The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1910-03-03
LETTER FROM MRS. FROST

the road. Very often we do not I'M
derstand them and they do not I'M
derstand us
The weather Is warm. Since the
first of January the mercury has
been between 40 and so degrees most
of the time. On one day It went down
to "a degrees above zero. But there
are many damp days, and dense fog
when the people speak of getting
out their fog knives. For the first
eleven days OF January there were
but ten minutes OF sunshine. The
first days of January have but eight
hours OF daylight, so that one feels
as though he were going through a
series OF tunnels with flashes of day
/ light between, and when those few
hours are filled with clouds and fog,
the tunnels seems continuous
But then. come the bright days,
and our sunny days are like days in
May. On such days, we often make
an expedition into the country. The
roads lead through rolling meadows
called downs, and from the hilltops
one can see the waves OF the sea on
one side, and the pillows of rolling
meadows on the other.
The downs are as green as In June,
and men are ploughing in the fields.
The pillow turns up small rocks of
flint and chalk which, in the dist
ance look like dry bones. On the
highest hills are stone wind mills
which stretch out their long arms to
catch the wind for the grinding of
grain. One dairy farm we pass. adj
vertises milking by the vacuum pro
cess and invites visitors. At the gate
Of the dairy farm, we see a cart
filled with bright brass milk cans,
and drawn by a little gray donkey.
Cleveland thinks Gene Marsh would
like such an outfit for his milk route.
We see the clumsy two wheeled
carts drawn by great clumsy farm
horses. On the hills, flocks OF sheep
are grazing. This is the home of the
Southdown sheep.
All through these downs, at inter
walls OF two or three miles are scat
tered little villages In one village are
matched houses six hundred years old.
However, small the village 1t always
contains a little stone church with
Ivy covered tower and a church yard.
where are buried the worshippers OF
the past. In one OF these churches,
we found women decorating with
holly for the Christmas services, and
choir boys were practicing Christ
mas carols. And 10 think that there
have been Christmas services in
that little church for over eight hun
bred years.-for three hundred years
before America was discovered. Kip
ling lived in one of these villages for
some time, and he gave expression
to what we feel when looking at a
village church.
and little lost Down churches,
Praise the Lord who made the hills
As we get back near town we
meet people on foot and on horse
back and in all kinds Of vehicles.
The saddle horses don't have the fine
gait of our Kentucky horses, but a
rough trot, and the riders rise in
their stirrups to ease the jolt. Occas-
ionally, we see woman riding astride
though the great majority ride side
wise We see heavy four wheeled car
riages with a high seat in front for
the coachman and footman. The light
buggies for two people are all two
wheeled carts in many styles. Then,
there is the little cart drawn by a
tiny pony and filled with children
with a Scotch collie trotting along
| side. And in amongst the farm carts
and coaches, and pony carts and
horseback riders flies the automobile,
wheeling and honking on its way
from London.
The boys and girls may be in
terested to know that the boys and
girls here have very red cheeks.
When the boys dress up, they wear
stiff hats and canes and long trou-
sers, while the girls wear dresses
scarcely below their knees. The girls
wear their hair loose over their shoul
ders, and without big bows. They
dress simply and look healthy.
Edith and Cleveland are both well.
Cleveland has gained nineteen pounds
since he left home. They would get
very homesick If they we're not kept
busy. Edith often counts back six