Selina's Dutch Kitchen Arrival and Awakening
Edna Ferber novel excerpt follows Selina after her mother's death as she travels with her gambler father to Chicago in the late 1880s. In High Prairie she joins a farming household, endures strict dress and meals, and debates fertilizer with Klaas Pool and Jakob Hoogendunk. Her keen eyes and questions disrupt the men at table, hinting at future clashes over class and curiosity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Selina
Perke
Chicago
Miss Wisters School
Peake
Tite
Simeon Peake
Julie
August Hempel
Packer
High Prairie
Klaas Pool
Jakob Fipogendunk
Uafamliar
Elve
Roen
Maartje
Klaas Fool
Maartie
Sakob Hoogendunk
Jakob Hoogendunk
Maatije
Klaas
Roelf
Mantrie Pool
Mr .Tebbitt
Fara
New York
Milwaukee
Jake Hnoogendonk
Geertia
Jozina
Klaas Toot
Jakob Hoogenfunk
Poolhen
Hloogendunk
Klana Pool
Pool
Poot
Geertje
Jozing
Cale
Fixliliiy
Moelf
Setina
Etiquette Questions for Calls and Weddings
Readers ask Mrs. Cornelius Beeckman about etiquette for calling on a girl, Easter gifts, proper host duties, and kissing the bride at church weddings. Answers cover who speaks first, appropriate gifts like flowers, and how to sign cards after a marriage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mrs. Beeckman
Kissin
Mrs. Breeckmani
Bessie Allan Jones
Beechtman
White Cedar of Japan Used for Temples and Beams
The highest grade white cedar is sacred and reserved for temples. Lower grades go to general wood use, with premium pieces destined for imperial temples. In Japan most cedar ships as interior exposed beams for homes, valued for appearance and durability. A rare 18 inch by 20 foot beam reportedly sold for 1100 dollars in the United States.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Japan
New York
Mes
Our Children by Sagelo 34 Pater
A reader’s column argues against excessive washing of children. It stresses that frequent scrubbing strips natural skin oils, dries out pores, and harms comfort and mood. One daily bath with gentle care is enough to keep kids clean without overdoing it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Our
Sagelo
Pater
Willie
Aunt Ida
Tim
Mothers' and Their Children A Warm Weather Dish
One mother describes a hot day dish using asparagus boiled until tender. The recipe includes beating eggs with cream and butter, then pouring over the asparagus and baking until the eggs are set.
Tomorrow Making a Hooked Rug Inquiries to Miss Kirkman
A housekeeping column outlines recipes and methods for preserving fruit and vegetables. It details pickled peaches and onions, hot chili sauce, and apple and tomato prep, plus instructions for sterilizing jars and sealing. Advice is offered for readers to send questions with full contact details to the Infferent Housekeeping department.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scala
Force of Custom Line Sparks Quiet Banter in Shoe Shop
In a brief stage moment from the Passing Show a clerk laments habit while a customer scolds the practice of counting tins. The exchange reveals light comedy as the characters navigate manners and social rhythm in a shop setting.
Dinner party quip on matching clothes and hair colors
In Stray Stories an exchange at a dinner party sees a neighbor suggest men should color match clothing to hair. Jane interjects asking about bald men, highlighting a lighthearted social misstep.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Smith
Jane
Mrs Smith Seeks Fourth Marriage If Fate Permits
A clipped, historic dialogue shows Mrs Smith admitting three prior marriages and joking about a potential fourth. The exchange hints at social norms and humor around unions in the period.
Passenger seeks change from actor after cash clash
A passenger exiting a theatre hopes for change to pay a taxi driver but lacks coins. An unemployed actor offers to break a $10 bill, replying with a courteous remark about regaining confidence in his acting career and American water burial context.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waterbury American
Even in Our Homes We Welcome Changes by Marion Moore
The piece discusses how people enjoy dressing rooms to reflect different personalities and moods, noting that even a room cannot fully host this human feeling yet can improve how occupants feel. It compares dressing up a space to the prodigal son returning home and suggests slip covers as a summer styling touch for living rooms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marion Moore
Ife
Tom
Summerside Tidying Room Adorns Floral Decor
A living room feature describes cotton damask slip covers with a plaited flounce, cool colorings to suit a permanent decorative scheme, light cretone drapes with gauze, and minimal bric-a-brac to host ample vases of flowers. A gate-leg table serves as a practical end table.
Also Mentioned on This Page
By Kessler
Zeb
Bac
Congressman Pump
Edna Ferber
Mrs. Cornelius Beeckman
H.C
Margy
John Held
Philadelphia
THE
Wopiy
Inavy
George McManus
Are
Ned
Mitzi
Polly
Mita
Mitai
Ay Jay
V. Jay
Pattern
Marian Moore
Almcrear
Catey
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!