The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-03-04
DOMESTIC MISHAPS.
OR, THE INCIDENTS OF A THANKSGIVING
WEEK

WEEK.
swell, | do declare--it seems as if ev
erything ] have taken bold Of for weeI
has gone wrong," exclaimed little fat
bustiing woman, as her outer door wa,
opened by morning visitor.
"What is the matter, Mrs. Smith," wa,
the interrogatory in response.
ola! is tha, you, Miss Woodman?-
How do you do! Como in and sit down
and I'll tell you"
swell, let me help you pick these rails
ins, while you are talking"
$50 you may, SO you may-tbrow Of
your hood and shawl, aud sit up here to
, the table,
"Therc, now I'm nicely fixed. Now,
what's gone wrong"
well, to begin at the beginning, we
tho't we wouldn't take any thanksgiving
this year. You see there's nobody bu,
husband and me, and little Haunah-poor
child!-and we tho't well to take it fair
and easy, and not have anything out ofihe
common course. Let's see--this is Tues
day; well, Friday night we got letter
from Nabby. telling US she was coming
down TO spend Thanksgiving; but she was
sorry she couldn't be hero till Wednesday
night, so as to help me prepare; but Mr..
Johnson was SO busy they couldn't come a
minute sooner. Well, we thought if Nab
BY was coming, we'd send for Isnac and his
wife, and Elihu and his wife; Nabby's got
four children, Isaac's got three, and Elihu's
got two,-so there's quite little army Of
them-and, Of course, We must make them
ready little something.
$50 went TO work on Saturday, and
boiled piece Of meat, and ! and Hannah
poor chId!-got il chopped and season.
ed. Well, Monday we washed, and when
| looked at my long table cloth, found
twas so waller, GIANT been used since last
Thanksgiving day that had got to wash
Iii; and told Hannah to go and bring me
the bottle of washing fluid that Nabby sent,
and I'd see how nice it would make my ia
bic cloth look. So she brought it, and ]
pu, in generous dose (it was nfier all the
other washing was done afnie / thought Of
my table clo,h) and Hannah washed it and
hung it out When she had got it done
told her the suds looked SO nice I'd just
wash on, my new green calico dress; so !
put i, in and il turned 10 a nasty spotted
yaller! Well, says |, / don't think much
Of this washing fuid-('twns the first time
I'D ever used any Of ii) I'd rather have the
old dumb betty: My gown was spoiled,
bit | thought I'd make the best Of it. But
slys to Hannah, what is it smells SO much
Hike vinegar"
sSays she, that's the washing fluid"
"Says !, where did you get ibid you
take il off the shelf | told you."
"Yes."
"And did you put il back where you got
lit"
"Ye.," SAYS che.
$50 went and looked and no wonder
my gown turned yaller. I'd washed il
not in washing fluid, but in billed cider"
.Hannsh, poor child, wasn't 10 blame.
the bottle Of washing fluid wasn't there
I'd emptied il into my mince pies! Now
wasn', that go? There was twenty.
weight, ii there was one ounce Of good
mince-pie meat gone to waste! ! daren'i
even give i. to the hogs, with all that stuff
| in il!
"Well, I thought it wouldn't do to fret
about it; hadn't time. But thought ]
have heard Nabby say again and ngain,
that she wouldn't give cent for Thanks
giving without mince pies, she's got to do
without them this time. So charged lii
lie Hannah, poor child, to say nothing
about the washing fluid and billed cider,
and I'd try to get something.
81 went 10 work, and stewed pot of
pumpkin, and this morning ! told little
Hannah that she might do the ironing, and
I'd fix the pies. So beat the eggs, and
put 10 the milk, nnd--come to look-l
hadn't mite Of Communicative always
use cinnamin. for pumpkin pies) lin the
house. Then told Hannah TO run to the
store and get some and I'd rub on the
clothes till she got back.
"Well, pretty so,n she come back. and J
was fixing the fire, so told her she might
spice the pies. Bmeby she come TO me.
aud says she, wish you'd taste ofthis, for
I've been eating some cloves, and guess
thcy've bit my tongue, for ] can't taste
anything Of the cinnamint. So tasted,
and neyer-it beat oil! can't tell you
what il was likc-but Hannah-poor child!
shed tasted Of il two or three times, and
she said il made her dizzy and sick to her
stomach. Invent and looked at the CHINA
mint, and what do you suppose it wss?-l
Yaller snuff! ! felt provoked enough.
thought twas trick somebody had played
upon us, but Hannah said that Miss Jones
was in the store, and bought a quarter Of
snutf and she supposed they had changed
the packages!
SWELL, there was my pumpkin and milk
and eggs and sugar, and time all lost, and
gave that mess TO the hcgs, for ] tho't
snuff woulc not hur, them.
$50 made up my mind to have moth
ing but some turkeys and some plum pud-
dings; and here are my puddings rea
dy but tho raisins; and was picking them
and thinking how many nishaps Id had
and Just as you come in found that I'd
been putting the raisins into the swili-pail.
and the stems and sticks into the puddings
And so now I've answered you as 10 what's
gone wrong"
"a hard case truly" answered the sym
pathizing visitor, as she hustled out Of our
neighbours dwelling.