The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-09-27
Mari. rushed to tn. sid. of til. bowling

me, and l must've got it mixed up with
the bullet-necks that I'd cut off, and put
back in the skillet, and when 1 set the
skillet back in the fire it went off, and
burnt my hands and face. My, how they
hurt"
IF that fool boy ever lives to grow up
it'll be a miracle" growled the Deacon.
Il believe he lays wake nights to think
q ways to hurt himself"
Maria, run out into the kitchen. and
get that goose grease, you'll find on the
top SHELF, commanded Mrs. klegg
''Nothing's better for burns
Shorty took himself out of the way and
to bed, defeated in his expectation of
knowing his fate, raging at Sammy for
his untimely interruption at a critical mo-
ment, but feeling somehow that his case
was not so hopeless as it had seemed.
Maria was too busy making prepare
tons for boiling apple-butrer the next
morning to be present at the breakfast
table, and Shorty only caught sight OF
her, songful and busy In the Summer
kitchen, as he went to work. A sharp
fire was under great copper kettle in
the stone range. She had her skirts
pinned up, her sleeves rolled to the ell
bows on her full, white arms. and her
abundant hair combed and rolled tightly
in place. The sweet smell of boiling cider
filed the morning air, Sammy Woggles,
with his face and hands swathed in band
ages, was carrying in the trays Of pared
and cored apples. and Maria was carefully
cleaning the dust, accumulated since last
Fall, off large paddle, bored full of holes,
and fastened at right angles to a long
handle. She gaily fiourished this at the
men as they filed out to the corn field
The last stalk of the great crop of corn
was cut and safely shocked before the
middle of the afternoon, load was off the
thrifty Deacon's mind, and now ne could
turn his attention to such subsidiary mat
ters as Sis wedding, politics, getting in
the apples and pumpkins, cider making,
the fences, etc. While he ''pottered
round" as he expressed it, to gather up
loose ends here and there, and tidv up his
fields to suit his exacting taste, ST aid
Shorty returned to the house, 81 to dress
mp and ride over to the County Seat and
get the all-important license, Shorty to
try to get an interview with Maria. He
found her with her face and arms red
from the heat, hair disordered, tired from
the long, careful, watchful, unremittant
work, and her temper not improved. Sne
was vigorously pushing the paddle back
and forward. in the kettle, being sure 10
go every inch of the bottom, that there
might not be the slightest chance of burn
ing, and adding from time to time more
apples to the fragrant steaming mass.
or all the men on whom the sun shines
the thrifty, well-to-do farmer north of Ma
son & Dixon's line and the Ohio River has
incomparably more good things to eat than
any other, and far greater abundance
Of them.
The world has been deluged with the
praises Of the grapes, wines, oranges and
ard butter Of Germany; "the roast beef
Of Old England" the marvellous dishes
which the French cooks will prepare from
the most unpromising materials. But the
thrifty farmer in that broad stretch of
country lying northward of line drawn
from Baltimore to st. Louis has, with
the exception of the wines and the beer.
all Of the good things that any of them
have, many others that none of them have,
and an abundance that is denied TO even
their wealthiest. His smoke-house is
filed with hams that vie with the IA
nous ones of Westphalia; not even grapes
grown on the volcanic sides of VesuyiIs
surpass in lusciousness his apples, peaches,
pears and cherries; his own lush meadows
supply him with beef, milk and butter
second to none in the world; his gardens
riot with all the melons and vegetables
that Europe knows, and many that she
does not, and no Kings table has finer
bread than appears on his own. And
pare these rich fruits of fertile soil and
benefcent sun. The artistic compost
tons" of the French chef are put to shame
by the geuuineness, the excellence, and
the natural wholesomenesS of the products
of their fair hands.
Somewhere in the world, someone may
have produced better thing than a dish
of good apple-butter, but it has not yet
appeared in the menu of the most elab-
IN 40 orn1a-opl ,ypao,aiI,,
the American apple-is far and away the
king of all fruits. All other fruits are
the mere nobility. He is the absolute
monarch, towering far above the best of
them. And apple-butter made by the fair
hands of careful, conscientious, skilful
woman is the very soul, the essence, the
life of the apple. 1t has the apples peer
less fragrance, Sweeter and more seduc-
tive than that of the rose in June; it has
concentrated the apples delicate sweet
ness, elusive tartness, and taste-intoxica-
ton. Given a slice of fresh homemade
bread, cut by your mother. your wife or
your daughter. thick O'erspread by yellow
butter smelling of the sunny meadows,
then a generous layer Of nut-brown apple
butter, with a glass of cool milk by the
Luculius may have his night
ingale tongues, and Mecenas his honey of
Hymettus. They were poor, old-time pa
gdUS Ut DpSt. i never hiltN tHe ISHt
of Christianity, the blessings of a COnsti-
tutional Government, and the taste Of
bread and butter and apple-butter and
sweet milk on an Indiana farm.
But, like all the best things in this
world, the right kind of apple-butter can
only be had at the cost of brains, labor
and anxious care. Making apple-butter
was one of the things that the women of
the Klegg household threw as much them
selves into as the Deacon did into the
care of his stock and the tilling of his
fields. 1t demanded their very best
thought for they would be reminded three
times every day in the year, when the
apple-butter appeared on the table, by its
appearance and taste of any error of
Judgment or lack of attention.
Maria had thought of nothing else than
the apple-butter since she had risen in the
morning She had determined to spare
her mother the hard work and nervous at
tention, but Mrs. Klegg had very reluc
family surrendered to her this important
luty. She was on trial, for "Maria's ap-
ple-butter" would be the subject of re-
mark at every meal during the coming |
year. She had frightened the copper
kettle to remove the least suspicion of
faint, and managed the fire and watched |
he boiling down of the cider" with IN
tagging solicitudc. She was carefully add |
ng the apples, with stirring that reached
every part of the mess each second, to
prevent the dreaded bitterness of burn
70 vic in ind bnr