The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 21, 1920, Page 8

TS (R T 'l'hia story, with xllustrations by xts author, is so good that we are devoting the entire page to’it this week. Next week we form.—T: resume: the Farm Woman’s vags in its usual EDITOR ; b BY MRSv E L. MOUNTFORT £ FTER it was all over—the funeral and all—and I fully realized that our mi- gratory way of living ‘had used up all that' there was, that I was then over 65 years old, when only the young, and pleferably men, were wanted for all sorts of jobs, I became mildly panieky. -1 even lost some much-needed opportumty?for sleep—while .1 took aecount of stock’ and found that my assets (1 believe that is what the business people call them) amounted to just about $950. Obviously something must be done gnickly and ; 1. spent’ some more wakeful nights planning. | The _more I thought the clearer it became to me that ' 1 was not fitted for that haven of all down-and-out . of land, but which, fortunately, was on the state - o . The “House Wlth Red Bl.mds.” women—keeping boarders—for I knew myself to be an indifferent cook and I abhorred housekeeping . anyway; but an immediate and inexpensive place to. stay was absolutely necessary, so I consulted a real estate man and after much weary hunting I found a tiny, dilapidated old housé with two acres road where many summer people pass.’ I bought it for $450. The roof had to be reshingled:at once. A little shabby old furniture réemained from a past - housekeeping venture and I bought a second-hand stove and a ‘few cords of fitted fuel wood and start-: €d in ' to try to. make the place liv- able.. The' house was -almost unbe- lievably old and dirty and cobwebs “and - splders had ‘made it well nigh impassable. It was my good fortune, that my “deluge” had struck at-about the time of the out- war, and the conse- ‘quent depressmx{ had lowered the prices of real estate in general and of ‘this' old' house in particular. It was a little way out I had never been before and the winter days were very long. and - dreary indeed, but the quantity of work needing to be done kept my: mind occupied and the neighbors: were very kind. Some child, quite unknown to me; would rap at the door and; handing up a-dish, say, “Mother thought you might like this,” or some - * other like neighborly kindness, like the lending’ of ; Then, quite early, ¥ began plantmg seeds | " available’ receptacle, 80 as to have - them ‘cqurse of events I 'should become older a few yo\mg applp trees, thmgs that a magazine or daily paper, and du;mg that time I vmade my plans for the spring eampaien of plant- ing, if it niay be dignified by the name of campaign when® carried: out on suche a. small scale ‘as mine was. i ; It ‘'was necessary to go to one neigh-' ; Dbor’s for milk, to the home of another for butter and potatoes, and: to yet an- other to get some necessary work done in the spring, and each trip meant a little chat whlch, enlivens things somewhat. in the house in empty boxes and in every ready for the earliest poss1ble setting ' | out 1. the not-too-early sprmg of fl'l”‘ld i Mame J 57 “After the plowing and other necessa- rily hired work it was frightfully hard ‘digging out sods and otherwise preparing. the ground for the plants, but ‘I ‘perse- vered, and ‘as 1 knew. that in tHe matural and léss strong -each ‘succeeding year, 1 planted’ ‘atrawberries, currants, etc., also perhaps; - break of the World - from a town where A Mame Woman s Expenence in Estabhshmg a Busmess for Herself in Time of Need would require; !ess and less work from year to year " and still be producers, more and more; s But that first harvest year was very discourag- “ing, for there had been practically nothing to sell, “even though I labored diligently at my small vege- table garden, except-a few apples from the trees ““The misiress of the “House Wfth Red Blind.s ) that were already there, and it was mdeed dls-'. couraging to. be compelled to continually dip into .. my tiny stock ‘of “assets” for my meager living. The next winter I was invited to spend with - - friends, which opportunity was indeed a blessing, as'it saved fuel and gave me a most welcome’ op- portunity to fix up my clothes and also pleasant companionship, and T came back in the spring wlth new hope and ecourage. - .. This summer there were quite a iew strawbemes ¢ “to sell, but the marketing problem was acute. My little place was’over a mile from the tiny vfllage’ where were a hotel and stores, the logical means ®f disposing of my wares. I had no means of con- veyance and it was out of the question to take the time and strength from the garden to walk up there each day to dispose of my products. I'tried a neigh- ‘bor woman who was going daily to market her own things, but this was not at all satisfactory. Partly because she was rot very dependable, ‘and then, of = course, she preferred attention to her own wares, . 'but-at least a start was made and I began to be- ‘come known as a member of the commumzy and my products as well. This next winter I was mwted to. spend in:the ‘home of a friend where there was a‘ 'servant and therefore T had considerable time to myself and this' I utilized in the making of little articles such ; g one finds for sale at church fairs and at gift = . Shops. Also I printed some signs. The ‘summer following was really the first ‘that " 'was 'not 8o outrageously discouraging. It was hor-- ‘ribly hard work, harder even than the others had ' The war, -whieh had depressed everything so to my. advan- been, but things began to look brighter. tage at the beginning when I had bought the tiny place, now began to make business good and. to make prices better for the few things that T had’ %o 'sell. There wete more of these, too;: than there " imeat and pickles. “shape jars and receptacles ready for sale the year - mail bok 'by the roadside. + magde it impossible for any one to pass without see- ing it. ‘white: with red blinds, and this, in a community » . where there were naot ‘green blinds, cansed ! '_ fiont yard and thereafter that also added to the - attractiveness of the (as it soon began to ’ " through the state,; towns so small that I doubt if ~ tionists during the summer time, announcing the . work, crocheted ‘and S } - erything, - find at a gift shop. . that T required, yet it also rTaised the - - and other things that : “were bargains I found that 1 had a goodly stock of little trifies that were included in the _expect to do 50, but as:I decline in years. ‘and in .and grows until perhaps-T shall see it _a big tree, - had been before, and qmte ‘a llttle was reahzed '..“ : Whatever: products could not be seld were canned - or preserved and made into Jelhes, jam; mince- “These I put in uniform size and following.” This' was’ the first year that I used the printed signs which 1 tacked to the little white The loeatmn ‘of : the house, in a’ curve of the road and on a tiny hill, Then, too, the color .and neatness of it contributed to its effectiveness, I had- pamted it ing but white houses thh to be noticed, One July 4th ‘'we had a tiny flag-raising ui my called) “Tiny White House With the Red: Blinds.” I printed signs and sent to different small towns they have even a postoffice in the winter, but that become ‘veritable hives of industry, or:of vaca- opening of “Jill's Gift Shop,” at the “House With the Red Blinds.” Also a large poster nailed to the . &7 maple tree in front further called the attention of the passersby to this (to me) very important fact.. ;: One room was dedicated to this gift sh was not lived m or mussed up much‘ T had quite a. collegtmn of thmgs ) ,,aa(g, Sk hand-wronght jewel- @ T R ry, basketry, tooled leather, rugs, needle-~ ,kn_itted articles. and painted china — ey~ _in' fact, that one expects to Those ' that I sold for ‘other people I charged a ‘commis- sion on.- And’ while the war had doubled the prices that I had to pay for the things price ‘on the things which I had to sell, and as, in the days gone by, I had had a AT { mania’ for buying *= - remmants of = goods The firs&: aixm the things required for the making o ‘!}many of the glft shop ” "Of course I have not grown wealthy, nor do I strength, ‘as T must do in the ‘natural course of events, T can sit by the window and watch the now . tiny cherry tree that 1 myself p‘lanted a8 it grows: and also the .diminutive ‘crabapple tree, - a.thing o beauty for a space of weeks in ‘L the fall as the dainty co apples are - _first pink, then red and Pedder: till ‘time ~ to pick thenr.. And best of it all, it isemy ‘own home; and the scraichy raspberry “and blackberry bushes and the strawberry } - /plants seem 'to know me and to know . that it was I'who' “mothered” them, and. " they seem to me @s if they were my . little children—since T have no others— “.and T take pride in' their growth and - ‘personal appearance aceordmgly. oo : ‘People think that it i ] i ',—'woman now over 70 and not espemally- . strong looking, should dig in her. -garden, " that she should try to have this:little bit %y of business in 3 small way; in fact they 1 seem to thmk _lt‘ 'most unusual th