ONCE THERE WAS A FARM . ....

ONCE THERE WAS A FARM . . . A Country Childhood Remembered by Virginia Bell Dabney (Ballantine: $8.95). Dabney fondly describes growing up in rural Virginia during the Depression, but the real story that emerges from her recollections is the curious life of her mother. An independent and highly capable woman, “Miz Bell” ran a working farm, supervised the rebuilding of her house after a fire, sold cookware door to door and even served as an administrator for the local Land Bank at a time when women were expected to stay home and keep house. While she cared for her children, Dabney’s mother obviously preferred professional activities to domestic chores, and the conflict between these activities was exacerbated when her aloof, sarcastic husband retired from his insurance office in Chicago and joined his family on the farm. An engaging portrait of a modest but determined woman.