The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-08-29
From the Country.


Oh Peggotty, Peggotty, where have you
been? Pm awfully afraid we shall quarrel
about your visit to the country. You have in
suited lots of my friends, and shall warn any
OF them against inviting you to visit them. 1
can't imagine what kind of friends yours must
be-. They surely couldn't have cared much to
make your visit pleasant. Your farmers are
the old, old description ones read of so often,
and which is, like other hobbies, worn out and
untrue, except in the foreign element, whose
diet is certainly plain from custom, but who
pride themselves ON their good bread. Let me
say that American farmers of your description
are very rare indeed Their diet is very gen.
erous-especially fruit and vegetables-and
let me say that the very best is used for their
own table, FOR they are selfish in that respect
You certainly saw the inmates of a farm home
at disadvantage, if your visit was after the
middle OF June and before the middle of
August, for they must make use of the minutes
then, though help in the house Is generally
provided if il can be procured (which il not
frequently the case for the reason that the
servant girls are farmers daughters, whose
parents need their assistance AT this season,
visitors, especially those bothersome
city visitors, calm and coolly critical,
of having been to the country, are most unwel-
come; but after this life is pleasure, and
farm q paradise Does Peggotty mean that
those coarse cotton sheets are all the house af-
forded? I've heard of Germans, "just come
over" sleeping between feather-beds without
sheets, winter and summer, but never any
others, either Americans or foreigners. Really,
Peggotty, I'm afraid you just got up that letter
TO see how it would look in print Now and
then is a family who have linen sheets laid
away in lavender, to use in case of sickness or
death, as linen is gratefully cool and soft 10 the
sick. But that custom is dying out. I'll tell
you honestly, Peggotty, in all my wide circle
of farm acquaintance / know Of only two cases
parallel TO the one you introduced, and one of
those was city school teacher who took to
farming for his health, but secretly toreplenish
his purse, and who knew about as much of
farming az the man in the moon, and whose
wife knew as much of cooking as poodle dog.
/ really admired them in their city establish
ment, talking poetry, lectures and opera; but as
respectable farmers they were the most decided
failures ever saw
If I'd known you'd had such an awful time,
Paggotty THAT is, if you really did have such
an unpleasant visit, / would have invited you
to our summer home to redeem the class in
your mind, for We pretend to be farmers, and
you should have had the tenderest of fricasseed
chickens every morning, the daintiest of pud-
ding for dinner, and for tea cream biscuit and
strawberries Hebe would have been glad to
flavor her wine with, and covered with the
"scum" that measured one-eighth of an inch on
the pan of milk. You should have had garden
sass" and fresh egg until you couldn't wink;
y
the apple trees, swung in the hammock, and
drove the dnoks to water to your hearts content;
had books and music at your fingers end, and
| taken two-mile carriage drive every evening
to the postoffice, and dreamed your favorite
nightmare dream on genuine mattress and
spring bed, with or without feathers, and no
fooling about it. Nor is this case by any means
| an exception, but very common in civilized"
or settled States. l would like to tell you all
of my first visit to q city relative who suddenly
awakened to the fact that she had some country
relatives, and patronizcd me with an invitation to
visit them; which visit " as quite amusing to me,
and which has the merit of being "true to
nature" or how they were disabused of the
idea that country people were quite all fools;
and that they were not all as green, at least
one, as might be supposed, and did not feel as
honored and overpowered with such a distin-
guished invitation as country people probably
ought to feel; but, as am about 10 start on q
summer or autumn tour, l can't promise it
yet awhile RAVEN HAIR.
ELBA, Wis.