The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-04-04
LIKE DOG KENNELS.
A Farmers Home in Siam-Hil
Wife and Children.


One afternoon last December, writes
Frank G. Carpenter in the American
Agricultural, foated 90 Siamese farm
el's house on the banks of the Mensm
river. 1t looked more like two dog ken.
uels about ten feet high tied Together
and built upon a raft of bamboo than
anything else. 1t was tied 10 two poles
driven deep into the bed Of the river and
the raft was about two feet thick and
made of these bamboo sticks laid cross
wise like the corncOb house of baby.
Along the edge Of the stream and back
into the country was the farmers little
plantation, consisting Of perhaps i've
acres of rice fields and little vegetable
garden. The house consisted of three
rooms with ledgc-like porch in front Of
it, and the raft extended out from this
porch and upon it two yellow-skinned
naked little babies were playing and
laughing as they looked down into the
waters of the mighty river within twelve
inches of drowning. stopped my boat
at the front steps and entered. A SHORT.
haired old woman and a short-haired
young woman were the only occupants,
and they squattcd fiat on the floor and
begged me to do likewise. There was
not a bit of furniture in the house, and
the cook stove consisted of box about
the size of soap box, filled with ashes
upon which a fire was smouldering and
causing the kettle placed fiat on the Goals
to simmer. This kettle with an carthen
rice pot and skillet formed the whole
of the culinary utensils of this Siamese
farmers wife. l asked my guide to
show me the bedroom of the family. He
told me that all slept on the floor, and he
picked up little block made of bamboo
splints tackled two pieces of wood SO that
the whole was of about the size of an
ordinary loaf of bread and told me that
this was one of the pillows they used.
The women were very lightly attired.
The younger girl had Turkish towel
around her shoulders, but the most str1k-
ing features of their dress consisted of
large silver anklets and bracelets. Both
women were chewing the betel nut and
the teeth of both were black and their
lips were stained as though they were
splitting blood. The elder woman Of
fered me chew ano / tasted this mix
ture which is common throughout Indo-
China. found it bitter and disgusting.
While was waiting, a little fOur-yesr-
old child came in, and its mother gave
it to eat of the betel which it did with
vigor, and then picking up cigarette
which lay at one side of the room, i lit
it at the Goals and pulled away heartily.
All Siamesc men, women, and children
smoke and chew, and there is hardly a
farmers wife in the country or a farmers
child so poor that it can not afford both
tobacco and the betel nut. After wait
ing awhile the lord of the family came
in. He. was dressed much the same a.
the women and he had also short hair.
1t was dinner time and he asked me and
my guide to take bit with them. lex
cused myself but l watched the meal.
The man, as is the custom in Siam, had
the first bite. He took the rice which
was steaming from the rice pot and
rolled the mass into q hard ball with his
fingers and then crammed it into his
mouth. This, with a vegetable curry,
the whole of the meal. Tho
women ate after the man was through.
After dinner all took a smoke, and lefs
not highly impressed with the gastronO-
my Of the Siamese farmers.