The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-06
Such Wonderful Feasts They
Used to Serve in the Old
Days IN Kentucky and
Tennessee.
BY MARTHA Nice. WILLIAMS.

BY MARTHA Nice. WILLIAMS.
T YALF the county was asked to
49, William Majors infare AS
he was an orphan, his aunt
and uncle, the Lewises, gave
the infare. Captain Lewis was Will
liam'S guardian, so the pair regarded
him as a sort of elder son, and did for
him exactly what they would have
done for a child of their own.
Etymologically, the infare describes
itself-it is the going in of a bride to
her new family. Some folks wondered
a little that William did not choose to
have his upon his own place. Hadn't he
a house fully furnished, even to spoons
and such matters. to say nothing Of
half a dozen likely negroes? But
most agreed that he had done just
right. 1t would have hurt his, Aunt
Martha's feelings if she had not been
allowed to give the feast of welcome
to her new niece.
Most infares came off by daylight,
and then they were big and tumultu
GUS dinners to a yardful of folk, who
ate in relays. But because the bride
lived twenty miles off, this one came.
off at night. Therefore, Mrs. Lewis
was doubly anxious to have it out
match the glories of the wedding.
There Were Lashins
of Good Things
to Eat and Drink
She did not go to the wedding, but
Captain Lewis did, starting home sole
time after midnight, and getting there
to a late breakfast. Thus he was able
to tell his wife, in laundering mas
culine way, about the brides dress and
her dowry-above all, about the supper
table. There had been no big crowd,
he said. only folk within five miles
had been invited. Lashins to eat and
drink, though; and if the old man had
been gruff enough, he was doing a
good part by Billy and Susanna. The
girl would not come riding behind
Billy on pillion, as many brides did.
She had her own horse and saddle,
and a likely negro girl, who would
also come along, mounted on the
brood mare that was another part
the dowry.
Mrs. Lewis was glad to hear all this.
There was, however, a certain emulous
triumph behind the gladness. Not tor
naught had she been fixing for week,
aided and abetted by the three best
cake-bakers in the neighborhood.
Moreover, Miss Maria Partillo, who
WAS a genius with the scissors, had
spent a whole day cutting paper lace
and leaves and flowers to trim the
supper table. The flowers were cut
from foolscap, with a few precious
ones from a sheet of red paper which
4 Miss Maria had been treasurlng
against just such a time. She had
insisted upon lending all her glass and
pewter and silver, not to name plates
and dishes. Mrs. Lewis could never
have brought herself to ask that-the
Partillo things were so fine although
she had not the least scruple against
LAYING other neighbors under tribute.
Indeed, lending and borrowing for
such occasions were so much matters
of course that almost anybody who
had been left out would have felt it
pointed slight.
It Took Three Days
lust to Get Ready
for the Infare
So. for three days back, black men
= and women had been walking up to
the Lewis house with baskets care
fully balanced upon their heads. In
side the baskets all manner OF ware
was s1lug1y packed. Nearly every one
had also from two to four tall brass
candlesticks, rubbed until they shone
like gold.
Ali the pewter had been likewise
= newly rubbed, although its owners
knew that Mrs. Lewis would have II
rubbed again just before it went or
the table. They did not blame her--it
furnished so quickly; besides, Tushe;
were plenty in the Lewis spring
branch, and nobody could use then
so as to get quite such shine or
pewter as Aunt Ailsa, the Lewis cook
1t was reassuring to remember al
that, and still more so to have three
neighboring housewives ride in, eacl
bringing along her cook or housemald
while still Captain Lewis was at table
But the best of all came later, IN tn
shape of Miss Maria Partillo herself
who drove UP in her gig as early a!
twelve o'clock, with her maid, blacl
Betty. at her elbow More than that
She fetched along wonderful cake Q
her own baking, iced in lattice work
and with deep icing fringe all round
It's the backgrounds" she SAID
nodding her head and taking OFT ne
best cap as she spoke. ST don't car
if they had brides cake or not at tn
: wedding; Billy shall have this; and
baked ring and darning needle an
thimb1e and silver picayune in i
to be cut for. Susanna? If Susann
don't like it, she amt half good enoug
for Billy"
They Cooked Everything
Outdoors
= for the Weather Was Hot
Because the weather was so no
most of the meat was cooked outdoor
at fire built very far down the yart
The barbecue pit was still farther OF
down at the spring, in fact. Iher
We're seven carcasses-three lambs, tw
shoats. and a couple of kids, all spill
- and laid upon clean sticks over glow
40 hardwood Goals. Barbecuing bt