Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/281

 REMINISCENCES OF SEVENTY YEARS 273 I never saw a stove in a schoolhouse in that country. In fact, there was not one farmer in ten that had even a cooking stove. My father bought a cooking stove and a Franklin heating stove when we went to Illinois, to save wood and hauling, as we had to haul our firewood about three miles. The cookstove was a three-hole concern with the bakeoven in the middle. People came from miles around to see it. It cost $50.00. It would be worth now just nothing at all. But I must now finish up our school teacher business. He would come around with his subscriptions to see if he could make enough money to make him $15.00 or $18.00 per month and his board. He would board around with his scholars if required, but much preferred to be boarded at one place if the subscribers would agree to it. But many would not agree to that arrange- ment, as they said they had plenty of hog and hominy which did not cost them anything and they would just as soon board the teacher as not and save their three dollars a week, as that was the ordinary price of board then. Poultry and eggs were so low that it was considered a disgrace for a boy to be seen carrying them to market. These trifles belonged to the old ladies and the girls in the family, and they had to take some- thing out of the store in payment for their chicken and eggs. To show what contempt a high-minded boy had for carry- ing eggs to market, I will illustrate it by relating a circum- stance that took place in our neighborhood. An old lady wanted a quarter's worth of tea, as she was expecting some lady company, and it was customary on such occasions to draw a good cup of Young Hyson tea. So the old lady gathered up ten dozen eggs and they were worth three cents a dozen, that would more than pay for the tea, which was worth twenty- five cents a pound. But she must take, it all out in tea, and that amount would last them a whole year, as they only made tea on rare occasions. The boy protested all he could, said he would pay for the tea with his own money, but all to no use. His mother said the eggs did not cost any thing and would soon spoil and the money would keep any length of time. So