The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook

Aliske Webb

Lionhearts

Orphans are left on doorsteps. In baskets. In secrecy and embarrassment, and

with sad entreaties to take care of the precious bundle inside. Here was another

orphan to look after. At least, that’s how it felt when I went to the firehall last night to pick

up a parcel. I wish the firemen would be more open about it and own up to it. There’s

certainly nothing to be ashamed about. Not any more. Not these days. A lot of men

have been caught doing it.

When I returned to the Inn, Michael and I carefully opened the plainly wrapped

package and gently lifted out our treasure. A beautiful applique quilt! Yes, our firemen

quilt. On the “q.t.” Seven volunteer firemen get together every two weeks to eat pizza,

drink beer, watch a ball game, and...quilt. You just never know what goes on behind

closed doors, do you?

It all started five years ago after the terrible MacPherson fire. Three young

children who should have never been left alone were trapped in the back bedroom of

a rapidly collapsing house. By that strange power of coincidence or Divine intention

that places the right people at the right place when they are needed, Dan, one of the

volunteers, heard the call go out over his car radio. He’d been out that evening to The

Rib House bar and remembered seeing Sam and Jessie MacPherson partying it up

late. He knew that meant the kids were home unattended as usual. Fortunately, he was

only eight blocks away atthe time. Unfortunately, he had no equipment with him and the

firehall was on the other side of town. He also knew that the poor wood frame houses

on this side of town were just tinderboxes waiting to go up.

Dan was the first on the scene and without even hesitating,he charged straight

into the burning house. To this day, no one knows, not even Dan, how he found the

children. The house was literally collapsing behind him as he went towards the

bedrooms. Smashing the back window, he pushed two unconscious children to safety.

Although neighbors saw him go in the front, no one was watching the back of the

building. By the time he got the third child tothe window and out, both he and the baby

were on fore themselves. Holding the child, and dragging him away from the house, he

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Country Cooking