The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-16
Thursday Morning, Nov. 16, 1866.
From Mrs. stoaoe'S Chimnea-Cofacr IN
November Atlantic Wonthly.I

"Here we are, twelve miles out from Boston,
in a country villa so convenient that eyery
part of it might almost do its own work,-ey-
erything arranged in the most convenient.
contiguous, self-adjusting, self-aeting, patent
right, peffective manner,-and yet, tell you
Marianne will die of that house. Il viii vet
be recorded on her tombstone died of con-
veniences., For myself, what languish for
is log cabin, with bed in one corner, a
uundie-bed underneath for tie children, a fire
place only SIX feet of, a table, four chairs, one
Kettle, a cohe-pot and q tin baker,--that's all.
hved deliciously in an establishment of this
hnd last summer, when | was up at Lake Su-
perlor; and am convinced that if L could
move Marianne into it at once, that she would
become a healthy and happy woman. Her
life is smothered out of her with conliorts-we
have too many rooms, too many carpets, too
many vases and knicknacks too much china
and silver; she has too many laces and dresses
and bonnets; the children have too many
clothes; in fact, to put it Script,lrally, our
riches are corrupted, our garments are moth
eaten, and oilr gold and our silver is cankered
and in short, Marianne is sick in bed, and
have come to the agencyfor distressed women
to take you out to attend to her. as3 s.lsgs gi
"The fact is" continued Bob, e that since
our cook married and Alice went to California.
there seems to be no possibility OF putting our
domestic cabinet upon any permanent basis.
The number of female persons that have been
through our house and the ravages they have
wrought on it for the last six months, pass
belief. / had yesterday a bill of sixty dollars
plumbing to pay for damages of various kinds
which had to be repaired in our very convent
ent water-works and the blame of each par
ticular one had been banded like a shutsie-
cock among our three household divinities.
Biddy privately assured my wife that Kate was
in heihaDt of emptying lust-pans of rubbish
into the main drain from the chambers. and
washing any little extra bits down through the
bowls; and in fact when one of the bathing
room bowls had overfowed so ias to damage
the lrescoaS below, my wife, with great delica-
cy and precautlon, interrogated Kate as TO
whether she had followed her directions in
the care OF the water pipes. OF course she
protested the most immaculate care and cir
cumspection. Sure, and she knew how care
ful one ought to be, and wasn't of the likes of
them as wouldn't mind what throube they
made,-like Biddy, who would throw trash
and hair in the pipes, and niyer listen to her
tellin'; sure, and hadn't she broke the pipes IN
the kitchen, and lost the shoppers, as it was a
shame to see in Christian house?' Ann, the
third girl, being privately questioned blamed
Diddy on Monday and Kate on Tuesday; on
Wednesday, however, she eXonerated both:
but on Thursday, being in high quarrel with
both, she departed, accusing them severely of
not only all the evil practises aforesaid, but of
lying, and stealing, and all other miscellane-
ons wickedness that came to hand, Whereat
the two thus accused rushed Ia. bewailino
themselves and cursing Ann in alternate
strophes, aser1ing that she had given the ba-
by laudanum, and taking it out riding, had
stopped for hours with it in filthy lane,
where the scarlet fever was said to be rife-in
short, gave SO fearful picture that Marianne
gave up the childs life at once, and has taken
to her bed. / have endeavored all could to
quiet her by telling her that the scarlet fever
story was probably an extemporaneous work
of fiction, got up to crafty the Hbernian an
ger at Ann, and that it wasn't in the least
worth while to believe one thing more than
another, from the fact that any of the tribe
said it. But she refuses to be comforted, and
is so Utopian as to lie there, crying-'Oh, If
could only get one that / could tIust,--one
that would really speak the truth to me,
that might know really went where she said
she went, and really did as she said she did,
To have to live so, she says, and bring ;.p lit
lie children with those she can't trust cut of
sight, whose word is good for nothing,--to feel
that her beautiful house and her lovely things
are all going to rack and ruin, and She can't
take care Of them, and can't see where or
when or how the mischief is done,-in short,
the poor child talks as women do who are vio-
'ently attacked with housekeeping ng.fever, tend
ing to congestion of the brain. She actually
told me yesterday that she wished, on the
the whole. that she had never got married,
which take to be the most positive indica-
ton of mental alienation"
"Here," said !, Nbehold at this moment two
women dying for the want of what they can
mutually give one another,-eaeh having
supply of what the other needs, but held back
by certain invisible cobwebs, slight, but strong,
from coming to each others assistance. Ma
rianne has money enough, out she wants a
helper in her family such, as all her family
has hitherto been unable to buy ; and here close
at hand is awoman who wants hone-shelter,
healthy, varied, active, cheerful labor, with
nourishing food, kind care, and good wages
What hinders these women from rushing to
the help ofone another, just as two drops of
water on leaf rush together and make one
Nothing but miserable prejudice,-but
prejudice so strong that woman viii starve in.
any other mode of life, rather than accept
competency and comfort in this" ,. r
"You don't mean,'' said my wife, to propose
that our protege should go to Marianne as a
servant"
81 do say it would be the best thing for her
to do, the only opening that see,-and a very
good one, too, it is" al