Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-04-03
BeuufY at Your Back Door
Winter-Long Snow Held No Fears Then

But 1t was just another day to John Barton.
He got out of bed and looked out the window.
Martha said he, sit looks like snow"
eth be good for the wheat" said she.
There's thing like about snow" said
John Barton, "everythings quiet when it falls
1t had been long hard winter There had
been plenty of snow which was sure to be good
for the crops This summer John Barton wouldn't
have to worry about his spring drying up. And
he wouldn't have to lower "the old oaken bucket"
very far to reach water DRY Rum - the little
creek which ran, through his meadow wouldn't go
dry this year.
BY the time John Barton dressed and blew out
the lamp in the bedroom, the ground COM
pletely white. Hundreds of birds were down by
the granary-flng up, thought John. That's
sure sign. Now we'll be sure to get some snow.
John Barton didn't have anything to worry
about Storms were something he liked. He didn't
have to go anywhere. But if he did want to go
he had fine sleigh and good stick wagon and
a couple of fine horses. What if the store was
four or five miles away and he needed a few
staples like coffee or sugar or coal oil or salt
or something like that? He remembered the last
time there storm and he only had two
matches in the house. He had to hitch up the
wagon and go to the store Couldn't hardly take
chance of not having any matches in the house
said he to Martha. Anything you want at the
store, he had asked Martha. No, there wasn't
she'd said. Not thing. Hadn't she canned vege
tables, from peas to beans, through the whole
summer? Weren't there over dozen hams and
shoulders down in the smoke house. and all the
fat back and pudding and sausage and pom haus
she would need? And there the two turkeys
which John had shot in the big woods, to
say nothing of the dozens and dozens of quart
jars of canned rabbit which lined the pantry
shelves. And John could go out almost any time
ne wanted to and bring in deer; John, Jr, was
sure to bring in five or six muskrats every other
day or so from his trap line over on the river
Muskrats fine for change of diet, and
they'd keep" too, if you hung them up in the
attic where they were sure to freeze. They tasted
something like venison-the meat dark like
venison. Everybody liked muskrat, they were the
cleanest animal in the world, they lived on roots
and grass strictly vegetarian. And they washed
everything they ate Like coon did. They
weren't like chicken. chicken would eat any
thing.
Let er snow, thought John Barton. Ten cords
of wood eight by four by four stood close to the
back door of his farmhouse. He wouldn't get cold
this winter. The old cross cut saw which hung
from nail on the back porch hadn't failed him
yet He had big log chunk stove for quick heat
"a wood range for cooking-there was even the
big open fireplace for few sticks of wood to
take the chill off, occasionally.
John Barton buttoned up his mackinaw on his
way to the spring house. BY now it was showing
hard, We'll get about three-footer at least
thought he. Nothing to worry about.
Martha kept the cream and the milk in heavy
earthen crooks There would be pure for
the coffee and oatmeal - golden butter for the
toast from the top of the stove. The thought made
John Barton hungry He'd eat, milk the cows.
feed the hogs, chickens and ducks and then
he'd hitch up the sleigh and take the boy to
school. No sense letting him walk those three
miles in the snow - not when he didn't have to-
He always did like to hear those sleigh bells
jingle.