Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-05-01
WILLIE'S WIFE.

4 u Asblustering evening am all alone
An old maid with no husband to destroy
her peace, nor any dreadful annoyances in
the shape of children, with money 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 put away, the fire made, the
table drawn close to it, the lamp close to
her elbow, and book close to her nose
an old maid thus happily situated might, I
say, in all reason, expect comfortable
G time gAlasi far from it! The wind
whistles around the house with more than
ordinary defiance, and tremble inwardly ;
for we'll do know, and well does it know,
also, the cracks and holes in my dilapidated
dwelling Here it comes whistling and
roaring! with whisk it turns my new
wig askew with another, the leaves of my
book are fluttering and tapping, as if they
were i'm league with the boisterous thing
| adjust my wig and refund my place in
vain There it comes, again and again |!
A rough blast down the chimney sends
the smoke pouring into the room, scatter
ing shower of ashes over my clean white
curtains.
slam my book with petulant jerk, take
mp my lamp, and start on an indignant
march up to bed. Creak, creak go the
door refuses to open; l jerk and pull
spasmodically another blast Of wind my
lamp goes out; still tug at the door it
opens suddenly, and down ! go. Miss
,Jemima Bloor picks herself up, minus dig
nifty, temper and wig. | grope my way up
stairs, stepping lightly on certain shaking
steps, and running a splinter into my hand
from the broken banister. | 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,
because there is a piece OF loose plaster
gaping just above my head-more terrible
to me than the sword of Damocles.
During the long hours of that sleepless
night / worked myself up to desperate
resolution. The case, you can see, was
grave and urgent ran imminent risk of
losing that bland, amable disposition
which (as | know from the concurrent testi-
mony of my most discriminating friends)
is natural to me. The house shall be
thoroughly repaired Not another night
will | sleep in it till it is
Iarose at peep of day, and noon found
me domesticated at Mrs. Robinson's just
over the way. Lam to sleep on the lounge
IN the parlor, for the little woman possesses
only two rooms and kitchen. s~
Immediately assemble all the carpen-
tiers, GLACIERS, timers, bricklayers, painters
and paper hangers with whom our village
is blessed. My house is being repaired
and renewed outside and in. I contem-
plate the changes thus going on with
well let the truth be told--with some
what mixed emotions. am slowly com
81, @In%@ H..
thing asperfect happiness in this sublunary
sphere. Men are SO intensely aggravating,
especially carpenters, GLACIERS, timers,
,bricklayers, painters and paper-hangers.
One afternoon we sat-my hostess and
lin her little parlor; l at the front Win
dow looking across the street and watch
ing that rascally John Stocker, the carpen-
ter Good heavens! There he sat in my
best room window, swinging his heels and
smoking a pipe-not thought of my
work in his head Now, the odious crea-
ture knows-no one better-what hurry
/ am in and how detest pipe. Yet here
/ may be, forall he cares, sleeping on Mrs.
Robinson's lounge for a month or two
and all the time my parler-Aliss Jemima
Bloor's best room-scented with tobacco !!
/ wonder If the man expects to go to
heaven when he dies? / wonder if he ex-
poets me to pay him three dollars day
for smoking his pipe and swinging his
heels?
,sAht there comes Joseph Baldwin Just
back from dinner andalet me see-it's
twenty-five minutes past two. If / had
my way about women's rights, I'd put the
men out of this world altogether: that
would settle the question. What are they,
after all, but an aggrayation, q marplot
and a general nuisance?
Now, there goes VIII Wiley, tramping
right over my verbena- bed Has the man
no eyes in his head? or did his
mother never succeed in beating it into
his dull brain that verbena-bed is not to
be walked on, and that garden-path is (?
And now think of it, it was only yes
terday l found five broken panes in my up
stairs window Yet that faithless, good for
nothing glazier had sworn to me that verv
morning that he had taken every sash out,
from garnet to cellar, and left all in per-
feet order, Lords of creation, indeed |
Lords Of tiddlestick Wonderful example
of superior intellect-was it not TO take
awipdow-sash out for repairs, and put it
back in perfect order with five broken
panes in it! If Miss Jemima Bloor were
TO SIT In maiden lady's best room window
and smoke pipe and swing her heels-if
she We're to come from dinner to her work
at twenty-five minutes after two-if she
were to go tramping about ON peoples YER
bena-beds-if she were to declare win
dow-sash with five broken panes in it to
be completely repaired-would she call
herself a lady of creation and a superior
intelleet? / ask the world, Would she call
herself a lord or lady of creation and a
SUI
At this point my indignant reflections
were interrupted by soft splish-splash
and subdued little futter of sobs
My hostess had been knitting, with her
comfortable fat hands, a baby's hood for
Mrs. Peters, next door.
As looked III [ saW the tears friclSla