The Washington herald., 1907-05-26
BY ELIZA CALVERT HALL


There's one thing I'd like mighty well
to see again before l die" said Aunt
Jane. "and that is a good, old-fashioned
fair. The apostle says we must press
forward. forgetting the things that are
behind, but there's some things I've left
behind that 1 can't never forget, and the
fairs we had i'm my days is one Of 'em. ."
1t was the quletest hour Of an August
afternoon-that time when one seems 10
have reached 1.-THE land where IT is always
afternoon and Aunt Jane and were
sitting on the back porch. Smelling butter
beans for the next days market. Before
us lay the garden in the splendid fullness
of late summer Concord and Catawba
grapes loaded the vines on the rickety old
arbor. tomatoes were Tipening in reckless
plenty. 10 be given to the neighbors. or to
lie In tempting rows on the window-sill
of the kitchen and the shelves Of the
back porch; the second planting of cucum-
her vines ran in flowery luxuriance over
the space allotted to them, and even en-
Croached on the territory of the squashes
and melons. Damsons hung purpling over
the caves Of the house, and wasps and
bees kept up q lively buzzing as they
feasted on the windfalls Of the old yellow
peach tree near the garden gate. Nature
had distributed her sunshine and show
ers with wise generosity that year, and
neither in field nor IN garden was there
lack OF any good thing Perhaps II was
this gracious abundance. presaglng fine
exhibits at the coming fair. that turned
Aunt James thoughts toward the fairs OF
her youth
Folks nowadays don't seem TO think
much about fairs" she continued; but
when I was young a fair was something
that the grown folks looked forward 20
Test Ike children look for Christmas. The
women and the men, too, was gittin
ready for the fair all the year round.
the women piecin' quilts and knittin
socks and weavin' carpets and putin up
preserves and pickles. and the men raisin'
fine stock; and when the fair come. it
was worth goin' to. child, and worth re-
memberin' after you'd gone TO It.
Il hear folks talkin about the fair ev-
cry year. and 1 laugh TO myself and
say You folks don't know what a fair
is And I set out there on my porch fair
week and watch the buggies and wagons
goin' by I'm the mornin' and comm home
al night. and I git right happy, thinkin
about the time when me and Abram and
the children used 10 go over the same
road 70 the fair, but a mighty different
sort Of fair from what they have nova
DAYS One thing is. honey, they have the
fairs too soon. It never was intended for
folks TO 20 TO fairs I'm hot weather, and
here they've got to haYin' 'em the first
week in September. about the hottest.
driest. and dustiest time Of the whole
year. Nothin looks pretty then. and il
always makes me think o. folks when
they've been vearin' their summer clothes
for three months. and everything's all
faded and dusty and drabbled. That's
the way Il generally IS in September. But
lest wait till two or three good rains come
and everythings washed clean and sweet,
and the trees look Ike they'd got a new
set o. leaves. and the grass comes out
green and fresh like It does in the spring,
and the nights and the mornin's feel cool,
though It's hot enough IN the middle O
the day: and maybe thereH come a touch
Of early frost. jest enough to turn the
top leaves on the sugar naples. That's
October. child, and that's the time for a
fair
Lord. the good times I've seen in them
DAYS. Startin' early and comm home late.
with the sun settin' in front Of you, and
In and BIZ the moon comm up behind
Won. and the wind BLOWN cool out o. the
woods on the side o. the road; the baby
fast asleep in my arms. and the other
children talkin' with each other about
what they'd seen. and Abram drivin' slow
over the rough places. and lookin back
every once in a while 10 see If we was all
there. It's curious thing, honey; l liked
fairs as well as anybody, and ! reckon
saw all there was 10 be seen. and heard
1evervthing there was 20 be heard every
time I went 10 one. But now, when ! git
n calm 'em up. it appears to ne that
the best part Of it ALL and the part /
ricollect the pIainest. was jest the goin'
there and the comm back home.
"Abram knew liked 70 stay till every
thing was over. and he'd git somebody
10 water and feed the stock, and then /
never had any hot suppers to git while
the fair lasted: so there wasn't anything
10 hurry me and Abram. l ricollect Maria
Petty come UP one day about o'clock,
lest as we was l0okin' at the last race,
and SAYS she, I'm about to drop, jane
but l believe I'd ruther stay here and
sleep on the floor O. the ampitheater
than to 90 home and cook a hot sup
per And ! SAYS. Don't cook hot
supper. then And says she, Why.
Silas wouldn't eat piece o cold bread
at home 10 save his life or mine either
There's a heap o. women TO be pitied,
child" said Aunt Jane. dropping hand
full Of shelled beans into my pan with a
cheerful clatter. but, of all things. de
liver me from Twin with a man that has
TO have hot bread three times a day. Mil
~ Amos used 20 say that when she died
she wanted a hot biscuit carved on her
tombstone; and that II it wasn't for hot
biscuits. there.d be a mighty small crop
Of widowers. sam. you see, was another
man that couldn't eat cold bread But
Sam had q right % his hot biscuits. for II
Nnly didn't feel like g0in' into The kitch-
On. Sand 20 out and mis- up hts biscuits
and bake EN- himself Sans soda bis
cults was as good as mine; and whom itI
come 20 beaten biscuits. why nobody
could equal sam. Mily'd make mp the
dough as stin as she could handle It. and
Sand beat il Till il was soft enough To
ron out; and such biscuits I never ex-
pect 20 eat again-white and light as
snow inside. and crisp as a cracker out
side. Folks nowadays makes beaten bis
cults BY machinery. hut they don't taste
like the old-fashionsd kind that was beat
By hand
And talkin about biscuits. child re-