The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-01-08
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
My Experience In ,hc Country.
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.

money could procure. My mothers health was
feeble and we had always, within my recollection,
kept a housekeeper.
had been reading, one day, an essay on the edu-
cation of woman, and in the closing sentences there
occurred this paragraph-'' No woman's education
can be complete unless she be thoroughly acquainted
with the art of ~housewifery.'' Now you may be
assured, this opinion, coming as it did from so inn
portant a person as the author of a book, fell with ii
great weight upon my mind. and set me to thinking.
| glanced around the room. My eye fell on a SPLEEN
did piano, n tasteful guitar, paintings which my
pencil had executed, and embrOideries which my skill
had wrought. l laid my hand upon n gorgeously-
bound book, its gilded leaves Enclosed and the glowing
thoughts of Dante met my gaze. And [ possessed the
power to unlock its mySteries-to read IN the language
which the great poet loved. German and French
were familiar to me as my own language, and | had
fairly studied through the illimitable confederation of
Latin verbs and supines. But what of that? All
these qualifications were valueless L had never
looked at the subject in this light before. [ glanced
inward at myself. What did know about house
wifery: smiled as [ asked the question. Mortified
enough, | was obliged to confess that [ did not know
a turkey from q chicken. and had not the most remote
idea of the manner in which the delicious apple was
lodged in the very heart of an apple dumping
Twas astounded |! What an admirable wife L should
make Surprising [ should fall in love with a poor
man, and as they usually do in novels, elope with
him, expressing at the same time Il preference for him
with an humble cottage, to a palace without him
and supposing that he was unable to supply the
kitchen of said cottage with that important appendage
AN Irish maiden-well, what then Aye, sure
enough, what then /? [ absolutely shuddered as L
! thought of it ! Cross words, black frCwns and blacker
coffee at breakfast-singed steak and mysterious pud-
ding for dinner-burnt bread and smoke-fiavored tea
at supper-and oh dear, dear 1 could hardly re-
press my tears as l thought of it.
Just as l was about deciding to go to my room for
o regular 9 schoolgirl cry Aunt Hatty and my
mother came in from an extensive shopping expedi-
ton. Aunt Hatty, good soul looked all the surprise
she felt, as she said, peering at me curiously through
her s~pectacles, g Law sake child what upon airth
is the matter? Does your tooth ache? If it does,
jest vet a piece of cotton as big as a hazel nut with
Davis's Pain Killer, and put it in the kivity of the
tooth, and it wont be long, [ tell yOU before you'll
feel an amazin' sight better"
By way of explanation, Aunt Hatty was my fathers
sister, a good old fashioned body, having great faith
in home medicine practice. In early life she had
married George Carroll. q wealthy farmer, and now
lived on a farm about ten miles from the city.
"Oh, Aunt - [ faltered forth, " L don't know
anything no, not one thing - and 1 bowed my head
on the arm of the sofa and sobbed.
Aunt Hatty laughed outright, and my mother
smiled as she inquired how long l had been so igno-
rant.
L explained all to them, and throwing myself Oh
their mercy begged them to tell me what was to be
done. Aunt Hatty consulted with my mother in
private, while 1 performed tragedy on the sofa and,
the result of the whole matter was that which I most
wished. l was to 90 with Aunt Hatty to 6 Pine
Glen, Uncle Carroll's farm, and under her guardian
ship become acquainted with cooking, washing,
churning, ironing-in short, with homework.
Papa's consent was readily obtained, and that
afternoon l set out for Pine Glen with Aunt Hatty in
her pretty buggy. The ride was delightful, and I
was in fine spirits. Aunt feared I would be lonely,
but when L saw the long, low brown cottage peeping
shyly out from its covering of vines and roses, l
laughed at the idea of loneliness in such a paradise.
Uncle George and Cousin Charles were rejoiced to
see me, at least, they said so-and L saw no reason to
doubt their declaration.
My lady readers will like O description of cousin
Charles, [ know, so I'll cen crafty them. He was
q fine specimen of the New England farmer, twenty
three years of age, six feet high brown, curling
hair broad, white forehead deep, expressive eyes /;
handsome mouth, and a Sc splendid set of whiskers.
Uucle and aunt Carroll, cousin Charles, and Betsy,
Il maiden sister of my uncle, composed the family at
Pine Glen. There were, besides the family circle,
several &c work folks,'' and a smart little girl, who
assisted about the house work.
Aunt said that work never was plentier, and there
was ample opportunity to bring forth my latent ener-
gies.
I slept soundly that night in the great spare
chamber-the state-room-of Pine Glen, with its
clean, white floor and snowy window hangings. The
song of a dear little bird close by my window, in q
tall pine, awoke me quite early and determined not
to be thought indolent, [ sprang up, and making q
hasty toilet, l consulted my watch and found it was
only half past seven. Firmly convinced that not q
soul in the house was up, l stole noiselessly down
stairs, to avoid disturbing them, and entered the
dining-room. The morning meal had evidently been
on the table, and the family had, to all appearances,
partaken. Mortified enough, [ went into the kitchen
to find aunt Hatty. The good lady laughed as she
saw my CONSERVATION and begged me to take my
breakfast as soon as possible, for she wished to
6 clean up That mornings experience taught me
that seven O'Clock is moi considered early in the coun-
try.
As it was {" baking day. I prepared to receive my
/ first lesson in bread baking. Dressed in one of aunt's
"a striped bingham dresses, and with Miss Betsy's best
3 tow and linen apron, L commenced operations in
right good earnest.
First, there were the tins to be buttered. showed
d my consummate skill by merely buttering the out
side and leaving the inside clean. Aunt Hatty
1t laughed until the tears fell from under her spectacles,
at this inversion Of household laws. To my credit be
it said, [ did not despair, but set courageously to
work to remedy the mishap. L took off my rings and
laid them away, rolled my sleeves above my elbows,
and put my hands valiantly into the hot dish water,
and scrubbed the tins clean. Then followed drying
them-after which, l performed the oiling process to
aunt's entire satisfaction. The bread was to be mixed
with hot water, and the yeast had been put in the
night before, g consequently Miss Betty said, GO it
was big enough to knead.'' Kneading was a term [
did not exactly understand, so [ applied to aunt
Hatty for an explanation.
'sLah Marian, don't you know how to knead
bread Why, l shall begin. You don't know much,
after all your boarding-schools and pianner lessons
why, child, put your hands right into the midst of it,
and mix together till their amt a single speck of dry
meal to be SEEM
[ followed directions implicitly, and at the end of
half an hour the mass before me had not changed the
least particle, so | concluded that it must be kneaded
enough, and [ took it to Miss Betsy for examination.
That venerable woman looked at the bread in embryo