Evening star., 1914-11-21
tites. They're cheerful now and their

Iappetites are all-embracing.
| In fact, I believe country people as
| rule, In spite of the many things
of which they are deprived. are more
know 1 never saw a more cheerful
| crowd than gathered Wednesday nigh
| for the husking bee. 1t was clear.
| frosty night; Just cold enough to put
to entail discomfort. They came from
miles around, in every sort of convey
| ance imaginable. from automobiles to
| big. numbering farm wagons filled
| with straw. I am making guess that
the straw ride parties had more fun
! than those who rode in motors. There
were fifteen and twenty young folks In
some of the wagons. They had sleigh
bells on their horses and footed tin
| horns when they were not singing or
making a noise in some otner way.
| Out on those country roads. where
everything else was quiet. they must
have made themselves heard for miles
I don't think. though. that they dis
everybody was at the husking bee.
Subject for the Movies"
There isn't any use trying to de-
| scribe the husking bee. Only a moving
picture film and Photographic record
could begin to do 1t justice. As it was
| something entirely new to the younger
generation the folks were q little slow
getting started; but they made up for
this by the speed shown later on.
| About three dozen young men and an
equal number of girls tackled the JOB
| of husking, and they really shucked
| lot of corn. Every now and then a
feminine squeal, followed by q gale OF
laughter. told that a red ear had been
| found.
The lady who was so insistent upon
| the adoption of rule that married
men who found red ears could claim
| reward only from their wives need not
| have worried herself. Both married
from the husking by unanimous vote
of the young people. All the married
men were permitted to do was to
carry in the shocks Of corn and carry
away the ears and fodder All the
| married women were permitted to do
was to get supper for the huskers.
But, with the corn husked and supper
| eaten, all who cared to We're free to
join the dancers on the barn floor.
night, % m but 1t It must have been almost
| daylight when heard parties Of young
people going by on their way home.
There is to be something doing at the
schoolhouse again on the Wednesday
following Thanksgiving, but the
Friendly Neighbors' Club committee in
| charge is keeping its plans secret. All
| any one Is permitted to know Is that 1t
| will cost 10 cents to get In, and that
once inside there will be plenty OF op-
Plans to Put Up Ice.
The rain Of Saturday night and Sum
day has brought water back to the
we'll, but the supply is still limited and
Ix6 mi
from the pond When I had to go
down the other morning and break
shore ice before they could get to the
water. ! had a ''hunch." over which l
have been shaking hands with myself
ever since. II there comes good
freeze this winter, l am going to put
up our next summers supply OF ice. l
| haven't yet figured out just what sort
of an icehouse I'll build, but 1t Will
| have to be an inexpensive one. L am
| told that a cave in the side of the hill,
where there will be drainage, will an
swer the purpose. There is enough old
lumber about the place to make the
sides secure and roof 1t over.
It's queer. isn't it. how how things hin h',i1a euTn
the dam more as a lark than with any
idea that it eveF would prove to be OF
practical value. The boys got the no
tion of dam the minute they saw the
Knoll, even before We had taken pos
session. I encouraged the idea. be-
cause I wanted to do everything pos
sible to interest them In country life.
| The actual work of building the dam
we regarded as play. doing 1t at spare
times during the summer. But, as a
matter of fact, it has proved to be one
of our most valuable assets. / don't
the drought of last summer and the
one Of this fall If 1t hadn't been for the
stored waters in the dam We would
have had to get some sort OF tank
and 1 have observed that neighbors.
obliging as they may be In most
things, aren't anxious to part with wa
ter at a time when wells are going
dry all around them.
| Why Not Sell Ice.
It develops now that II VIC can get a
years supply Of ice from the pond II
will mean a considerable saving in dol
lars. Out here ice costs 60 cents pei
hundred pounds. and I'm far from sat
isfied that we have received anything
like honest weight during the past
summer. I think the driver leayes the
station with SO many pounds OF Ice ano
a day with pay for that number OF
pounds. regardless Of how much melt
ing there may have been in ten or
| Twelve hours unUer IA OldzlnB Bull
That may be fair enough from the view
point of tho man who sells the Ice
but it's pretty tough on the man who
buys it.
/ don't see any good reason. IL we &c
into the business of cutting and storing
, ice, why we should not eventually fur
nish our neighbors with their supply
The pond certainly is big enough &c
keep a considerable number of families
going OF course. the weather in this
latitude is rather capricious in the mat
ter of icemaking, but some risk mus
be taken in any line OF business.
When the boys had harvested an(
marketed their popcorn / thought they
, had exhausted the possibilities of in
come for the present year, for botl
, pigeons and rabbits have failed so fal
to show that they are moneymakers
) But the boys were wider awake thar
3 gave them credit for being. They
have spent their evenings and Satur
| days gathering nuts, and I'm not at al
certain they will not make more none,
from this activity than they made from
popcorn. The chestnuts were gathered
, on our own place. and after setting
aside what they regard as an adequate
supply for the family they have abou
} four bushels for sale. We have onl!