TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
toe Bough," (in which a beautiful maiden secreted herself just for a
lark in an old chest and was locked in and her poor bones not found
for years and years, while the groom-to-be withered away to a shadow),
and even some of Shakespeare's comedies. I once tried to present
East Lynn, but had to give it up because no woman in the community
would play Lady Isabelle Vane, (the female lead), who, it will
be remembered, deserted her good husband, eloped with a rascal, and
(whisper it), had a child which had to take its mother's name because
legally it had no father.
Other entertainments included the singing school (forerunner of
the modern community singing), spelling' bees, box socials, (so named
because each lady attending brought a supper, usually in a shoe box
or similar receptacle, to be auctioned the buyer to have the privilege
of sharing the box with the doner). This latter entertainment
often made quite a lot of money for the church or school organization
giving it, for the young men occasionally would discover which box
had been made up by the reigning belle, and bid high in order to obtain
the coveted honor of eating her cake and sandwiches and slippery
pickles. On one occasion of this kind, the girl's sweetheart bid against
a burly logger until the latter raised the bid beyond the reach of the
s"vain. His victory was a hollow one, however, because although the
code required that the girl sit beside him while he ate, she would not
have any part of it nor talk to him. After eating every crumb of the
lunch, the logger turned to her and gave her a spirited talk in which
he made known his opinion of a quitter. The girl went home in tears,
so angry she would not permit her sweetheart to accompany her (because
he hadn't whipped the logger a difficult undertaking at best.)
Three months later she married the logger.
PERRY SIJIS
Okanogan County
In 1892, following the severe freeze of 1889-90, saw the finish of
what cattle ,vere left in the country. l,Ve had not yet stocked our homestead
which was to end by being 8,880 of farm a'nd range. Started as
a small ranch with a few cattle we later owned a fine dairy herd. The
•
long log barn, crawling under the cliff, is a thing of beauty.
There was nQ money in the country. The farm supplied beef, chickens,
milk, and vegetables, but only cash could buy staples. 'Ve could
not t.rade our home products because the storekeeper could not dispose
of them. The onlv customers were farmers.
•
185