Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-11-26
Her Thrifty Achievements.
Mrs. onin Pavne. who was born in Mon

Mrs. 0rrin Payne, who was born IN Mon
tague, Mass, in 1890, was the oldest Of
nine children-six boys and three girls.
Verify she has lived a busy life. She can't
remember when she did not have to work.
When nineteen she taught one term of
school, receiving five shillings per week
and boarding round, always having bread
and milk for supper, wearing a checkered
: tow gown, the cloth for which she had
spun herself. For the succeeding twelve
years she kept her fathers house, all her
brothers (the yougest four and the oldest
nineteen) living at home. Besides provi-
ding for the table, doing the washing and
all the like duties of the household, she spun
all the linen and wove and made the clothes
for the whole family. The manner of living
+ then was boiled pot every day for dinner,
served cold for breakfast, bread crumbled
by the housekeeper, or pudding and milk
/ for supper-pies only Thanksgiving and
election days During this time she fire.
/ quently went ont sewing for day (fifteen
hours), and when they stopped the clock to
/ prolong the time, often eighteen hours, at
. twelve and a-half cents per day. One June
day she spun sixteen yards shrting. In
T 1912 she married Orrin Payne. Nathan
Cheyney remarked that she would make q
man of anybody and good store customer
for him. Mr.. Payne was three years her
senior. He died in 1873. Her married life
has been marked by the same industry as
her maidenhoOd. The first four years they
raised flax and made it into cloth afterward.
when it was superseded by cotton, She
has always had a loom and made woolen
cloth, carpets, etc. She took 100 pounds
per year to make into cloth .to halves .
She made about 100 yards Of frocking q
year, at s cents per yard. She furnished
the material for the uniform of a we'll
. known non-commissioned military compa-
ny that hailed from her neishborhOod.
Some years she has woven 500 yards of
carpeting. Her first carpet was for Moses
Bardwell; the price Of weaving ten cents
per ward. She has made all her own bed
+ quilts and great numbers for other people :;
always exhibited bed quilts. stockings,
socks and stocking yarn, at the Franklin
fairs, so long as the society has existed, and
always received premiums. She had the
. care Of q considerable dairy; made butter
ard cheese; boarded the district school
ma ans two terms a wear for twenty cen
Secutiye wears, besides occasionally taking
other boarders. She SAYS that her present
boarder, Locke PAYNE, Is the only one from
whom she has heard complaint, and, ike
Oliver Twist, found fault with his victuals
and asked for more She kept paupers
when they were knocked or to the lowest
bidder. Old Granny Sinclair, ten years at
. 70 cents per week; Betsy Allen, two years
at 81; Hannah Coon, three years; Olive
Cary, two years; Granny Ellis, two years
at 81; and never had one able to do her
own washing.
Within six years she has woven 100
yards of carpetiug and done considerable
spinning Until within six years since she
has been disabled by an accident, she has
never hired help in the house to the cost of
$40. After Mr.. Payne had got his farm
paid for she began 10 save in her own name,
anu accumulated 4 considerable sumof mo-
ney. The neighbors Of her early lifc-the
bold ycOmaury Of Dry IIill-haye all pas
sed away. Antipus Stewart went away
and hung himself; two large families ef
, Bartlat,s: Darius, Daniel .and Libeeus
+ Payne: Uncle Bill Greene: Martin and Eli
JAN GOodnow; Tom and John HUrd, have
all passed away. The school has degener-
a-ed from forty to ten scholars. The old
farms and houses are occupied by foreign
ers and transient inhabitants; and Dry
Hill seems to be destined to become what
it was apparently designed fora link to
hold the world together, and grow wood
and timber upon.