Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-02-02
s. Gu1IrIeeR!k;:ss$!S;*:S$!?;!SSx lBP

for I hated to work. We'd get our
stools down from the cracks in
the fence and it wouldn't be long
before there would be the sound of
milk pinging. Pas would be COM
ing very fast, Mas next, and COM
ing pretty slow would be mine. After
a time the milking would be over
and Pa would take tie two heavy
buckets, and I'd take the next heavi-
est, and Ma the ightest, and we'd
start for the house and breakfast,
me bit ahead now.
Sunday morning was bathing time
and, after breakfast, Pa would bring
in the washtub and put it on the
kitchen floor and fill it from the res
ervoir. Then Pa would retire to
grease the ''hack," and l would
read and Ma would take her bath.
Pa would come in and wash his
hands in the pan on the back porch,
empty the tub and fill it again, and
Ma would 60 into the other room
to write to relatives, while I'd still
be reading and dreading the bath
SsA1A' We ~ iiSdl SpldSIllllB
around, and afterwhile he'd come
with his suspenders hanging down
and walking on his toes so as not
to spot the floor, and call, "Homer!"
Ia give groan and carry out his
water and fill the tub again, and be
In and out in no time at all.
Pa would get down the big har-
vester calendar and study the dates
with circles around them. Then
he'd say, well, by next Sunday we
ought to have new calf"
1t wouldn't be long till time to
start to church, and pretty soon Pa
and I would be standing beside the
hack, and Ma would come out with
her Bible and her response leaflets.
Ma would sit in front with Pa and
I'd sit in the back. They'd talk more
now than any other time; once in a
while Pa would turn and give me
good advice.
We'd look to see if the neighbors
had started to church. If they were
hitching up, Pad wave at them, or
shake his buggy whip. Some of
the neighbors didn't go to church at
all. Ma always dropped her voice
when she spoke to them, and Pa
would say, They'll pay for it some
time"
The men sat on one side and the
women on the other; the little boys
sat with their mothers and the big
boys sat in the back, whispering
and making faces out of the knots in
the seats. Now and then some of
the big boys would carve their mi
tials, but it was pretty well under
stood they were going to hell Some
times I'd feel sorry for them; then
I'd think the fools deserved it.
The preacher would drone along,
now and then giving the Bible a
whack. Now and then mud-daub-
er would follow him; but the eyes of
the men or the women wouldn't; nor
of the girls. Sometimes two mud
daubers would get into fight; then
the preacher would have to give two
whacks. Suddenly a mule at the
hitch rack would set up an excru-
ciating, ear-breaking hee-haw, end
ing with the grunts and chokes and
groans with which a mule always
closes his song. It'd make the boys
snort. No amount of whacks would
do any good. A little girl would
lean over and whisper into her moth
er's ear, and the mother would get
up, leading the little girl by the
hand, and the two would tiptoe
out. AS the mother passed the win
dows outside, she would stoop. Then
we'd hear the little girl pipe, NAM
ma, hurry!" In few minutes the
mother and the little girl would come
back from behind the church and
softly tiptoe to their seats.
The week before, we would have
invited somebody to Sunday dinner
and now the people would stand on
the front porch and ask if we were
sure it was convenient. Ma had been
getting ready all week; but the ques-
ton always had to be asked. Then
I would get to ride home with the
company. 1t was lot more fun
than riding with Pa and Ma and
having to sit in the back seat. No
lecture now.
1t was always understood that the
company was to drive slowly, so
Ma could get the dinner started and
Pa could have his team out of the
way so he could help the company
unhitch. I'd help, too; no hanging
back now, and we'd lead the horses
to the tank by the windmill while
Pa and the company talked crops.
Pa would say, "What do you figure
your oats'n run?"
When the women heard us, they'd
all come to the door and say they'd
about decided we weren't hungry,
then we'd say we thought we'd eat
bite to keep on the good side of the
cook.
We'd 60 into the dining room and
there'd be the table! No red check
cred cloth today but a wonderful
fine white cloth with faint flowers
woven in it. Lying on a chair,