The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-01
THE HOUSEKEEPER.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

PUTTING On THE HARNESS.


The Virginia houeekeCper Of ante bel
lum dsys seldom put her hand to the
preparation Of noatu, roupa and yegeta-
bles. The Colored cook could msnsge
thCge in come fashion at fourteen years Of
age, having picked up that much knowl-
edge Of her craft while Oh RCullion duty.
Most families in tolerably easy ciTcum.
stances kept q meat cook and her aFeist-
ant laborer, q pastry maker, who usually
outranked tho nominal chief in caste.
To her we're assigned cake aud pie.mak.
Ing, Custards, creams and other fancy
Dishes" She was also, as rulO, the
cleaI -starcher OF the household, and most
Of the mixing, beating, icing and freezing
was carried on in the laundry.
My mother looked after her own picklea
and preserves, and would not have trusted
Mrs. Rumble hergelf to make Chris mas
minCe meat, fruit Cakea, doughnuts, and
plumb pudding, The gravity Of her fair,
delicate featured face, the defines Of her
pretty hands whilo thus engaged, early
impressed Us with tho serious character Of
the work. PsIChed in the laundry win
dow, which was shaded by hop vines and
Washington Bower" pale green tassels
and tiny purple blossoms bobbing about
my ears, took my first lessons in the
culinary art. So long as children did not
ask too many question: and kept out OF
the track OF workers, they were not BAN
ished from the charmed precnCtG. AT
fifteen undertook to put up preserves"
one summer in my mothers absence from
town, and, emboldened by the praises
laviHhed on the result OF my lRbors ven.
tured, with the ConnivRnCe Of the pastry
cook, upon the manufacture OF cakes,
blanc mango and-daring enterprisoI-
watermelon "sweetmoats." ASH grew
older, Asscoes became rare, and my co.
operation was sought, rather than permit.
ted, when choice dainties were 10 be
made.
When married, had no misgivings as
to my ability to manage the modest estab.
liBhment appointed unto me-. 1t was a
cottage parsonage, with psrlor, dining.
room and library, three bedrooms, o
store.room and one closet. The kitchen
was detached building, twenty yards
from "the house," and consisted oil one
fair.sized apartment below, two servants
chambers overhead. The lower room was
dimly lighted by two email windows; the
plastered walls were black with smoke
and time; two-thlrds Of one end wero
taken up by an open fireplace. Shelves
were set in the sides Of the kitchen; tho
floor was laid with roughly.planed boards,
which no sCrubbing could clean the fur
niture consisted Of two tableu and three
chairs; there were no closets OF any
kind, and the door opened directly upon
the yard. A plank walk connected 1t
with the dining.room porch.
Tho idea Of cooking In an open fire.
place was pleasant to me, associated as 1t
was with summer sojournB in planterB'
homea where baronial feasta were sent
forth from dingy, CavernouB Kitchens with
eRIthern ilOors, where tho FIRE never went
out in tho dGep.mOuthed chimney from
Christmas to Ohristmas.
Across the throat Of my chimney were
suspended two Veritable cranes, Dtrung
with pot.hooks and hangers. For these
were provided pots and Eettleg OF various
sizes. "Castings" was generic term GOV.
ering theeC-skilletR, ovens, spiders, fry.
ing.pans and "hoes." l digrleB hero 10
say that this last named utensil was not,
as is often Represented, the agricultural
implement OF the same name, ION which
corn meal cakes were baked to a degree
OF perfection never attained by any other
mode" II quote from q travellers letter..
The kitchen hoe was round and broad,
with short, stout handle like that OF a
iryinE.pan, and had rim around the
edge about an inch In height. Sometimes
II had three atubby feet, sometimes none.
There was largo dutch" oven for
roasting meat; In two smaller ones bread |
would DO baked, and ono smallest would |
hold just quart Of flour kneaded into |
dough and made In rolls. All had legs,
three apiece, and when In uHe were eel
over elnbgis raked from tho mighty bed
Of Goals, fed all day by burning hickory
logG, and blanketed from midnight 10
dawn by damp ashes. A lid, called lied"
by the negroep, was fitted 10 the top OF
he oven and hot Ashes heapod on that.
At discreet. intervals the utensil was
turned that the roasting or baking might
DO equal on all sides. Tho spider WAH
halo ser than the oven, and 4 handle
projected from tho side instead Of lie
pair Of "eRrs" In which NbAleB' could be
'diu8tOd to the bale kettles, aSthoy were
termed, whom they were too
lot to be touched by the hand. The
lkillOt Eeaembled the spider In AXIS and
ihape, but had no lid.
inc water used 10 house and kitchen
Eao Drought from pump, RItuated a
hundred yards from both. Evgs we're
,oaien with spoons and well.dflOd wanda
I doBWood and hickory; stationary tubs,
Iotheg WHnRets, poLAto.peelOrS and
'ertlCRj steamers, ilih kOltles-thoBo and
koofO Of other modern improvements
iafrNnted 10 foduoo household dtudpOry
. q mlnimum--all wore as yet undrean.
d.oi by city Or provincial hOusokgsepUr.