The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-03-26
FARM LIFE IN THE SOUTH
Description Of Southern Farm hesi
dences and their Furnishings.

lPGHTlDalOn VI 1DhNfANa'1
dences and their Furnishings.
There is in this region a singular
uniformity of architecture, writes
North Carolina correspondent OF the
New York San. The pattern alter
which the residences are built IS
single story frame house Of ieur
rooms. Two large chinReys STAND
at the ends-huge masses OF eXtram-
ural masonry Of brick and stone,
which are monuments OF the NEST
wanton waste of space, labor and F.
material. The Toef projects over a I
niazza from which do6ts open d.
Tectly into three Of the rooms. for
there is no hall. The big room
the room Of general use, where
visitors are received-contalns a I
high. rough, big bedstead. on which
al oil seasons there is n feather bed,
covered with q scrupulously white
counterpane, a rickety table with
blue covering, a rough, spllnt bottom
rocking-chair. and two or three other
homemade chairs, the legs OF which
are painted blue, and on the back OF
which YOU may read the name OF the
bungling maker in big blue letters.
The floor is carpetless, but II g.ls-
tens from the weekly scrub0ing with
sand.
Above the high mantel-piece there
is a religious chrome in terrifying
colors. and a few religious books
hold the table in place. The three
other rooms also are bedrooms, and
they are furnished OF unfinished
in the same plain way. The kitch-
en-. which is built of logs, stands 90
feet from the other house. II is III
nocent of cook-stove, but Is guilty
ofthe most extensive fire place that
was ever constructed-big enough to
roast an OK whole. There is a large
ward oflarce oaks, and for 100 feet
on either side of the front gate the
fence is of boards, the rest OF It OF
rails.
Such is the residence Of 2 prosper
ops man. so at least he considers
himself. who lives ten miles from
Raleigh and three from the village ct
Cary, and the residences OF most OF
his neighbors are built and furnish
ed in the same way. He has three
daughters and two sons, and all but
one little girl are grown. The boys
occupy one room which, besides the
bed and the wooden pegs behind the
doors on which they hang their
clothes. contains little but their
chests plain, wooden boxes.
painted blue, in which they keep
their store suits" their pistols and
their fiddles. The girls have SINH
lar repositories for their Sunday
inery.'
The old lady and her daughters
make with their own hands nearly
al the clothes the family has. There
was a time when the old woman
snun the thread and wove the cloth.
and she maintains row that there
is no other thread so good to darn
with as the thread Of her own SPIN
ming. So she keeps her old spin
ming wheel for occasional use and
for spiritual comfort. and last year
She gathered cotton from the field,
which she followed with her own
fingers on its long journey from the
stalk to the stocking. The house
work and the gardeningare the only
emplovments OF the women, but
thev always seem to be busy.
Once week they boil their
clothes in a pot, suspended from the
tops of three poles which are placed
in the front yard near the well. The
monotony Of wash day often rellev.
ed by fishing forth bucket with the
pot hooks. Cooking is very sim
pie thing, for the frying pan and tht
pot do their whole duty. Indeed
the frying pan is the origin OF al
their ailments. certainly of the olC
lady's dyspepsia, Of the children
thin. gristlv faces, and of the oldes
bows necessity for grog. Fried ba
con for early breakfast will poslpsn'
the millennium anywhere; add {,
that fried sweet potatoes. and an ac
tive out door life and a perfect AT
mosphere must do their beStto keel
naturally robust people from groans
The frying pan Is a worse enemy q
man in all this country than whisk
or politics. When all the ground !
yellow with mellow apples, and th
odor of peaches and grapes is blow
over every breakfast table, nobod
eats fruit except between meals, ant
the very chickens nave the pleaSur
of life taken because neither broile
nor oven awaits one OF them, but al
WAYS tbs irving pan.
In the evening after supper ant
before early bed time. the boys some
times play on their iiddles, their fee
accompanying the three tunes the
know. The Arkansaw Traveller,
Fishers Hornpipe," and The Oh
North State while the rest cf tn
family hold their hands in silenc,
And many an evening these five il
telligent adults sit the livelon
hours holding their hands, sayin
now and then a word, as if by acc
dent and pretending to do nothing
vet they are happy. The art Of res
ing has not been cultivated so we
anywhere else, True, the old W,
man does usually ply her knittin
needles, stopping now and then t
remark, while she rubs snuff, tn;
her old bones feel "streaks" {
rheumatism, but that its hard {
wear on: an old leather string. TIL
girls sometimes have quiltings, az
there are the ''pariies" ofcoun;ry 5,
ciety.