The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-25
IN WESTERN KANSAS.
(By Tom Blackburn

Baked apple pie made out OF
cracker crumbs sweetened with sugar
and favored with little cider vinegar
was the dish OF honor at a Christmas
dinner served 25 years ago today. And
it was good apple pie. every piece
being eaten to the last fork print on
the edge.
Tho event took place in western
Kansas in a stretch of flat country
called Chilccco county which isn't the
real name.
Judge Cndc had traded a team of
mules for 100 acres of land and was
stung- The land lay sloping toward
Bluff creek and the western edge
ended in a jungle of willow fringe
along sandy good-for-nothing creek
The fall had been sunshiny and we
rode the last twenty miles from the
railroad in a surrey behind couple
of crowbaits. The farmhouse was a
sod affair with q window or two
and not a bush nearer than the creek
Back of the bungalow was well with
a windlass and bucket. The judge
was just getting a start and couldn't
afford any luxuries. About all that
we found on the place was welcome
and lots of it. 1t was surprising to
see how comfortable the interior Of a
sod house could be made. Once a
locoeG steer got astraddle of the
house and fell through, wiggllng his
legs and bawling so that Aunt Kate
spilled the biscuit dough on the bed
in getting out
The day before Christmas was an
interesting one A perfectly warm
down to Bluff creek and look ut the
empty trees and the few jackrabbits
that were browsing. There was a
COYOTE den near an old buffalo wallov~-
At the sod house Aunt Kate was
fixing a Christmas dinner Out of the
multitude of range cattle she had only
one COW which gave milk stfrgy
quart morning and night Dislnter-
Oh fOlr hun n
the back yard and laid an occa-
sional egg. Aunt Kate made noodles,
discovered watermelon pickles, enf' IA
rnonted the absence of apples There
was mighty little canned goods in the
house and none OF it fit for pie. She
thought of the cracker crust delicacy
and baked it in the stove pipe oven
of the little Topsy stove
Christmas eve the family ana
guests sat around the stove and dis
cussed current events. There is lots
of time to think great thoughts away
from the railroad Not so much hap
pens The weekly contribution from
the local press arrived every fortnight
and every smudge of apple butter ink
was looked at, even to the filters clip
ped from the Atchison Globe put be-
tween medicine locals.
We were bedded down in trundle
bed-an affair which is undressing
and slides under the family bed. The
room was curtained off with couple
of horse blankets IN OrOer 10 prevent
embarrassment We pinned our stock
ings together and hung them on
chairs.
The next morning was a revelation
of what grown people will do to make
children happy A transformed will
low tree, planted in a candy bucket,
was trimmed with greenery, fringed
and cut from an old emerald colored
petticoat, and decorated with little
pieces of lighted candle. The strings
of popcorn were profuse and tried to
cover up the pseudo fir There was
wooden cradle for little Katie. a real
homemade rocking horse for Willie
and 1 received a homemade calfskin
drum which would make one hundred
times the noise that a store" drum
could Seafoam and molasses candy
was wrapped in troublesome oiled
paper and every sock was full My
stocking contained my dearest wish
q real Indian bow and half dozen
feathered arrows, picked up in a
nearby Usage camp.
Buffalo steak featured the Christ
mas dinner-tasting like beefsteak,
but with a gamey flavor. There was a
surplusage of meats-prairie chicken,
buffalo and even home grown chick
en-. Everything was dripped with
brown gravy and the children were
duly served Those noodles and mash
ed potatoes were gems of art and the