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Antique Tile<\/strong><\/p>\n Joe stood at the window, watching the snow fall. His thoughts turned to a similar scene a year ago. Last Christmas Eve, he had anxiously waited while Alice gave birth to their twin sons. He had never thought of himself as a religious man, but an incident early in her pregnancy changed that. He and Pa agreed it had been Providence that Alice had survived after that gang of cut throats had threatened her due to her brother John\u2019s gambling debts. Only due to the quick thinking of one of the gang members, an undercover U.S. Marshal, the pregnant Alice had lived. Sadly, neither their house nor John had survived. Before the gang members were stopped, they\u2019d set fire to the house and murdered John. It wasn\u2019t until the night the babies were born that they\u2019d learned the undercover marshal was Joe\u2019s long-absent oldest brother, Adam. Joe smiled as he remembered the stunned look on Adam\u2019s face when he told him that the newest Cartwrights were named Eric Adam and Benjamin Adam because he had saved both their lives.<\/p>\n Since then, Adam had been on administrative leave. Officially, it was to clear up the paperwork and for his superiors to offer him another position. Unofficially, it was to prevent Adam from resigning. While his head understood his superiors\u2019 decision not to tell him of Hoss\u2019s death or Joe\u2019s marriage over concerns that knowledge could jeopardize his cover, his heart said something different. He\u2019d confessed to Joe that action had seriously damaged Adam\u2019s trust in the men. And he hadn\u2019t yet forgiven them\u2014or himself\u2014for not being home immediately after Hoss had passed.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s gaze moved indoors to the Christmas tree. It felt good that the three brothers were able to choose and cut it together this year. His thoughts turned to each of the ornaments on the tree. The ones each of their mothers had added, and the ones added since Mama\u2019s death. Jamie had even contributed a hand-crocheted angel his mother had made.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n December was always Hoss and Joe\u2019s favorite month. As a child, Joe would get excited about presents, while Hoss always reminded him gently of the real meaning of Christmas and that giving was more important than receiving. He smiled inwardly as he remembered just how long it had taken him to learn that lesson.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s thoughts turned to how deeply losing Hoss had affected his oldest brother. Adam was coming to grips with it by designing and building a new house for Joe and Alice. Jamie had been interested in the process, and Adam included him in every step. They were bonding as brothers while working together; first on the plans at the dining room table in the ranch house and, more recently, at the work site.<\/p>\n While Joe was forever grateful that Alice and the babies had survived the fire, a small part of him still mourned the loss of the quilt Alice had been repairing. She had been replacing its well-worn binding and several blocks, due to wear and stains. The quilt had been his mother\u2019s last gift to him. He vaguely remembered her finishing it shortly before her death.<\/p>\n It had smelled of his Mama. He smiled inwardly remembering when Adam was in college, Joe had been confused as to why its scent seemed to increase, not decrease. That is, until he\u2019d caught Hoss coming out of Joe\u2019s room with an atomizer. First Adam and later Hoss had spritzed the quilt with his Mama\u2019s favorite scent. Hoss wasn\u2019t quite as adept as Adam at giving a light spritz to the quilt.<\/p>\n Joe remembered the first Christmas after Mama\u2019s death. He missed her terribly, and Pa was busy with the ranch. Just as Adam had immediately after her death, he again stepped in to fill in as surrogate father for both Hoss and Joe. It was Adam who had pulled from the storage chest the quilt his Mama had made. And he\u2019d bundled his youngest brother in it. With Hoss on one side and Adam on the other on his Mama\u2019s settee, Little Joe had felt loved and comforted. Through the years, the quilt had gotten quite a workout. Joe had often wrapped himself in it during those long nights when he missed her the most, and anytime he was sick.<\/p>\n The pattern was one each woman in Mama\u2019s family had made for the next generation. The quilt made by his grandmother had been the only keepsake Mama had from her own mother. It had been cruelly destroyed by her former mother-in-law. So the quilt she\u2019d made for Joe had been the last in a long line of family heirlooms, and made its loss even harder.<\/p>\n She had shared its history with his older brothers and Pa. After her death, it became one of Joe\u2019s favorite stories. He loved to hear it over and over. Each one told it slightly differently. What he would give to hear Hoss\u2019s version just once more!<\/p>\n He remembered the Christmas Eve when he was ten and getting over a bad cold. That afternoon Adam was away in college, Pa was in town and Hop Sing was busy in the kitchen\u2026<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n The door opened as Hoss entered the house. Joe had heard him on the porch stomping the snow off his boots and clothes before coming inside. As he took off his coat and hat, Joe immediately cornered him.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, tell me the story of Mama\u2019s quilt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, Joe. I just got in from the cold. Let me warm up and get somethin\u2019 to eat before ya start demandin\u2019 stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I just missed ya. I\u2019m alone here, and…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, you\u2019re not alone. Hop Sing is here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the same. Please?\u201d<\/p>\n Just then Hop Sing came out with a plate of cookies and hot chocolate for the boys. They thanked him before Hoss took a cookie and sat next to Joe on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve heard that story so much. Maybe you\u2019d like another one?\u201d<\/p>\n It was a long-standing joke between the brothers. Joe would ask for the story. Hoss would try to talk him out of it before he\u2019d finally agree.<\/p>\n Pouting a little, Joe answered quickly. \u201cNah. I want to hear the quilt story.\u201d<\/p>\n After a deep, long-suffering sigh, Hoss launched into his tale. \u201cWell, it all started a couple o\u2019 hundred years ago when Mama’s people left their homes in France. They came to the New World, and settled in a part of Canada called Nova Scotia.\u201d He paused to sip his drink.<\/p>\n Joe interrupted. \u201cYou forgot to say why they left France.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t. I\u2019m comin\u2019 to that.\u201d Hoss glared at his younger brother before continuing. \u201cHer people left France \u2018cause the king there was always gettin\u2019 his people inta wars with England, and they just wanted to live in peace. So, they came to their new homes. They lived in swamps and such, making homes from land nobody else wanted. They was poor as church mice, but happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are church mice poor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Shortshanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you ask Pa or Adam next time they tell this story?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded in agreement, intent on Hoss continuing his tale.<\/p>\n \u201cAny how, they were livin\u2019 alone by themselves, minding their own business. After many years, England took over that part of Canada from France. It was part of a treaty to end some war or the other. By this time Mama\u2019s people were called Acadians. They agreed to support the King of England and agreed to not fight anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything went along fine for about fifty years. Then some English general who was full of himself decided to demand the Acadians swear to support the king and to give up their churches. They were Roman Catholic and the English were Protestant. Mama\u2019s people refused, and the general decided to burn them out and throw them off their lands. Only, he didn\u2019t tell the king or government what he was doing and didn\u2019t have permission to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid they punish him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Iffen you keep interrupting, I won\u2019t finish the story before supper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss smiled and winked. \u201cI know. Anyway, when they still refused to do what he wanted, he decided to boot them out of Canada. He burned their homes and farms, and they fled for their lives. The only thing your great-great-something grandma saved was the quilt she\u2019d made. As far back as anyone could remember, the mamas in her family had taught the daughters how to make that quilt. It was considered good luck and was always part of the gals\u2019 dowries.<\/p>\n \u201cShe took it with her when she married. She and her husband got on a ship with some of their neighbors and headed for Louisiana. It was owned by Spain and later France; both were also Roman Catholic. So, at least they could worship the way they wanted. And once President Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory, they still could. \u2018Cause the United States Constitution says so.\u201d Hoss paused, taking another cookie before nodding to emphasize that point.<\/p>\n \u201cSo once again, they\u2019d built homes on swamps and such \u2018cause nobody else wanted that land. Ever since then, the women in Mama\u2019s family made that same quilt pattern for their children. It\u2019s her family\u2019s quilt pattern, and now it\u2019s yours, too. Mama planned to make one for each of us, but you know she had that bad accident and didn\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Adam called it a tragedy. What\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sighed before answering. \u201cThat\u2019s when somethin\u2019 really bad happens to someone who\u2019s good. Tragic stories and plays have unhappy endings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would a story have an unhappy ending?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know the rest of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy was my quilt in Adam\u2019s trunk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Just then, Ben walked in and took off his hat, coat and gun.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, do you know why my quilt was in Adam\u2019s trunk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter Mama, you know, fell off her horse, and um…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Yes, I remember.\u201d He crossed the room and sat in his chair next to the fireplace before continuing. \u201cShe made that quilt and gave it to Adam, her eldest son. She had planned to make one for each of you, but never had the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam gave me his quilt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled. \u201cHe said you needed it more than he did.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Afterwards, every time Joe used the quilt he felt wrapped in both Mama and Adam\u2019s love and protection. He realized he\u2019d never told his oldest brother that. Perhaps he should, he mused. Lost in thought, he hadn\u2019t noticed the snow had stopped until he saw Adam and Jamie ride up to the barn. Before Joe could blink, Griff and Jamie were taking the horses into the barn to care for them. Joe smiled, remembering the initial wariness Griff had held when meeting a U.S. Marshal. It didn\u2019t take Adam long to put the younger man at ease, and the two quickly formed a friendship. It meant the world to the ex-con that Adam trusted him with the care of his beloved Sport. As Joe watched, his oldest brother strode to the house.<\/p>\n Joe turned as the front door opened and greeted his brother. \u201cYou made it back for lunch!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup,\u201d was Adam\u2019s brief reply as he divested himself of his outerwear and gun.<\/p>\n Not being able to stand the suspense, Joe broke the silence. \u201cIs everything all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. We finished the water closet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we can finally see this masterpiece you\u2019ve kept secret?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to surprise you and Alice for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know; I\u2019m just teasing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam winked, \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo we have to wait until Christmas Day to see the finished work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Any time is fine. Although, I would like both you and Alice to see it together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter lunch if the snow has stopped?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing came out of the kitchen with hot coffee for both men.<\/p>\n During lunch it was decided that Alice and Joe would accompany Adam and Jamie to inspect the house while Hop Sing and Ben took care of the twins who were napping.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n All four of them entered the house together. Jamie was silent, standing back and watching with interest and delight Joe and Alice\u2019s reactions.<\/p>\n The couple walked hand-in-hand through the house. While they knew Adam had planned innovations like pocket doors and various safety features to help keep the twins out of trouble, seeing them in the house was quite different than trying to envision them from a set of plans. The mud room off the kitchen had a large laundry tub that was elevated so the person doing the wash didn\u2019t have to kneel. Adam suggested the tub might also be an option for bathing the twins.<\/p>\n As Alice opened the door to the water closet, she gasped in surprise. Joe wordlessly supported her by putting his arm around her. He found himself speechless with awe at the workmanship. In addition to the sink and commode, there was a bathtub, large enough to stretch out in. Joe fleetingly thought it was even large enough for either two adults or one Hoss\u2019s size. What held the couple\u2019s attention though was the ceramic tile on the floor and halfway up the wall. They had discussed wainscoting, although they had assumed it would be wood, not ceramic.<\/p>\n \u201cI decided that ceramic tile would be easier to clean. I saw something similar in a castle in Europe. And I remember the challenges of cleaning up after growing boys.\u201d<\/p>\n Stunned, Alice turned around slowly. The tiny mosaic tiles on the walls were a repeating pattern of six tiles across and six tiles down.<\/p>\n antique_tile_repeat.png<\/p>\n Her voice breaking, she choked out the words. \u201cOh, Adam! This\u2026 this looks like something I\u2019ve heard of in a palace. It\u2019s above and beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you seems so inadequate!\u201d<\/p>\n His soothing voice replied, \u201cYour thanks is more than enough. Right, Jamie?\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie nodded enthusiastically.<\/p>\n Joe asked, \u201cHow long did it take you to figure this out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the time spent in those trips to San Francisco was learning how to do this. Honestly, I didn\u2019t keep track. Jamie worked with me. Working together on this helped me to work through…\u201d After a brief pause and deep breath, he choked out, \u201ceverything.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie clarified, \u201cIt helped both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding sagely, Joe was uncharacteristically quiet. Alice stepped next to Adam and engulfed him in a hug. After a few moments, they broke apart. Adam looked away, blinking hard.<\/p>\n Softly touching the wall tile, Alice spoke. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing, Adam! You did the wall tile in Marie\u2019s quilt pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, its name seemed appropriate. The mosaic tiles are reproductions of antiques. There is one tile intentionally out of place. In a quilt, according to Marie, a perfect quilt is bad luck.\u201d With a wink, he continued. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it also applies to tiles placed in a quilt pattern and didn\u2019t want to take any chances. Just don\u2019t look too hard because there may be other places that aren\u2019t perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes glimmered with tears as he enveloped his older brother in a bear hug. \u201cThanks for giving me Mama\u2019s quilt twice.\u201d At Adam, Jame and Alice\u2019s looks of confusion, he explained what he knew about his brother\u2019s gift so long ago.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Christmas Day dawned bright and clear. Alice had made an antique tile quilt for their bed in colors similar to the quilt Marie had made. Later, she would continue the tradition by making one for each of their children. She helped Adam and Jamie\u2019s wives start their own traditions by similarly reproducing quilts made by their birth mothers.<\/p>\n Each year, after the story of the nativity was told, the children insisted it wasn\u2019t Christmas without retelling the quilt story, the tile story and how the twins got their middle names. After the stories were told the twins Eric and Benjamin always in unison proclaimed, \u201cNow it really is a Merry Christmas!\u201d<\/p>\n And it was.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> In France John Mouras invented the septic tank in 1860, and opened it in 1870 to be sure it worked. He didn’t apply for a patent until 1881, but for the purpose of this story I assumed it would be something Adam and his engineering contacts would be interested in and know about before the patent was approved. A timeline can be found in A Short History of the Septic System<\/em>.<\/p>\n
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