Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-10-25
HULDY'S PUMPKIN PIES.

Il
As'Huldy Brown stood at her kitchen
table, her white arms bare to the elbow,
and her hands, which were somewhat
red, employed just then in deftly mold
ing ascallOped piece of dough-edging on
the edge of one of her celebrated pump
kin pies, she looked about as unhappy
"a girl as you could easily find. I have
said her ''celebrated pies" Not only
were they so, but they deserved to be;
for was not Hubby the sole repositresS of
the great recipe at the mention of which
the good housewives of Binghamton
glanced at each other in despair? Did
it not come to her from her grand
mother, old Mrs. Clemmer, Deacon
Hezekiah Clemmer's wife. And was it
not whispered to Hubby as the two sat
side by side, holding each others hands,
in the darkened kitchen?
Huldy's position as the guardian of
great trust was recognized in the very
way in which these pies were spoken of.
They were not ''Huldy's pies, nor the
4'Brown pies" nor even the ''Clemmer
pies;" they were the ''JacksCn pies, "
for old Mrs. Clemmer had got the
recipe from her grandmother, who was
almost one of the Pilgrims; and this
gave an almost religious flavor to the
delight of eating them.
No portion of her work was done by
Hubby with more care than the making
of them. The oven had to be just right;
the door must be open at just the proper
time.a I do not know what they were
of beyond the fact that to the pumpkin
was added 'sugar and spice, and all
things NICE" as the old description of
the little girls has it; but they were
thick and sweet and brown on top, and
the crust was light, and they were
good.
In the days of which write-1847-
the ability to make such pies as Hubby
made was quite sufficient to give any
girl distinction among her fellows, and
to 90 long way towards giving her
popularity; but Hubby had other and
better claims to the position she I'M
doubtedly held in the country village
that of one of the best loved girls there.
She was pretty, affectiOnate and very
kind to all; she would take any amount
of trouble for those she loved, and her
kindness was never appealed to in vain,
even when strangers were concerned.
She was smart, too; there were few
things in the list of accomplishments, or
''duties," as they were called then in
New England, that Hubby could not do
and do we'll. She kept her fathers
house in such state of clearly neatness
that it was almost a sin to muss things
up, or come in on those well scrubbed
floors with dirty boots, although it must
be confessed that to men folks this was
Just a trifle irritating. 1t is a we'll
known fact that mems minds are in such
matters not well organized, and that
they rarely take that undisguised pleas
ure they should in them. But even if
Huldy's father did sometimes feel that
he would enjoy things better if she was
notquite so particular, he thought it was
~erring in the right direction, and be-
yond a good-natured protest occasion
ally, said little. In short, Hubby Brown
was one of those dear, good girls of
whom our country has, and has had,
fortunately, not a few.
But, bless my soul, have left her
making that pie all this time, and what
is worse, for the pie has been finished,
1 have left her looking unhappy. The
truth of the matter was that Hubby had
not been left all these years without
attention on the part of the young fell
lowsiof the place, and one of them, a
carpenter by the name of Sam Stevens,
had been looked upon by her, if not
with favor, at least not with the reverse.
enough, until the Wednesday before.
when Hubby had gone to a quilting
party with Jim Furness, a young farmer
in the neighborhood, of whom Sam
was mortally jealous. 1t was Sans
-Own fault partially, for he had not
asked her, although she had waited to
the last to give him chance of doing
so; and yet not wholly his fault, for be
did not know he could go himself until
AN hour before the time to leave. Oh
course he had not explained this to heI
that was not to be expected, suppose.
However, when he found he could 90,
he dressed himself and called at Huldy'S
house only to find that she had gone,
Very much irritated, although most
unreasonably so, Sam had at first re-
solved that he would not 90 at all, and
then thinking worse of it instead Of
better, had asked Miss Mehitable Smith
who was glad enough to accept.
Attic party he had been very devoted
to his companion, and poorHuldy haC
got angry. Thinking to herself tina