The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-09-20
HEALTH AMONG THE HOPS.
A Brooklyn Young Womans Chatty Story
of Her Health Trip --ss-s--s,

of Her Health Trip.
II worked in the hop fields lest sum-
mer," she said, and she looked az
though all the good of the hops and
none of their injurious qualities had
been absorbed into her system, for her
face was bright and rosy, her step elias
tic, and her manner cheerful. She
was not at all like the fragile young
lady of eight months ago, whose friends
in BROOKLYN hardly expected to see her
alive in November. For whole
month" she continued, Il lived on .
farm near Cooperstown. n, T.. and
picked hops almost from dawn to dusk
every day except Sundays. The farm
er was glad to hire me for my board
and lodging. Four other girls and
two yonug men were engaged on the
same terms. We were all more or less
acquainted with each other in Brook
lyn, 80 it was not exactly like going
alone among strangers. OF course it
would have seemed great deal more
refined if we had paid the farmer for
the privilege of picking his hops, but
had we done go the object for which we
isolated ourselves so far from home
would not have been achieved. DE
would never have had the moral cour-
age to make his guests and patrons
work against their wills. AS matters
were arranged. he left a great deal to
his wife, and, I can tell you, she show
ed us very little consideration. She
WAS determins2 to get the full value
of Der milk and weak tea, and was not
disposed to give us her fat pork and
beans MAhout fair equivalent or to
allow rs to eat the corn bread Of idle
ness She called us every morning at
daybreak, and she was not to be de-
ri1d. We had to walk three-quarters
of mile to the hop fields, and it was
necessary, she said, for US to be astir
early.
1--WE did not mind this much on
warm mornings, but when the breath
Of frost was on the atmosphere it was q
dreadful thing to be told to get up
from our net too comfortable beds.
and to know that we had no alterna-
tive but to obey. However, it was not
SO bad when we were once up, and |
when the sun got well up, too, we
grew quite cheerful, for the informing |
air in the northern part Of the state is |
very hracing. 1t was like bathing at
Coney Island on chilly day. After
the first dip the agony is over. But
washing in the icy spring water was
terrible ordeal. Once l asked the
farmers w1Fto let me have little
warm watefrin my bedroom, but the
proposition, which she declined frigid-
~, SO shocked her that was afraid she
would punish me by giving me no
breakfast; but she only marked her
by combining me to three
slices of corn bread, which was bad
enough, for my appetite at that time
had grown out of all ladylike proper
lions, and l usually consumed five
slices.
"One young man. whose hair and
mustache were of beautiful seal
brown color, said that he would allow
his beard to grow rather than shave
with cold water; but we were all amaz-
ed to see the bristles on his cheeks and
chin coming out quite red, He was
Tery much mortified, and when the
other young fellow laughed at him,
md lectured him about the evils of
he packed up his traps
md went away two weeks before the
ormer's hops had all been harvested.
"Of course we had some rights that
re always maintained. We insisted
N not being separated from each other
u the hop fields, and we ate our lunch
ogether among the vines. 1t was
cry pleasant, fer we could sing songs
nd talk and tell stories, which we
hould not have cared to do if we had
'een obliged TO work side by side with
he paid laborers, many of whom were
ramps, pure and simple. To them the
armer used language that seemed to
ne to be sometimes unnecessarily en-
hattie. To us he spoke more politely;
ut this was the only distinction he
lade. He was as careful in seeing
nat we turned in our full complement
+ hops every evening as he was to get
ne value of his money from the men
nd women to whom he paid their
wages at the end Of each day. =
THE fare at meals was, Of course,
xecrable, but hunger is good sauce,
nd we all ate heartily. Next season l
hall try to make up a party of delicate
Dung ladies, and take them to the
op fields in search of health I shall
~ in stock Of biscuits and canned y
rovisions to assuage my hunger in my P
edroom or among the vines, so that | Of
re farmers wife viii not have reason L
regard me with strong reproach- II
Il eye a: meals, as though she thought
worked harder at the table than in !.
IA field :. 10