MEMORIES OF THE 



cooking was lively business and required constant watching and 

 attention. Just to the right of the fire-place was the mouth or 

 door of the great brick oven, filled with bread, pies, cakes, 

 apples, and everything else that was best cooked by its steady, 

 even heat. Nothing has ever excelled the old brick oven as a 

 perfect baker, and when custom required that pie be served 

 with every first-class meal, they were almost indispensable, on 

 account of their capacity as well as the superiority of the food 

 they turned out. 



The culinary reputation of the New England housewife de- 

 pended largely on her pies, and a pie more than anything else 

 depends on the baking. It was no trouble to fill in a dozen or 

 more large, square pie-tins at one time, and when the pies were 

 done, the same heating would bake pork and beans, corn bread, 

 or sweet apples, by leaving them in overnight — this was the 

 only correct thing for " rye-and-Indian" or straight corn bread. 

 I was always willing to get oven wood — that meant pie, baked 

 apples and cheese without stint, between meals or any other 

 time when wanted. Mother approved of children eating when- 

 ever they were hungry, and for the first fifteen years of my life I 

 was hungry most of the time. 



In 1840 the big chimneys were taken out of the upright, but 

 the kitchen chimney and the brick oven remained some twenty 

 years or more longer. The house has been changed inside and 

 made more convenient in some respects, but the general features 

 remain yet. The first coat of Venetian red, after being covered 

 with several coats of brown, is just coming out again, almost as 

 good as new. 



Like other people's wells, our deep, cold well was thought to 



be the best in the world. The water was very palatable and 



probably pure, but it was hard, lime water, which we enjoyed 



because we were used to it. ,„/- 



170 



