Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-02-05
Nlisccllortenus.
1he Fretful HOUSEWIFE,
on, WHO'S TO BLAME.

'sThat Mrs Jones is an awful piece
/ don't see how Jones stands it; good
easy soul; he lets her scold away and
never seems to mind it at all; don't even
seem to hear. Well, L reckon that's the
best thing he can do; but l tell you now
if had such a woman, I'd find some
way to shut her up, and if l couldn' t
I'd set fire to the house, and run away
by the light of it, for scold never
would live with. Let's see, you came
didn't you? 1t seems to me there used
to be such talk?''
Yes, III own up; we were engaged
as the young folks say--but things didn t
prosper with me, and the wedding was
put off, and got into little squabble
like; L believe L was to blame, and we
agreed to part company and L married
Agnes, and Lydia turned about and mar
ried j oe."
This was said with deep sigh as if
there WAS som sthing stru5 cling n the
speakers heart, that was not uttered.
Il reckon you Thank your stars for
the dciivcrancc2 said the other spelk-
er.
Il don't know" said the first slowly.
s'Lvdia was one of the kecnest, smartest
girls in the country, then, and nobody
ever thought Of her turning out scold,
she was as merry as a bird, and her wild
song, as she tripped along with her milk
pail. in the morning, had no twanG of
the termagant in it. used to think
!. she was one of the neatest and sweetest
Tempered of her sex. But she is might
iIy changed" And the man Of forty
sighed again, as he whitfield his BIT Of
pine shingfe to point.
There is no telling what woman
will be at forty, by the sign of eighteen;
is not that so, Mrs. Tyler"
This was addressed to good looking
benevolent woman, who had Joined the
two former on the porch, where they
were chatting away the twilight hours at:
ter their days work.
s'Not always" replied the lady ad
dressed, "For woman at eighteen may
be moulded into an angel or demon, by
the Surroundings of her after life, some
times"
I'VE were talking of Mrs. Jones, she
frets his life out of him
Better say he frets hers out of her,
replied the lady, with spirit.
"Never was there pleasantcr girl than
Lydia when she married Joe Jones; ac-
tive, energetic, orderly, ambitious and
affectionate. She was calculated to make
home as happy as woman could. She
was refined and delicate; Joe was coarse
and rough; she was pink of neatness,
he a siovcn; she loved the beautiful, he
could not tell the difference between
rose and a burdock, she was orderly and
systematic, he was completely the re-
verse; she was warm and genial as May
morning, he as cold and repulsive as an
icicle in November, So they commenced
life; she worked hard, early and late, to
get along; he loitered and laid in bed,
made excuses, put of, procrastinatcd,
let things go wrong, and by his neglect
and carelessness, doubled all her cares
l knowcd just how it all bagan; for L
lived with her five years; she never
meant to be scold, never; it came by
degrees. Come, Mr.. Jones, she would
say, cant you split me little wood, my
bread is almost ready for the oven
Yes, pretty soon-where's the axe?-
whose had that axe?-I wish the ugly
children
why, Mr. Jones, don't speak So
"Well, it's enough to try the patience
of Job-never can find anything when
] want it.
You should put it in its place then
yourself, then when you use it
Il did. I left it at the wood pile
NO you did not. You left it down
by the barn, where you was mending
the bars
'Humphl so I did
And off Joe would go after the axe,
find the pigs in the corn for want of care
in the fences, put off after the pigs full
run, drive them out half mile from
the house, meet neighbor, get upon
the fence and talk an hour, forgetting
all about the wood. In the mean time,
Lydia would run for the axe, chop her
own wood, and manage somehow to have
the bread all right, for nothing is ever
wrong in her department, and Joe would
not see nor know that he had in the
Slightest transgrcsscd. The house leaked