And of the roof, and the ratty blankets and of the
sparse toys and decorations for this holiday season. Aunt Ginia told us she
didn't see much difference there than from the rest of the town. Nobody was
doing much for Christmas this year. Glum faces were seen everywhere. It
was rumored the mill would shut down first of the new year and families were
already pinching pennies. She figured they'd just have to eek it out with
the rest of us.

I was worried. What if the kids did all that hoping and wishing and
decorating and an ice storm caved in their roof? What if Santa never came.
what if.

Lady Mary must have lots of money, maybe she could help. But no, living
alone and paying for house help and if she was sick, which she surely must
be, I saw that carriage last night, must have been a doctor. No. can't
bother her. What about Pearl's husband. he's a carpenter, could he find
some help, but how to ask? Maybe I could get Mr. Abrahms to fix my sewing
machine. I could make some dolls from those clothes that don't fit.



---Butterfly

Twas the last school day before Christmas Vacation, Miz Sally (head mistress
at the school), stopped by Lady Mary's and exchanged a quick "Good Morning"
with Raoul. Raoul was not very happy this morning--the night visitor did
not show up last night and Lady Mary had stayed up all night.
"Oh, Miz Sally", he sighed. "Whatever can I do, Lady Mary is not taking any
rest, keeps saying she will never get to the hand sewing"
After exchanging a few ideas, Miz Sally said in her usual cheery way,
"Rauol, I have it! I will let the little ones out early today and you bring
the hand sewing and I will have an answer for you. Be at the school with the
items needing doing by 1 PM, and make sure you bring all the needles and
thread with you.
We will turn our afternoon classes into a real Elves Workshop. Now, I really
must hurry or I will be late for school. Rauol chuckled and regained the
twinkle in his eye......oh, he thought, if Miz Sally would only see the
real me. I might have a chance for her hand.

Next

----Mary in TN

It was at this time that Mary happened to pass by the window and heard the
exchange. "Bring my hand sewing?: I don't think so. Where would be the
surprise is that."

Mary scurried home, mumbling under her breath about Christmas secrets and
how pool boys meet a bad end. When Raoul arrived home, he was astonished
to find that all Christmas preparations were gone! All that remained was a
quilt which held a perpetually sleeping cat and an exasperated Mary making a
pot of tea.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Mary thought to herself.
"Maybe tonight...."




--
Kellie J. Berger
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
www.kjbeanne.com
www.kjbeanne.com/kellie.htm

Did you miss this? ::::::

a spoiled calico cat to break her solitude.


Butterfly (go ahead and add your paragraph or two or three : )



"Chipper" wrote in message
...
Wait a minute! How comes there's no mention of Nicky, L.M.'s right hand
QI? The one who faithfully digs his claws into the quilt layers and hangs
on, ducking deftly under the harp as she MQs?? The one who gently snips
the threads with his little cat teeth and doubles as a QW? (quilt
warmer).

Just wondering...
chipper


"Kellie J Berger" wrote in message
. ..
No Christmas Spirit
by members of RCTQ 2004
Chapter 1
--Butterfly

Take Note : gas lamps, treadle SMs are allowed in this tale


Once upon a time, long before electricity was invented, there was a huge
house in the middle of Main Street, with smaller houses on each side of
it. It became known as The Lady Mary's House. All and sundry would stop
by on their way to and from work each day inquiring how Miss Mary was
doing.
The answer would always be the same. "I'm sorry", the butler, Raoul would
say, "but there has been No Change".

--Alice in NJ

My sister Pearl and I grew up in a small cottage at the North end of
town. We would pass by The Lady Mary's House every day on our way to
school. The house was surrounded by a white picket fence and our pace
slowed as we counted the pickets. Each day we counted the pickets. We
were stalling actually, hoping to see a curtain move or a face in a
window. We thought it strange that we never saw anyone on the beautiful
porch. Rocking chairs rocked in the gentle breezes as if they knew
that's what they were created
to do. A spiral of smoke escaped from the tall brick chimney, so we knew
someone was inside. But who? And what were they doing? After school we
would often visit the General Store to buy a piece of penny candy. This
the earnings from doing our chores that week. The "town" ladies would
gather in the store and gab about this and that, but would always grow
very quiet when we entered. We knew they were discussing Lady Mary and
speculating what she was like and why no one ever visited her. We
wondered too.

Next.....

--CNYsticher

Nobody remembered the last time they had seen Miss Mary - was it last
week? Last month? Last YEAR??? Everyone, from Mr. Abrahms, the
crotchety old gentleman who ran the piecegoods store (and repaired the
treadle machines for the Ladies Quilting Society), down to the little
Johansen child, Sven, loved Miss Mary and smiled whenever her name was
mentioned. If they really knew what was going on in the house, maybe they
would have been filled with a little more of the Christmas Spirit.

Unbeknownst to the population of Thimbleville, Miss Mary was in perfect
health! She had special plans for this Christmas, and, as most
quilters/craftspeople do, had gotten totally wrapped up in her project.
She had her own schedule - rising with the sun, eating only when Raoul
would place her tray directly in front of
her, and stopping only when the Lamplighter reached the gas lights in
front of her house.

NEXT!!

--Debbi
Lady Mary would be bustling around the house from early morn to late into
the evening. She wanted everything to be perfect. The table decorations
were as wonderful as she remembered when she was a child, the tree had
the old ornaments that were put upon the tree with love and care by her
grandmother.
Gramma would tell some of the most wonderful stories as each ornament was
lovingly unwrapped in the storage box and carefully laid upon the
branches of the tree. The candle lights would flicker giving the rooms a
warm and cozy feeling.

The quilt frame was off to the side with one of Lady Mary's most
wonderful pieces of work. No one knew that she was a quilter with an eye
for the minute detail. She worked on this quilt all year, but would it be
ready in time?

NEXT

--Two x over

however...
back in town, at the general store, people were abuzz with gossip. All
anyone heard from Raoul was "NO CHANGE". "NO CHANGE!" they would
gasp..."what can be the problem???" "Is Miss Mary sick, is she mentally
ill, is she sleeping? Has she drank too much herbal tea?" They would
whisper to one another. But not a one would dare ask Raoul, as he walked
into the General Store to ask for yet another spool of sparkling green
thread.....

"Third time this week, that man has been in here for thread", Mr. Bumble
the shopkeeper mentioned to no-one in particular.....

NEXT

--clancy

Since Lady Mary's husband had passed, she'd not left the house. Her
husband had been much older than she but it had been an arranged marriage
of sorts and she'd learned to love him. He'd been a good man, but Mary
still had a soft spot in her heart for her first love, Daniel, the man
her Father banished from the house because he was simply a Blacksmith -
'never', he would shout, 'is my daughter to marry so below her station in
life'. There seemed to be a lot of activity at Mary's place these days -
but still no one saw Mary. Candle light shone from her bedroom window
till the wee hours of the morning, and local gossip was that a strange
carriage pulled up to the back of her house almost every night.
Next .......................

--Mary in TN

Mary (who was no lady at all) listened with glee at Raoul's reports from
the village. Her plan was working better than she had hoped. Only a few
more days were left before everything was in place and so much left to
do!

Mary bent over her work, concentrating on completing the task before her.
Many a day had passed with only Raoul and a spoiled calico cat to break
her solitude. "All that has changed now," she thought, recalling the
mysterious visitor during the night. Just thinking about it made her
heart beat rapidly and her bosom heave with excitement.

Meanwhile, back in the village....

--cleo
All the young marriageable women were enamoured with Raoul - a man secure
enough in his masculinity to carry quilting thread - and in a color other
than traditional white. Each one went to their wise old
grandmama for guidance in casting a snare for the virile thread-carrier -
secretly hoping that whatever poor Mary might have would not be
contagious, especially to Raoul. The other single men in the village
heaved a sigh of relief that some of the attention was deflected off of
them and onto another. The fathers were worried and started oiling up
the shotgun, just in case. After all, thread was one thing, but their
daughters were something else.

And, both Raoul and Mary . . . .

--Patti
chuckled to one another, when he returned home, as they knew the village
people must be bursting with curiosity to know what had kept Lady Mary
indoors for so long. They had only ever known her as the owner of one of
the most beautiful gardens in the village. They were accustomed to see
her tending her rose garden from dawn till dusk, and even later, when
there was watering to be done. However, there was one place in the
village where there was no speculation about Lady Mary and Raoul; no
curiosity; no shopping, even. In a very large house on the outskirts of
the village, there lived twelve homeless children with a staff of
professional carers. The staff had no interest in the goings on of the
village; all they could think about was the damage the last storm had
done to their roof and how they were going to pay for it. The children
were only interested in their own preparations for Christmas - a tree
from the garden, home-made ornaments, painted cards and small presents
bought from a peddler ....



--JAPID



It had been snowing for some time now... Big fat lazy snowflakes that
stuck to everything they touched. The Children were bundled up in what
layers they had, with thin hats and threadbare mittens. Twelve snowmen
danced across the front yard. Snowballs flew from one hastily built
snowfort to another. The laughter of children rang out through the
chilly morning air. On Main Street, Raoul stopped and listened for a
minute. He whistled a merry tune as he headed back to Lady Mary, another
spool of thread in his
hand.



--- Kellie

Now it came to be that my sister Pearl's husband has an Aunt whose
daughter just got a job at that home. Sally Ann was just there as a temp
for one of the ladies who had an emergency at home back in Alabama.
Sally would come home and call her Aunt and tell her of the lovely
children who were so melancholy at night. And of the roof, and the ratty
blankets and of the sparse toys and decorations for this holiday season.
Aunt Ginia told us she didn't see much difference there than from the
rest of the town. Nobody was doing much for Christmas this year. Glum
faces were seen everywhere. It was rumored the mill would shut down
first of the new year and families were already pinching pennies. She
figured they'd just have to eek it out with the rest of us.

I was worried. What if the kids did all that hoping and wishing and
decorating and an ice storm caved in their roof? What if Santa never
came. what if.

Lady Mary must have lots of money, maybe she could help. But no, living
alone and paying for house help and if she was sick, which she surely
must be, I saw that carriage last night, must have been a doctor. No.
can't bother her. What about Pearl's husband. he's a carpenter, could he
find some help, but how to ask? Maybe I could get Mr. Abrahms to fix my
sewing machine. I could make some dolls from those clothes that don't
fit.



---Butterfly

Twas the last school day before Christmas Vacation, Miz Sally (head
mistress at the school), stopped by Lady Mary's and exchanged a quick
"Good Morning" with Raoul. Raoul was not very happy this morning--the
night visitor did not show up last night and Lady Mary had stayed up all
night.
"Oh, Miz Sally", he sighed. "Whatever can I do, Lady Mary is not taking
any rest, keeps saying she will never get to the hand sewing"
After exchanging a few ideas, Miz Sally said in her usual cheery way,
"Rauol, I have it! I will let the little ones out early today and you
bring the hand sewing and I will have an answer for you. Be at the school
with the items needing doing by 1 PM, and make sure you bring all the
needles and thread with you.
We will turn our afternoon classes into a real Elves Workshop. Now, I
really must hurry or I will be late for school. Rauol chuckled and
regained the twinkle in his eye......oh, he thought, if Miz Sally would
only see the real me. I might have a chance for her hand.

Next

----Mary in TN

It was at this time that Mary happened to pass by the window and heard
the exchange. "Bring my hand sewing?: I don't think so. Where would be
the surprise is that."

Mary scurried home, mumbling under her breath about Christmas secrets and
how pool boys meet a bad end. When Raoul arrived home, he was
astonished to find that all Christmas preparations were gone! All that
remained was a quilt which held a perpetually sleeping cat and an
exasperated Mary making a pot of tea.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Mary thought to
herself.
"Maybe tonight...."




--
Kellie J. Berger
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
www.kjbeanne.com
www.kjbeanne.com/kellie.htm

add Nicky in! We meant to finish this, but the season got busy and it
just got dropped. No reason we can't finish this story round robin now

Kellie

"Chipper" wrote in message
...
Wait a minute! How comes there's no mention of Nicky, L.M.'s right hand
QI? The one who faithfully digs his claws into the quilt layers and hangs
on, ducking deftly under the harp as she MQs?? The one who gently snips
the threads with his little cat teeth and doubles as a QW? (quilt
warmer).

Just wondering...
chipper


"Kellie J Berger" wrote in message
. ..
No Christmas Spirit
by members of RCTQ 2004
Chapter 1
--Butterfly

Take Note : gas lamps, treadle SMs are allowed in this tale


Once upon a time, long before electricity was invented, there was a huge
house in the middle of Main Street, with smaller houses on each side of
it. It became known as The Lady Mary's House. All and sundry would stop
by on their way to and from work each day inquiring how Miss Mary was
doing.
The answer would always be the same. "I'm sorry", the butler, Raoul would
say, "but there has been No Change".

--Alice in NJ

My sister Pearl and I grew up in a small cottage at the North end of
town. We would pass by The Lady Mary's House every day on our way to
school. The house was surrounded by a white picket fence and our pace
slowed as we counted the pickets. Each day we counted the pickets. We
were stalling actually, hoping to see a curtain move or a face in a
window. We thought it strange that we never saw anyone on the beautiful
porch. Rocking chairs rocked in the gentle breezes as if they knew
that's what they were created
to do. A spiral of smoke escaped from the tall brick chimney, so we knew
someone was inside. But who? And what were they doing? After school we
would often visit the General Store to buy a piece of penny candy. This
the earnings from doing our chores that week. The "town" ladies would
gather in the store and gab about this and that, but would always grow
very quiet when we entered. We knew they were discussing Lady Mary and
speculating what she was like and why no one ever visited her. We
wondered too.

Next.....

--CNYsticher

Nobody remembered the last time they had seen Miss Mary - was it last
week? Last month? Last YEAR??? Everyone, from Mr. Abrahms, the
crotchety old gentleman who ran the piecegoods store (and repaired the
treadle machines for the Ladies Quilting Society), down to the little
Johansen child, Sven, loved Miss Mary and smiled whenever her name was
mentioned. If they really knew what was going on in the house, maybe they
would have been filled with a little more of the Christmas Spirit.

Unbeknownst to the population of Thimbleville, Miss Mary was in perfect
health! She had special plans for this Christmas, and, as most
quilters/craftspeople do, had gotten totally wrapped up in her project.
She had her own schedule - rising with the sun, eating only when Raoul
would place her tray directly in front of
her, and stopping only when the Lamplighter reached the gas lights in
front of her house.

NEXT!!

--Debbi
Lady Mary would be bustling around the house from early morn to late into
the evening. She wanted everything to be perfect. The table decorations
were as wonderful as she remembered when she was a child, the tree had
the old ornaments that were put upon the tree with love and care by her
grandmother.
Gramma would tell some of the most wonderful stories as each ornament was
lovingly unwrapped in the storage box and carefully laid upon the
branches of the tree. The candle lights would flicker giving the rooms a
warm and cozy feeling.

The quilt frame was off to the side with one of Lady Mary's most
wonderful pieces of work. No one knew that she was a quilter with an eye
for the minute detail. She worked on this quilt all year, but would it be
ready in time?

NEXT

--Two x over

however...
back in town, at the general store, people were abuzz with gossip. All
anyone heard from Raoul was "NO CHANGE". "NO CHANGE!" they would
gasp..."what can be the problem???" "Is Miss Mary sick, is she mentally
ill, is she sleeping? Has she drank too much herbal tea?" They would
whisper to one another. But not a one would dare ask Raoul, as he walked
into the General Store to ask for yet another spool of sparkling green
thread.....

"Third time this week, that man has been in here for thread", Mr. Bumble
the shopkeeper mentioned to no-one in particular.....

NEXT

--clancy

Since Lady Mary's husband had passed, she'd not left the house. Her
husband had been much older than she but it had been an arranged marriage
of sorts and she'd learned to love him. He'd been a good man, but Mary
still had a soft spot in her heart for her first love, Daniel, the man
her Father banished from the house because he was simply a Blacksmith -
'never', he would shout, 'is my daughter to marry so below her station in
life'. There seemed to be a lot of activity at Mary's place these days -
but still no one saw Mary. Candle light shone from her bedroom window
till the wee hours of the morning, and local gossip was that a strange
carriage pulled up to the back of her house almost every night.
Next .......................

--Mary in TN

Mary (who was no lady at all) listened with glee at Raoul's reports from
the village. Her plan was working better than she had hoped. Only a few
more days were left before everything was in place and so much left to
do!

Mary bent over her work, concentrating on completing the task before her.
Many a day had passed with only Raoul and a spoiled calico cat to break
her solitude. "All that has changed now," she thought, recalling the
mysterious visitor during the night. Just thinking about it made her
heart beat rapidly and her bosom heave with excitement.

Meanwhile, back in the village....

--cleo
All the young marriageable women were enamoured with Raoul - a man secure
enough in his masculinity to carry quilting thread - and in a color other
than traditional white. Each one went to their wise old
grandmama for guidance in casting a snare for the virile thread-carrier -
secretly hoping that whatever poor Mary might have would not be
contagious, especially to Raoul. The other single men in the village
heaved a sigh of relief that some of the attention was deflected off of
them and onto another. The fathers were worried and started oiling up
the shotgun, just in case. After all, thread was one thing, but their
daughters were something else.

And, both Raoul and Mary . . . .

--Patti
chuckled to one another, when he returned home, as they knew the village
people must be bursting with curiosity to know what had kept Lady Mary
indoors for so long. They had only ever known her as the owner of one of
the most beautiful gardens in the village. They were accustomed to see
her tending her rose garden from dawn till dusk, and even later, when
there was watering to be done. However, there was one place in the
village where there was no speculation about Lady Mary and Raoul; no
curiosity; no shopping, even. In a very large house on the outskirts of
the village, there lived twelve homeless children with a staff of
professional carers. The staff had no interest in the goings on of the
village; all they could think about was the damage the last storm had
done to their roof and how they were going to pay for it. The children
were only interested in their own preparations for Christmas - a tree
from the garden, home-made ornaments, painted cards and small presents
bought from a peddler ....



--JAPID



It had been snowing for some time now... Big fat lazy snowflakes that
stuck to everything they touched. The Children were bundled up in what
layers they had, with thin hats and threadbare mittens. Twelve snowmen
danced across the front yard. Snowballs flew from one hastily built
snowfort to another. The laughter of children rang out through the
chilly morning air. On Main Street, Raoul stopped and listened for a
minute. He whistled a merry tune as he headed back to Lady Mary, another
spool of thread in his
hand.



--- Kellie

Now it came to be that my sister Pearl's husband has an Aunt whose
daughter just got a job at that home. Sally Ann was just there as a temp
for one of the ladies who had an emergency at home back in Alabama.
Sally would come home and call her Aunt and tell her of the lovely
children who were so melancholy at night. And of the roof, and the ratty
blankets and of the sparse toys and decorations for this holiday season.
Aunt Ginia told us she didn't see much difference there than from the
rest of the town. Nobody was doing much for Christmas this year. Glum
faces were seen everywhere. It was rumored the mill would shut down
first of the new year and families were already pinching pennies. She
figured they'd just have to eek it out with the rest of us.

I was worried. What if the kids did all that hoping and wishing and
decorating and an ice storm caved in their roof? What if Santa never
came. what if.

Lady Mary must have lots of money, maybe she could help. But no, living
alone and paying for house help and if she was sick, which she surely
must be, I saw that carriage last night, must have been a doctor. No.
can't bother her. What about Pearl's husband. he's a carpenter, could he
find some help, but how to ask? Maybe I could get Mr. Abrahms to fix my
sewing machine. I could make some dolls from those clothes that don't
fit.



---Butterfly

Twas the last school day before Christmas Vacation, Miz Sally (head
mistress at the school), stopped by Lady Mary's and exchanged a quick
"Good Morning" with Raoul. Raoul was not very happy this morning--the
night visitor did not show up last night and Lady Mary had stayed up all
night.
"Oh, Miz Sally", he sighed. "Whatever can I do, Lady Mary is not taking
any rest, keeps saying she will never get to the hand sewing"
After exchanging a few ideas, Miz Sally said in her usual cheery way,
"Rauol, I have it! I will let the little ones out early today and you
bring the hand sewing and I will have an answer for you. Be at the school
with the items needing doing by 1 PM, and make sure you bring all the
needles and thread with you.
We will turn our afternoon classes into a real Elves Workshop. Now, I
really must hurry or I will be late for school. Rauol chuckled and
regained the twinkle in his eye......oh, he thought, if Miz Sally would
only see the real me. I might have a chance for her hand.

Next

----Mary in TN

It was at this time that Mary happened to pass by the window and heard
the exchange. "Bring my hand sewing?: I don't think so. Where would be
the surprise is that."

Mary scurried home, mumbling under her breath about Christmas secrets and
how pool boys meet a bad end. When Raoul arrived home, he was
astonished to find that all Christmas preparations were gone! All that
remained was a quilt which held a perpetually sleeping cat and an
exasperated Mary making a pot of tea.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Mary thought to
herself.
"Maybe tonight...."




--
Kellie J. Berger
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www.kjbeanne.com
www.kjbeanne.com/kellie.htm