Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-10-31


of a modern Tower of Babel, there is
one little stall not unlike most of the
others and not so differently presided
over by a woman on her market days.
Probably every stall has it's human
story, and many would be worth tell
ing as we'll as the story Of this wom-
an, but this story Uncle Sam dis
covered, and since it concerned one
of his adopted daughters, he felt that
it should be told.
Some time ago the Cooperative
Extension Division Of the Depart
ment of Agriculture sent one of
it's home demonstration agents
out into the country near Alex
andria, Va, to show a high Off
cial in the service the achievements
of some of the farmwomen who were
competing in Better Homes week.
Among the kitchens on exhibit" was
that of Mrs Octave Del Vigne. 1t
was a most unusual farm kitchen.
but the truly noteworthy part of Its
history was the long struggle that
had brought it into being.
A few years before the war two
French immigrants, man and VIE,
landed at Ellis Island. Their an
cestral home had been in the Seine
district, near Paris, in the miniature
village of Issy-les-M oulineauX. Both
their families were truck gardeners
and they had been reared in the hard
school of the out of doors. But OPP
portunity was limited and they de-
cided, as have so many others. to
dare the New World on the chance
that it might offer livelihood in
more generous fashion.
They came with no knowledge of
English, and they did not know how
to look for their own sort Of work.
BY chance they drifted into the serv-
ice of a family on Long Island as
handy man and general housema1d
for the elaborate sum Of $50 month
and room and board. Their little son
had come over with them, but they
were soon forced to send him back
to the good "grandpere" in France
until the way should have lightened
bit.
After few months luck favored
them to the extent Of bringing them
into contact with some of their own
race, who understood America and its
tongue, and these new friends took
them to a New York employment
agency so that a better place could
be found for them.
ut was necessary for us to have
time to study the climate and the
soil and to learn what would grow
best here" said Mrs. Del Vigne, when
I talked with her. when you have
been trucking all your life, it is hard
to do inside work, but we could not
afford to take too great risk. 1t
was for us to learn all over again; to
change our old habits. When we had
leave we went to see the truck farms
around Jamaica, and they were so
different from France. Then, at last,
we were SO fortunate as to get an
other place with family that brought
, us here to Washington. to a beautiful
estate IN Chevy Chase. That place
was like Heaven. Once again l had
my perennials and the mistress gave
us room to plant what we pleased and
| let me grow pansies all around the
house. My husband began to buy
his glass frames with the money we
had saved. My ambition was for
pansies. perennials, lettuce, radishes
and young spinach.
"One year l had a more wonderful
bed Of pansies than ever. But it was
necessary to paint the house, and that
meant that all my plants would be
| trampled and killed. 1 asked the
mistress about it, and she told me L
might do what I wished with them. At
| first I did not know. Then 1 had an
| idea. dug them up, put them in
| baskets and took them down to the
| Center Market to sell. Ten dollars I
made. 1t was a big dayi
Our employers helped us to save,
and after we had been with them for
six and a half years we were bold
enough to take the plunge. We found
this place here in Virginia, about 10
| acres. 1t was not much-poor soil and
a tumble down house-but we got 1t
for 81 200. paying down $500 and TAX
| ing the rest on a mortgage. That was
in 1915. The next few years are diff
| cult to tell about"
And, indeed, they must be! For the
ground was poor and hard from long
misuse, and for three or four years 1t