Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-02-06
Ghuite Mistellaup.
Confession of a Tea-Kettle ;
a Hint to Housewives.


everybody says must be true, especially what
every lady says. Now, what every lady said
was this that l was 'love of tea-kettle
I'm not vain kettle; and, although say
it, in my youth ,ods pretty. All you may
laugh, but you'll be old some day, depend
on it.
Well, promised you my history, and now
III tell it, if you'll only listen.
| was made of copper, and no sooner was
the last polish put upon me, than my owner,
afurnishing ironmonger, placed me in con-
spicuous position in his shop-window. My
bright appearance and neat shape very soon
attracted the attention of passers by. Every
one admired me, and some pleased me by
openly expressing their admiration. One
day, young lady-evidently newly married
declared was 'love of tea-kettle,"
and having satisfied the ironmonger as to
his demand for me, requested should be
forthwith sent to her house. Home l went,
and had the satisfaction of hearing both the
cook and the housemaid speak favorably
OF my appearance; and that'sa great thing,
mind, for kettle. was very comfortable
in my new abode, and every evening, when
filed with water, pure and soft, and placed
upon the hob by the side of a cheerful fire,
soon sang away to my master and mistress s
satisfaction, and my own content.
All went smoothly on, until one day my
master having received an appointment
abroad, resolved to dispose of his household
goods, myself among the rest A lady re-
siding in neighboring village purchased
me, and / was soon packed off. Somehow
or other 1 speedily found that although the
water was now daily filled with was clear
and bright-more sparkling indeed than
that had been accustomed tot made me
feel very uncomfortable about my stomach
accompanied with tight sort of feeling, and
a thickening of my inside, together with a
great disinclination, to boil and sing as was
wont.
My mistress constantly complained of me !;
and as for the cook, she was positively rude,
for on more than one occasion she shook her
fist at me and exclaimed, "Drat that kettle,
twill never bilei" My ailment increased,
and continued to get worse, and my owner
requested the cook to call in doctor. A
smith, residing hardly. was nv medical at
tendant, and he undertook to effect my cure.
He saw at once that it was not my fault /
did not boil,-that was coated inside with
substance foreign to my nature, which he
termed "furr" Taking me to his smithy,
he set to work with hammer and chisel, and
speedily removed the cause of all my trou-
bles. But, oh, the remedy was as bad as the
disease; my poor sides were so battered and
bruised that l felt sure that when reached
home Ishould be dismissed to the kitchen,
ard never more be summoned to the tidy
parlor fire and, moreover, one small hole
was knocked right through me, which pain.
ed me much; that, however, was patched
up, and, as I didn't complain, no one no.
ticed it. Although the 'furr' was removed,
l was left very rough in my inside, and be-
ing once more brought into daily requisition,
soon became as bad as ever Neighbors were
consulted, and all sorts Of remedies proposed
for my cure: one, that potato peelings were
to be boiled in me; another, marble, and
so forth but no good came of them, and
continued to get 80 bad and clogged up with
''fur," instead of holding three quarts
hardly contain as many pints. One day, {
travelling tinker happened to pass through
our village he was a loquacious fellow ant
soon made the acquaintance Of my mistress
cook; she happened to mention me to him
and he undertook to put me to rights il
half an hour. In an evil moment for he
she parted with me, and next day l wa
miles away, in large manufacturing town
never more to return, for the tinker was no
| uCCustOuicu u INC mctuou VI Uu5iucso ~
cording to the rule Of n,eitm and t,i,tm. HI
soon sold me for half my weights value to
chemist, who, taking of fmy lid exclaimed
"Ah, my poor fellow you've been badl.
used, can see l.i lf1 g9 nl1..
Il His sympathizing tone induced me to ope,
my heart to him, and tell him my who'll
history from the very first. r'pJ .
~ see how II is," said he, shut we ]
soop have IL all RIGHT undorsta n nd Won \,
say, that the water you were first supplies
with seemed very pure and soft, though no
so sparkling and bright as that you wer
filed with by your second owner. Well
that is quite in accordance with chemica
facts the water from the pump of you
second mistress owed its brilliancy to The
quantity Of lime it held in solution. Rair
water, caught 10 clean vessels away iron
large TOWNS, is the purest water that can b
procured, without resorting to srtifcia
!, means and this, although pure, will no