The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-13
BILL ARP
In tho Kitchcn-aIrs. Arp rs ~ IIousekcep-
CHltirdtOr and Dirie FurBler.

\ he'ci hleel Haoof or an Ola frlenC
nova days but what want to ask hin
/ that question. | don't mean To ask il
/ like ask "are your folks all we'll" bu
| can't help thinking about the cooking
aud washing and domestic affairs. The
iield and the farm are all right. We can
get plenty of labor at fair prices, hu,
there are few problems right round a
mans house that have not been solved
yet. They are mighty big problems too,
Tor the women are concerned in 'em-
our wives and our daughters, aud would
like to see this cooking and washing
business settled down on some substan
tIal basis. There is nothing settled at my
house. How do you get along at yours
We don't care SO much about the cook
ing. for my daughters can do that and
do it with alacrity and do it nice, and
nobody has better eating than when they
turn loose with plenty Of supplies. If
they have plenty Of butter, and sugar,
and eggs, and lemons, and lard, and
chickens, and all the vegetables, and
good dry wood for the stove, the dinner
will be all right and no mistake, but
then they don't want to cook all the time.
Sometimes fellow or two comes cruia.
ing around aud the girls can't leave 'em
Prema'urely, und so my vile she thinks
she must cook supper and don't wan,
her to. She has tit enough. Old man
Colder Joined the army at the frat Of the
war. lie was old but he WAS red hot
rebel, and said he wanted to fight some.
so he fought all over the first battle of
Manassas, and tore round furiously and
hoilered to the boys to come on, and that
night he laid down and thought he was
going to die. He sent for DIR. Miller.
and says he, doctor, if am we'll enough
to travel, l want to go home in the
morning, please give me q discharge.
I've ut enough" Just 30 my wife has
tit enough. don't want her to have to
work any more. want her to have a
carriage and fine pair of gentle horses
and when she wants to ride let her ride.
l want her to have a good time the rest
OF her days. She is entitled to il Az
much As any soldier was ever emit
tied to pension. So Of course | don't
want her to have TO cook Now, If we
lived in town and could get fresh bread
every day it wouldn't make so much
difference, but we don't. Somebody has
got to make the biscuit or the egg bread.
and get up q little something and no
among us all we do get up little supper
AND get along. But what mean to say
Is, there il nothing regular, nothing on n
rock foundation. Some days we have
lunch and late dinner, and no supper,
and some other days we have three
regular meals, and some other days we
don't have much of anything, and so it
goes on year after year, and nothing
settled, Tor the girls are gone good deal
ana they have right smart company
when at home, and sometimes we can
hire dnrkey for day or two, and they
want big pay and lots of scraps to take
home To their young ones.
But after all, tho cooking don't bother
US much, and we can always get along if
we have something to cook. There arc
more folks that want yittels than cooks.
and am thankful we have always had
more than ouT share. There il another
little problem right along here and that
Is the cleaning up and securing the floors
anu the plazzers, and the brass kettle,
ana the water buckets, aud the cook
vessels, and making lye soap, and doing
heap OF little things that the darkeys
always did and the white folks never
would DO if they could help it. But the
biggest trouble ut my house is this ever
lasting washing business. don't reck-
j.
loves clean things and clean clothes any
peter than my wife. She is bound to
have clean sheets and clean curtains, and
clean pillow cases, and clean garmentH
OF all sorts, and it just takes more towels
to DO her than Corsican. And 10 the
wash woman is everlastingly grumb.
ling about the big pile of clothes, and
not long ago when she took the basket
out of the buggy she asked me if was
shore that one Of the children hadn't cot
tied up in the bundle, for il wes powerful
heavy. Well, we begun at one dollar q
week, and then she raised Oh us to one
dollar and quarter, and now she. saws
she must have one dollar and half, and
reckon its right, for the darkeys that
hcl p her have struck for higher wages,
and the good old soul is doing the best
she can. She is one of the old.time
darkeys, and when they are gone don't
know what will become of the problem.
The old stock still wash, and scour and
cook, and make baskets, and shuck col.
lars, and foot mats end brooms, but when
they are all dead and gone that is the end
OF all that sort of business, for this new
generation wont do. it. III bet there
amt new niger in the State who will
ever make split basket. They don't
know how, and they don't intend to
learn.
But after all, there is some kind of
comfort for most everybody. If the
washing is bother we mustn't forget that
it always was bother even in slavery
times. The washing and the ironing
was bother then, for the rain would
come and the winds would blow, and
there was too much starch or too little,
and If there is anything In this life that
gets along smoothly all the time don't
know it. We old folks can weather the
storm reckon, for we have got used to
trouble, but the young set haven't. Ma.
Dor freeman and his good wife amuse
me; they haven't got used to it yet, and
when the cook leaves or the wash woman
gets on strike they just pack up and
60 to ma" What a blessed thing it is
to have a ma to go to-a good old fash
Toned ma, who will tighten the burdens
OF life and give aid and comfort to their
children. Pm going TO ma" Happy
is the child who can say that. 1t is
mighty nice to get married and set up
house. keeping, aud give big dining
occasionally, but when the young mother
gets fretted and tired and the baby is
sick, it is world Of comfort to say, "rm
going to pack up and go to ina 2" Folks
never get too old to be careless of a good
fathers and good mothers caresses.
Fond parents are about the greatest
treasure in this life, and it humbIes us
to lose them. never like to see chill
dreu leave them and go aWav off tn Ter.