Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-26
Consider Present High Cost of LiWmg
Various Writer'S Debate the Topic With Suggestions
pnse Of Existence May Be Lened by FOLLOWING Regulated Dietary

| | had a four years course in the high
school, one OF the boys a three years
commercial course, and the rest could
have done likewise had they wished.
Now my step-father (and no real
father could have been kinder to us)
was wise man. He brought home
his $50 every month and gave it to
his wife. When my mother died she
left him a substantial bank account,
saved out of that $50 month, and
III bekwe lived ten times better than
Mr.. Mickle's family lives, Judging
from his own statements.
We ate beans, to be sure. All this
happened back in Massachusetts, and
every Saturday night we had baked
beans and homemade brown bread
for supper, and, my mother being of
Puritan descent and church woman
who disbelieved in cooking on the
Sabbath, we had beans all day Sun
day. If Mrs. Mickle can bake beans
the way we used to have them I'll
give her 50 cents plate. But to bake
beans right a fire must DE kept all
day steady in the range, and | know
Mr.. Mickle would never let her use
that much coal. Then, too, New
England beans are baked with a good
big chunk of salt pork on top, and
pork costs money. We used to buy
it in quantity, prepare the brine al
home and have the best. Once
week we had boiled kidney beans, and
my, they were good! Sometimes we
varied with dried peas, boiled, and
would suggest to Mr. Mickle that he
substitute these sometimes for beans,
as they cost no more Tor didn't when
| was a kid, and one doesn't have
to eat so many, as peas contain 90
per cent nutriment, whereas beans
contain only 81 per cent. We had
fresh meat twice week (all the fam
ily), and the rest of the time we lived
on Goldfish and potatoes, tongues and
sounds, fried fresh halibut and
mackerel Tour home was on the sea-
COAST, lobster, fried cells, fish chow
der, made with paddock, hake, ETC.,
and clans, mess" of which could
be dug at any time of season on the
beach half block from the house.
My step-father had inherited small
interest in farm in Maine, which his
brother worked, and sent for our
share enough potatoes and other veg
etables to last all winter. My step
father used to buy apples and russell
pears on the trees at a very low
price, and with the aid of the boys
pick them by hand, so that we had
enough apples and pears to last all
winter. He was not a churchman,
and, as he couldn't bear to be idle, he
used to go berrying out somewhere
in the woods every Sunday in sum
mer. My mother preserved his find
ings, so that we had bottled mot
canned) raspberries, blackberries,
huckleberries, blueberrics, gooseber-
ries, barberries and cranberries in
such quantities that we had to give
away what was left over in the spring,
besides all that could be cooked or
eaten raw during the summer. But
it takes sugar to preserve, and sup
pose that if Mr.. Mickle got the ber-
ries for nothing he wouldn't spend
the money to preserve them. But my
step-father didn't drink or use to-
bacco in any form, so we had that
much more for sugar.
We had plenty of fresh greens" in
spring and summer, dug by the boys,