Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-24
HOME KEEPING VS.. HOUSE KEEP
INC

Eeep house, but there are few who know
how to keep home.
remember in my bachelor days going with
my boon companion, Bill Carberry, to look
at the house to which he was in 4 few days
to introduce his bride. Bill was gallant,
free-hearted, open-handed fellow, the life Of
our whole set, and We felt the natural aver
sion of losing him that bachelOrtriendS would.
How could they tell with what strange aspects
he might look forth upon US, when once he
had passed into g that undiscovered country"
of matrlmOny? but BIZ laughed to ScOrn our
apprehension.
''Tn tell you what Chris, he said, as he
sprang cheerily up the steps and unlocked
the door of his future dwelling, edo you know
what | chose this house for? Because it's
"a sociaIlooking house. Look here, now he
said as he ushercd me into the parlor,-
look at those long south windows, the sun
lies there nearly all day long; see what a
capital corner there is for a lOunging chair :;
fancy US, Chris, with our book or our paper
spread out loose and easy, and Sophie gliding
in and out like II sunbeam. Pm getting pO-
ctcal, you see. Then did you ever see d
better, wider, aircr dining-room ? What cap
ital suppers and things We'll have there the
incest things,-cverything free and easy, you
know ust what Iye always wanted Il house
for. | tell you, Chris, you and Tom Inhis
shall have latch-keys just like mine, and there
is Il capital chamber there at the head of the
stairs so that you can be free to come and
90 And here noWs the library,-fancy this
full of books and cngravings from the ceiling
to the floor; here you shall come just rs you
please and ask no questions the same as
If it were your Own you know"
"And Sophie, what will she say to ali
this?"
why, you know Sophie is prime friend
of both of you, and a capital girl to keep
things going. Oh, Sophie Il make a house OF
this, you may depend"
A day or two after, Bill dragged me STUN
bling over boxes and through straw and
wrappings to show me the glorics of the par
lor furniture, with which he seemed pleased
as child with new toy.
"Look here" he said; "see these chairs,
garnet colored satin, with pattern on each
well the sofas just like them, and the cur.
tains to match, and the carpets made TOR the
floor with centerpieces and borders. Ineve1
saw anything more magnificent in my life
Sophle's governor furnishes the house, anC
everything Is to be \ No. l, you see Messrs
Curtain and COllamOre are coming to make
the rooms up, and her mother is busy as bee
getting us in order"
"Why, Bill" said I, you are going to b,
lodged like prince. | hope you'll be able t
keep it up; but law business comes in rather
slowly, at first, old fellow"
"Well, you know it isn't the way [ should
furnish, if my capital was the one to cash the
bill; but then, you see, Sophie people do it.
and let them girl doesn't want to come
down out of the style she has always lived
in"
said nothing, but had an oppressive pre-.
sentiment that social freedom would expire
in that house, crushed under weight of up.
hOlstcry
But there came i'll due time the wedding
and the wedding reception, and we all went
to see Bill i'll II, new house, splendidly Lighted
up complete from top to toe, and everybody
said what lucky fellow he was; but thai
was about the end Of it, so far as our visiting
was concerned. The running in, and drop
ping in, and keeping latch keys, and making
informal calls that had been foresp0ken seemed
about as likely as il he had lodged in til,
Tuileries
Sophie, who had always been one of YOU
swapping, sparkling, busy sort of girls, began
at once to develop her womanhood and shoy
her principles, and was rs different from he
former self as your carc-wOIn, housing, oil,
cat is from your rOlliling, risky kitten. No
but that Sophie was good girl. She had
capital heart, good, true, womanly one, ant
was loving and obiging; butstiil She was on
OF tne desperately pains taking, consideration
sort of women whose very blood, as the
grow older, is devourcd with anxiety, and sh
came of race OF women in whom house
keeping was mose than art or science-it was
SO to speak, a religion. SophiC's mother
auntS and grand-mOthers for name ess gener
ations back, were known to be celebrate,
housekeepers They might have been gen
uine descendants of the inhabitants of tina
Hollandic town of Brock, celebrated b,
Washington Irving, where the cows tails ar
kept tied up with unsullied blue ribbons, an,
tne ends OF the tirewood are painted white
lie relates how celebrated preacher, vistin.
this town found it impossible TO draw thes,
housewives from their earthly views and EN-
Payments, until he took to preaching on TIN
neatness of the celestial city, the unsulHe,
crystal of its walls and the polish of its COLDER
pavement, when the face of all the housewife
were set Zionward ut once.
Now this solemn and earnest view of house
keeping is oncrous enough when a poor gil
first enters on the care Of a moderately fun
nished house where the articles are not to
expensive to be reasonably renewed as tim
ana use wear luGl Out IL Is liuillSlE W0fS
when cataract of splendid furniture is heap
ed upon her care, when splendid crystal
cut into her conscience, and mirrors retiec
her duties, and moth and rust stand ever read
to devour and sully in every room and pass
age way.
Sophie was solemnly warned and instructe
by all the mothers and aunts- she was warn
ed OF moths, warned of cockroaches, warne,
OF flies, warned OF dust; all the articles @
furniture had their covers, made of cold HOI
land linen, in which they looked like bodie
laid out, even the curtain-tassels had each if
little shroud-and bundles of reccipts and q
rites and ceremonies necessary for the pres
ervation and publication and care Of all thes
articles were stuffed into the poor girls hea
before guiltleSs of cares as the feathers tina
tloated above it.
Poor Bill found very soon that his hous
and turnledre were kept at such an ideal poin
of perfection that he needed another hous
to live IN, for, poor fellow, he found the dill
ference between having house and home
1t was only year or two after that nv wifi
and L started our n1enGge on very differen
principles, and Bill would often drop in upoI
US, wisttuily lingering in the coy arm-chai
between my writing table and my wife's sofa
and saying with a sigh how confoundedl
pleasant things looked there-so pleasant t.
have bright open fire and geraniums am
roses and birds, and all that sort of thing
and to dare to stretch out ones legs and NOV
without thinking what one was going to hit
"Sophe is good girl" he would say San
wants to have everything right, but you Sc
they won't let her. They've loaded her wit
so many things that have,t to be keptin laven
dar, that tie poor girl is actually getting THU
and losing her health; and then, you see
there's aunt Zurah, she mounts guard at on
house, and keeps up such strict police regula