The Tapestry in the Attic Read Online Free PDF

will need to reflect a late-medieval sensibility rather than Biblical times.” Looking at Kate, she said, “I was hoping we could put your clothing design talent to good use for the costumes, Kate.”
    “That would be so much fun!” said Kate. “I can go to the library and check out some books on costumes, and I know I can get Vanessa to find resources on the Internet too. I thought this winter would be kind of quiet, but it looks like we are all going to be kept pretty busy.”
    “Don’t forget that there will also be students from the college working with us. Don’t be afraid to delegate. If this effort is to succeed, it needs to be a true collaborative effort between the students of Longfellow College and the citizens of Stony Point. I’m sure we are all going to learn a lot from this experience,” said Stella.
    Annie pulled out the list of props Professor Howell had written up and scanned through it. Included in the list was a large patterned rug. She knew that there were several large area rugs rolled up in the attic at Grey Gables. Perhaps one of them would work. There were several other items she thought she could provide, including a standing embroidery frame, which she knew she had since her grandmother had been a professional designer of embroidery and cross-stitch patterns. Also on the list was an entry for “baskets of various shapes and sizes”—there were dozens of those in the attic.
    “If anyone is interested and can come over to Grey Gables one evening—either tomorrow or Thursday—we could go through the attic to see if there is anything that we can use for the stage set. From this list, I can see right off that I have at least a couple of things that might work, and maybe more,” said Annie.
    “Sounds like a good place to start,” said Alice. “I can come either evening.”
    “Emily has rehearsal on Thursday evening—could we meet at Grey Gables tomorrow instead, after dinnertime?” asked Peggy.
    Everyone agreed to come over to Annie’s house the following evening to look through the attic for props for the play, except for Stella, who said, “I’ll leave that to you girls. I don’t do so well with stairs as I used to. I want to say again how much I appreciate your willingness to pitch in. Kate’s right—it’s going to be a busy winter, and the sooner we can get our ducks in a row, the better it will be.”
    ****
    Annie planned to spend the next morning reading the play, but before she began, she opened her Bible to Proverbs 31 to refresh her memory. There he was: King Lemuel. Annie had forgotten the first part of the chapter, where King Lemuel related his mother’s admonishment to steer clear of wine and women so that he could remain a good and just king. Annie’s memory of chapter 31 started at verse 10, where the writer launched into the qualities of “a wife of noble character” as it said in her modern translation. Alice had stated the activities of the wife pretty well; she was the ultimate multitasker—she never “ate the bread of idleness.” Annie thought it was going to be interesting to see how Jacob Martin had managed to take a few paragraphs about a king’s mother’s advice and turn it into a play.
    Annie glanced through the cast list again, wondering which parts Stella had in mind when she asked her retired actor friends to take part in the play. If Dolores Fortescue played the mother of the king, perhaps Cyril would play the part of the king’s trusted advisor—Annie hadn’t seen either of them before, but surely he couldn’t be playing the part of her son. Whatever the case, it would undoubtedly bring a much higher level of professionalism to the production to have two such seasoned actors.
    Annie had intended to take notes as she read, but she became so involved in the plot and the characters that she forgot about everything else. The story, as it was told through the dialogue, swept her along, and when she reached the dramatic denouement, she