"My goodness," the woman broke the spell, "it's funny how old pictures
make abody think back. That old polonaise dress, now," she went on in
reminiscent strain, "had the nicest buttons on. I got some of 'em yet
on my charm string."
"Charm string--what's a charm string?"
"Wait once. I'll show you."
The woman left the room. They heard her tramp about up-stairs and soon
she returned with a long string of buttons threaded closely together
and forming a heavy cable.
"Oh, let me see! Ain't that nice!" exclaimed Amanda. "Where did you
ever get so many buttons and all different?"
"We used to beg them. When I was a girl everybody mostly had a charm
string. I kept puttin' buttons on mine till I was well up in my
twenties, then the string was full and big so I stopped. I used to hang
it over the looking glass in the parlor and everybody that came looked
at it."
Amanda fingered the charm string interestedly. Antique buttons,
iridescent, golden, glimmering, some with carved flowers, others
globules of colored glass, many of them with quaint filigree brass
mounting over colored background, a few G. A. R. buttons from old
uniforms, speckled china ones like portions of bird eggs--all strung
together and each one having a history to the little old eccentric
woman who had cherished them through many years.
"This one Martin Landis give me for the string and this one is from
Jonas' wedding jacket and this pretty blue glass one a girl gave me
that's dead this long a'ready."
"Oh"--Amanda's eyes shone. She turned to her mother, "Did you ever have
a charm string, Mom?"
"Yes. A pretty one. But I let you play with it when you were a baby and
the string got broke and the buttons put in the box or lost."
"Ach, but that spites me. I'd like to see it and have you tell where
the buttons come from. I like old things like that, I do."
"Then mebbe you'd like to see my friendship cane," said Aunt Rebecca.
"Oh, yes! What's that?" Amanda rose from her chair, eager to see what a
friendship cane could be.
"My goodness, sit down! You get me all hoodled up when you act so
jumpy," said the aunt. Then she walked to a corner of the parlor,
reached behind the big cupboard and drew out a cane upon which were
tied some thirty ribbon bows of various colors.
"And is that a friendship cane?" asked Amanda. "What's it for?"
"Ach, it was just such a style, good for nothin' but for the girls of
my day to have a little pleasure with. We got boys and girls to give us
pretty ribbons and we exchanged with some and then we tied 'em on the
cane. See, they're all old kinds o' ribbons yet. Some are double-faced
satin and some with them little scallops at the edge, and they're
pretty colors, too. I could tell the name of every person who give me a
ribbon for that cane. My goodness, lots o' them boys and girls been
dead long a'ready. I guess abody shouldn't hold up such old things so
long, it just makes you feel bad still when you rake 'em out and look
at 'em. Here now, let me put it away, that's enough lookin' for one
day." She spoke brusquely and put the cane into its hiding-place behind
the glass cupboard.