Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-20
ACCOMPANIED BY BIRDS SONG.

Yesterday morning there was an
edge on the weather that made me
feel like getting away from the ordi-
nary routine. OF course. we went to
Sunday school: there was no preaching
near US. so we went home with Harve.-
and saw little Miss Helen Thomas, and
her mother. OF course. Ii goes without
saying that we had a good dinner. and a
pleasant visit. Mamie is a wonder. She
has eight children and things go oil
as evenly as il there were only two.
Six of them so with their father to
Sunday school and it will not be long
before Leslie will join the ranks. Some
people would be appalled, at the idea
Of getting that many ready. / heard
visitor in the home say that Mamie
turned things around by saying, Get
I'D. Children. You know this is Sunday
morning and we must get in a hurry"
The usual idea prevails that This is
sunday morning and we can sleep"
Mamie laughed and said that il took
longer for them to get ready for church
than it did to go TO work after break
fast. And / couldn't help but think OF
throw of churches that never have
breakfast in time TO so to Sunday
school.
Last week the Farmer and 1 chaper-
oned a crowd of young people on hay
ride. We went TO a box supper for the
benefit of a school house. And l wish
you could have been with us. The
moon was glorious. The horses so
risky that the Farmer had to take
charge of them. Five miles we went
through a plantation. Some. time Il
shall tell you of that Thornton place"
its stately brick house and the old-time
things.
This time am telling you OF modern
things, new desks and new ways of
making money to pay for them.
There was a box supper. We invited
guests did not take any, but the ladies
interested in the affair had boxes galore
and the visiting girls were credited with
one for each girl. There was some spir-
tied bidding when certain boxes were
Eeld up and the girls name announced.
Of course. there were witty remarks
made as one bid succeeded another. and
the teasers sometimes had TO pay for
the box that was being auctione6 too
high. There was a cake that Miss Hat
tie made. She wrote the exact number
a
and let no one see il. Then for 8 cents
each the young folks guessed the
weight. The plane was to let the for
tunate ones divide il, if more than one
guessed exactly. But, as il happeneu,
there was only one TO really guess il.
The Farmer came in three ounces OF
il. but IAN ounce was as bad as a
pound"
The best part of these affairs is the
social side. The neighborhoods send
their young people all around and it
gives a community. feeling that cannot
be cultivated in any other way. Some
times the contents of the boxes are
marvels of culinary skill. and the other
night I could but wonder at the con-
tents of the boxes. The young people
grouped themselves on the grass, out
in the moonlight and spread their boxes
just as If il were a moonlir picnic. We
who have settled into more careful
habits ate In the house and also shared
boxes
Do you remember my telling you
about those pineapple sandwiches we
had at Bethel? Well. there were plenty
Of them in the box the farmer bid in.
That box also had delicious pies and
chocolate cake, as well as meat. pickles
and chicken. A box that was handed
over to me by Mrs. Armistead had
pimento cheese sandwiches and lovely
bunch of grapes. as well as the usual
good things. but that bunch Of grapes
had come from the store. not out of a
paper sack tied to the vine. Next Fri
day evening will be our time for a box
supper. I'd send you an invitation to
come and Eva and i would fix your
boxes. but this paper will not reach you
in time.
Since I last wrote to you we have
had a refreshing shower. We were be-
ginning to really suffer for the dust lay
like a cover over everything. Our rape
and turnips were almost dead and the
stock had TO be driven to the creek. The
farmer planted Abruzzi rye last week
said that he was sowing in hope, al
though il took his two horse disc cuta-
way two ways of cutting to make any
impression on this hard soil. / hope
that plenty of people planted in time
for the rain. for this is our first TO
amount to anything i'm a long time.
All morning a hooking bird has been
in a cedar tree just across the lane. and
the low sweet song has been a beautiful
accompaniment to my thoughts as
have written these pages to you.
Indian summer has been a delight, and
today as the zephys gently sway the cur
tain and more breezy cousins rustic the
~
the sunshine and enjoy these October
days.
Beautiful and her son Billikins are on
the fence, she full length and Billikins
chasing a belated butterfly. Yes
brought my Persian cat. The supersti-
tiOus tried to scare me. / thought
that there would be little difference in
my moving the cat to a new home and
somebody else moving her to their home.
And 1 knew it would be a calamity not
TO have her. In spite of all the care and
skill a doctor could give her. Queen died
last winter with pneumonia. This is the
first time that I've had the courage to
mention her death. She was a faithful
loving friend, a dog with few equals IN
intelligence or trustworthiness. Going
20 the city not long ago I saw her coun-
terpart and had TO stop and speak to the
man she followed It goes without my
telling you, that the man was as proud
Of his white English bull terrier as
had been of mine.
The Farmer has a smart andloving dog
named Ring. This one has adopted me,
but il will take long time for me to
feel easy when I see a white English
This is a rambling sort of chat, but
there are some readers who always are
good enough to thank me when I write
the sort OF chat that one would send to
personal friends This morning 1 have.
open the eastern windows
That look toward the sun,
Where thouRhtg singing SuaI lOvVS