The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-08-01
An Evening with the Cana
dian Inhabitants.

l.
with an oiled cloth, a pewter spoon
for each person, and soup plate
for me. We sat down, ten Of us,
about the little table, large enough
for only four. They sat almost
spoon fashion, getting only one
shoulder and arm up to the table.
A milk pan filed with pea. soup with
bread broken into it, stood In the
middle of the table; and after help
ing me to plateful, they all began
TO eat from the pan; each one filled
his spoon, drew it across the edge
of the pan, and then carried it to his
mouth. 1t was an odd sight to see
those nine arms so actively and ir-
regularly convergipg at the pan. and
then withdrawing from the skirm-
ism 10 re- appear at once. 1t was
rather shadOwy supper, with the
light of only one small lamp.
But the eating was mt i'll
hammered or untidy. When the
soup was finished, one Of the
girls wiped all our spoons on a
towel she had across her knees, and
pan Of bread and milk was soon
dispatched as the soup had been.
After supper the men withdrew &C
chairs along the wall, while the
women resumed their work about
the little lamp on the table. Some
of them sewed and knitted, one
peeled potatoes for breakfast. and
the young wife stropped razor
with some persistence and much
awkwardness. When it was SHARP
she brought forth other jmpIp-
ments, and then beckoned to her
husband, saying, in rather a COM
handing tone, "Come, now" He
slouched to the table and sat down
in her chair. She went at him, IN
buttoned his shirts, gave him a
most thorough scrubbing with a
coarse hOmespun towel, and then
lathered and shaved his chin. And
he took it all very quietly too. The
young woman afterWard retired to a
corner of the room, and performed
as nearly as possible the same kind
of toilet. Meanwhile we chatted
about the United States and the
revival of business there. One of
the sons had passed two years Work
ing in a brickyard at Haverstraw,
and, like many of his countrymen,
he had returned with someheretical
admiration Of our more progressive
civilization. Emigration to the
United States Is theoretically op.
posed by church and state, so in
praisin2 the wonders of New York
L became an emissary of the devil,
which increased the interest of my
position. The young man kip died
at once, ana felt impatient
at the skepticism of his pa
rents, but he showed this
only by faint expression of hope
l3ssnesS; and the opposition Of the
old people. though quite positive,
was equally silent and considerable.
/ soon relieved them by drawing
their attention to my tiy-rod, gun,
and other accoHtrements; and it re-
lieved my own conscience to aban
don thus the character of an unWel-
come emissary. At an early hour in
the evening the cid gentleman
turned to me and said, with very
practical air:
"Well, now we're going to pray
to God. What'll gOu do?"
Gall right, sir, go ahead, and I'll
listen to you"
They all knelt here and there
about the room, each erect on his
knees, facing the black cross on the
wall; che mother said the prayers
in a rapid, monotonous voice, and
the others replied with equal rapid
ity. After this audible service they
still remained kneeling for a long
time while each one finished his
chapiet Independently; then each
one arose and went eff to bed. There
were fourteen in the family, about
half of them went into the next
room, where there were but two
bedsteads. But they drew out
trundle beds from under these,
raised the lid Of large chest,
opened the hollow seat Of bench
and then packed themselves away
In these receptacles. They spread
buffalO-rObe and some blankets on
the floor for me that first night.
IL ask your pardon, sir, 4" said NJ.
Tremblay, "fOr putting you to sleep
here alone; and if you are afraid,
we'll spread your bed in the next
room with the rest of the family.
To. morrow the creatures women
will put UP a bedstead for you in
there; il won't be so lonesome. y
G. II. FARNHAM in HGrper's Maya