The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1857-10-22
From the Ohio Farmer.
Mint, Anisc, and Flies.
BY HELEN L. BosrwICK.

Mint, AniSc, and Flies.
BY HELEN L. BosrwIcK.
Mr. and Mrs Fairfax sat down to dinner at 10
o'clock, Of q warm September day. 1t was rather
a tempting meal, for Mr. Fairfax liked good dish
es, and Mrs. Fairfax knew how to cook them
The spring chickens innocent things---were .'done
brown :" the baked potatoes had not shrunli in
their skins with waiting in a cooling oven /; the
bread was soft and snowy the butter hard aud
golden and the juicy peach pie covered with a
white napkin, which could not hide the te-tac in
equatcs of its crust, had been ln object of special
skill and painS-taling on the part Of the Young
house Keeper that morning.
Mrs. Fairfax had been scrupulousy careful to
keep the door closed, which led from her heated
kitchen into the little back dinnng- -room as also
TO see that the windows of the latter though open
were kept darkencd. In consequence of this at.
tentiOn, the little room was not only COOL but free
from flies, those pests of the tidy housewife. par
ticularly in early autumn, when the troublesome
insects fly low and heavily Mr. Fairfax sat
down 10 thetable, thinking that everything look
ed very comfortable and inviting, after that hard
forenoon's work. and being encouraged by Mrs. T.
he presently began to talk.
Wife, lie said, as ii scdden thought entered
his mind, ''have you ever made Mrs Penuilicld an
afternoon visit p
Why, no. responded the lady, in surprise !;
returned her call, you recollcct some time
since"
"Yes bntyou have not yet been TO drink tea
with her and therein You have committed II seri-
GUS error" said Mr.. Fairfax, with great gravity.
Why so how IN error 2" questioned Mrs
f., with eyes almost as prominent as the unduIa-
tiOns of the peach pie.
" Ill tell you, Sarah; | met Mr.. Penfell TODAY
in fact, worked with him ON the line fence all tie
morning he thinks we are proud that's il
proud because we have become the possessors of
the big 'HOughton farm" with prospect Of nav
ing Ior IT, provided our lives are spared fifty or
Sky years tie didn't exactly say we were proud
put ms remarks upon uppcr-crust farmers who
had to have cushions on their plow handles, and
cane-bottom milk stools were very significant He
said, iaO, that he heard | was going to blind The
house he supposed when folks had .bourhtcn
carpets TO keep from fading, blinds were ncccssu
ny but they were n1t needed on his house aud he .
was glad on it, He reminded me that my 'short |
horns were Just as apt to meet with accidents, or
'be sick aud die, otter cows hat cost less and
hinted that women educated in boarding schools
were not apt 20 be contentcd with life on a farm
where they were compelled 60 associate with pco
lDle who hadn't had advan,ages.'
a. Dear, denr!' said Mrs. Fairfax; anything
more r
"No, that's enough isn't it? We must SO, to
work TO storm this Sebastopol OF prejudice we
must eradicate this poison that is spreading in
the veins Of our worthy neighbors. Mr. PenfI.I
must not tank We are stuck upr Mrs Pc.tied
must not think The big rarm the sho .lbnr,s
the prospective blinds, and boughten carnn,s )
have built up wall between us which we inns,
Forthwith demosh. And as n iir,i step, sarah do
you go, this afternoon, au4, make Mrs, p. a social
visit"
~"d was intending to can those peaches" sug-
gestcd Mrs FairElx.
Twill help you in the evening" returned her
husband, and the matter was settled
Talk on different subjects, in your kind. sensi-
bic, and wholc-heared way. and this foolish pre-.
judcc will soon disappear" was Mr.. F's parting
suggestion to his wife, as lie took his hat and re-
turned to his work.
Mrs. Fairfax washed the dishes, and laid the
table again with her husbands suppcr-he never
drank tea in warm weather covered it closely
with cloth, and then darkened the room as be-
fore then changing her calico wrapper for cool
muslin aud shading her face with parasol she
took her way across the fields, without shawl or
bonnet, and before three o'clock knocked at Mrs
Penields door,
Before her knuc,iles had fairly left it, the door
was flung open by Mrs. z, herself who, after Il
momcntary stare oESarprse gave her cordial wei.
come.
walk in-walii right in, Miss Fairfax I've
been expecting you this long time thought may.
be you wasn't goin' to be free and neighborlv
with homcSpun folks like us. Old Miss Houghton
used TO be real ncIghborly and socinble. Have
this easy chair Miss Fuiriux and don't look
round my house, beg of you. The flies are so
thick, didn't feel as iIit was worth while to clean
much this week and body can't see out OF the
windows, hardly, for flies and dirt"
vi course, at this sweeping assertion, Mrs. Fair
fax could not refrain from looking around her The
room was perfect glare of light from three larg,
windows shaded only by their white muslin and,
rs might be expected, swarned with nies vet il
pI hpnf, 1