Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-03-01
HOMEMAKKRS COLUMN.
uorrsspondsnse on topics Of Interest 70 the ladies'
% soAcited. Address: EDITOR H00HAKuRs'
COLUMN. Oxford Democrat. South Paris. Ne
Michael's Chunk.
lBy Ladd Plumley.l

| (By Ladd Piumley)
Folks sid unpleasant things about
"Mean Michael" as Michael Mason wa
called when his ears were not near. You
are careful what you say within thirty
feet OF the man who holds mortgage on
your farmor who may employ you on
bis telephone pole contract.
But the unpleasant things that were
said did get to the ears OF Michael.
There are always tattlers, and then q
man with the keen mind OF Michael
knows we'll enough what bis neighbors
think of him. Did his reputation for
oloseness trouble himp Very little. He
knew that the man who has 10 nearly
always envied by the man who has not.
And be knew hardly one Of tho noun
tain farmers who was, as he would have
put 1t, 'as forehanded a. barnyard
rooster" he, himself, had inherited
nothing but small debt from the uncle
who bad brought him up. And in n
land where toll was hard and plenty,
and money unusually scarce he got
ahead, owning three hundred acres Of
fair land and having "tin-canned q
chunk" as be said, of something over
sixty Thousand In sound securities, be-
sides holding what he complained Of "a
"hard- grubbing interest mortgsges'' on
some twenty up-valiey farms.
"How did tin-can my chunk, Hart
ley9" be said to the president of the
Chatham Center Bank. "Worked from
eighteen till twenty-five In Bill Collins
saw mill. Lived in Q shack 'lopgside
the mill and saved practically all of my
wages. Then Collins died and bought
the mill. Got 1t cheap-paid cash-and
cash Is scarcer up-valley than their sog-
gy buckwheat cakes-a heap soarcer.
By the way, never stinted myself on
good food and plenty OF 1t. In my teens
was helper TO the colored cook of q
lumber outfit. He taught me all he
knew, and what that blacky didn't know
about country cooking wouldn't make
seasoning for q sparrow.
"After owned the mill, there wasn't
no trouble about tin-canning the chunk.
Not In wads, but In driblets. Anybody
can do IL. Jes' planning q budget and
setting right or IL till she hatched.
Folks calls me Mean Michael and I'd
be what I hsin't-a fool, II didn't
know what folks say. And II your in.
comes one thousand and your outgo's
Ave hundred, there's nothing in saving
the FIVE, II you tin-csns 1t In good stuff.
And what with taking contracts for put
ting mp cottages for city folk, and giving
Q dollars worth for every dollar took,
and what with other contracts, the pile
has grown to what she Is to-day"
"And what are you going to do with
your chunk?" asked Hartley. "And
you said your visit was to tell me and
cash In on some Of your securities"
GAS you know, / amt any kin 'cept
q sisters two boys. They're doing well,
young lawyers out In Chicago. They
amt counting on my chunk. Good
thingl From what I've seen 'twould be
fine thing II most never counted on
inheriting money. It's her own scratch.
ing that makes q ben fat! And I've
decided to do what most people would
say was &crazy thing. I'm going to
start over again. Made my plans. I'm
In good health, and Doc Minot says III
probably live for thirty year. The way
figures it, can tin-can another chunk
by the time I'm seventy. What I'll do
with that I'll decide later. But I've de-
kcided what I'll do with what I've got
all but nest egg. That's my farm and
my store over to Hemlock Corners. I'll
run the store myself and live In the
rooms over the store. Tbere'll be other
things come right along, same as al
ways"
"But your present chunk?"
"It's going for what this, my back
valley, needs most"
"They need lots of thipgs-a hospital
for one"
"Yes, they need q hospital, still there's
one out here and fair one. Most gen.
orally there's no trouble bout getting
them 40 needs II out here. No, IL amt
a hospital. It's more fundamental than
q hospital. It's something that will
save going to hospital"
perhaps home for the aged-your
country house isn't the best ever"
at amt the best ever, but, then, 1t
amt so bad. For one thing the food Is
sight better than most the food our up.
valley folks get. At the country house
We employ good cook"
"Any Of your folks back up-valley
could have as good food as that ct the
country house, provided, Of course, your
up-valley housewives were decent
cooks"
(which most of 'em amt"
"That's true enough" agreed Hartley.
"Whsn tells you my chunk Is going
for school Of cookery, you'll jes' ba,
hap grinned Michael. "Got the land
and I've got an architect on the job.
She's TO be stone building with every
modern device. The ranges will use
wood, though, 'cause that's the local
fuel. There'll be tuition charge, for
II 1t was charity, folks wouldn't think
nothing of II. I've talked 1t over with
Doc Minot. He likes the idea almost as
much rs do, but can't see why, for
it's going to cut down his fees most
awful-though mostly be doesn't git
'em. Take Martha Simmons breed
Them gals can't cook no more than Sim
mons himself. Simmons has dyspepsia
80 bad that mostly be can't do a decent
days work. And jes' think of those
boys of hisseDl Pulin' scsrecrows! Did
sou ever take q meal at Simmons's?'
mo, and don't want to-"
"Hunks of blscksned meat, fried in
PO'o'oCo Out IL Ouuunc,
s0ggy and balfrsw; sour bread, and per-
haps, to top off With. an apple pie, sp
Piles cruDcby and an under crust like
you could use for stout winter shirt
That's = Simmons's dinner. Pretty
much the same all abouts up-valley, and
way over to the Rondout. Aud course
folks'll say things bout me and my
school. I'm prepared for that. Blu,
there's going to be prizes for the cook
ing school gals, and that'll draw 'em
like cheese draws mice"
show much will your cooking school
cost?" chuckled Hartley. He knew thai
Michael was eccentric, but he had been
little prepared for the scheme that had
been started.
"Take pretty much all my pile, but
the store and farm. Building will cost
heap, what with ranges and all the
rest. As contract this time for myself,
git the building at bottom price. Then
there's an endowment. LES to bring an
income of about three thousand, and the
school'll need every cent. Went up to
Boston and found jes' what I want in
the way OF an instructor. There will be
no comeback on her cooking. Then
she's good locker and good dresser
That's important to draw the gals. She
will get salary of twelve hundred and
live In the school. She's found help
e..