The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-10-02

than to get such girl as Biddy-can't
learn her RI never was brought up to such
drudgery.'
'You know could get no one else,' an
swered the husband, still pleasantly; and,
moreover, always supposed lady should
know how to superintend household affairs
herself.'
'You might have known wasn't acquaint-
ed with such work.
4 lit would have been better if you had ?
was the quick reply.
Yes, suppose you would like to make a
mere drudge of me- answered Julia sharply.
'This is your oplnon.'
sDO you insult me, Mr.. Harvard p
sJust as you please to term It,
1T is n pity you hadn't married some one
to your mind.'
We do not know how much longer the
angry husband and wife would have talked
had Biddy not entered the room. Mr.. Har-
ward took his hat and left the house, while
Julia threw herself upon the sofa and burst
into tears; poor girl those were the first
unkind words that had ever passed between
them. 54se
Long did Julia lay there; nine-tep-
eleyen-twelys--and still no husband; the
agonizing wife ;pressed her face upon the
window pane and listened for his we'll known
footsteps; but ih vain; then she opened the
door and looked out into the night then
walked down the narrow path and leaning
over the gate, gazed down the street. At
last a sense of chllness warned her of the
danger of the damp air and returning to
the house, retired to her room, threw her
self upon her couch and tried in vain to
sleep. Where was hep Why did he not
come? The heart Of the young wife was
filled with strange and dread emotions. At
length when the little clock on the kitchen
mantle shelf rung out the hour of two, and
the well known footsteps was heard in the
hall, Julia's first impulse was to meet him
kindly and confess her fault, but when she
saw him safe at home, her pride arose and a
remark touching the lateness of the hour was
the only greeting.
Thus commenced an estrangement be-
tween those two loving hearts. Julia dis
couraged and vexed, after trying vain to
find Il better girl settled down into sort
of desperate calmness--aye, moroseness-
endeavoring neither to make her husband
herself or husband happy, while he worried
and annoyed, weary with daily care and
anxiety returned TO his home, where he
should have found rest and happiness to
find everything gloomy and disordered. an
untidy room, a miserable meal; and frowns,
and sometimes unkind words for a welcome.
AT last he staid from home almost entire
ly; his dinner was eaten at the village tav-
ern, his evenings spent over a social glass,
with few friends in the 'club-room.' and
after few weeks 1t was reported through
the village that the young lawyer, Mr.. Ilar-
ward, had taking to drinking.'
'Poor fellow, if he only had a little COM
fort at home: but his wife is too stuck up
to descend to such neanness US making it
SOP
The sentence was spoken sadly. in a
slightly sarcastic tone, the speaker did not
know Julia was walking directly behind and
heard every word: but could one have look
ed into the countenance of the young wife
they would not havcd doubted it.
'lias it indeed come to this she whispered
to herself, and pressing her hand over her
heart and pausing in her walk, Il am the
cause Of all this! Because of my negligence
that my husband is forsaking his home and
turning daily from me? Oh, the mistaken
ideas that once possessed me but for a
false gentility | might now possess the und-
vlded affections of my husband, and instead
of Il cheerlesS untidy home, have one of
neatness and order. But it is never too
late to learn: will commence now: yes
will put an end to this and strive to the ut
most again to be to my husband what |
once was; and more, learn what once des-
pissed to be, Il good housekecper.
The next morning Biddv was dismissed.
and without informing her husband of her
int nj n wnr.r. Ia,
good spirits, for she wished to surprise her
husband with neat home and nice sup
per, so she did not stop TO wonder if rolled
up sleeves were becoming, if broom and
dust pan were questionable articles. but
commenced with great energy. But Julia
knew nothing of that part of the housework
for in few moments such a dust was raised
as to almost blind and sutiocate her, settled
upon books, furniture, curtains, much to her
discontinue.
We will pass over washing dishes, making
beds, and other things, which, however, took
up the entire forenoon; although she tried
her very best, everything had peculiar
slovenly appearance, and one O'Clock P. NJ.
found her weary and almost discouraged,
and the kitchen still in disorder.
The sink was filled with dirty dishes, rus
ty knives, broken tumblcrs and cold dish
water. The cupboard with half washed
dishes, shelves covered with crumbs, spices,
scraps of cold meat and mouldv cheese.
which formed Il very disgusting sight. The
smooth white floor was covered with grease
and dried dough; the pretty cherry table
had lost its varnish; and the stove. once so
black and shining, wore very different ap-
pearance.
Poor Julia! she was weary and almost
discouraged: and, all these things meeting
her view, she sat down, rested her face on
her hands and burst into tears.
But that would not do there was nothing
for supper, nothing cooked in the house,
but some cold burned meat and few dry
crumbs Of bread: with a heavy heart Julia
took her cook book and looked over num-
Der of receipts.
sYes, that will do, biscuits and butter,
some of my nice preserves Jane made be-
fore she left, and some cookies or some
kind of cake: let me see > and she named
the different ingredients of which each COM
posed, and, finally set to work in earnest.
Reader, if you never made cake you may
imagine how perfectly ignorant was Julia.
Butter, eggs, buttermilk, soda-let me see
Il guess this is the soda-yes, it SAYS soda
on the box-and Julia proceeded to mix the
aforesaid articles together, but their aston
ishment the cake, instead of being deli
cate color, was almost black.
81 suppose it will be lighter when baked;
let me see-'bake in quick oven'--wonder
what 'quick OVEN is well the fire is all
out as true as the world' and with this So
lloquy she burst into tears.
Yes, sure enough the fire was out-every
spark, and turning 80 the wood box for
shavings, her flowing sleeve caught n cup
of melted butter on the table, upSetting its
contents upon her dress and breaking the
dish. As she stopped over to pick up the
fragments, the founce Of her thin dress
caught corner of the stove hearth. making
a sad rcnt-and raising her head from its
stoop posture gave it a stunning blow un-
der the table. Almost dizzy with pain and
overcome with vexation, after half an hour
of blowing and putting, the fire began to
burn. Julia placed the cake in the oven,
and as she saw according to the cook book,
it must bake three quarters Of an hour,
bad ~ ho ,-In ~, =,