Aunt Sarah loved a joke.  She held up an old broadcloth cape.  “Here is a fine patch for Ralph Jackson’s breeches, should he ever become sedentary and need one.”

Mary reddened and looked almost offended and was at a loss for a reply.

[Illustration: 

A-18 Fleur DeLys Quilt
A-19 Oak Leaf Quilt
A-20 One Block of Fleur DeLys Quilt
A-21 Winding Way Quilt
A-22 Tulip Quilt
A-23 Flower Pot Quilt]

Greatly amused, Aunt Sarah quoted ex-President Roosevelt:  “’Tis time for the man with the patch to come forward and the man with the dollar to step back,’” and added, “Never mind, Mary, your Ralph is such an industrious, hustling young man that he will never need a patch to step forward, I prophesy that with such a helpmeet and ‘Haus Frau’ as you, Mary, he’ll always be most prosperous and happy.  Kiss me, dear.”

Mary did so, and her radiant smile at such praise from her honored relative was beautiful to behold.

[Illustration:  Old rag carpet]

CHAPTER IX.

Poetry and pie.

“Aunt Sarah,” questioned Mary one day, “do you mind if I copy some of your recipes?”

“Certainly not, my dear,” replied her Aunt.

“And I’d like to copy some of the poems, also, I never saw any one else have so much poetry in a book of cooking recipes.”

“Perhaps not,” replied her Aunt, “but you know, Mary, I believe in combining pleasure with my work, and our lives are made up of poetry and prose, and some lives are so very prosy.  Many times when too tired to look up a favorite volume of poems, it has rested me to turn the pages of my recipe book and find some helpful thought, and a good housewife will always keep her book of recipes where it may be readily found for reference.  I think, Mary, the poem ‘Pennsylvania,’ by Lydia M.D.  O’Neil, a fine one, and I never tire of reading it over and over again.  I have always felt grateful to my old schoolmaster.  Professor T——­, for teaching me, when a school girl, to love the writing of Longfellow, Whittier, Bryant, Tennyson and other well-known poets.  I still, in memory, hear him repeat ‘Thanatopsis,’ by Bryant and ’The Builders,’ by Longfellow.  The rhymes of the ‘Fireside Poet’ are easily understood, and never fail to touch the heart of common folk.  I know it appears odd to see so many of my favorite poems sandwiched in between old, valued cooking recipes, but, Mary, the happiness of the home life depends so largely on the food we consume.  On the preparation and selection of the food we eat depends our health, and on our health is largely dependent our happiness and prosperity.  Who is it has said, ’The discovery of a new dish makes more for the happiness of man than the discovery of a star’?  So, dearie, you see there is not such a great difference between the one who writes a poem and the one who