The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-11-11

She had painted the Duke and
Duchess OF connaueht Princess pol
gouriski, Princess Henry Of Pless, the
Duchess Of Hamilton, and many other
titled persons too numerous TO count.
She had Journey to Indiana to paint
viceroy and had circled the globe,
coming back to New York to execute
commissions from Mrs, Seward Webb,
Mrs. James A. Burden, and Mrs, Will
lard Straight. Her last finished pic
lures had been portraits of Mr.. and
Mrs. Joseph Leither Mr.. and Mrs. Ed
ward b, Mclean, and little Vincent
Mclean, known far and wide as the
wealthiest child in the world.
From the mansions of the million
aires, where she had been working
with brush and colors, Mrs. Edgerly
stepped into neat homelike western
farmhouse, one morning in midsum-
mer. She caused something of SEN
sation and aroused more or less sus-
picion by bringing with her many
trunks filled with canvases, paints,
and souvenirs of foreign travel, as
we'll as queer garments that later
were to cause a sensation in West
vile. The odd garments were Eng
fish riding breeches, which were to
he worn in the most extraordinary
pastime ever INDUCED in by their own
err
days stay on the farm revealed
shortage. The oats were ready for
harvesting and it was impossible to
hire any extra help. Five or six
families owned a thresher and other
machinery in common and they had
revived the old system of cooperation
that results in what used to be called
bees" all concentrating on a field
until the grain had been safely garn-
cred.
For years Mrs. Edgerly had been in
terested in studying labor problems.
She had theories about ones relation
to the land and the situation which
confronted her seemed to make dis
tinct appeal.
She decided to volunteer as
hand" The farmer to whom she
made the offer of assistance accepted
her on probation, for he was becoming
accustomed to the necessity that made
his wife and daughters valuable aids
in the lighter forms of field labor, and
the artist who is tall, straight, and
athletic, appeared to be promised as
a helper.
1t was when the new "hand" report
ed for work in the field that her attire
caused sensation. Mrs. Edgerly wore
her riding breeches, her riding boots
and a sleeveless jacket. The members
of the five families who had assembled
for the bee" looked askance at the
costume, for the regular farmerette
boomers had not been introduced in
to that part of the State. The artist
was assigned to work with a girl
SCHOOL teacher, daughter of one of
the farmers. She describes her exper-
ienceS with enthusiasm.
81 was told to take up two bundles
of oats, carrying one under each arm
with with the heads pointed in front
of me and to stack them carefully, six
in a row, then one on each end and
an extra one on top to cover them and
shed the rain" she said, when she re-
turned to Washington for a few days.
by the time had finished two shocks
was warm and tired. The worst of it
was that l did not make good with
| t$he farmer at first, for my stacks
were not precise and neat. l had to
d one over and by noon / was ready
to stop, but | dared not be a gutter.
After few days, however, | managed
! to become more or less hardened, but
| want to testify that farm work Is not
childs play. AS tonic, it is truly
wonderful and | confess that my ap-
petite would have alarmed any one in
terested in food conservation.
! "EVery day we worked on a differ