Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-08-20
MRS. TH0MPsON's WARE.
A DOMESTIC STORY,

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"spite' in the way she tossed the pota-
toes in the pan of cool spring water, wait.
ing there to receive them. 1t was sultry
weather; and through the open window
came the sound of mowers whctting their
scythcs, blended with the call of the robin,
and the faint notes of the cuckoo in the
shaded wood. But it only irritated Mrs.
Thompson--indecd everything irritated
her that day. Looking out from the back
door, might be seen lovely landscape,
with broad reaches of meadow land,
fringed with graceful belts of birch and
softly rounded mountains lifting their vel
vet forchcads to the white, feecy clouds,
that went slowly sailing across the cx.
quisite ether, like huge drifts of thistle
down. But this also irritated her; every.
thing could be beauty save her life, and
that was cold, and rude, and barren. At
least Mrs. Thompson, in the plcntitude of
her present unsatisfactory mood, was tell
ing herself that it was.
To begin at the beginning, Jane Law
renee had bcen an unusually romantic
girl, and had gouc three years to board
ing school. She had always fancicd she
would marry some famous artist or scholar,
who would take her to Rome aud Venice.
where she might live in perpetual dream
of the beautiful. She so loved beautiful
things! perhaps all women do and that
may be the reason so many are found
ready to barter love for gold.
But, contrary to all her prc-conceived
notions, she married Robert Thompson, a
plain, practical farmer; and instead of
touring it in Italy, she went to live at the
old homestead, which had been the abode
of the Thompsons for generations. Dreams
and reality arc so different, you see.
Robert Thompson was working farmer
as well as Il practical man, and all his pco-
pie worked. His mother had worked in
her day, his sisters had worked, he ex-
pcctcd his wife to work She took to it glec.
fully; sic had not lcen trought up with
high notions by any means, and at first the
work did not seem so much. But every
experienced lady knows how the labor
seems to accumulate in plain farmers
household as the years after marriage go
on. There were plenty Of men and boys
about, but only one woman servant was
kept; and Mrs. Robert Thompson grew
to find she helped at nearly everything,
save, perhaps, the very roughest of the la.
Dor. In place of lounsing in elegant for
cign studios or gliding down famous canals
and streams in picturesque gondolas, she
had butter and cheese to make, aud poultry
to rear, and dinners to cook in the long,
low ceiled kitchen, and the thousand and
one cares upon her shoulders that make
up busy household. Quite contrast, as
must be admitted.
With things little different she would
not have minded the work so much could
she have had nice carpets and tasteful fur
niture, and books, and picture or two,
and flowers. The home was very hard
and practical, and its surroundings were
getting so shabby. At first SHE had not
noticed this, or cared for it; but every
year, as the years rolled on, matters look
diugier. Old Mrs. Thompson had not
cared to be smart and nice, Robert never
thought about it. And what though he
had Pit is only natural for men to as
sumo that what had done for a mother
would do for wife.
The matter to-day-which had put hef
so very much out-was this: A sewing
club had recently been established in the
ncighborhood There was much distress
amidst the poor laborers' wives and fami.
lies, and some ladies with time on their
hands set up sewing club, to make few
clothes for the nearly naked children.
The farmers wives had joined in; Mrs.
Thompson among others; they met at
stated intervals, taking the different houses
in rotation dining at home at twelve, as
sen,bliug at one o'clock, and working
steadily for several hours. 1t was surpris-
ing how much work got done; how many
little frocks and petticoats were made in
the afternoon. Iu less than month it
would be Mrs. Thompsou's turn to receive
the compauy-for the first time-and she
naturally began to consider ways and
means. For they met for an entertain