The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05
From the New York Sun.

F<Y Asst winter with our two chill
dren my husband and 1 passed
- a delightful and inexpensive
winter camping on the coast of South
Carolina" The speaker was the wife of
college professor whose salary is less
than $500 a year.
1.-THE previous spring my husband and
daughter both had severe attack OF
typhoid Because of this illness he got
a years leave Not wishing to encroach
any further on our small fund of savings
We decided to spend as much time as
possible in camp. From the mountains
of North Carolina, where we had gone for
the autumn. we Travelled south to Beau
fort, 8. C. We chose this locality because
we heard it had practically the same
climate as Charleston and was about a
tenth as expensive.
LAS we were entirely unacquainted we
first took rooms and board in the hotel
Here we were forced to pay 81 a day for
room and board, neither of which was
means of poor college professor, we lost
no time in looking up a suitable location
for our camp. After considerable walk
ing and driving around we finally decided
on spot at point about half way be-
tween Beaufort and Port Royal. 1t was
an ideal location. Though within a few
hundred yards of the shore we were well
above the highest of high tides. and
though sure of getting an abundance of
sunshine we were surrounded by grove
of moss draped live oaks.
$50 far as creature comforts are con-
cerned they were easily obtained both by
boat and cart from Beaufort and Port
were shipped direct from North Carolina
we had practically nothing to buy except
| the lumber for the foundation platforms
| for our tents. This we found hard to
get and by no means cheap. 1t took two
days after buying and paying for that
| lumber to get it delivered. The next step
| was having the platform made, and al
| though labor seemed cheap enough the
negro carpenter came SO late. left so
early and worked so deliberately that II
my husband hadn't been able to do much
CT 1t alone 1 believe we would have been
| In that hotel second week.
I'VE moved into camp the sixth day
after our arrival. Before the end Of our
second day began to realize the Joys
gets the best att the lowest prices. !
have never seen or eaten more delicious
oysters than were brought to us the
morning after we went into camp. The
price was 20 cents a quart or IL we took
the whole bucket we might have them
| for quarter 1 took the bucket and on
measuring found much nearer two
quarts than one. Although the earlier
varieties of fresh vegetables were not
in the local gardens there were plenty
of potatoes, cabbage, turnips and let
tuce all winter. Fresh onions, the lit
tie fellows with green tops, and rad
ishes, were carried around by negroes
in baskets on their heads and cost very
little. ~ +
Eggs and chicken, though not plen-
tiful, were generally to be had and sell
dem cost more than 25 cents a dozen
for eggs and 80 cents for a grown hen
suitable for roasting. Game was abund-
ant until the end of the season, while
fish and oysters were staple articles Of
diet for the poorest negroes All of our
cooking was done on an oil stove UNI
til an old negro taught by husband
how to roast potatoes in the ashe;
of our camp fire and make ashcake
This ashcake Is nothing more or less
than corn dodger cooked In the ashes
When convenient the dodger, after be-
ing moulded in the hands. was wrapped
in a cabbage or colard leaf and buried
In the ashes. 1t would be hard tic
imagine any simple food more delicious
than an ashcake eaten hot with fresh
butter or with buttermilk. Ashcake be-
came so popular with my family that II
was quite useless to offer them an,
other kind 9s8s gsi'M ~ saHssa3al
"Our washing and ironing cost US sc
cents a week and for another half dol.
lar Q woman came each morning and
did the rough work about the camp. II