Document text
LAY AiaTE LiiiEHAN
IRISh COCK
PAPER 4
STATE MASSACHUSETTS
NAME OF WORKKR. LOUISE G. BASSETT
ADDRESS BROOKFIELD) MASSACHUSETTS
DATE CF INTERVIEW JUNE 10) 1939
SUBJECT LIVING LORE
NAME OF INFORMANT MARY ANNE MEhHAN
ADDRESS BROOKFIELD% MASSACHUSETTS
Name: Louise G. Bassett Assignment: Brookfield, Mass.
Title: Living Lore
Topic: Mary Ann Meehan.
PAPER 4
St. Paul said "Let your speech be full of grace and seasoned
with salt." Just how "full of grace" is the speech of Mary Ann Mee-
han is a mooted question, but it, indubitably, is "seasoned with
salt" and therefore, full of flavor. Sometimes those "salt" words
of hers catch you "on the raw" and make you smart, as no one knows
better than one Mary Ann Meehant Irish wit she has a -plenty. It
gleams in her eyes and colors the tones of her voice. She is a
stimulating personality. And her vigor of body -seems but little
impaired, despite the fact that she has worked hard all her life
and has covered more than her allotted "three score and ten."
Yet even Mary Ann succumbed to a particularly vicious epidemic
of "grippe" that swept through our towW. It was when sre was well
on the road to recovery that I called on her to try to cheer her
up; a Herculean task) since her illness had left her with a hair-
trigger temper, plus a deep resentment that fate bAd dealt her such
a blow.
"I'm never sick" she said to me. "But this thing has fair
got me down. A product of the evil one it is I've had more pains
than Job..and none of his patience to bear them withL"
I had to laugh.
"'Grippe' is pretty well named, I admit. It surely does grip
you."
"And squeezes the marrow right out of your bones" answered
Mary Ann." Oh, well I've bested the beast, so forget it I will.
Name: Louise G. Bassett
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Brookfield, Maas.
Topic: Mary Ann Meehan
Come, now, yGu'd best have a cup of coffee. You're chilled through.
And that's a fine invitation to this demon to pay you a visit. Coffee'll
warm you up,"
"I can't resist you, Mary Ann. You make the best coffee I ever
tasted. What's your secret?"
"Put enough coffee In! You can't make coffee without coffee,
the way some tightwads do. But it has the finest flavor made the
old fashioned way. .with an egg. A heaping tablespoon to each cup
and one for the pot (lest it feel slighted). Then bread a ram egg
into the grounds and stir 'em all up together. Put this in the
bottom of the pot and pour on boiling water. Add the egg shell.
TheNboil five minutes! Well, all I can say is, it's got percolator
and dripolater and 01 'Lem other modern dinguses that they make
coffee with today stung!
"I believe you, Mary Ann. Going to make mine that way?"
She grinned at me, out her eyes suddenly filled.
"I am not" she said, with a brave toss of her old head." Is
it Mrs. Rockerfeller you're thinking I am? Who's 8ot eggs to waste
in coffee nowadays?" I could have bitten my tongue out. I laughed
to cover my shame.
"Not me, certainly" I said."But thanks for the recipe. Some-
day when my ship comes in I'll try it. I'll wager that's a grand
pot of it you've got going now. You certainly areawonderful cook.
But how did you happen to choose it for your life work?"
Name: Louise G. Basset t Assignment: Brookfield, Mass.
Title: Living Lore Topic: Mary Ann Meehan
"I didn't happen: It chose me. I always was cooking. I can't
remember when I didn't know how. My mother was a corking cook.
She could boil a ten -penny nail and make it taste good. I took after
her. I could make cakes, light qs a feather and I was &master hand
at pie crusts. My tart shells would melt in your mouth, if I do
say it myself. Everybody made jelly then and tarts was a favorite
aessert. You never see a tart, nowadays."
"Right, alas!" I murmured.
"You know" she said "I hired out as a cook when I was only four-
teen."
"Fourteen:" I gasped "Good heavens, Mary Ann:*
"'Well" she went on, belligerently, "I could cook and I was a
big, strong lass. My mother was a widder and had four kids. Some-
one had to take hold and help her. Gussie was delicate and Jane
wasn't stuck on work. Beats all how smart she was getting out of
iti She married well, too. Nobody ever wanted me. Too homely.
My mother near had a fit when I got to be twenty one and not even
a beau: In thcse days it was a disgrace to be an old maidt My
mother was always pi'etending I had chances, but she never fooled
nobody. Everybody knew everybody's business then but it makes me
laugh to see how things have changed. Girls like their independence,
today. And they turn down darn nice lads to keep, it. Most girls
of my day would pick up with anybody rather than be an old maid.
Sillyl"
Name: Louise G. Bassett
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Brookfield, Mass.
Topic: Mary Ann Meehan
UI agree with youa I said. "But Mary Ann, I'm awfully in-
terested in this first position you took so young."
She laughed, but her laugh had a sour note.
aPositionla she jeered "That's goodI It was a 'job'..and a
hard one and I was the hired girl.. 'help' but there was this to be
said. The hired girl was generally treated like one of the family.
I always et at the table with the family and set with them in the
evening 'round the dining room table. They used to have hanging
lamps then and they was awful nice. They burned kerosene. And
you could pull 'em most up to the ceiling and most down to the
table on brass chains. The family would set around that table and
the women would sew carpet rags, or make patches for quilts or knit.
It was awful pleasant. Oh. .wait a bit..the coffee's perked"t
She poured me a cup, fragrant and steaming.
"My, but that's t good, Mary Anal"
"Let's see..where was I? Oh, yes..wcrking outi Believe me,
housework was a chore then..no gadgets like vacuum cleaners and
electric washers and such. It was the broom and the scrubbing
board and your two fistsl Everybody worked in a groove, too. Wash
on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
house clean, and cook on Saturday. What a day that west Pies
and cookies and gingerbread and cakes and doughnuts and then every-
body made their own bread. Goodness me, I had to set bread twice
a week in that family and always had to make raised biscuit then$
Name: Louise G. Bassett Assignment: Brookfield, Mass.
Title: Living Lore Topic: Mary Ann Meehan
too. How I hated Sunday' Believe me, it was no 'day of rest' for
me. I had to get up the biggest dinner of the week. .arid use the
best cnina on the table. I was always scared to death I'd nick it.
It had belonged to the boss' mother and he was an awful fusser any-
way. .everything had to be just so. I was beat out when night come.
This ain't no way to be talkin' I 'spose."
"Of course it is. You were so young to work so hard."
"Don't you fool yourself. That's the time :to be working, I say.
You can take it. You're strong."
"But, Mary Ann, you wouldn't be allowed to work like that today."
"I know it. But things was different then. Folks was awful
too. Why this man's wife died after I'd been there eight or nine
months and after that I had to COMO' home to stay nights. There was
four girls in the family, but would my mother let me stay there
nights? Not by a jugful she wouldn'tt Right after my supper dishes
was done I had to make tracks for home. My reputation would have
been ruined if I'd slept one night in that house. Nobody trusted
anybody's morals then. Parents was awful strict. Girls, 'special
ly had to walk the chalk line, I'm telling you that I always didl"
"Why, Mary Ann" I laughed. "I'm surprised at you."
"No, you ain't. I bet you're thinkin' just like her"
"Mary Annt"
"Okay, then..you want ....Well, I was thinking of the way the
drummers used to Corile to Brookfield then..scads of 'em."
icame: Louise Bassett Assignment: Brookfield, Lass.
Title: Livilv, Lore Topic: Lary Ann Leehan
"iijrummers'?" I queried.
"Iep. That's what they used to call travelling men then.
iAiummed up trade. bee?"
I saw.
"Brookfield was a lively place at that time with mills and all
and, as I said lots of drummers cane to town and they liked to stay
her over night 'cause we had a fine hotel..the Letropole...sometimes
they'd stay two or three days and hire a man from the livsry stable
to drive 'em to near -by towns. dell, every summer night they'd be
settin' out on the hotel piazza and the town girls of course was
bewitched over them and they'd talk by and flirt some..and even the
boldest of 'em would go buggy ridin. Ihe girls was dying to 6
to the depot to see the trains come in the way the men and ooys
did, out no nice girl was allowed. However, you can bet that no
good looking drummer ever came to town that all the girls didn't
know about it. Ly sister Jane was full of the old nick and she
and I took some awful chances sometimes out we hardly ever got caught..
natural porn crooks, I guess. But we did get found out one time.
There was an awful nice lookin' lad out on the steps one summer night
and Jane ana I kept goint by and vane kept looking up at him and
he finally comes down the steps and speaks to her. I was so scared
I could only giggle, out Janel (say She wouldn't oeen scared of the
devil, himself) sne wise -cracked and got him to laughing and pretty
soon he asked us in to the hotel to supper. Jane acepts right off
Name: Louise 3assett Assignment: Brookfield, Lass.
Title: Livin Lore Topic: Lary Ann keehan
the oat and drags me along too. I'd never been in a hotel dining'
room in f1-4 life and I w• s so excited I couldn't eat. .out not JaneJ
She haa the time of her life and he did, too. Then he said 'Let's
go for a ride'. I got courage to say 'I don't want to' Out Jane
ma e me come alon.. We got clack auout half past eight, out that was
like midnight to my motfler. She was waiting for us..and what a ton-
gue-lashingi It was no time oefore the whole town knew it. Some
patents foroid their girls to speak to us. We was Considered 'fast'
and what with ma on the rampage at home aoout it, lire was plenty.
tough for jane and I."
"Too bad" I said "to have to suffer for just a girlish pranki
Good heavens there were two of you out with the man."
"Th t's just what one of theswell women in town said to my
mother" cried Lary Ann. "She put herself out to come to my mother
and she told her not to worry about what folks said and she was as
nice as pie to us. She sure did chirk my mother up. And did she
repeat it to the old gossips who criticized us4 It shut them up."
"It does make a difference" I said "if those in assured so-
cial positions set their seal of approval upon you."
"I'll say it does. To oe honest my La actually oegun to put
on airs about what we'd done and if anyone seemed shocked she'd
quote irs. 'Aristocrat'. 3ut she held the reins tighter than ever."
"Which do you think is the oetter way to oring up children,
Lary Ann 7 Sy rule of thumb, the way you were, or they way parents
Name: Louise G. Bassett Assignment: Brookfield, ivass.
Title: Livin Lore Topic: Iary Ann iv,eehan
do toaay. Which do you believe is the better training?"
Lary Ann laughed loua and long.
"Trained? You don't think kids are trained today, do you?
The kids I run up against don't pretend to wind. They're fresh as
paint. And impudent. Pampered to death. If you go to see anyone
who had kids you can't he think. They do all the talking.
And their mothers are always showing them off. We had to keep our
mouths shut when there was company 'round. When we .one wrong we was
whipped. e minded when we was spoke to. That much I think was better
then the way tney do now. But, on the other hand, a lot drnotions
that parents mad was crazy and they was so high-handed that they drove
kids doing things on the sly. Card playing was considered wicked.
.:;e were told it was a sin to play. Why, if my mother come across
a pack of cards she'd tear 'em in little bits and how she'd scold
and punish us, too. 6ut we always was circumventing 11x and sneaking
'em IN. 'a -men a girls vcc) painted her face was considerea'f-st'.
mother caught me putting flour on my face once for powder and how she
carried on! Yep, young folks today have a better break than we did.
And I think they're honester because they don't have to sneak to do what
they want. And they're lots amarter. Lovies and radio are wonderful.
I love the ovies. I wieh I could go every day. Just think all they
teach young folks.. more than they could learn in years when I was young.#
I haa ha a my se,_ond cup of coffee.
louise G. Bassett Assignment: Brookfield, u,ass.
Title: Living Lore Topic: Abary Ann iweehan
"I suppose coffee made with an egg could be better, but I
don't see how. Let me ao these cups."
"You won't touch 'em. Leave 'em be. I can wash dishes when
I don't have anyoody to talk to."
She settlea oack in her rocking chair with a happy sigh and
smiled at me".
"I'm awful glaa you come in" she said "Why don't you take
your hat off and not look as if you were going to 'peat it, the next
minute?"
"I will" I said and suited the action to the word.
"Well, well, it's a new 'permanent' you've got, ain't it?"
"Like it?"
"Ciranal They certainly are an improvement over the old curl-
ing iron that women haa to stick aown a lalip chimney to heat..they
was always getting all smoked up and had. to oe wiped. off with a
piece oi paper and hair aidn't stay curlea while you was getting
out of the room., in not weather."
"I, too, remember those curling irons!" I said, feelingly."
Ana I well rememoer how easily they burned your hair!"
"I'll say they aid!" said iLury Ann. "Well, a 'permanent' is
tough going, I've heard; not that I ever had one!"
"But they last" I countered.
"You've got me there" she grinned. "Life, on the whole, is
Lo ise G. Bassett
Assignment: 3rookfield, Lass.
Title: Livin Lore Topic: Lary Ann Leehan
easier all around. And pleasanter. .and people are smarter. Why
wouldn't they be Ihe radio keeps you informed about thins it
took weeks to learn about when I was a girl. Autos get you there
fasterin horses, and airplanes faster than autos. I'm glad I lived
to see these thil,gs. And women's clothes are so much simpler. Why
I caniemember- my mother wearing those crazy hoop skirts. I've seen
'em go whoopee, too, when she want careful settin' down..she'd snow
her panties then. .and did the darlin' °lush! And well I remember
those skirts that I wore, tr ilin' the siae walk and gathering dust..
and the hobble skirts! Of all the foolish styles! How we did go
w -daling along. We had to pull 'em up to our knees to get into a
ouggy or on the trolley car. And those Lerry Widow hats! Brims
like an umbrella and willow plumes a weepin' on 'em. .and a million
hat pins to keep 'em on!'
"I always liked willow plumes" I said.
"Pretty enough" she snorted, "but an awful care. I guess
the biggeLt change of all is in oathing suits. he girls today wear
ca.
handkerchief and a pair of short pants, but I rememoer my first suit was
of wool, dark blue, all trimmed with oraid and with oig bloomers
underneath and long stockings, \:,ith laced up shoes..it's wonder that the
weight of 'em didn't drown me 1"" °Yes", she continued "Folks, then, tried
too Lard 1,0j e modest. Iheylried too hard to keep young girls innocent.
A twelve year old knows more today then most girls in my time did when
they was married. You know that drummer I was telling you about? He
-11
Name: Louise G. 3assett
Livir4_, Lore
Assignment: 3rookfield, Lass.
Topic: Lary Ann Leehan
come to see my mother tne next time he come to town. He heard that
he got us girls in dutch. he tcla her he was oust lonesome. Ly mother
liked him Jut ene wou_dn't let LJaneLr me see him..ne urought us some
candy, but my mother WDulan't let us keep it. She made hill. take it away
or thoup;nt she aid she hadn't reckoned with fane..ieave it to her..
she slipped out the Jack -oor and met him at the gate ana took it. It
was the Jest candy I ever ate. It was so wicked:" She winked at me.
I laughed aiOLL... "Lary Ann, you're pricelessl"
"1 Wi6li 1 ws. I'd cash in on myself" she answerea with ready wit.
"Wel_, you are a treasure, uelieve it or not."
"It's me that doesn't believe it" she said, soperly. "lye worked
hard, aria worth naught."
"You're worth much" I said. "And don't Pelieve you'd have Peen
content to ue an idler."
"No, I wouldn't. After all work never kills you. It's figuring how
to get out of it that wears folks out. Everyuody hau to work..or starve.
We raised vegetaules an canned 'em. my mother never uought anything
out tea and coffee and flour. She canned fruit and ye toles all summer
long and what she diun't can, she dried. .she made gallons of pickles and
preserves. She even haa her own smoke house and cured her own ham and
OaC01, over nickory Una corn -coo fires. She had Parrels of corned ueef
anu salt pork. s
the ant .was a piker compared to my mother. She
even made ner own soap. .and many's the Patch I've made my self."
"Vick6 it Larci work-i"
Name: Louise G. 3assett Assignment: 3rookfield, Lass.
litle: Livin. Lore Topic: Lary Ann Leehan
"Lora, no. All us kias fixeu a hollow log on a sort of oig flat
stone anu tne stone was set up on a sort of tole like, and then we put
a kettle unuer to catch the lye. We put little pieces of wood in the log
to make a Urainlike and then put ashes an lime in till the kettle was
full. After tnat I put the fat and lye in a oi6 uoiler anu light the
fire anu cook till it Itio.6 rightmana you Lau to know when it was
right or the whole tning w s a mess. All the neighoors saved rat for
me. I 60iU the soap, too. It was dandy."
"Vihat
a worker:" was my response.
"Yep" was her laconic answer. "I was cjust thinking of what a
tough clay ironing aay usea to oe. We used irons with hot handles and
heatea them on a stove. You hau to use holders an. change the irons
every little while. lauleoloths was terriole to ao. haa to ue
dampened uown almost soaking wet and ironeu oone dry to keep their gloss.
i used to sweat ouckets over taolecloths. You never see 'em any more.
omen have Lot smart. Ihey use aoilies."
"Iake it aLl in all, L,ary Ann, 1 guess you're pretty well sat-
isiiela with the worla of today."
"I ain't wantin' to go Jack" she answered.