The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-16

all sorts of household accomplish
ments. One day her father brought
home a new stepmOther, who taught
her to card and spin and help make
the cotton and wool cloth from which
the clothes of the family were made.
There were no schools in those days
except for the rich.
Socn it became noi5ed about the
neighborhod that there wasn't anoth-
er girl in the whole country who
could card and spin as we'll as Susie
Smith ('and that's the truth said
Grandma Whittel. impresSively! She
could spin hank by dinner time
when the stars fell. In her prime she
could make twelve yards of cloth a
day. She was a staunch Presbyteri-
an, and often in the evenings, when
the spinning wheel was set aside and
the big kettle swung from the crane
over the embers, Mr.. McCloud would
drop in for supper and later take her
out to singing school or to preaching.
young folks had better times then
than they do n"w,' insisted Grandma
Whittle. when you went to preach
in in those. days. you stayed awhile.
Grandma says. Tie preachers weren't
scared Of their congregation in those
days like they are now. but talked
just as long as they wanted to, and
good wholesome sermon often last
ed near to three hours.
They didn't spare their congrega-
tion, either, but told them about a
hell of fire and birthstone until it
made goose-flesh on their spinal col
umn and had beneficent effect on
their conduct that lasted from one
preachin' day until the next. They
had camp meetin's, too, when the
crops were laid by.
Grandma Whittle especially remem
bars one camp meetin' when religious
fervor ran high. She was Just a,
little girl then-it was during Mon
rOe's administration, and the era of
good feeling NAV have had something
10 do with the en- husiasm the preach
ing provoked Tho ayhorter was call
ing for mourners and the benches
were full A large number of ladies
were shouting-in fact. it was reg
ular hallelujah time in the service. In
those days the most coveted millinery
possession was a tuskin bonnet. 1t
was a sort of voluminous affair with
a broad brim edged with ruifle after
ruffle Of lace and a sharp crown. 1t
was tied with bewitching strings un
der the chin, and to own one in those
days was as stylish as to have W.T.
low plum or an Irish crochet hand
bag was last summer. Now the com
mon garden variety of bonnet %as
called the fly bonnet, which in COM
puarison to the splendorf of the tus-
parison to the splendor of the sat
elites of Jupiter to the sun. Well. at
this particular camp meeting, from
which we have strayed like so many
lost sheep, one of the ladies with a
tuskin bonnet got happey. She jump
ed up and down and did similarl
stunts to express her emotion until
she thought of falling on the ground.
in her great religious eXultatiou
And" says Grandma Whittle, "no
sooner had the idea struck her, than
she run back and took a flv bonnet
off one of her neighbors' head and lef;
her tuskin bonnet in its place until
she got through rollin at the altar I
remember thinkin' that if she was so
happy I didn't see how she had a
chance to stop and think that she
might mash her tuskin.' g.
In those davs the housewives not
only darned their husbands soy. but
they made his breeches. One morn
ing Mr.. McCloud brought home ei
number Of pairs of breeches that he
had had cut out at Scotch settle
ment and told her she must have a
pair done by Sunday. She was just
nine years old and her father was
rather particular about the set of his
trousers. When she looked over the
garments, which were Of blue and
purple she could find no two pieces
that matched: she could make one leg
blue and one leg purple and make it
come out al right, but when she
thought of the staid old Presbyterian
in such mottled cOors she grew colo
with fear. At last, driven to des-
peration, she took the shears and
shaped two pieces alike She fin
ished the garments and when Sunday
came they were brought out for in
spectiOn.
John Smith tried them on and ad-
justed his knee garters.
"WhO cut these breeches?' he ask
ed
81 did, Susie faltered
We'll, they're the best I've had
since your nanny died" he said!
And soon the rumor spread that
Susie Smith could not only card and
spin, but she could make the best,
fitting breeches of any girl in the
neighborhood Such virtue is notl
without reward and soon Mr. Me-
Cloud asked her to take the perma-
nent Job of making his breeches and
help care for his six mOtherless
children. Doubtless he didn't express
himself that way, but that's how it
turned out.
She was only fifteen years old when