The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-10-11
ANOLD-FASl17ONED Apple.
BEE.
BY KATE THORN.

' 0WORO OuS "a A11o0y 0u V1tB sgvklN0
institution. and the boys aud girls Of
to-day, who play croquet, and lawn
tennis, in ravishing costumes Of stripes
and checks. would doubtless turn up
their noses at the mention of the Apple
Bees. and the Huskings, and the Rails
ings. which were such . source of en-
joyment to their fathers. and mothers.
Onceit used to be considered neces.
sary for every family to lay in yearly a
stock of dried apples for the construc-
ton of a commodity, formerly supposed
to he edible, and which went by the
name Of dried-apple pie. It was a
highly respectable production, and
though it was often swallowed with a
wry face, like a purgative pill, no table
was aver complete without it, and il
was always q reserve force upon which,
the sorely pressed housekeeper could
fall back when q case of emergency
arose.
Canned apples and e~vaporated apples
have superseded it, and its familiar tan
colored countenance is seen no more;
but its memory remains to cheer us.
In the early fall of the year every
h%ousekeeper commenced to dry apples.
The first wind-falls of the season were
utilized; the wormy and knotty places
cut out with care, and hslved, and
quartered and cored. they were strung
on q string, about two yards long, and
fcstoons decorated the sunny side of the
farm house until the frost came. And
the wasps and flies took their late vaca-
ton seasons in buzzing over. the fes-
toons aforesaid, and sucking up such
juices rs the sun had left in the re-
mains of the fruit.
In large families, where an extra sup
ply of pie-making substance was
needed, it was the custom every fall to
have "apple-bees" or "apple-parings,"
as they are sometimes called.
A fine evening in September or Octo-
Der, was selected, and all the young
people i'll the neighborhood were in.
vited to lie present. Care was exercised
not to pass over any one in giving the
invitations for it wasa terrible slight"
to be left out of q merry-making of that
kind.
The big kitchen was the place of op.
Grafton. All the tubs aud baskets in
the house were filed with apples vel.
low, and apples red, and the young
neil who owned pairing machines were
out in force, each III anxious to Guido
the other, and thus gain favor in the
eyes of the admiring young girls who
did the coring and the stringing.
What a merry company it was! How
the laugh and joke and song rang out,
and the machines whizzed off the curly
parings, and sent them spinning over
the big table, and the girls threw them
over their shoulders, and looked blush.
ingly back to see if they had assumed
the form of the first letter of the name
of their favorite young man.
And when the tubs and baskets had
been emptied, and the strings of apples
hung from the frames, oil ready to be
givento the finishing process of the sun
and wind, in the morning, everything
was cleared away, and the table was
spread with a feast fit for o king, and
the hostess dealt out the baked beans
and Indian pudding with a lavish hand,
and each young ma waited on his best
girl, and paid her compliments while he
passed the doughnuts, and looked love
into her eyes while he held the slippery
pumpkin pie plate for her to divide the
piece for them both, and when he saw
the blush on her cheek, and felt the
touch of her soft fingers on his hand as
she passed him the pie, he couldn't tell
whether he was eating nectar or sole.
leather-and, what wa more, he didn't
care.
And when the supper was over, and
the old-time games of blind-man's-bluff,
and Copenhagen, and hunt the slipper,
e in full blast, how the winged
hours flew by, and nobody noticed that
it was long past midnight before
the gay jewellers separated, and took
their way homeward by the light of the
moon.
Matches were made at apple-bees,
hearts were lost and hearts were found;
barrels of dried apples were given to
the world, and busy home wives sur
veyed with pride the results of the even
ing's laborers. as displayed next
morning, on the frames hung up in
every available place where the sun
would be likely to fall.
And when the winter came and the
fruits were all gone, and the custard
and the mince pie had palled on their
taste, the dried apple came manfully to
the front, and having been stewed. and
sweetened and spiced, and put between
the layers of crust, it was baked; and
if man had good courage, and good
teeth, andfaith in an overriding Provi-
dence, which was bound to see him
safely through under any circumstances,
he might manage to worry down q
piece of that pie. and still live!-Nsv
York Weekly.
MAN-MxLL1NER RAILROADING.
Superintendent (nineteenth century
railrOadl-Somo of thoao fol;ooo ,,1.,t.