, 1879-11-27
An Old School Housewife.

Mrs Orrin PAYNE, who was born m
Montague in 1890, was the oldest OF
nine childrrn-SiN boys Sui iur,c sIrl>
Verify she has lived busy life. She
SAWS she can't remember when she did
not have to work. When 10 she taught
one term Of school, receiving i've
shillinCs per week and boarding round,
always having bread and milk Tor
supper. wearing a checkered tow gown,
the cloth for which she had spun herself
For the twelve succeeding wears sha kept
her fathers house, all her brothers tthe
Youngest four and the oldest nineteen,
living at homel Besides providing 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 man
nsr 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 frequently went out sewing
for a day Q5 hours), and when they
stopped the clock to prolong the time,
often Is hours, at l2l cents per day.
One day she spun l6 yards shirting.
In lS43 she married 0rrin Payne.
Nathan Cheney remarked that she
would make man Of anybody and a
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was superseded by cotton.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 al
ways had loom and made wooden cloth,
carpets, etc. She took in 100 pounds
per year to make into cloth "to halves"
She made about LOG yards Of frocking
a year, at s cents per yard. She fur
nished the material for the uniform of q
well known non. on.commissioned military
company that hailed from her neighbor-
hood. Some years she has woven 500
yards of carpeting. Her first carpet
was for Moses Bardwell; the price of
weaving 10 cents per yard.
She has made all her own bedquilts
and great numbers for other people;
always exhibited bedquilts, stockings,
socks and stocking-yarn, at the Frank
lin Fairs, so long as the society has ex-
listed, and always received premiums.
She had the care Of considerable dairy;
made butter and cheese; boarded the
district schoolma'ms two terms a.year
for twenty consecutive years, besides
occasionally taking other boarders. She
says that her present boarder, Locke
Payne, is the only one from whom she
has heard complaint and, like Oliver
Twist, "found famlt with his victuals
and asked for more" She kept paupers
when they were knocked off to the low
est bidder. Old Granny Sinclair, 10
years at rs cents per week; Betsy Allen,
two years at ST.; 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 carpeting 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 to save
in her own name, and accumulated a
considerable sum OF money.
The'neighbors Of her early life-the
bold yeomanry Of Dry Kill-have all
passed away. Antipus Stewart went
away and hung himself two large fami,
lies of Bartletts; Darius, Daniel and
Libeous Payne; Uncle Bill Greene
Martin and Elijah Goodnow Tom and
John Hurd, have all passed away. The
school has degenerated from forty to ten
scholars. The old farms and houses are
occupied by foreigners and transient in
habitants, and Dry Hill seems to be des-
tined to become what it was apparently
designed fora link to hold the world
together, and grow wood and timber
'upon.-Turner's Falls Reporter.
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