The evening world., 1917-07-20

$780, bNf f'laff -
with franknets and ferVor. that she
never spent such a successful yaca
ton IN hor life.
She - a slip OF a person. hardly
five feet tall aud without a surplus
pound. But. far from being broken
down ~ farm labor. she 10 hard with
health and her sunburn L. fading
into "a becoming coat Of tan. She
isn't at an sentimental about tho
lure OF the land" but she cannot
speak o. her agricultural experiences
without a twinkle OF delight In her
big gray eyes n a smile on her
whimsical mouth.
oct HERE were ten OF u.s. she
1 told me when I talked with
her at the headquarters OF tho
Mayors Committee OF Women on
National Defense. No. Z East Thirty
ninth Street. THE fresh little boys
who cit on stone walls In tho coun-
try called us the granddaughter Of
Mayor Mitchell A farmer asked our
chaperon what country we came from
he said he thought we were immi-
grants.
Actually. we included three art
lists. a stage carpenter. two dress
makers and two or three school
teachers. our chaperon and cook was
a Red Cross nurse. She could make
| the incest things TO eat! New York
food looks queer to me nowadays.
Where l came from the strawberries
are as big as peaches and the peaches
as big as oranges.
And yet I have lived practically all
my life in this city. v was on n
farm until this summer. It's the only
way to spend your vacation Picking
berries is easy compared to sitting in
a stupid hammock at a stupider coun-
try boarding house. And the girl who
goes to Atlantic City for a vacation
comes back with nothing but mos
quito bites.
IAN OF us girls could saw money.
The poorest workers earned 81 or IS a
week, and the quicker ones made $40
or Si2. We we're paid Just like the
mon; two cents n quart for straw
berries and one and one-hah cents a
pint for r~aspberrics.. l have picked
seventy five or eighty quarts OF
strawberries in a day. Our lodging
was provided for us, and we shared
equally the cost Of our food"
when did you have 10 get up2" |
asked. And what wus your daily
routine?"
I'VE got up at Ave-" she said. I'VE
had breakfast out OF tho way by SIX
thirty. We wore o~veralls and MILDLY
blouses or mems shirts, so our toilets
weren't elaborate, We had a house To
ourselves, about fifteen minutes walk
from our farm.
I'VE worked Till twelve. when we
had an hour for lunch. In the after
noon we quit between four-thirty and
i've. After dinner we went to bed
before 1t was dark. The house was so
old that we didn't want to burn lamps
in II, and we weren't troubled with in
somnia.
saturday was our day of. We
took long walks n went down to
the village. There was ono movie
theatre, but we didn't indulge in that
fcvcrish dissipation because It was
only open evenings. Some OF the
farmers used 10 give us rides In their
motor cars. But nobody missed the
bright lights. We were too busy.
lIhT first the work was pretty
"A hard. But it's just like rid
ing horseback. After the first few
experiences you find sitting down
rather dificult; then your muscles
harden and you have no more
trouble. Yes, OF course l was sum
burned have the marks Of my over
alls on my back now, And l couldn't
count my mosquito bites, The farm
er's wife brought us some lotion. but
that was worse than the mosquitoes
but the air was splendid and SC
much cooler than in New York. And
you had to stay outdoors. We picked
berries even when It rained. I'M
I'll we were soaked through. And we
got the most wonderful apetites. We
could buy all the fresh fruit and
vegetables we wanted and milk at 4
cents a quart, | came back feeling
s~plendidly and | was the ~littlest CIR
in the crowd,
ct HOSE that can take the time
are going to stay all summer
They will help with the haying and d.
whatever needs 20 be done. On,
farmer says he could use twenty-hv,
more girls II no had them. and hi
neighbors all want women farm hands
TO save the fruit that IL rotting on the
ground. Our overalls appalled, the
communal" - e~s'. h"' Now tho .c--,
ers' wives have adopted them.
Our farmer says that we are bette,
workers than men, especially in hand.
ling berries, because our touch Is sure,
and more delicate. Also he finds tina