El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-20

huge repast, everything being put on
the table at once, including meats, and
vegetables, game and fish, pies and pud-
dings. Mrs. Washington would roll up
her sleeves, exposing to view pair of
plump white arms. and carve the turkey
herself Wild turkeys were so plentiful
in those days that in the market at
Alexandria they could be bought for
% cents apiece.
For desert there were fruit, nuts and
wine. 1t was an epoch when heavy
drinking was not only common but GUS
tOmary, after the women had left the
table. If a guest took too much, nothing
was thought of it. In case he was dis
abled by Over-indulgence, the major
dOmO would see that he was taken care
Of and put to bed.
Martha was a notable housewife. She
always made point of experimenting
the preparation of the dinners During
the revolution all of the clothing worn
by herself and her dependents was spun
and woven on the estate. In fact, this
was practically the case at all times.
no fewer than 16 negro women being
kept constantly employed in the spin
ming room, on the second floor of a de-
tached brick house that still stands.
Was Farmer Washington.
As for farmer Washington" as the
immortal George sometimes called him
tendence Of affairs on the estate, to go
about in a bred brimmed white hat and
carrying an umbrella to keep off the
sun. His elaborate books Of accounts,
which are still preserved, show how
carefully his agricultural work was
systematized. Every penny spent and
received was duly entered. His acres
probably yielded a better return than
those of any other planter in Virginia,
and so excellent was his tobacco that it
fetched a special price in the Washing
ton market
Martin Becomes Stout.
Martha's plumpness merged into some
degrees of stOutness by the time she
reached middle age, but she still re-
tanned much Of her good looks. Her
manners were always charming and I'M
affected. OF books she knew little, read
ing being Questionable for women at
that period. She adOred her husband, and,
it is said. grew to be like him in many
of her itcle mannerisms and even in her
voice. During the revolution she ac-
quired the habit of knitting, for the
soldiers, and this she kept up in later
years, having nearly always a ball of
worsted and an unfinished stocking in
her lap, when not otherwise employed.
She had a chariot and four, in which
she was accustomed to drive, with
coachman and foOtman and black
position astride forward hOrse-au
three in the Washington livery. When
she was living in New York, as the
presidents wife, she drove with coach
and six horses. But she cared little for
display, being essentially home body,
and late in life she used to refer to the
years of her queenship in New York and
Philadelphia as lost years" 1t was at
Mount Vernon that she found happiness.
WashingtOn's Iron Chest.
Mr.. Washington kept in his own bed
room an iron chest which did duty as
savings bank and safe. It contained an
ever-increasing hoard of silver and gold
coin, and in this receptacle, after his
death, was found no less a sum than
S29, 466-a very satisfactory cash re-
serve for his widow to fall back upon.
She survived him only. about a year
Retiring to a small room on the third
floor of the mansion, the single win
dow Of which looked out upon her hus-
bands tomb, she practically secluded
herself from society, seeing only few
near relatives and intimate friends. A
hole which she had made in the bottom
Of the door served for the entrance and
exit OF her pet cat