Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/187

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 127 the settlers were accustomed to dress in the home-spun cloth called "jeans." This was woven from thread, spun at the house itself, and the garments were made from the cloth by the women of the household. This famous "jeans" was dyed various colors, perhaps the one most favored was known as "butter-nut." This cloth was al- most indestructible. It was all wool ; there was no mixture of cotton and wool such as is moccasin was so well suited to the life of the woods that it was adopted by practically all the people who lived among the Indians. The food of the Americans was by no means so varied nor so daintily prepared and cooked as the food of the French. There was an abundance of it and most of it was wholesome, but there was not that attention to the minor and lighter items of diet that the French gave. Instead of soups, salads. Home-Made Loom and Operator found in Mlmost all the cloth of the present time. There was among these people no such careful attention to dress as distin- guished the French. They were content if the.y had a sufficient amount of comfortable and presentable clothing. There was but lit- tle effort to follow the fashions, and no great pride was taken in a large collection of gar- ments of one sort or other. The women wore the sun-bonnet and the men frequently cov- ired the head with a cap made from coon skin or bear skin. Moccasins were fre- (juently worn by both sexes. The Indian vegetables and desserts, the staple items on the table of the American settlers were meat and corn bread. This meat was the meat of wild game, deer, turkey and other varieties, or it was the meat of the hog. Bacon was one of the favored dishes to be found on al- most all tables. American settlers were usually strong and robust. The men were distingui.shed for their strength of body, their vigor and their hardiness. These qualities were to be ex- pected in a race of men who went out to subdue the wilderness. Many stories are