Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-05-28
sELEcrEp sToRY.
WILLIE's WIFE.
From lippinOott's Nsgazlns.l

An old maid, Will nO hueoouu -" W
atrov her peace, nor any dreadful an
novspces in the shape Of children, with
nancy enough at interest to keep the
wolf from the door, and house OF her
own overhead, might surely expect,
after the tea-things were washed and
mt away, the fire made, the table drawn
close to it, the lamp close to her elbow,
and a book close to her nose--an pid
maid thus happily situated might, l gay
Io ali reason, expects comfortable time.
Alasl far from i'll The wind whistles
aTonnd the house with more than ordl'
nary defiance, and ! tremble inwardly;
for well do / know, and well does II
know. also, the cracks and holes in my
dilapidated dwelling. Here 1t comes
whistling and roariDgl With o whlsk
"A turns my new wig askew; with anotn-
er. the leaves of my book are futterlng
and flappinu, as if they were IN league
with-the boisterous thing. adjust my
wig and refihd my place in vainl Inere
Il comes, again and again! A rough
blast down the chimney sends the
smoke pouring into the room, scatter
inc ashower OF ashes over my clean
white cartains. le i
I slam my book with petulant JERK
take up my lamp, and start on an
indignant march up to bed. Creak'
creak 90 the boards, as II they were
nossessed. The door refuses to open;
I Jerk and pull spasmodically; another
blast of wind; my lamp goes out; still
I tug at the door; it opens suddenly,
and suddenly, down | Co. MISS
Jemima Bloor picks herself up, minus
dignity, temper and wig. | grope
nv way up stairs, stepping lightly on
certain shaking steps, and running
splinter into my hand from the'broken.
bapnister, I reach my room at last;
must leave the door unlocked because
the lock is out OF order; undress, creep
into bed, and cannot close my eyes, be
cause there is piece of loose plaster
gaping Just above my head--mo tef-
rible to me than the sword OF Dam
ocles. ..-f
During the long hours OF that sleep
less night I worked myself up to des'
perate resolution. The case, you see,
was. grave and urgent: / ran imminent
risk Of losing that bland, amiable dis
position which las l know from the con
current testimony of my most discrim'
mating friends) is natural to me. The
house shall be thoroughly repaired
Not another night will l sleep in it till
it isl -.
''''l 1 arose at peep of day, and noon
found me domesticated at Mrs. Robin
sons, Just over the way. l am to SLEEP
on the lounge in her parior, for the lit
tie woman possesses only two rooms
and kitchen.
Immediately assembled all the car
Penters, GLACIERS, timers, bricklayers,
painters and paper hangers with whom
our village is blessed. My house is be.
ing repaired and renewed outside and
in. contemplate the changes thus
going on with--well. let the truth be
= told~with somewhat mixed emotions.
I am slowly coming to the conclusion
that there is no such thing as perfect
happiness in this sublunary sphere
Men are SO intensely aggravating, es'
pecially carpenters, GLACIERS, timers,
bricklsyers, painters and paper-haDg-
ers.
One afternoon we sat-my hostess
andA lin her little parlor; / at the
front window, looking across the street
and watching that rascally John Stock
er, the carpenter. Good heavensl--
There he sat in my restroom window.
swinging his heels and smoking pipe
mol Thought OF my work in his head
Now, the odious creature knows-nO
one better-what a hurry am in and
how / detest pipe. Yet here / may
be, for all he cares, sleeping on Mrs.
Robinson's lounge for pNonth or two,
ard all the time my parlor--Miss Je.
NINA. Bloor's best room-scented with
tobacco / wonder if the man expects
to 20 to heaven when he dies / won.
der if he expects me to pay him three
dollars day for smoking his pipe and
swinging his heels ?
All there comes Joseph Baldwin
Just back from dinner, and-let me
see-it's twenty-five minutes past two
I / bad my way about woman's rights
. I'd put the men out of this world alto
gether that would settle the question.
What are they, after all, but an ag
gravation, marplot and genera
nuisance?
Now, there goes Will Wiley, tramp
ing right over my verbena-bed Hat
the man no eyes in his head or die
q bis mother never succeed in beating il
into his dull brain that a verbena- bee
is not to be walked on, and that 8 gar
den path is !? SCI
And, now I think of it, il was onl,
yesterday / found five broken psnes il
my up stairs window. Yet that faith
less, good-for.nothing glazier ha.
sworn to me that very morning tina
he had taken every sash out, from gar
ret to cellar, and left all in perfect or
der. Lords of creation, indeed
Lords OF fddlestick Wonderful ex
amrle OF superior intellect-was
not Y--to take window-Bash out fo
repairs, and pntit back In perfect or
der with Eve broken panes in it
Miss Jemima Bloor were to sit in
maiden lady's best-room window an
smoke pipe and swing her heels
she were TO come from dinner to he
work at twenty-five minutes after tw
If she we're TO go trampling about O
peoples yerbena-beds-if she were
declare window sash with five broke
paDes in it 30 be completely repaired
would she call herself lady OF creatio
and superior intellect2 I ask th
world, gould she call herself lord (
0 lady OF creation and su-
Atthis point my indignant reflection
were interrupted by softsplish-splas
and subdued little filter Of sobs.
aa My hostess had been knitting, vii
her comfortable fat hands, o baby
hood for Mrs. Peters, next door,
AS 4 looked up 1 saw the tears trick
down on her knitting needles till the