“Say, is it?” Judy looked cautiously around. “It was thirty-nine years ago and I’ve niver told a living soul afore. She said a word beginning wid D and inding wid N.”

Pat doubled up with laughter. Stately old Great-grandmother Gardiner whose picture hung in the Big Parlor with her white cap encircling her saintly face! Really, the things Judy knew about respectable people were dreadful.

“This ould rag was a dress yer grandmother wore in her day.” Judy held up a faded affair with manifold flounces. “Striped silk jist like ribbing grass. Mebbe it’s the very one…I’m not saying it is but it might be…she wore jist the twicet.”

“Why didn’t she wear it again?” asked Cuddles.

“Oh, oh, if it’s the one…mind ye. I’m not saying it is…yer grandmother and her cousin, Mrs. Tom Taylor, were great rivals, it did be said, in the matter av dresses and both av thim fond av gay colors. And whin yer grandmother come to church quite gorgeous-like in her striped dress Mrs. Tom turned quite grane and said nothing but wint to town nixt day and bought a dress av the same piece and give it to her ould scrubwoman at the Bridge. The poor ould soul was pleased as Punch and got it made up at oncet and wore it to church the nixt Sunday. Oh, oh, ’twas rale cruel av Mrs. Tom and there was a judgmint on her, for her own father died and she did have to be wearing black for two years. It was rale bitter, for black didn’t set her. But niver wud yer grandmother put the striped dress on her back agin.”

“How foolish of her,” said Cuddles loftily.

“Oh, oh, it’s the foolish folks as does all the int’risting things,” chuckled Judy. “There’d not be minny stories to tell if ivery one was wise. And if here isn’t Siddy’s ould Teddy bear! Niver a night wud he go to slape widout it. It’s mesilf sewed thim shoe-buttons in for eyes whin Ned Binnie picked the first ones out and poor Siddy’s liddle heart was broken.”

“They’re saying in school Sid has a case on Jenny Madison,” said Cuddles.

“Sid has a new ‘case’ every two months,” said Pat lightly. “What a pretty dress this must have been in its time, Judy…a sort of silvery stuff with lace frills in the sleeves.”