RURAL NEW«YORKER 
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459 
In the Tennessee Mountains 
Tliese February days, how they fly. 
This morning husband rose at five o’clock, 
made a fire in the open fireplace and one 
in the kitchen stove. At a quarter past 
five I was in the kitchen. I had stirred 
up the buckwheat batter the night before, 
so all I had to do was to pour in a little 
warm water, stir in soda and put it 
on hearth of stove to rise w’hile I mixed 
up a few biscuits for the children’s school 
lunch. By this time my 14-year-old daugh¬ 
ter has come in, and while she sets table 
I grind coffee and make gravy by stirring 
flour in melted butter until it is hot 
enough to brown and add sweet milk till 
of proper consistency, as this is “meat¬ 
less” day, though we are never in the 
habit of eating meat for breakfast every 
day. By the time I have a cake apiece 
fried for “starters,” the four boys, rang¬ 
ing in age from eleven to four, and their 
father are w’ashed and combed. Breakfast 
consists of the puffy brown cake.s, home¬ 
made sorghum, golden homemade butter, 
preserves and gravy, with coffee for us 
elders; the youngsters drink nothing. 
After breakfast the girl makes a dried- 
apple pie to help out the school lunch; 
also one for our dinner. I take the milk 
vessels and go to the barn to help milk 
the two cows, and as I step out into the 
sweet, mild air, a feeling of thankfulness 
wells up within me, that I am not a city 
woman, cornpelled to breathe the coal 
smoke and city dust the year round. The 
eastern sky is a faint pink, reminding me 
of the inside of a seashell. 
The farm folks give me a warm wel¬ 
come as I enter. The nine-year-old boy 
throws down hay and fodder for the 
mules and mare and the cows. Husband 
throws it in the racks. The 11-year-old 
‘mopintui to Watch the Sun Sink'' 
feeds corn to all the stock, giving special 
attention t<) his own three-inonths-old 
calf. The little boys let out the ducks 
which they had put up last night, and 
great is the excitement to find they have 
laid three green eggs, and they must have 
an extra ear of corn. 
As I start to house with the milk the 
eastern sky is a glorious crimson, tlie 
sun just peeping abov'e the tree-tops. Of 
course, we must stop a few moments to 
watch the glowing ball grow brighter and 
brighter, but I must not stay too long, so 
I go in, strain away the milk, prej)are 
school lunch for the four elder children 
wflio go to school near home. The boy of 
15 is in high school in the village four 
miles away, and boards there. Then I 
call the boys in, wash, comb and brush 
them, and, kissing me good-by, they rush 
away to school. The girl follows them in 
a few moments, leaving little boy and 
Arlena, the four-months-old baby, to keep 
me company. Husband is plowing in a 
distant field. 
I make the beds, sweep and dust. By 
this time a voice is heard in the crib anil 
little boy rushes up to discover that baby 
is awake. I get a pan of warm water and 
a bundle of clean clothes, a can of talcum 
and all the rest of it ready, and take the 
wee darling, who coos and gurgles and 
smiles in her delight. I give her a sponge 
bath, stopping every moment to kiss the 
dimpled fat arms or the warm, moist neck, 
while the boy stands by and kisses, too, 
every time he gets a chance. After so 
long a time she is finished, and just in 
time to save a protest, as she Avas getting 
very hungry, according to her story. After 
she lias nursed I lay her down in her 
warm crib. She fans the air with her 
tiny fat fists and gurgles and coos. I now 
bring out a ba.sket of stockings and a pair 
of overalls. I mend these, and then it is 
dinner time. 
A lire is kindled in the stove, and soon 
I call husband to dinner—a delicious veg¬ 
etable soup, mashed potatoes, some of yes¬ 
terday’s left-over beans warmed up, but¬ 
ter, apple butter, chow-chow and corn 
bread, with dried apple pie as dessert. In 
the afternoon I piece on my quilt after 
stacking up the soiled dishes. I piece 
quilts on the machine, crazy fashion, and 
can accomplish a lot in a short time. 
At two o’clock the mail comes. I must 
glance over the papers a few moments 
as I nurse baby. At half-past four I go 
to feed the chickens, bring in water, fill 
up a teakettle and set on fire; then I get 
the baker and set it on the hearth over a 
few coals, put the lid on the fire, and put 
on cornbread for supper. The meal is 
ground by an old-fashioned water-power 
mill, turned by a monstrous wheel, and 
we Southerners think it delicious. Then 
I go—after putting the lid on the baker— 
and skim sweet milk for supper, and by 
this time the children are home. After 
Avarming awhile and getting “something 
n?u elder boys go to barn. 
Ihe httle ones get in wood, the girl 
washes dishes. After wood is in the little 
boys put up the ducks, and the larger one 
then makes a fire in the big fireplace in 
kitchen-dining room to eat supper by. I 
go to milk, stopping to watch, the sun 
sink behind a dark purple cloud in the 
Ayest. In the south the cloud is a lovely 
lilac, and the eastern sky is pearl. As I 
conie out of^ the barn a great golden .star 
shines out in the western sky, and the 
purplish dark clouds still hang low in the 
u est and South, denoting snow, husband 
says. 
As AA^e enter the door the great open 
fires greet us cheerily; sister has the 
cornbread, sweet milk and butter on the 
table. While we eat, the children chat¬ 
ter of their lessons, games, etc. When 
through eating, the elder boy and the girl 
Avash the dishes. Husband and I take up 
the papers, a neighbor’s boy drops in and 
joins the “kids” in the kitchen. The chil¬ 
dren come in one by one to kiss us good¬ 
night, the neighbor boy goes whistling 
home across the fields, husband goes to 
bed, baby sleeps peacefully in her crib. I 
go to the door and look upward at the 
star-studded sky, the mountains outlined 
clearly against it, breathe the cool air for 
a moment, then I, too, go to bed, after see¬ 
ing that all the children are tucked in, the 
fires safe, and the hearths bi’ushed up. 
As I study over the day’s events it looks 
as if I do very little, but Avere it not for 
the “little things” done b.v mothers like 
mo .all over our country today, Avhere 
would the homes come in? ,So I’m thank¬ 
ful I can Avork and that I’m given a work 
to do. __ MRS. II. 
From Pulpit to Poultry Keeping 
We have had all sorts of farm labor 
liropositions put up to us, and all 
classes of people huA’e been represented. 
Hero is a ncAV one. The folloAving letter 
is from a minister Avho thinks of leaving 
his jiulpit in order to raise p ultry or 
run a small farm. We print the letter as 
a contribution to the general literature of 
“back-to-the-landing.” If any of our 
roa<lers Avish to take ‘p the matter Avith 
this minister, avc can furnish his address. 
I have l)een in the Christian ministry 
for several years, but because of living 
expenses .soaring as they have, I find my¬ 
self unable to support my family in this 
work, and my desires lead me to turn to 
some branch of agricultural pursuits. I 
am not situated financially so that I 
could carry on anything extensive, so 
have about decided I Avould embark in 
the poultry line, in Avhich I have had 
some little experience. In taking this up 
I would like to find a sm.all farm, Aa’c 
to 25 acres, Avith buildings. A place not 
too expensiA’o, that I could bu.y and pay 
for in rent, or by the month, or any Avay 
mutually agreeable, located Avhere there 
would be Avork by tlie day. Can you 
help me? l. g. boavex. 
Old Ben Farr’s Awakening’ 
(Continued from page 45fl) 
his old cheerful Avay. “I’m goin’ to town 
this mornin’.” 
“To tOAvn,” said Sarah quickly. “.\ir 
ye crazy? You git back inter bed an’ 
I’ll fix some more catnip tea. I guess yer 
feverish.” 
“Feverish nothin’.” answered Ben, as 
he hunted around for his .socks. “I’m as 
chipper ez a cricket ’cept my feet, but 
they don’t matter. Y"es, sir, I’m goin’ 
to town this mornin’ to git ye some 
things ye been needin’.” 
Sarah had juit the soda into the pan¬ 
cake batter, and she Avas so surprised 
that she left it to sloAvly boil up in the 
middle unstirred, as she looked blankly 
at old Ben. “But AA'hei’e’s yer money, 
man alive?” she asked. 
“I’m goin’ ter take back the new rifle; 
I ain’t used it yet.” 
He hobbled over to the clock shelf and 
took down an old rusty pen. Then he 
peered into the ink bottle Avhere a cake 
of dried ink rattled about. “Here, Sary,” 
he said, “ye jest put some cold tea inter 
that ink bottle an’ it can be a-soakin’ up 
Avhilst we eat breakfast. Ye can be 
a-thinkin’ up the things ye Avant me to 
git fer yer, but I’m going to head the 
]i.st Avith the best fryin’ pan I kin find in 
the market.” 
How to buy 
FLOUR 
Kal£and-lia]f 
It is developing that enormous 
waste of wheat-flour substitutes is pos¬ 
sible and probable if the Substitute 
flours are not purchased in the proper 
proportion and assortment. 
Buy Correctly 
Adopt the following suggestion and 
you will not go far astray. You can 
even cut out the memoranda order 
and take it to your grocer. 
An Ideal Flour Order 
msm 
\0 
A 49-lb tack of 
Pure Wheat Flour 
^ V 
'—SubtUtute flourt 
in proper proportion 
In the hands of an interested patri¬ 
otic housewife no accumulation of any 
item of the above assortment should 
occur. Used in well-planned menus 
each of the items can be consumed in 
about the proportion given and no over¬ 
supply will be left to spoil or waste. 
A Free Booklet 
If any of these war-time wheat-flour 
substitutes are new to you and you 
are liot fully informed as to how to use 
them, send for a copy of a free book¬ 
let entitled — 
Pillsburys 
40-War-Time Recipes 
This book will be mailed to you 
free upon application. If its recipes 
are carefully followed, you will find 
you can prepare delicious dishes in 
good variety. These recipes will help 
you avoid poor results and disappoint¬ 
ments incident thereto. They will show 
you that these substitutes are useable 
and likeable and that you should not 
be prejudiced against their use. 
Pillsbury Flour Mills Company 
Dept. F12 Minneapolis, Minn. 
