Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among the "Pennsylvania Germans"Thomas, Edith May Bertels
General
Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among the "Pennsylvania Germans"
Thomas, Edith May Bertels
Cookbooks; Cooking -- Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania -- Social life and customs; Pennsylvania Dutch
Fritz Schmidt, who had been listening intently to Mary, gravely
remarked, "An oriole built a nest on a tall tree outside my bedroom
window, and early every morning, before the family arise, I hear it
sing over and over again what sounds exactly like 'Lais Die Beevil!'
which translated means 'Read your Bible'."
"Even the birds are 'Dutch,' I believe, in Bucks County," said Fritz.
"I think these must be German Mennonites, there being quite a
settlement of these honest, God-fearing people living on farms at no
great distance from our place."
[Illustration: THE CANAL AT THE NARROWS]
As they drove along the country road, parallel with the Delaware
River, just before reaching the Narrows. Mary was greatly attracted by
the large quantities of yellow-white "sweet clover," a weed-like plant
found along the Delaware River, growing luxuriantly, with tall, waving
stems two to four feet high. The clover-like flowers, in long, loose
racemes, terminating the branches, were so fragrant that, like the
yellow evening primrose, the scent was noticeable long before one
perceived the flowers. And, strange to tell, sweet clover was never
known to grow in this locality until the seed was washed up on the
bank of the river some ten or twelve years previous to the date of my
story, when the Delaware River was higher than it was ever before
known to be.
"The first place we shall visit," said Aunt Sarah, "will be my
grandmother's old home, or rather, the ruins of the old home. It
passed out of our family many years ago; doors and windows are missing
and walls ready to tumble down. You see that old locust tree against
one side the ruined wall of the house?" and with difficulty she broke
a branch from the tree saying, "Look, see the sharp, needle-shaped
thorns growing on the branch! They were used by me when a child to pin
my dolls' dresses together. In those days, pins were too costly to
use; and look at that large, flat rock not far distant from the house!
At the foot of that rock, when a child of ten, I buried the 'Schild
Krote Family' dolls, made from punk (when told I was too big a girl to
play with dolls). I shed bitter tears, I remember. Alas! The sorrows
of childhood are sometimes deeper than we of maturer years realize."
"Why did you give your family of dolls such an odd name, Aunt Sarah?"
questioned Mary.
"I do not remember," replied her Aunt. "Schild Krote is the German
name for turtle. I presume the name pleased my childish fancy."
"Suppose we visit my great-great-grandfather's grave in the near-by
woods. I think I can locate it, although so many years have passed
since I last visited it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account