Year: 1876

: older and tried to earn money by do
: ing plain sewing l was quite conten
that it should remain high, for th'
! price of making an undergarmen
was always the same as that of s


yard of the cloth that composed it


Long before that time had learned


to spin, and weave, and spin on the


little wheel; and when 1 married
every garment that / wore, except


my shoes and the ribbon on my bon.


net, was the work of my own fingers


was only ten years old when they


taught me to spin, and it wasn't long


before I wouldn't have been afraid to
do days work with anybody. But


nv spinning money went to Daddy


Bailey, and so tried to learn some
thing else, that I could do at odd
times and earn something for myself.
I did little coarse sewing for one
and another, and l learned to knit
spatter-dishes and 'gallowses'-braces,
you call them, John. Then l got
somebody to teach me the stitch. and
1 learned to do barleycorns, and
French knots, and braid work, and
satin stitch, and feather stitch, and /
don't know what. And / embroider-
ed muslin in colored silk for the la
dies, and braided and sewed straw !;
and when l was fifteen I bought my
time of Daddy Bailey, and began to
earn wages. stayed with him still !;
but was house-keeper now and had
two apprentices to mind.


Portsmouth was a very old-fash-
ioned place then and for years after.
Many of the old families kept negro
servants, who had been slaves and
were very obsequious in their man
ners to their masters and very fine to
everybody else"


Anna slightly astonished John by
arising at this juncture, putting on
an air of funkeyish Importance and
asking agressively: "You see gem
man doun't end O. Long Wharf dis
mornin'-white hat, white top boot,
cane in hand; Club on, watch in
pocket? Dat was me-"


Grandmamma laughed softly. $50
you have not forgotten poor old Ce-
sar Langdon's Speech" she said.
Caesar was old Gov. Langdon's SER
want, John, and his airs were amazing.
The Governor was gentleman of the
old school; but Caesar was twice as
dignified as he. He met Master Pen
hallow one morning and made that
speech, with all the gravity imagina
BILE. My duties as housekeeper were
to see after everything about the
place and was responsible for every
thing. 1t was necessary for me to be
the last to go to bed and the first to
rise, and in pig g-killing and soap.
boiling time had no rest. We never
bought any lard in those days. We
tried out our own, and the process
involved vast amount of lifting
heavy boilers and no small risk that
the stuff wonld take fire. We did |
all our own churning, too, and all the
working of the butter fell on me.
Still l had leisure to sew, and
drew in two rugs and made a rag
carpet and braided some mats"


"Where did you ever find time to
60 to schoolp" demanded John.


"Bless you, child" said grand
mamma, 81 never went. taught
myself to read and write, asking Miss
Bailey question now and then; and
I never read many books until your
grandfather began to teach me-


"Where did you meet him first?'
asked Anna.


cat a dance at a neighbor's. There
were not many public balls then
but there were innumerable pleasant
parties, with dancing. 1t was just
the same then as it is now; the poor
emulated the rich and the rich strove
to outshine each other. Going TO
these parties was what spoiled my
hair, Anna. / heard John scolding
you before you were married for cut
ting off few locks on your temples.
When l was child l wore my hair
cut straight across the forehead and
hanging straight down behind, ex-
cept a small cluster of locks, which
were tied together with string just
below the top of my head. Rich
girls wore a ribbon. When l grew
older 1 used to cut my hair off short
at the sides, and frizzIe and curl it
with tongs, and powder it till my face
looked like full moon coming out of
a fog bank. l broke and burned my
hair all off in few years and have
worn a false front ever since. So
please don't talk of the frivolousness
of 1876 any more, John. We were
quite as bad in 1896, 1 assure you"


"What did you live on in those
days?" asked John. potatoes and
milkF


"Not exactly" said the old lady.
"Pork and beans and Indian pud-
ding for Sunday, succotash for We'd
nesdays and Fridays. Salt fish was
rarity reserved for special guests.
When person gave parties cake was
the principal refreshment, and the
richer it was the better. Sponge cake
was great dainty. Miss Bailey al
ways made it herself. Floating ISL
and was also deemed great luxury.
Wine, rum, spirits, and East Indian
sweetmeats were also served in pro-
fusion. One of those parties would
usually thoroughly fatigue every wo
man belonging in the house in which
they were given. Housekeeping was
hard work then, and it was not so
easy to be neat and clean as it is
nowadays"


"Tell him about Miss Bailey" said
Anna.


"Well, there isn't much to TELL"
was the answer. Gamma means, l
suppose, for me to tell you that Miss
Railev never washed her face in any,