Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-02-23
CHAPTER v

oiio SdlAy tllS lldIll Ill. d WOulu BeI
up on a box and I would heave the
ham up to him. He would put the
hook end over rafter, then stand
for moment with his hands out
stretched, to see that the wire didn't
straighten and dump the ham on the
floor.
At last there would be a festoon of
hams on every rafter. Then Pa
would stand in the door and proudly
survey his work. If one of the hams
had given little, he would get up
on the bench and curve the wire
some more, because, now and then,
during the smoking season, ham
would hit the floor kerplunk. Some
times this would be in the middle
Of the night. Pa would always hear
it; the smokehouse could have fallen
and I wouldn't have heard. The
first thing, the next morning, he
would take the hand whisk broom
out to the smokehouse and brush
off the ham and hang it up again.
I hated those hams. From time
to time during the day, and the last
thing at night, I would have to
wade through the smoke and put on
wood. If the fire was going too
strong, I'd have to dash water on it;
if it was out, I'd have to get the
soapstone from its coal-ol bath and
start the fire going again.
Toward the end of the five days,
Pa would bring a ham to the door,
while I stood beside him waiting
hopefully. He would gouge it with
his knife and sniff it, then say,
1T needs another day, Homer"
then go and hang up again the
cursed ham.
At last-Oh wonderful at last!-he
would be satisfied by the inspection
and say, II guess you can let the
fire 60 out, Homer" I would let it
die out promptly.
At last would come the time when
we were to have our first smoked
ham. My mother would get out our
biggest pot, put in water and cider
and handful of raisins, and boil
the ham. More tantalizing odors.
Now and then she would take off
the lid and gouge the ham with our
long two-tined fork. When the ham
was tender, she would take it out,
skin it, rub the outside with brown
sugar and mustard and spices, then
bake it. Now and then she would
open the oven door to see how the
ham was getting along-more deli
cious odors.
When it was done she would put
the ham on big plate on the table,
and there it'd be right in front of
me, while Pa was saying grace,
throwing off these captivating odors!
When the moment came, Pa would
take knife and cut through the
crunching crust and put a slice of
the rosy, redolent meat on my plate.
By this time I would be so watery-
mouthed I could hardly wait till I
had whacked off a piece. l was
even glad I had smoked it.
We'd have it a few days for din
ner, then there'd be hiatus. Then,
some morning, Ma would cut off a
few slices, freshen them in cold wa
ter, then wipe off the water until the
pieces were dry, and fry. When they
we're done she would take them out
and put them on a plate that had
been heating on the back of the
stove. There would be fat left in
the skillet, and into this she would
sift flour and add milk. Little white
bubbles would rise up and burst.
She would stir the brown, seething
mess, letting the little stream of
flour run out of her hand until the
ham gravy took on the color and
consistency of heavy cream. She
would pour this into a long gravy
dish, which was fastened to plate
so the two were one, then take up
the plate of ham slices and carry
both to the table. Phebe would turn
up the wick, Pa would bend his
head forward and start to say grace.
I could hardly wait.
In April Pad say, "The grounds
getting soft. I guess we'd better
ring the hogs" More work. IRE
mind me to get the rings Saturday."
IA always forget, but Pa never did.
He never forgot anything to do with
farming.
Saturday he would go to the hard
ware store and get the rings; they'd
be bigger than finger rings, and
they'd be open and not yet brought
together in circle.
AS we came in sight of our farm,
on the way home, Pa would say,
"Look yonder at the hogs in the
pasture" We'd look and there would
be our old sows roofing in the grass
just turning green. "We didn't get
the rings any too soon."
Monday morning, instead of let
ting the hogs out, we'd keep them
in the dry lot. There'd be all kinds
of work to do before the neighbors
arrived. the ch,lte wo,,ld hava IN