Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-07-15


dress was heard to ask. .tWhar's dat
white woman dat Ibis some'ers roun
here dat wants lady to do her washin?'
There are many customs and dishes
peculiar to southern housewives. Hog
killing time is an important season of
the year on the plantations and farms.
The mistress personally superintends
the preparation Of sugar cured hams,
salted jowls smoked sausages, lard for
keeping, and souse, hogs head cheese,
jellied feet, brains, haslets, spareribs,
back bones and chitterlings for imme-
diate use. Then in the fruit season
there are many days devoted to the
making of rich preserves and MARINA
ladies'.
There is one dish that is never seen
properly cooked ON a northern table.
That is rice. It would seem very sim
pie thing to boil rice in an acceptable
fashion, but it is not SO. Many south
ern cooks fail at it, and all northern.
A good, reliable southern recipe for rice
is as follows:
Pick over the rice and wash it III cold
water. To pint of rice put quarts
of boiling water and half teaspoon
full of salt. Boil it II minutes from the
time it begins to boil. Then turn off all
the water and set it over moderate
fire with the lid off to steam 15 min
utes. This makes it light and dry, and,
as has been expressed, each grain as
independent as the little state (South
Carolina) from which it came. I"
Ladies in the south who are not able
to keep servants, and these are very
small minority, do not attempt to en-
tertain company. 1t is not so north,
and it is frequent there that lady of
limited means who does all her own
housework receives guests at dinner or
tea and even has company staying in
the house. This, while being generous
excess Of hospitality, often has its draw
backs. | was once invited in company
with two other ladies to take tea at
neat cottage in a small village in New
York state. We were met at the door
by our hostess, who, as soon as shesaw
our wraps removed, ushered us into the
parlor with the injunction that we were
to entertain each other. She soon reap
peared and invited us in to tea. The ta-
BILE was pretty and dainty. There was
variety of nice breads, cold meats,
cakes, preserves, everything that one
could desire. There was no one to wait
on the table. and as we helped each
other we also proffered the tempting
dishes to our hostess. She declined
right and left. At last, being pressed
past her nervous endurance, she ex-
claimed: "Oh, please don't hand me
anything. I've made and cooked every
blessed thing ON this table, and I'm too
tired to eat" Imagine our feelings at
being the recipients of such costly hos
pitalityl Itwas like the young husband
who said the first dish in his housekeep-
ing experience was "baked wife.
Once in a large manufacturing town
in New England ! was the guest at the
home of one of the mill owners, a man
worth over 800, 900. His wife and
daughter did all of the housework
was much mortified the morning after
my arrival to find the frail lady of the
house making up my bed. When ex-
pressed my regret she said: "Oh, it
doesn't matter; it might as we'll be you
as anybody. Mr.. Walton is forever and
eternally bringing company here. y
And my invitation had been sent over
1000 miles
Isoon learned that the pretty daughter
was engaged to be married to wealthy
young fellow, son of congressman.
One morning saw her in earnest con-
verse at the side gate with the young
man who was measuring out milk.
When she came in, blushing, / said,
"Why, Hannah, what did that milk
man say to make you blush?''
"Milkmanl Why, that's George
- And / found 1t was true-a
young man of family, ample fortune, a
college graduate, spent several hours
every day driving cart and delivering
milk from his fathers dairy farm.
One summer boarded at farm
house at the north where the ''hired
girl'' was the daughter Of the richest
farmer in the place and my landlady' IS
husband was the girls fathers ''hired
man" working for SO much day in
his bayfield, and barnyard Under those
circumstances the social line was hard
one to draw. MEL R. CoLQUITT.