Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-11-06
Special Correspondence.
NEHERRTS, VIRGINIA, !
Saturday, October 30, 1897.


DEAR NEWS For many days have
been as one whirling In the may dance.
Everybody must be seen and '.the or
chard, the meadow, the deep-tanglcd
wildwood and every loved spot which
my infancy knew" must be visited be-
fore can say good bye" and start for
my home faraway 10 the setting sun.
The rains Of to-day have shut me In
doors and given me an opportunity TO
write you this letter. The long, hot and
distressing drouth Is over, and the driy-
Ing northeast rains are the first signs
Of the coming winter. Without, IL is
dreary, dismal and gloomy. The ever
greens, the vines and the aspen trees
are weeping over the change. But in
doors 1t seems strangely bright and
cheerful 70 me. A big fire is blazing
on the hearth stone. The high brass
andirons are loaded down with dry
hickory and oak wood, and IL pleases
me TO watch the flames playing and
leaping from stick to stick and drop
ping live Goals below which make quaint
and grotesque figures as they lose their
brightness and disappear in ashes.
This forenoon spent an hour at the
cabin of 'old Uncle Ned and old Aunt
Hannah" old-time servants before the
war. Both Of them have reached their
three score years and ten. Aunt Han
nah was noted cook In her day and
Uncle Ned was man OF all work about
the home-not ie,d hand. They were
pleased at my visit and both straight
way began TO tell me of my likeness to
my mother and OF something about me
TO remind them of my father ''when he
was courtin' young mistess." Both had
much 10 tell me OF the good old times
Of the long ago, and Of their pride and
happiness In the days when the great
house" was filed with company COM
ing TO see the daughters of old Mars
and old Mistess."
| asked the old woman to tell me
something about the swell dinners she
would prepare when she was In the
prime of her glory in the kitchen, but
she said /: "Bless your sole, honey, |
disremembers most Of them things now;
dey done passed outen my mind, and
desc poor old hands done lost dar cum
min In preparing dem fine dishes"
was anxious TO learn some things
from her about cooking, and aft ter in
sisting on her refreshing her memory
she gave me some information about a
bill OF fare for u days meals that was
really appetizing to hear her tell Of
them. Her way of broiling chicken
and ham and making wafiles for break
fast, aud of her soups, baked ham with
barbecue gravy, stuffed ham, roasted
turkey with oyster dressing, chicken
pie and yellow yams for dinner were
worth all the recipes In Mrs. Owens
cook book or Mrs. Rorer's for cheap
meals.
| All the time the old woman was tell
ing me Of these things, ! noticed old
Uncle Ned chuckling to himself and
occasionally rocking his body TO and
fro and patting his foot | then asked
him TO tell me something about his
famous dish OF sweet potatoes and pos
sum, and the old man began laughing
iinmoderately. The reminder tickled
his palate and it did him good to think
OF them. When he could speak, he said:
oYoung Mistess, dems dc best things a
niggcr ever tasted. Dey suits better to
his taste than all the big dinners you
ken talk about, "Possum and sweet