The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-03-22
An Old-Fashioned Apple Bee.

AL Oiu-rdSnlOueu AVpl0 DID,
The march of improvement has
swept out of existence many an old
time institution, and the boys and
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 apple bees, and the huskingS. and
the raisings. which were such a
source of enjoyment to their fathers
and mothers.
Once it used to be considered neces-
sary for every family to lay i'll year.
~ Il stock of dried apples for the con-
struclion of a commodity, formerly
supposed to lie edible, and which
wen: by the name of dried apple
pie. 1t was a highly respectable pro-
ductiOn, and it was often swallowed
with a Wry face, like Il purgative
pill. no table was ever complete with.
nut it, and it was always Il reserve
force upon which the snrplv pressed
housekceper could fall back when
case of emergency arose.
Canned apples amt evapOrated ap-
pies have superseded it, and its ia
miliar .colOred c0untenanre is
seen no more; but its memory re.
mai ~ fO Chppr ia
In the early fall of the year every
hOuSekeeper commenced to dry APP
pies. The first wind falls of the sea.
son were utilized; the WOrniy and
kn0tty places cut out with care. and
halved. ard quartered aud c0red.
They were strung on string. about
two yards long, and their festoons
d 'corated the sunny side of the farm
h Ju,e until the frost came. Amt the
WaSpS and flies took their late vaca.
ton seasons in buzzln% oyer the fes-
toonS aforesaid, and sucking up such
juices us The sun had left in the re.
mains of the fruit.
In large families. where an extra
supply of rie-making substance wa-
needed, it was the custom every fall
to have "a3pie bees" or "apple par
inGs," as they are sometimes called.
A fine evening in September or
October was selected, and all the
young people in the neighhorhood
were invited to he present. Care was
exercised not to pass over any one
in giving the invitations. for it was
terrible "SIight" to be lef: out of a
nerry.making of that kind.
The big kitchen Was the place of
operation. All the tubs and baskets
in the house were filled with apples
yellow ami apples red, and the young
men who owned pairing machines
were out in force, each one ANXIOUS
to Guido the other, and thus gain
favor in the eyes of the admiriny
roung girls who Gid The coring and
the stringinS.
What Il merry company it WIS |!
How the laugh and joke and song
rang out, and the machines whizzed
OIL the curly paring5 and sent them
spinning over the big table, and the
girls threw them over their slioul.
ders, and looked bIushingIy 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 frames, all ready
to he given the finishing process of
:he sun and wind in the evening,
everything cleared away, and the la
ble Was spread with feast nit for a
king, anu The hostess dealt out the
baked beans and Indian pudding
with a lavish hand, and each young
man waite on his best girl aud paid
her compliments while he passed the
dOughnuts, and looked love into her
eyes while he bed the slippery
pumpkin uie 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 Eand as she passed him the pie,
he couldn't tell whether he was eat.
ing nectar or sole Ieather-and. what
was more, he didn't care.
And when supper was oyer, and
the Uld.time games of blind mans
buff, and copenhagen, and hunt the
slippers. wer3 III fun blast, how the
winged hours flew by, aud nobody