The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1862-10-01
THE FIRST YEAR OF HOUSE.
KEEPING.

icle this evening. AS / look back through
the long vista of years, and review the
early days of my married life, its perplex-
tiles and cares come up before me in far
more vivid colors than its joys; though
the retrospect often provokes a laugh
where the real experience caused bitter
tears.
l was just twenty years old when l be-
came the wife of clergyman, poor
country pastor. 1t was a love-matcb, and,
with the usual thriftlessness of lovers, /
think it did not then occur to us that we
could no. live upon love, or that it would
need such vulgar appliances as roast beef
and palatable puddings to preserve in its
purity the divine essence of the grand
passion.
Everybody said / was totally unfit for
a minister's wife. was naturally exceed
ingly Joyous and mirthful, and without a
particle of the staid dignity expected from
persons in my position; while my hus-
band was grave, thoughtful man, en-
dowed by nature with commanding per-
sonal appearance and prepossessing man.
ners, do not wonder now that peo-
ple could not see the propriety of bis
choosing me for a wife, when so many
pattern women stood ready TO accept him.
MY own family had but one objection 20
the match-he was poor and had no
idea of practical housekeeping.
Ah, how we'll / remember the first
washing dayl My husband, after vainly
trying to persuade me to hire washwo-
man Il knew that he could not afford it),
came into the back kitchen to help me
himself. We were very merry at first,
but after rubbing off little patches of skin
from every knuckle, and burning our arms
till they looked like illustrated maps Of
some unknown country, we began to find
out there was little poetry and no fun in
the wash-tub.
But the ironing day was worse yet
Nothing but pride kept me from rolling
those starched shirts into a bundle and
taking them across the field to my moth
er's kitchen. l forgot to mention that we
had taken up our abode in a parish but
ono mile distant from my fathers house
1 had never ironed any starched clothe:
of any description, but from my brother:
at home had imbibed very exalted ideas
in regard to the Importance of immacu
late shirt-bosoms. Ny husband told mt
all he could remember of his mothers
method, and then betook himself to hi:
study. Shall l ever forget my feelings
when the flat-iron, heated seven times hot
ter than its wont, and carefully applied tc
the glutinous surface, suddenly struck uT
an attachment for the same, and, wher
forcibly separated, left its whole image
and superscriptior behind, in black and
brown colors. l have that shirt now.--
l keep it to show to those wise mother
who are training their daughters for fu
ture uselessness.
But it was in cooking that l found m,
chief trouble. All my attempts in tha
line, at the time l commenced housekeep
ing, had resulted in spelling several kind
of rich cake, concocted in accordance will
those impossible recipes which fill ou
modern cookery books. l had neve
made a loaf of bread in my life. Bak
er's bread served us for a time-for S,
long time, indeed, that we found out al
its good qualities, and have not tested it
excellencies for many years.
We had been married and settled near
ly fortnight, when, one morning, m,
husband came in with letter in his hant
and very anxious expression on his face
1 sprang up from my seat, nearly upset
ting the breakfast table, which was wait
ing for him.
"What is the matter, Frank Is an,
body sick or dead9 Have you got ba,
newsp
"No. At least it ought not to be ba'
nows."
"Well, what is III Something Sc
rious, know from your looks"
"No, Hattie, nothing Of the kind
Only I feared it might annoy you. II ]
only a note from my college chum, Fred
D.-t.z ..-.... lkal L. = s....., a. n.