1911. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
My Christmas Shopping in Colorado. 
It was Monday, and only two days 
before Christmas. The weather had 
been so unsettled that I had not consid¬ 
ered it safe or prudent to take the 
children out, so I had put off my Christ¬ 
mas shopping until this late hour in order 
that 1 might leave them safe at home 
with their aunt when she should be 
with us for her holiday vacation. Her 
school was out on Friday, she came 
up from the city on Saturday, remained 
with a friend over night and Charles 
Winfield brought her home Sunday. 
There was nothing for me to do but go 
to town Monday or Tuesday. 
“Charles Winfield,” I sa : d on Monday 
morning, “can’t you take me to town to¬ 
day?” 
"Why, I should be glad to take you,” 
he said, “but I don’t believe you ought 
to go to-day. The wind is roaring in 
the hills, and I am afraid we are going 
to have the most violent storm we have 
had this year.” 
“But I’m so afraid if I don’t go to¬ 
day it will be sure to blow to-morrow 
so I can’t go at all and I should be so 
dreadfully disappointed to have nothing 
for the children. Don't you suppose 
we could go and get back before it be¬ 
gins to blow here if we start right 
away ?” 
“I’m afraid not, but we will try if you 
feel that you must.” And I made haste 
to get ready. 
At the last moment Toodles asked so 
wistfully if he might go that, though 
I had planned to leave him at home, 
I weakened as I thought of the Christ¬ 
mas displays at the shops, and how he 
would enjoy them, and asked his father 
if we might take him, to which he very 
reluctantly consented. As we started 
we could hear the roaring of the wind 
in the mountains as it lashed the thick 
pines and swept down the canyons, 
through deep, rock-walled gorges and 
around huge ledges. At times it re¬ 
sembled the steady, ominous rumble of 
a distant train of cars. Now it was like 
the booming of a furious storm at sea. 
In its less frenzied moments it re¬ 
minded one of the deep, hoarse bellow¬ 
ing of an angry bull as he challenges 
another to combat. Great dark cloud 
banks loomed above the mountain tops. 
Where we were the air was so still it 
did not seem possible that the storm 
could break upon us for hours. The 
puffing of an engine five miles away 
could be distinctly heard. Except for 
the roaring in the mountains and the 
wind clouds it gave promise of a perfect 
day, but we had gone less than half a 
mile when the storm overtook us, burst¬ 
ing upon us with the fury of a hurri¬ 
cane, filling our eyes and nostrils with 
dust and gravel, blinding and nearly suf¬ 
focating us. Small Boy wore a thick 
veil so I felt that he was quite well pro¬ 
tected, but mine was thin and unsecurely 
fastened, affording me no protection 
whatever, the dust driving through its 
thin meshes and the sharp pebbles cutting 
mv face. But Charles Winfield was get¬ 
ting the worst of it, for whatever hap¬ 
pened he must keep his eyes open 
enough to see where we were going, and * 
control the horses. He jammed his hat 
down with one hand and with the other 
held grimly to the reins. The horses 
slackened their pace to a walk and 
plodded laboriously along with their 
heads down. The wind blew a perfect 
gale, making our progress very slow 
and difficult. Occasionally a gust 
came with such terrific force as nearly 
to bring the horses to a dead stop. With 
each gust the storm grew stronger. I 
wished heartily that we were under the 
shelter of our own roof, or at least that 
the small boy were. As we approached 
a bridge it seemed as though we should 
be lifted bodily into the ditch below. 
Our horses, blinded and bewildered, 
staggered and lunged forward, the 
buggy quivered as if it would dissolve 
beneath us; with the greatest difficulty 
Charles Winfield kept the horses to the 
bridge,' and we crawled totteringly over. 
We had passed a dangerous place in 
safety and were driving down a slight 
depression on the smooth prairie when 
we felt ourselves being lifted off the 
ground, buggy and all. As it tilted to 
one side I felt Charles Winfield throw 
himself hard against the wind on his 
side of the buggy, but seeing that it was 
useless, with one mind we cleared our¬ 
selves of the robes. Gathering the 
reins more firmly Charles stood up 
straight, gave a spring, clearing us neat¬ 
ly and landing on his feet on the lee¬ 
ward side of the vehicle. I held Toodles 
tightly with one arm and we rolled 
gently out as the buggy turned on its 
side. I struck on my knee and rolled 
over, Toodles stood on his head and 
turned a complete somersault. Having 
on a thick hood and overcoat he was 
not the least bit hurt and not one of us 
received so much as a scratch or a 
bump. The horses were frightened at 
our unseemly conduct and started to 
run, but a reassuring word from Charles 
Winfield and his firm hold on the lines 
quieted them and they stood still while 
we shouted to each other above the 
hovvling of the wind. When we had 
satisfied ourselves that no bones were 
broken nor any other injuries sustained, 
I made Small Boy lie flat upon the 
ground while I gathered up the robes, 
my shopping bag and a basket of eggs 
(only one of which was broken), that 
had been scattered about in the confu¬ 
sion. It was some time before we could 
do anything but remain where we were. 
Meanwhile Small Boy and I lay flat 
upon the ground with our faces down 
like camels in a desert sandstorm. 
Charles braced himself against the wind 
and held the horses. We were out in 
the open prairie, with not a tree, a 
stump nor a fence post to afford shelter 
for ourselves, a place to tie the horses 
or anchor the buggy. The question that 
was agitating our minds was how we 
were going to get home. To proceed 
was obviously out of the question; to 
return seemed equally impossible. We 
were now two miles from home. If 
we left the buggy it would be blown 
about and broken irreparably. If we 
got into it we ran the risk of being 
blown over again and perhaps seriously 
hurt. We could not ride the horses, 
hitched as they were to a vehicle; but 
get home we must. I bundled every¬ 
thing under the seat, climbed up into the 
back end of the buggy, letting my feet 
hang out behind, prepared to jump if 
it threatened to upset again and took 
Toodles up beside me. Charles Winfield 
walked, holding on to the side of the 
huggy with one hand and driving with 
the other. Tn this way we made slowly 
and painfully toward home. The hair 
on the horses’ backs blew up in little 
rows and turned the wrong way. My 
veil blew off and we made no effort 
to recover it. All the time the wind 
shrieked and howled. Conversation 
was out of the question. We were not 
in a mood for conversation anyway. I 
never traveled such a long two miles, 
but we reached home at last. Eleanor 
had been at the window, T think, ever 
since we had started away. Charles 
Winfield said not a word. He contented 
himself with casting upon me occasion¬ 
ally a glance out of the corners of his 
eyes and smiling a little, a way he has 
when he thinks I have been a bit way¬ 
ward or strong-minded. A henpecked 
man is Charles Winfield, but one of 
those glances and one of those smiles is 
quite as effective as many words. We 
wiped the sand from each other’s eyes 
(it required several handkerchiefs and 
a few other articles), and thanked the 
Providence which cares for children and 
another class of mortals who are not 
children but exercise the judgment of 
children. Some people call them fools. 
The next day was calm and fair and 
Charles Winfield cheerfully and oblig¬ 
ingly hitched up the team and took me 
to town to do my Christmas shopping. 
JESSIE I. CARPENTER. 
Vegetable Dishes. 
Sweet Potato Ribbons.—Pare six po¬ 
tatoes and let stand in cold water one 
hour, then wipe and with a sharp knife 
pare round and round in a continuous 
strip without breaking; drop in boiling 
lard and fry a delicate brown; put on a 
sieve to drain and when ready to serve 
sprinkle with salt. 
Curried Tomatoes.—Wash one coffee- 
cupful of rice well, then open a quart 
can of tomatoes and have your baking 
dish ready, putting in alternate layers 
of tomatoes and the uncooked rice, sea¬ 
son with one tablespoonful of minced 
ham, one teaspoonful of minced parsley; 
on the top layer sprinkle cracker crumbs 
and dots of butter and bake. 
Cabbage au Gratin.-—Cook one quart 
of shredded cabbage 20 minutes in salted 
boiling water. Drop the cabbage a little 
at a time into the boiling water so that 
the water does not stop boiling and 
leave the kettle uncovered and the odor 
will not be noticed. Drain. Make a 
cream sauce by cooking one tablespoon- 
ful of butter and a tablespoonful of flour, 
saltspoonfu) of salt and dash of -pepper, 
and stirring into it a cup of milk until 
it thickens. Put alternate layers of the 
cabbage, cream sauce and grated cheese 
in_ a baking dish, having cheese and 
grated bread crumbs over the top. Bake 
a light brown. 
1181 
RUNNING-44') 
WATER h " jrK 
Complete Hot-Water and #100110 
-Steam-Heating plants 4 ? lull Ur 
a. 
fP. 
Fresh running: 
wnter for your 
bathroom ,k i tch on, 
laundry, stables, 
gardens. Plants oil 
sizes, $42 and up. 
Operated by hand 
power, electric mo¬ 
tors or gasoline 
engines. 
This Complote Bath 
room Outfit for 
$38.95 
All kimls o i 
plumbing Bup- 
plleB at factory 
-to-yoiwllrect 
prices. 
Heatinn Plants 
—Save StOO 
to $250 
on a modern 
Heating Sys¬ 
tem. Steam 
Heatlngplants 
»U0 tip. Hot 
waterpiante $U0 up. 
lighting Plants— 
Complete Electric 
Plant, Including gaa- 
olino engine, dyn*. 
mo, switchboard and 
storago battery. 
Important—Wewlll 
fornlah Fkkk with 
every water, heating 
or lighting plant 
apodal plana foryour 
Individual home, anyone can pintail 
with tlieao complete drawings. 
This Big Free Catalog ahowa thou¬ 
sands of bargains—(lasollno En- 
glnon, Farm Timka and l ump*, 
Hydraulic ltams, Pipe. Valves, 
Gas and Electric Fixtures. Buy 
\ a from us and save r.0 per cent. 
Wo have moat complete line 
of guaranteed Plumbing, 
Heating, bleb ting goods In 
U. S. Write now. 
""M. J. GIBBONS, Arcade, Dayton, 0. 
.! d ill 
Cl I 
let Us Send You a Genuine 
Edison Phonograph 
On FREE TRIAL 
right to your own homo without a 
from you. No C. 0 . D. No obligations. 
Send it back at our expons© if you don't 
wanttokeepit. $2.00 a month 
now pays for a genuine 
Edison Phonograph at 
Rock Bottom price* 
and without even interest 
on monthly payments. 
. Send today for our beau¬ 
tiful Free Edison Catalog. A postal will do, but send at once. 
F. K. UABSON, JMirfon Phonograph Dletr., 
Suite 4299 s Kdlaon Block, Chicago, I1L 
ictor 
With a Victor-Victrola as low as $15 and others 
gradually ranging up to the magnificent Victor-Victrola 
at $ 250 , why should you longer deny yourself the pleas¬ 
ure that conies from their possession? 
When these wonderful instruments brine rieht into 
your home a wealth of the world’s best music, fairly 
dazzling in the wideness of its scope and the array of 
talented artists interpreting it, you surely don’t want 
to deprive your family of this great pleasure! The 
pleasure of hearing such famous grand opera stars as 
Caruso, Melba, Tetrazzini; such eminent instrumentalists 
as Paderewski, Mischa Elman, Maud Powell; such noted 
vaudeville “headliners” as Harry Lauder, Blanche Ring, 
George M. Cohan; such celebrated musical organizations 
as Sousa’s Band, Pryor’s Band, Victor Herbert’s Orchestra! 
Whether the home actually feels the need of music, 
or whether it is already gay with melody, no home can 
afford to be without the exquisite music produced by this 
greatest of all musical instruments. 
Hearing - is believing. Go to any Victor dealer’s and hear 
your favorite selections. 
Ask him for copies of the handsome illustrated Victor cata¬ 
logs, or write to us for them. 
Victor Talking Machine Co. 
20th and Cooper Sts., Camden, N. J. 
Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal, Canadian Distributors 
Always use Victor Records played with Victor 
Needles—there is no other way to get the 
unequaled Victor tone. 
Victor-Victrola IV, $15 
Victor-Victrola VI, $25 
Victor-Victrola VIII, $40 
Victor-Victrola IX, $50 
Victor-Victrola X, $75 
Victor-Victrola XI, $100 
Victor-Victrola XIV, $150 
Victors $10 to $100 
Victor-Victrola XVI p 
$200 and $250 
m 
... 
His Masters Voice / 
Victor Needles 6 cents per 100, 60 cents per 1000 
New Victor Records are on sale at all dealers on the 28th of each month 
