CHAPTER 7
Pa Hooper’s Trunk
NEXT morning at the orchard, the main topic of conversation was the loss of the crazy quilt.
Everyone agreed that Miss Gordon had left it lying under the oak tree. No one recalled seeing it after that.
“Pickers went to and from the orchard all day,” Miss Gordon declared. “Oh, dear, it was careless of me not to have locked it in the car. And to think how many long hours the Brownies spent on their beautiful blocks!”
“Maybe one of the Mexicans took it!” suggested Rosemary. “I saw that little boy they call Juan walking along the road about four o’clock.”
“Juan wouldn’t steal,” Veve said, going quickly to his defense. “He’s nice and I like him!”
“We mustn’t accuse anyone,” said Miss Gordon. “The fault was entirely my own. I’ll try somehow to make it up to the Brownies. Just at the moment, I can’t think of any way to do it. Every one of those stitches was precious.”
The Brownies felt the same way about their work. Not for anything in the world would they have sewed another quilt. They felt its loss very keenly.
“Does this mean we won’t have the quilt show or the auction?” Eileen asked.