Ellsworth American., 1922-03-08
Pies At AUCTION
Easy and Effective Method OF
Raising the Wlnd.'
For the Unsophisticated, Writer In
New York Evening Post Explains
the Procedure.

When a district school board in Mis-
souri, finds itself shy Of funds to put In
furnace or start Il library needed TO
bring the institution up to the approved
school standard there is an unfailing
resource In an energetic and pretty
young school teacher: a pie supper
Some call 'em pie socials or pie recep-
tons It's all the same thing.
Three pie suppers were advertised
for the same night in one Of the north
Missouri papers recently, one In the
Stone district, one at Tewell school
and another at Ely school-"Every-
body invited-no charge for admis-
sion," so ran the announcement, says
Edgar White In the New York Evening
Post. But never make the mistake Of
going to such an event without your
pocket or check book. II you do you'll
simply be an uninteresting subject,
"wallflower." as lonely as man from
the country on Broadway. True, 1t
costs you nothing to get in-not pen
ny But once in you're expected to take
part In the proceedings, which means
the bidding.
"Oh, well, that won't cost much-a
pie is u pie. A quarter ought to let me
out"
But pie social pies don't sell for any
such insignificant sum. You see, the
girl who made the pie stands BY the
auchoneer while he is crying the sale.
1t would take an awfully contracted
soul to bid only 25 cents for a pie
when the pretty maker. in her best bib
and tucker, Is standing near. her blue
eyes fixed steadily on the bidder. Shed
feel that you weren't very anxious to
eat that pie with her, which is the re-
ward of successful sportsmanship at
the auction.
The open season for ''pie raids" be-
gins about the time autumn starts
painting the forests, and keeps on un-
til all the ready cash Of the lovelorn
youngsters Is in the school treasury.
There's no limit to what a pie may
cost you. If the creator Of the pie hap
pens to be the belle of the neighbor-
hood her production may bring from
$l5 to $50.
The Grand View Consolidated high
school, in northwest Macon county
liquidated In two months a $4O0 debt
for new plano. The salesman had
offered the school six months time
He couldn't understand how the bill
had been discounted SO quickly.
"We sold pies" smiled the teacher.
But it would take a carload of pies
to raise $4OO," the salesman said.
mot the way We sell EN-" explained
the teacher.
When country teacher wants to
start something she invites lot of
town boys out to her school. The fun
country boys get to bucking each
other.
One night lot of town boys went
out from LinneuS to Owl Creek school
Each of them had a big roll in his
pocket and when the auction was
pulled off all the pretty girls pies were
bid in by all the town boys, who sat
down with the pienlakers and had a
good time. The country boys silently
withdrew leaving the field to their
hated rivals. They felt that the town
boys were poachers and decided to
"clean up on them 40 about midnight
they swung red lanterns across the
roadway; when the town boys came
honking along they slowed up for the
danger signal, and We're greeted by q
drumtire OF tomatoes, potatoes, eggs
carrots and other dainties, tossed their
way by husky arms. The town Boys
never made return trip so Owl Greek
pie socials.
The homemade country pie doesn't
recognize the lunch stand variety as ia
its class There Is no lack of materials
on the farm to build a pie to its proper
height and flavor, and when ready for
auction ii ie a work of art aud "eats
good" as the fellows say wha get It.
In some cases mother acts as the ad-
Nsory counsel, since her reputation is
at stake as well as her daughters, and
she is reckless Of expenditure.