@@@@@ They lived on their farms, in the
@@@@@
They lived on their farms, in the countryside, with no city nearby at
all, only a village with a church and a blacksmith and a public house
where the mail-coach stoppedThe only store at all was a room in the
corner of the public house where you could mail a letter and buy
tobacco and a few foodstuffsTravelling wagons came by with ribbons
and trinkets and papers of pinsPeople found their entertainment by
going to other people's houses"But that's just like plantation
life," Scarlett exclaimed"Why, Tara's five miles from Jonesboro, and
when you get there there's nothing much but a train depot and a puny
little feed store
Plantations have mansion houses, not simple whitewashed farmers'
homes
"You don't know what you're talking about, Colum O'Hara!
The Wilkes' Twelve Oaks was the only mansion house in all Clayton
CountyMost folks have houses that started out with a couple of
rooms
and a kitchen, then added on what they needed Colum smiled and
admitted defeatNevertheless, he said, the gifts for the family
couldn't be city thingsThe girls would do better with a length of
cotton than one of satin, and they wouldn't know what to do with a
painted fanScarlett put her cup in its saucer with a decisive
clink"I'll bet you they'd love calicoIt comes in
all kinds of bright patterns and makes up into pretty frocksWe all
had calico for everyday stay-at-home dresses
"And boots," Colum saidHe took a thick packet of paper from
his pocket and unfolded it"I have the names and sizes here
Scarlett laughed at the length of the paper"They sure saw you
coming, Colum
"What?"
"Never mindIt's an American saying
Every man, woman, and child in County Meath must have put their
name on
Colum's list, she thoughtIt was just like Aunt Eulalie's "As long as
you're going shopping, would you just pick up something for me?"
Somehow she never remembered to pay for whatever it was, and
Scarlett
would bet Colum's Irish friends would turn out just as forgetful