Produced by Louise Hope, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [This e-text comes in three different forms: unicode (UTF-8), Latin-1 and ascii-7. Use the one that works best on your text reader. --If âÅâ displays as a single character, and apostrophes and quotation marks are âcurlyâ or angled, you have the utf-8 version (best). If any part of this paragraph displays as garbage, try changing your text readerâs âcharacter setâ or âfile encodingâ. If that doesnât work, proceed to: --In the Latin-1 version, âÅâ is two letters, but French words like âÃ©tudeâ have accents and âÃ¦â is a single letter. Apostrophes and quotation marks will be straight (âtypewriterâ form). Again, if you see any garbage in this paragraph and canât get it to display properly, use: --The ascii-7 or rock-bottom version. All necessary text will still be there; it just wonât be as pretty. Boldface text is shown with *asterisks*. The notation [->] represents the pointing-finger symbol. The layout of the advertising pages is shown after all text, along with a list of file names for major illustrations. Typographical errors in the original, whether corrected or not, are listed at the end.] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Vol. VIII.--No 25. May 21, 1887. GOLDEN DAYS For Boys and Girls Philadelphia: JAMES ELVERSON, Publisher. * * * * * [Transcriberâs Note: Text incorporated into advertising illustrations is shown in (parentheses); where necessary, a brief description of the illustration is given in {braces}.] * * * * * [Illustration] QUITE UP TO THE TIMES. _New Applicant_--Do I know how to use Sapolio? Well, thatâs fresh! Do I look like a girl who donât know about Sapolio? Am I blind, dâyer think, or canât read? Why, the babies on the block know all about Sapolio. What are ye givinâÂ me? SAPOLIO is a solid, handsome cake of House-cleaning Soap, which has no equal for all scouring purposes, except the laundry. Perhaps you have heard of it a thousand times without using it once. If you will reverse the position and use it once you will praise it to others a thousand times. Ask your grocer for a cake, and try it in your next house-cleaning. No. 3. [Copyright, March 1887.] DYKEâS BEARD ELIXIR [Illustration: (Before After Before After)] For_es heavy Mustache, Whiskers, or hair on bald heads in 20 to 30 days. Extra Strength. No other remedy 2 or 3 Pkgs. does the work. We will prove it or forfeit $100.00 Price per Pkg. sealed and postpaid 25c., 3 for 50 cts., stamps or silver. SMITH MFG. CO., PALATINE, ILLS. $50 WEEKLY EASILY EARNED! *We want agents* for our celebrated Oil Portrait. *No experience required!* *4 orders* per day gives the Agent $50 weekly profit! Our agents report from 4 to 30 daily sales! Send at once for terms and full particulars. *$2 outfit free!* *SAFFORD ADAMS & CO., 48 Bond St., N.Y.* [Mention âGolden Days.â] IMPROVED HIRESâ ROOT BEER 25 cents / PACKAGE Makes *Five Gallons* of a *delicious*, sparkling temperance beverage. *Strengthens* and purifies the blood. Its *purity* and delicacy commend it to all. Sold by druggists and storekeepers everywhere. A ZANZIBAR TIGER COWRY SHELL, 8c. Send stamp for list. Steel & Co., 135 E. 23d St., New York CURE FOR THE DEAF PECKâS PATENT IMPROVED CUSHIONED EAR DRUMS *Perfectly Restore the Hearing*, and perform the work of the natural drum. Invisible, comfortable and always in position. All conversation and even whispers heard distinctly. Send for illustrated book with testimonials, *FREE*. Address or call on F. HISCOX, *853* Broadway, New York. Mention this paper. FREE a $2.50 *Gold Ring* to all who will act as our agents. The Journal Co., Essex, Conn. [Illustration: (THE GREAT AMERICAN TEA COMPANY)] GOOD NEWS TO LADIES. Greatest inducements ever offered. Nowâs your time to get up orders for our celebrated *Teas* and *Coffees*, and secure a beautiful Gold Band or Moss Rose China Tea Set, or Handsome Decorated Gold Band Moss Rose Dinner Set, or Gold Band Moss Decorated Toilet Set. For full particulars address *THE GREAT AMERICAN TEA CO.,* P.O. Box 289. 31 and 33 Vesey St., New York. AGENTS wanted for Lyman Abbotâs Life of Beecher. The only proper one. A.Â GORTON & CO., Philada. * * * * * Vol. VII âGolden Daysâ NOW READY, is a MAGNIFICENT BOOK OF 832 PAGES! A perfect mine of everything that will interest young people. *It is Superbly Illustrated,* --CONTAINING-- Over 400 Finely-Executed Wood Engravings! Making, without question, THE MOST ATTRACTIVE BOOK Of The Season. [->] This volume will be sent to any address, prepaid, on the receipt of price--$4.00. JAMES ELVERSON, Publisher âGOLDEN DAYS,â Philadâa * * * * * [->] Advertisements inserted on Second and Third Pages of Cover at 50 cents per line, and on the Fourth Page at 75 cents per line, agate measurement). * * * * * The Best Practical Joke of the Season [Illustration: (Ring the Bell)] The perfect Electric Bell Button is made to pin on your breast, Fine ebony finish with white button sure to induce a push, which never fails to produce a shock with âHail Columbia,â and variations. *AÂ Full Charge* of electricity every time. The old joker is told â*That is Good! Ring the Bell.*â The *Best Selling Article* ever invented. *4760* sold by one agent in *3* weeks. Sample by Mail *15* cents.; two for *25* cents.; *14* for *$1.00*. 100 for *$6.00*. Try *$1* worth. Stamps taken. Send all orders to World Manuf. Co. 122 Nassau St. New York *EUREKA RECITATIONS* NINE NUMBERS NOW READY. Each number contains nearly *100 selections* by Mrs. Anna Randall-Diehl, and bound in 4-color lithograph cover. Mailed for 12 cents each by J. S. Ogilvie & Co., Publishers, 31 Rose Street, New York. Send for one. * * * * * [Illustration: (The READY BINDER for binding THREE MONTHS of the GOLDEN DAYS Price, 10 Cents.)] *THIS BINDER* is light, strong and handsome, and the weekly issues of GOLDEN DAYS are held together by it in the convenient form of a book, which can be kept lying on the reading-table. It is made of two white wires joined together in the centre, with slides on either end for pressing the wires together, thus holding the papers together by pressure without mutilating them. We will furnish the Binder at Ten Cents apiece, postage prepaid. Address JAMES ELVERSON, Publisher, Philadelphia, Pa. * * * * * [Illustration: (Perfection Slate Erasor)] *We want you as our Agent* to sell the *Perfection Slate Eraser* in schools. _It is attractive, well-made and indispensable._ Send five 2-cent stamps for sample and particulars. WITTRAM MFG. CO., 525 Front St., San Francisco, Cal. (*Box 2414.*) [Illustration {knife}] *FOR 10 cts. to pay postage &c.*, we will send this Charm Pen-Knife and five other samples FREE. *Atlantic Works, East River, Conn.* [Illustration {bicycle}] *BICYCLES $8 to $150. EASY PAYMENTS.* Tricycles, $7.50 up. Standard makes. 2d-hand Wheels handled. Send for Catalogue. GEO. W. ROUSE & SON, 34 G St., Peoria, Ill. [Illustration {ring}] 1 Stone Ring, 1 Band Ring, 275 Scrap Pictures & Verses, Book of Poems, Book Flirtations, 40 Agtâs Samples, All 10c. Austin Card Co., New Haven,Â Ct [Illustration: (THE NEW DEPARTURE DRUM)] *THE NEW DEPARTURE DRUMS* are made with patent double acting rods and folding knee rest. Light, substantial and handsome. Used in the best Bands and Orchestras. Unequaled for tone, surpass all others in finish and appearance. If nearest Music dealer does not keep them, write to us for Illustrated Catalogue. *LYON & HEALY, Chicago, Ill.* *PRINTERS* Send stamp for wholesale list of BLANK Cards, 1000 kinds. Card Co., Montpelier,Â Vt *SHORTHAND* Writing _thoroughly taught_ *by mail* or personally. *Situations procured* all pupils when competent. Send for circular. *W.Â G. CHAFFEE*, Oswego, N.Y. 23 HIDDEN NAME *MOTTO CARDS*, 10c Story Book and AGENTâS OUTFIT with each pack. HAMDEN CARD WORKS, Hamden, Conn [Illustration: (The Gem) {hose reel}] REEL, 25 FEET HOSE, NOZZLE AND COUPLINGS, $4.00. Sent on receipt of price. *Rubber Footballs*, No. 1, *$1.25* each Additional sizes to No. 6, 25c. extra. [->] *RUBBER GOODS* of all descriptions--Gossamers, Shoes, Boots, etc. *ROBERT C. GEDDES*, 316 Market St., Philada.,Â Pa. *CARDS* 100 Fancy Pictures, all new designs, 30 latest Songs, 50 Elegant Fancy Patterns, 1 Album, over 60 Colored Transfer Pictures, with our Grand Premium List all for *10 cts.* BIRD CARD WORKS, MERIDEN, CONN. Autograph Album, name in gold, *10 cts.* HIGHLY Educated Physician who has traveled much and speaks several languages, wants to complete a party of youths for travel in Europe. References exchanged. Address âÃskulap,â (office of) Advocate, 805 Broadway, N.Y. * * * * * Children Cry for Pitcherâs Castoria * * * * * *FOR MALARIA,* And malarial diseases so prevalent in the South and West, Ayerâs Pills have proved peculiarly beneficial. âIÂ have found in Ayerâs Pills, an invaluable remedy for disorders peculiar to miasmatic localities. Taken in small and frequent doses, *Ayerâs* Pills act well on the liver and aid it in throwing off malarial poisons.â--C. F. Alston, Quitman, Texas. Prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. *YELLOW FEVER,* The terror of the South, has yielded to Ayerâs Pills. James M. Crofut, of Beaufort, S.C., writes: âDuring the past three months our city has been scourged with yellow fever. Many friends and neighbors have been taken from us. In several cases Ayerâs *Pills* broke the attack of the fever, and saved the patientâs life. They are an excellent liver medicine.â Sold by all Druggists and Dealers in Medicines. * * * * * [Illustration: (BOYS GIRLS)] *LEARN TO TELEGRAPH* With the Pocket Telegraph Instrument In a few hours. Want an agent in each town. They sell fast. Sample and alphabet, postpaid, for 13 two-cent stamps, or 6 for $1.00. You can sell them quick for 25c. each. *PORTVILLE MFâG CO.* limited, Portville, Catt. Co., N.Y. MORE MONEY THAN EVER You thought of can now be made. MALE or FEMALE. Write quick for free Sample and Terms. BEST selling article ever out. *NATIONAL CO.*, 21 Dey St., N.Y. *LANGUAGES.* *The Meisterschaft System*, by Dr. R. S. ROSENTHAL, is the only successful method ever devised to learn to speak without a teacher, and in a few weeks, *French*, *German*, *Spanish* or *Italian*. Endorsed by leading linguists. Terms, $5.00 for books of either language. Sample copy, Part I., 25 cents. Liberal terms to Teachers. *MEISTERSCHAFT PUBLISHING CO., Boston, Mass.* *100 Choice New Recitations* 13 Songs, Elegant Sample Cards, all for a 2c. stamp. CADIZ CARD CO., CADIZ,Â O. *SPRING SALE* To reduce our stock of music we will send by mail, postpaid, the *Beautiful Blue Danube* Waltzes and 60 pieces, full sheet-music size, including songs, marches, quadrilles (with calls), for only 20 cents. Satisfaction guaranteed, or money refunded. *WHITE WINGS & 100 Songs*, words and music, *10c.* W. HATHAWAY, 339 Wash. St., Boston, Mass. *BROWNâS FRENCH DRESSING.* The Original! Beware of Imitations! [Illustration {bottle}] *AWARDED HIGHEST PRIZE AND ONLY MEDAL* PARIS EXPOSITION, 1878. Highest Award New Orleans Exposition. [Illustration] *PRINTING MADE EASY!* With our Economy Outfits. Business men save money doing their own printing! Fun for the boys! Instructions free. Business Outfits $7.50 upwards. Card Outfits $2. Catalogue for 2c stamp. Wm. Volkmann & Co., 164 Washington St., Chicago, Ill. [Illustration] CATâS-EYE SCARF-PIN 44 cts The Gem Catâs Eye is so called because it possesses the peculiar ray of light or glisten seen in a catâs eye in the dark. IÂ have a limited stock only, and offer you one for only *44 cts.*, post paid. The same in Ear Drops, choice, *87 cents*. _Send Stamp for large illustrated catalogue of Mineral Cabinets, Agate Novelties, Indian Relics, etc. Trade Supplied._ H. H. TAMMEN, 935 16th St., Denver, Col. *100 New Imported Scrap Pictures, 12 Elegant Imported Cards*, 1 Album of *50* Colored Transfer Pictures and Agtâs Samples for â87. all for *10c.* S. STOKES & CO., Meriden, Conn. *DRUNKENNESS* *OR THE LIQUOR HABIT POSITIVELY CURED* in any of its stages. All desire or craving for stimulants entirely removed. Medicine can be given without knowledge of the patient, by placing it in coffee, tea, or articles of food. Cures guaranteed. Send for particulars. *GOLDEN SPECIFIC CO., 185 Race Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.* How to Make, Your Own *CANDIES*. By an Experienced Confectioner. Book containing 68 Recipes mailed on receipt of 10 cts. L. SCHWARZ Confectioner, 68 Fulton St., N.Y. 1000 foreign stamps, including Mexico, Jamaica, Dutch E. India, Barbados & Portugal, 25cts. CHAS. A. TOWNSEND, Akron,Â O. *PAKET* of *FOREN STAMPS* and Catalog, 10c. *ALBUMS*, 50c. Agentsâ terms and Catalog, 10c. JOHN NEWHAM, *Box 3694*, N.Y. City. *500 FOREIGN STAMPS*, Australia, etc., 10c.; 105 varieties, 10c. F. P. Vincent, Chatham, N.Y. STAMPS 106 varieties, 10c.; 1010 mixed, 20c. Putnam Brothers, Lewiston,Â Me. *STAMPS* APPROVAL SHEETS. Agents wanted. *E. A. OBORNE. Jamaica, N.Y.* *STAMPS* Agents wanted. 30 per cent. com. on sheets. Keystone Stamp Co., Box 200, Philadâa,Â Pa. 25 *Foreign Stamps FREE* to every collector. Send your address. _A. E. Ashfield_, Box 233, Rye, N.Y. * * * * * [Illustration] *A NEW BOOK ON CURVE-PITCHING* That so fully explains the Art that *Any one with a Little Practice can Master all the Curves* used by the most noted pitchers. Price, *15* cts. Send for Catalogue. A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 1492 TO 1885, INCLUSIVE, FOR 10 CENTS. A. J. REACH & CO., 23 S. 8th St., Philadâa,Â Pa. *390* Funny Selections, Scrap Pictures, etc., and nice Sample Cards for 2c. HILL CARD CO., Cadiz, Ohio *THE RED BOOKS.* NEW PIECES TO SPEAK IN SCHOOL, at Church or Home Entertainments. Elocution. Gesture. Beautifully Illustrated. 12 different numbers, $1.00. Sample by mail, 10 cts. *Agents Wanted.* *HALL & STEBBINS, 11 Michigan Ave. CHICAGO, ILL.* *CARDS* New Sample Book of Hidden Name Cards for a 2c. stamp. STAR CARD CO., Laceyville, Ohio *WAKE UP* and earn *$70 per month* at home. COSTLY OUTFIT of samples, aÂ package of goods and full instructions sent for *10c.* to help pay postage and advertising. *H. C. ROWELL & CO., Rutland, Vermont.* *4 U.S. Â½ CENTS*, postpaid, 25 cents. Price List free. G. J. BAUER, 73 Front St., Rochester, N.Y. [Illustration] *PRINT YOUR OWN CARDS!* Press, $3; Circular size, $8. Press for small newspaper, $25. New Rotary Jobber, $100. Send 2 stamps for catalogue Presses, Type, cards to factory, Kelsey & Co. Meriden, Conn *WARNER BROâS* [Illustration: (CELEBRATED CORALINE CORSETS FLEXIBLE HIPS NURSING HEALTH ABDOMINAL CORALINE)] *9, MILLION* worn during the past six years. This marvelous success is due-- 1st.--To the superiority of Coraline over all other materials, as a stiffener for Corsets. 2d.--To the superior quality, shape and workmanship of our Corsets, combined with their low prices. Avoid cheap imitations made of various kinds of cord. None are genuine unless *âDR. WARNERâS CORALINEâ* is printed on inside of steel cover. *FOR SALE BY ALL LEADING MERCHANTS.* *WARNER BROTHERS,* *359 Broadway. New York City.* *THIS HAMMOCK CHAIR* [Illustration] May be changed instantly to an automatic floor Chair adjustable to many reclining positions. Has no equal, and is desirable for [Illustration] *Library, Steamer, and Invalid Use.* Used in hospitals, colleges, families, and wherever *COMFORT AND HEALTH* are desired at a small cost. Folded compactly, and shipped anywhere. Circulars, testimonials, and photographs for 2 cts. Price $7 to $15. LIBERAL DISCOUNTS to agents and dealers. _Mention this Paper._ *BLAISDELL CHAIR CO., 96 High St., Boston.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GOLDEN DAYS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS (Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, by JAMES ELVERSON, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C.) VOL. VIII. JAMES ELVERSON, Publisher. N.W. corner Ninth and Spruce Sts. PHILADELPHIA MAY 21, 1887. TERMS $3.00 Per Annum, In Advance. No. 25. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * LINDAâS CRAZY QUILT. By Fannie Williams. âOh, dear!â sighed Linda Trafton, turning over the pages of a closely-written, school-girlish letter, which her brother Fred had tossed into her lap, on returning from the post office. âIÂ do wish I could get silk pieces enough to make a crazy quilt. Cousin Dell writes all about hers, and it must be very pretty.â âCrazy quilt! Thatâs about all Iâve heard for the last six months! IÂ should think you girls had all gone crazy yourselves!â ejaculated Fred. âWhy, Fred!â was Lindaâs only answer to this outburst. She was a very sweet-tempered little maid, with soft, brown hair and soft, brown eyes, that matched in color as exactly as eyes and hair could match, and gave her a look of being--as indeed she was--too gentle to dispute, or even to argue, with anybody, least of all with Fred, who was fifteen, and three years her elder, and always took a tone of great superiority toward his little sister. Still, he was a pretty good sort of brother, as brothers go; and, in Lindaâs eyes, he was a prodigy of cleverness. So, whenever they happened to differ in opinion, and Fred expressed himself in this vehement style, she only looked at him in a deprecating way, and murmured: âWhy, Fred!â âWell, I should like to know,â continued Fred, âwhat could be more idiotic than the way you spend your time, you girls, fitting those ridiculous, catty-cornered pieces of silk together, and working them all over with bugs and cobwebs and caterpillars, and little boys in Mother Hubbard dresses! You may well call âem _crazy_ quilts! IÂ donât believe there was ever anything crazier, unless it was the lunatic who first invented them!â âWhy, Fred!â said Linda, again. âNow, I think they are too pretty for anything!â âPretty!â snorted Fred. âTheyâre made out of the last things that youâd suppose anybody would ever think of putting into a bed-quilt. IÂ canât get a chance to wear a neck-tie half out before somebody wants it. Kate Graham spoke for my last new one the next day after I bought it. And I hardly dare to put my hat down, where thereâs a girl around, for fear sheâll capture my hat-band!â By this time, Linda was laughing outright. âOh, you are so funny, Fred! But you only just ought to see Kate Grahamâs crazy quilt. IÂ _know_ you couldnât help calling it lovely. She has got pieces of ever so many wedding dresses in it; but I donât know who would give _me_ any. Aunt Mary never will get married, nor Cousin Susie, nor our Bridget, unless Pat hurries up with his courting--and thereâs nobody else. Besides, they are all making crazy quilts of their own. IÂ would start one with papaâs old silk handkerchief and his Association badge, if I thought I could ever get pieces enough to finish it; but I donât see how I could.â âBess Hartley told me that she was going to send off somewhere and get a lot of pieces that are put up to sell. You get a whole package of assorted colors for a dollar,â suggested Fred. âOh, that would make it cost too much! Mamma would not let me do that,â said Linda, shaking her head. âShe says it is well enough to use up odd bits of silk in that way, if one happens to have them; but she doesnât think it right to spend money in such a manner, instead of using it for better purposes--and I donât suppose itÂ is.â âWell, I am sure I donât know what you are going to do,â was Fredâs consoling observation. âYouâd be as crazy as the rest of the girls if you began to piece a quilt; and I donât know but you will go crazy if you canât.â With which conclusion, Fred walked off whistling, and left Linda to read her Cousin Dellâs letter over again, and wish that Patrick OâBrien would propose to Bridget, if he was ever going to, so that she could get married, and have a new silk dress for her wedding. However, Linda was not the girl to fret and worry after things which were unattainable. Fred would have his joke, but she was not going to make herself unhappy just because she had not the materials for making silk patchwork, as Dell and the rest of her girl friends were doing. There were plenty of other pleasures and amusements within her reach, and the one that she enjoyed most of all came in her way, as it happened, the very next morning. [Illustration: âOH, MRS. BURBANK! WHAT BEAUTIFUL PIECES!â CRIED LINDA. âWHERE DID THEY ALL COME FROM?â] Her father said to her, as he rose from the table after breakfast: âLinda, would you like a ride, my dear? IÂ am going to drive over to East Berlin, and I will take you along, if you would like toÂ go.â â_If_ I would like it! Why, papa, you _know_ there isnât _anything_ that I like so much as a good, long ride with you!â cried Linda, dancing with delight, as she ran off to get ready for the drive. For it was indeed a âgood longâ ride to East Berlin--fifteen miles at least--and the day was just as fresh and bright and lovely as a day could be in the fresh and bright and lovely month of May. The young grass was emerald green along the country roads, the apple trees were all in sheets of bloom, hill-sides were fairly blue with bird-foot violets, and sweet spring flowers were smiling everywhere. Linda was so full of happiness that she could scarcely keep from singing in concert with the birds that trilled and chirped among the trees on either hand, as the pleasant road led through a piece of woodland. But the woods came to an end abruptly where the trees had been cut off, and where some men with ox-carts were hauling away the long piles of cord-wood. Then there were fields of plowed ground on each side of the road, and then a long stretch of rocky hills and old pastures, and presently some houses came in sight. Old, weather-beaten houses they were--a dozen, perhaps, in all. Two or three had once been painted red, and still displayed some dark and dingy traces of that color; but most of them were brown, and some had green moss growing on their broad, sloping roofs--roofs which were two stories high in front, but came down so low at the back that a lively boy might reach them from the ground with very little effort, only the place did not look as if anything so young or so lively as a boy had been seen there for at least twenty years. Still, it was a pleasant place. There were thickets of lilac and mock-orange bushes around every house, and old-fashioned lilies and roses growing half-wild along the fences. There were flagged walks leading up to all the doors, with borders of evergreen box, which had once been trim, and still was quaint and pleasing; there were old gardens, where everything was âall run out,â but where the bees and birds appeared to find congenial homes; there were gnarly old apple-trees, with bending, twisted branches that touched the ground and made the most enticing rustic seats. Withal, there was a calm and stillness brooding on the place that filled oneâs fancy with sweet thoughts of olden times and-- âWhoo-oo-oop! Hip, hip, pip, hoo-_ray_!â âGood _gracious_!â cried Mr. Trafton, starting from his pleasant reverie, and clutching at the reins which lay loose upon his knee. âGood gracious! Whatâs that?â âItâs a boy!â said Linda, with a quite disgusted accent. Unquestionably, it was a boy--and a boy of the most aggressively modern type, clad in garments of the very latest cut, from his flannel yachting-shirt to his canvas âbase-ballâ shoes--aÂ boy with a look as well as a voice, which proclaimed him all alive. His close-cropped head was bare, and his white straw hat came spinning over the stone wall and into the middle of the road, as if impelled by steam-power, before the boy himself scrambled over, giving vent to another whoop, which would have done credit to a Comanche gone mad. The whoop and the hat together were enough to startle almost any horse; and, although Mr. Traftonâs fine roadster, âBilly,â was pretty well trained, the combined effect was a little too much for his nerves. He gave a sidelong leap and started to run. His master checked him sharply, and veering from the road, he ran the wheels into a deep rut, and over went the buggy with a crash! Linda screamed, as she was pitched headlong into a thicket of sweet-fern which grew along the roadside; but the bushes broke her fall, and, beyond the fright and a scratched hand, she received no injury. Her father was equally fortunate, and, as Billy had recovered from his momentary panic and did not run, the accident appeared, at the first glance, to be nothing serious. The boy who had caused it came forward, with a look of trepidation upon his countenance, exclaiming: âIâm awfully sorry, sir; I didnât mean to frighten your horse. IÂ was down behind the wall and didnât see you coming, or I wouldnât have thrown my hat so. IÂ was only scaring a squirrel.â âHe must have been pretty thoroughly scared,â said Mr. Trafton, drily. However, the boyâs bright face wore an expression of such honest regret that he added, with a good-humored accent: âWell, well, I was a boy myself once. You must be more careful another time, my lad.â âThat I will, sir.â And as Mr. Trafton began to raise the overturned buggy, the boy took hold and helped him. On getting the vehicle righted, they found that one wheel was broken so badly as to need repairs before the journey could be continued, and Mr. Trafton surveyed the damage with grave concern. The boy gave a low whistle, and murmured: âHereâs a state of things!â âI donât see what Iâm going to do,â remarked the gentleman. âThereâs nobody in this region who could mend that wheel, IÂ suppose?â âOh yes there is!â cried the boy, brightening up. âDoranâs blacksmith shop is only a little ways down the road; you can get the wheel fixed there. Iâll go along and hold up this side of the buggy; and Iâll pay the bill, sir, as I caused the damage.â Mr. Trafton looked at him approvingly, but answered: âYou need not do that, my boy. The bill wonât amount to much; but the job may take some time--and where can I leave my little girl? IÂ suppose you would not care to wait in the blacksmith shop, Linda?â Before Linda could reply, the boy said, looking at her frankly, and not at all abashed: âShe can stay with my grandma while youâre having the wheel fixed. Mrs. Deacon Burbank is my grandma; she lives right here, sir,â pointing out the house. âAnd where do you live?â asked Mr. Trafton, who took a liking to Mrs. Deacon Burbankâs grandson, for all his annoyance at the trouble which that lively youth had caused him. âIâm staying with grandma this summer,â said the boy; âbut I live in Boston when Iâm at home. My name is John Burbank.â âWell, John, you will have to take Linda to your grandma, for I cannot leave Billy standing here with this broken buggy.â âAll right, sir; Iâll be back in a minute, and help you down to Doranâs.â So saying, John Burbank led the way, and Linda followed, to the nearest of the brown old houses--aÂ big, broad-roofed domicile, with wide, double doors and narrow windows, and with two great cherry trees in the front yard, looking like two great drifts of snow, they were so thickly covered with white blossoms. A border of red and yellow tulips, gay daffodils, and âcrown imperials,â edged the narrow walk which led from the front gate around to the side door, where they were received by a surprised old lady in gold-bowed spectacles, to whom John presented his companion, with the following concise account of the accident which occasioned her unexpected appearance: âGrandma, hereâs a girl, and her father is out there with his team, and theyâve just had a break-down, and it was all my doing; but I didnât mean to! IÂ scared the horse, hollering at a squirrel. Iâve got to go and help her father get the buggy down to Doranâs, and sheâs going to stay here till itâs fixed, and her nameâs Linda. IÂ donât know what her other nameÂ is.â âLinda Trafton,â supplemented Linda, as the boy paused to catch his breath. âJohnny,â said the old lady, speaking as severely as a stout old lady with dimples in her cheeks and a twinkle in her eyes could be expected to speak, when addressing her only grandson--âJohnny, IÂ do declare for ât, you air the worst boy! What under the canopy will you go to cuttinâ up next? Come right in, my dear,â she said to Linda, âand make yourself to home. Johnny, you run along and help the gentleman; and tell Mr. Doran your granâther will pay the bill.â âOh, Iâm going to pay it myself, grandma, with my own pocket-money, if the gentleman will let me; but he says he wonât.â And Johnny was off before he had done speaking. âI declare for ât,â said his grandmother, âthat boy is a regular Burbank; jest exactly what the deacon used to be at his age--always into suthinâ. IÂ knew the deacon when he waânât any older than Johnny, anâ IÂ remember jest how he used to act. Take off your things, my dear, and make yourself to home.â She took Lindaâs hat and sacque, and carried them into the spare bed-room, where there was a great âfour-posterâ bedstead, with blue-and-white chintz hangings and a blue-and-white spread; and then she came and sat down by Linda, and asked her a great many questions about the break-down, and about her father and mother and herself, but she was such a nice old lady that Linda did not mind her being a little inquisitive. In return, she gave Linda quite a complete history of her own family, and told her a number of entertaining stories about Johnny and Johnnyâs father, and about the deacon when he was a boy. Finally, she looked at the queer old clock on the kitchen mantle-shelf, and remarked: âItâs time I was gittinâ my dinner over to cook, and I guess I shall have to leave you to amuse yourself a little while, my dear. You might go out anâ look âround the garden, if you want; or maybe youâd ruther go up in the garret, anâ look at Johnnyâs picture-books anâ things. He likes to stay up there, when it rains soât he canât go out.â âOh, I should like that, of all things!â cried Linda, delighted. âIÂ do love a real old-fashioned garret, with all sorts of old things inÂ it!â âDo you now? Well,â said Mrs. Burbank, beaming over the gold-bowed spectacles, âour garret is full of old truck, anâ you can go up there anâ rummage âround all youâve a minâÂ to.â She opened the door of a narrow staircase, with steep and well-worn stairs, and told Linda that was the way to the back chamber over the kitchen, and when she got up there she would see the garret stairs; and she guessed Linda could find the way up alone. She was pretty hefty herself, and she didnât travel up and down stairs any more than she could help. Linda very quickly found her way to the garret, which proved to be indeed a veritable treasury of âold truck;â and her brown eyes opened wide with ecstasy as she caught sight of a real, genuine spinning-wheel, stowed away under the low, sloping roof. Then she discovered a smaller wheel, with a motto carved around its rim in quaint lettering, which Linda studied over a long time before she made it out--âEat not the Bread of Idleness.â She learned afterward that this was a flax-wheel, on which Deacon Burbankâs mother used to spin the thread to weave her linen sheets. Beside the flax-wheel stood a superannuated chest of drawers, with dingy brass handles, which had once, no doubt, been a fine piece of furniture. Then there were broken-down chairs, with straight, stiff backs; queer, cracked jugs and bottles, and painted teacups with the handles broken off; and funny old spelling-books and school-readers, all inscribed, in beautiful handwriting, on their yellow fly-leaves: âJohn Burbank, his book.â Linda knew that the John Burbank who had learned his lessons from these old books must have been the deacon âwhen he was a boy,â and not her young friend, Johnny. There were several old-fashioned wooden chests among the treasures of this delightful garret, and Linda hesitated to open them at first; but finally she called to mind that she had been given permission to ârummageâ as much as she pleased. One chest, painted green, stood near the narrow window, which threw a checkered square of sunshine upon the garret floor, and as Linda raised the cover she gave a little scream of rapture, for it seemed almost as if she had found a broken rainbow, there was such a glitter of gay colors in the sunlight. âOh! _oh!_â she cried, âwhat lovely, _lovely_ pieces for a crazy quilt!â For the old chest was nearly filled with scraps of silk and satin of every shape and size, from bits not over an inch wide to the large, three-cornered pieces, of which there seemed to be a great number, left in cutting trimming-folds âon the bias,â as Linda knew, for she had seen many such remnants proudly displayed by those of her girl friends who happened to be in the good graces of Miss Cranshaw, the village dressmaker. But such brocades and stripes, such âplaidâ and âwateredâ and âfiguredâ silks, such brilliant shades of color as she found among the contents of that chest, her eyes had never looked upon before. âI wonder if these are pieces of Deacon Burbankâs motherâs dresses?â thought Linda, as she turned them over, exclaiming, every other minute, âOh, how pretty!â or âOh, what a beauty!â for every new piece that she took up seemed prettier than the last. âWhy, she must have had as many as Queen Victoria. Why _donât_ they wear such colors now? Most of the silk dresses that Miss Cranshaw makes are black, or brown, or sage-green, or some other sober shade; but these are all so bright. Oh, what a lovely blue!â âIt is a handsome piece of silk, ainât it? That was the dress Miss Polly Newcome wore to the inaugeration ball at Washington, âmost forty years ago. They donât have no such silks in these days.â Mrs. Deacon Burbank had mounted the garret stairs with footsteps far from noiseless, being, as she said, aÂ âheftyâ old lady; but Linda had been too much absorbed to notice her approach until she spoke. âOh, Mrs. Burbank! What beautiful pieces!â cried Linda. âWhere did they all come from?â âWhy, they come from all âround, my dear,â said Mrs. Burbank, sitting down with Linda, beside the green chest. âYou see, my girls used to take in dressmakinâ, when they was young, and the pieces kinder gathered anâ gathered. The girls used to keep the silk pieces separate, thinkinâ they might do suthinâ with âem sometime; but they never did. They was always too busy to do much putterinâ work. So the pieces have laid there ever sence the girls left home. They all got married, many a long year ago, my girls. Cecilia went to New York, and Evaline lives down in Pennsylvaney--sheâs got to be quite an old woman herself now; and Nancy Jane, sheâs layinâ in the cemetery over to East Berlin, with her own little girl buried âlong side of her,â said the old lady, sighing. âBut they used to be called the best dressmakers there was anywhere round these parts; folks used to come from as far off as Tolland County to have their nice dresses made by the Burbank girls. Miss Polly Newcome went to Washington the winter that her father was elected to the Senate. She was a great beauty, Miss Polly was, anâ they made everything of her in Washington. But my girls had the makinâ of all her new clothes, âfore she went. This was a dress she wore to a grand dinner-party that was given to her father, Senator Newcome.â And the old lady picked out a scrap of marvelous brocade, with silver-white roses on a wine-colored ground, and smoothed it on her knee. âThis was the one she wore to the Presidentâs receptionâ--selecting a bit of rose-colored satin, striped with sky-blue velvet; âand this,â she continued, smoothing out a long strip of changeable silk in green and ruby tints, âwas another dinner dress. Hereâs a piece of plaid silk that was made up for Squire Harneyâs wife, when she was goinâ to Europe; and hereâs a piece of Mrs. Doctor Thorneâs dress, that she had made on purpose to wear to a grand party over in Tolland.â This last was a good-sized square of bright yellow silk, with polka-dots of mazarine blue. Linda, looking at the gorgeous fabric with admiring eyes, exclaimed: âI never saw such pieces in all my life! They _would_ make the loveliest crazy quilt!â âWhat kind of a quilt, my dear?â âA crazy quilt,â said Linda, laughing. âHavenât you ever seen one, Mrs. Burbank? Fred says the person was crazy who first invented them; but I think theyâre just as pretty as they can be. It takes a great many pieces of silk, though, to make a bed-quilt, and some of the girls only make sofa-pillows and such things.â âOh, you mean patchwork. The land!â said Mrs. Burbank, âIÂ used to make silk patchwork more than sixty years ago. It was all the style then, but I didnât sâpose they ever done it now.â âOh, yes; it is all the style now,â said Linda, with a smile. âDo tell! I want to know if you like to piece patchwork?â said the old lady, looking over her spectacles at Lindaâs girlish face, with its gentle eyes and frame of soft, brown hair. âIÂ declare forât, you look just as my Nancy Jane did when she was your age! If you want them pieces, child, you can have âem; IÂ ainât got any use for âem, and donât sâpose I ever shall have. Iâm too old to piece patchwork, myself--my eyesight ainât what it used toÂ be.â For a moment Linda was speechless with delight, but finally she found her voice, and cried out: âOh, Mrs. Burbank! All those lovely crazy pieces! Do you really mean to give them toÂ me?â âOf course I do, and Iâm real glad to see ye so pleased, my dear. Them silk pieces have laid in that chest years anâ years, doinâ nobody any good; anâ they shanât lay there no longer, if they can make a little girl so happy.â And the good old lady looked happy herself as she opened another chest, and, taking out an old pillow-case of home-spun linen, began to fill it with the wondrous âcrazy pieces.â When she had crowded them all in and tied the bag with a piece of twine, she said: âNow, you can take âem right along with you, anâ whenever your father happens to come this way agâin, he can bring me back the piller-case, for it was one of Mother Burbankâs, and I shouldnât want to lose it. IÂ declare for ât!â she added, âIÂ forgot all about your father, child, IÂ got so took up with lookinâ over them pieces. Heâs got the buggy mended, anâ heâs come back after you, so you must come right down. IÂ want you anâ he should have dinner âfore you go; itâs all ready.â And happy Linda went down to the kitchen, where she found her father and Johnny, and Deacon Burbank, who had just come home to dinner. Mr. Trafton was hungry, and quite willing to take dinner at the deaconâs, instead of waiting till they arrived at East Berlin. They all became very well acquainted in the course of the meal, and Mr. Trafton promised to bring Linda to see Mrs. Burbank, whenever he came that way. âAnd I will bring my crazy quilt and show it to you, when I get it done, Mrs. Burbank,â added Linda. Whereupon Johnny spoke up, and said: âIf you donât get on with your crazy quilt any faster than my sister does with hers, you wonât ever get it done!â And Linda told him that sounded just like Fred! Johnny carried the pillow-case out to the buggy and tucked it under the seat; and Linda could think of nothing but her crazy pieces all the way to East Berlin. When she got home and showed them to Fred, he declared they were the jolliest, craziest lot of pieces he had seen yet! And when Lindaâs quilt was commenced, all the girls went wild over it; but she laughingly refused to tell them where her pieces came from. She made a great mystery of the matter, asserting, in reply to all inquiries, that hers would be a crazy quilt with a history, and nobody should know anything about it until the quilt was finished. A crazy quilt with a history is no trifling piece of work, and the girls have not yet heard the story. DAVYâS TURN. BY FLORENCE B. HALLOWELL. âNever mind! Itâll come my turn some day, and then Iâll pay you boys up; and youâll be sorry enough for all the mean things youâve done to me,â and Davy Potter stooped to pick up the books which one of a group of a dozen boys had pushed from his arm. The school-house yard was muddy from recent rains, and the books were so wet and dirty that Davy took out his pocket handkerchief to wipe them off. âWhatâll you take for that handkerchief, Dave?â asked Fred Bassett. âItâs a beauty, and no mistake.â There was a loud shout from the other boys, and universal attention was directed to the little square of faded calico Davy was so industriously using. A hot flush rose to the boyâs thin, freckled face; but he made no reply, except to mutter under his breath something which the boys could not catch. But there was a bitter, vindictive feeling in his heart as he followed his persecutors into the school-house. He did not understand why all the wit--if wit it could be called--should be leveled at him; why he should be the target for every poisoned arrow, simply because he was poor, ugly and always at the bottom of his classes. He thought it unjust and cruel, and longed with all his heart for the time to come when by some real good luck he would have a chance to âpay the boysÂ up.â He knew that if he ever needed assistance in any such work, he could rely on old Sim Kane to help him; for the old man--aÂ half-witted creature who earned a miserable livelihood by doing odd jobs of wood-sawing and cleaning for charitably-disposed people--had good reason, also, to hate the boys of the Prickett school, and long for revenge. Davy lived with an aunt, who gave him a home as a matter of duty, and regarded him as a burden and a nuisance, often treating him so unkindly that he was made very unhappy, and spent as little time with her as possible. He tried honestly to be dutiful and obedient; but he couldnât help forgetting occasionally to wipe his feet before entering the kitchen, and sometimes he let the fire go out, or forgot to feed the chickens. Then he was severely reprimanded, of course, and told that he was ungrateful, as well as stupid. But in the woods he was free to do as he liked, and there was no one to scold or find fault with him, and he had many dumb but affectionate friends there among the squirrels, rabbits and birds. So he always took his way to the woods every Saturday as soon as he had cleaned up the yard about his auntâs house, filled all the water-buckets, cut the kindling for the kitchen stove, and attended to the dozen or more other chores Miss Potter required of him. He never shirked the least of them, no matter how anxious he was to get away; for he had been so frequently told how much he owed to his aunt, that he believed he could not do too much for her. It was while exploring the depths of the woods, one day, that he discovered the secret retreat of the âMystic Nine,â aÂ club of nine boys who disappeared from the village regularly every Saturday morning during the spring, summer and fall, and remained away until sunset, often returning with torches to have a street parade after dark, or with a bag of plump birds for a grand âfryâ in the kitchen of some indulgent mother. That they had a hiding-place of some sort, where they held meetings and ate the generous lunches they carried with them, all the boys outside the nine felt sure; but none of the Mystics ever answered any questions concerning it, and threw out vague but impressive warnings as to the terrible fate that would befall any one whose curiosity led him to seek to penetrate the secret they guarded so closely. Davy stumbled upon it quite by chance. Following the trail of a bird with a wounded wing, he found himself in a part of the wood he had never been in before, and came suddenly upon a great pile of brush a dozen feet high, behind which was the entrance to a deep cave in a rocky hillside. He entered, and found it well furnished with rough blankets, aÂ table, an oil stove, and many other things necessary to the comfort and convenience of nine boys. AÂ large window in the roof, which was carefully covered with brush, afforded a means to obtain light, when that given by the mouth of the cave did not prove sufficient, or when bad weather made it necessary to drop the canvas which did duty as a door. Davy, afraid of getting into trouble, kept his discovery to himself, but he made frequent stolen trips to the cave, and resolved that some day he would use his knowledge for the purpose of obtaining his revenge. He had a vague plan in his head to guide about fifty of the roughest boys in the village to the cave, and thus give the secret to every one, and he fully determined to let this be his form of revenge, when, being called upon to read in class, he was forced to use the wet, soiled books. His thoughts were directed so much to this subject that his lessons were recited even worse than usual, and as a result he was kept in to study for an hour after the close of school. When he was at last free to go home, and left the school-house, he found that poor old Sim was in the hands of his enemies. The Mystic Nine had placed him in his own dilapidated hand-cart, and were wheeling him down one of the side streets as fast as they could go, shouting and laughing at his frenzied cries of distress and the ludicrous picture he presented, as he clung to the side of the cart, the brim of his torn straw hat flapping in the wind, and an old scarf of bright scarlet silk, which he cherished as his dearest earthly possession, streaming out behind. Davy felt very sorry for the old man, but did not dare interfere. He could only wait until the boys, becoming wearied of their sport, ran the cart into a shallow pond and went off to seek other diversion. Old Sim was almost helpless with fright and exhaustion, and when Davy waded into the pond and pushed the cart out on dry land again, he threw his arms about the boyâs neck, and clung to him, sobbing and moaning like a child. It was all Davy could do to comfort and quiet him, and to persuade him to go home, so apprehensive was he that another attack would be made on him. But Davy finally succeeded in convincing him that there was no further danger, and the old man went scuffling off to the miserable shanty he called home. The next day was Saturday, and as the weather was clear and bright, Davy resolved to spend the whole morning in the woods. But his aunt found so much for him to do that it was nearly noon before he was
{'title': 'Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Volume VIII, No 25: May 21, 1887 by Various', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}