Big Red Barn--Part II

When Billy came to pick up the pig's head, as usual he brought some kind of thank you gift. This time it was a potato basket filled with horseradish roots and a big bouquet of gorgeous maple leaves. Of course, I latched onto the pretty leaves to play with, but Mom was more thrilled with the roots. I was ordered back to help her with their preparation.

First they were washed, then peeled, and then put through the grinder. Do you cry when you peel onions? You should try horseradish!! Mom peeled, and I turned the handle of the grinder while tears coursed down our cheeks. Then they were bottled with a little vinegar and salt and stashed on the shelves "down cellar" for the ensuing year. Homemade horseradish had Mexican chili peppers beat by a mile--the first taste could make your hair stand up straight and make you run for ice water. But once you got used to it, it was a gourmet's delight, especially when served with Mom's baked beans and potato salad. Did I mention Mom's homemade salad dressing? M-m-mm-!

But--back to the big red barn:

Dad, as I may have told you, was a very generous and kind person. At about the time of the pig- killing, a couple of Indians had come over from New Brunswick for the potato -picking and had no place to stay. Dad gave them permission to sleep in the hay-loft temporarily as long as they kept it clean. They did. They came late and left early, so we were hardly aware they were there. Mom, empathetic to their plight, left them bowls of stew and beans when she could afford to, and these were returned clean.

One day, when potato-picking had ended, the Indians disappeared. All was as they had found it, except they had left a gift. A grey wool blanket. That blanket went on my bed to replace one of the heavy quilts. It has since had a pink satin binding put on it and now resides in the camp at Long Lake in Maine. Every time I see it there, I am reminded of the Indians in the big red barn.

Cast your bread upon the waters, says the Bible and, in so many words, it will return to you whole. Sometimes it returns to you in the form of horseradish or even a wool blanket, and that isn't bad!