the door." If the blast came from the right, it was placed on that side,
and if from the left, it was changed to the opposite. Chimneys, at that
period, were to be found only upon the houses of extensive and wealthy
farmers, the only substitute for them being a simple hole in the roof
over the fireplace. The small farmer in question cultivated his acres
with a spade: and after sowing his grain he harrowed it in with a large
thorn bush, which he himself, or one of his sons, dragged over it with
a heavy stone on the top to keep it close to the surface. When Barney
entered this cabin he found the vanithee, or woman of the house, engaged
in the act of grinding oats into meal for their dinner with a quern,
consisting of two diminutive millstones turned by the hand; this was
placed upon a praskeen, or coarse apron, spread under it on the floor to
receive the meal. An old woman, her mother, sat spinning flax with the
distaff--for as yet flax wheels were scarcely known--and a lubberly
young fellow about sixteen, with able, well shaped limbs and great
promise of bodily strength, sat before the fire managing a double task,
to wit, roasting, first, a lot of potatoes in the _greeshaugh_, which
consisted of half embers and half ashes, glowing hot; and, secondly, at
a little distance from the larger lighted turf, two duck eggs, which,
as well as the potatoes, he turned from time to time, that they might
be equally done. All this he conducted by the aid of what was termed a
_muddha vristha_, or rustic tongs, which was nothing more than a wattle,
or stick, broken in the middle, between the ends of which he held
both his potatoes and his eggs while turning them. Two good-looking,
fresh-colored girls were squatted on their hunkers (hams), cutting
potatoes for seed--late as the season was--with two case knives, which,
had been borrowed from a neighboring farmer of some wealth. The dress
of the women was similar and simple. It consisted of a long-bodied gown
that had only half skirts; that is to say, instead of encompassing the
whole person, the lower part of it came forward only as far as the hip