Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-07
Fragrant VIOLATIONS
SOUTHERN WAR MEMORIES.
How Little Children Were Served-Substi-
tutes for Candles at Party.

How Little Children Were Served-Substi-
tutes for Candles at u Party.
A Southern Girl in the Boston Waterman.
As my home at the time was in Mari
eta, Ga, quite near Atlanta, and directly
in Sherman's line of march, I saw a great
many strange and exciting things, and
suppose that is the reason I remembered
my life there so well, for, although very
small girl at the time, 1t is far more WV
idly real to me than events of last year.
can picture to myself distinctly the
quaint figures of my little playmates, for
invention, like charity, begins at home,
and we little ones showed the first fruits
of our mothers talent in that direction.
We always wore "homespun," and as
the cloth stood a good deal of wear our
dresses were made large enough to last
two seasons. Some of us wore shoes,
but they were such odd-looking things,
made Of coarse leather and only reach
ing our ankles. AS the leather shoe
string wore out they had to be replaced
by the wires of hOOp-skirts, dyed black.
Our stockings were knit of plain white
yarn, also homespun. For every day"
we wore calico sun-bonnets, but on
Estate" occasions hats braided at home
from the palmetto straw. AS one thing
after another gave out the women were
always equal to the emergency and quick
in finding substitutes, just as our great
u
American women are, 1 think, quite re-
markable for that sort of thing. Ny
mother must have been unusually clever,
for remember so many bright things
that she did. Trifies never seemed to
daunt her. Our table was always de-
lightfully served, although her inVen-
tive faculties were constantly called
upon the supply some need III the kitch-
en-. There is one very clever thing that
recollect about her. She had sent out
invitations for very large and "sWelP
party; for Marietta was quite gay at one
time, and a number of refugees, besides
a great many officers son leave" were in
town, and my mother, VINO was delight
ed to be able to collect together so many
charming people, determined to give
something very grand. Her prepare
tions wereall completed, as she supposed,
on the morning Of the appointed day,
and she was actually arranging the flow
ers in her room when she received the
very depressing tidings that not a can
die could be found IN Atlanta for love
or money. Most women would have
despaired that such ill-luck as this and
would have sent Immediately to inform
expected guests that they need not come,
but my mother did nothing Of the sort.
She put on her thinking cap" at once.
She sent far and near to borrow all the
wine glasses possible. These she filed
with pure white lard, and every one who
could be spared on the place was set to
work cutting out little round pieces of
paper, about the size of a half dollar.
Each of these she twisted in the center
to form q taper, and placed on the lard
in the glasses, ready for use, for she
meant to light her rooms with them.
We always had used them in the bed
ROOMS and for sickness, as they would
last all night, and candles were far too
precious to be wasted in that way. But
the idea Of making them ornamental was
my mothers, and you cannot realize how
lovely the house looked that night. She
had placed them every where, and had
built pyramids Of lights. banked in with
flowers, in every available nook and
corner. The rooms and halls were bril-
liantly lighted by the tiny flames, which
seemed to me to be flashing from floor
to ceiling in every direction, and looked
like some lovely fairy scene, far prettieF
than any ballroom ] have since seen.
At Quertaro, Mexico, a hole in the
wall has been found in one of the build
ings occupied by the famous Chucho =.
Roto, and it a considerable amount Of
jeWelry, money and curious burglars tools,
different from these ordinarily used by
the men In this craft,
"A live woodchuck jumped out Of a