The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-08-05
MRS. T.IOMPs0N's WARE.
A DOMESTIC STORY.

Mrs. Thompson stood by the kitch-
en- table pairing potatoes for dinner
Something was evidently wrong with
the little lady, for there was an uninis-
taxable air of "spite" in the way she
tossed the potatoes in the pan OF cool
spring water. waiting there to receive
them. 1t was slltry weather; and
through the open window came the
sound of mowers whetting their
scythes, blended with the call of the
robin, and the faint notes of the cuckoo
in he shaded wood. But it only irri-
tated Mrs. Thompson-indeed every
thing irritated her that day. Look
ing 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 foreheads To the white, aeecy
clouds, that went slowly sailing across
tle exquisite ether. like huge drifts
OF thistle down. Bat this also irritat-
ed her; everything could be beauty
save her life. aud that was cold, and
rude, and barren. At least 3Irs.
Thompson, in tho plentitude of her
present unsatisfactory mood, was tell
ing herself that it was.
To begin at the the beginning. Jane
Lawrence had been an unusually ro-
mantle girl, and had gone three years
to boarding school. She had al
ways fancied she would marry some
famous artist or scholar, who would
take her to Rome aud Venice, where
she might live in a perpetual dream oil
he 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 toall her pre-conceived
notions, she married Robert Thomp-
son, plain. practical farmer; and in
stead of touring it in Italy, she went
t0live at the old homestead, which
had been the abode of the Thompsons
for generations. Dreams and reality
are SO different, you see.
Robert Thompson was working
farmer as well as a practical man. and
all his people worked. His mother
had worked in her day. his sisters had
worked, he expected his wife to work.
She took to it gleefully she had not
been brought up with high notions by
any means, and at first the work did
not seem SO much. But every expert
enced lady knows how the labor seems
to accumulate in a plain farmers
household as the years after marriage
go on. There were plenty of men and
boys about, but only one woman SER
want was kept; and Mrs. Robert
Thompson grew to find she helped ut
nearly everything, save, perhaps, the
very toughest of the labor. In place
of lounging in elegant foreign studies.
or gliding down famous canals and
streams in picturesque gondolas, she
had butter and cheese to make, and
poltry to rear, and dinners to cook in
the long, low cciled kitchen, and the
thousand and one cares upon her
shoulders that make up busy house.
hold. Quite a contrast, as must be
admitted.
With things little different she
would not have minded the work so
much; could she have had nice car
pets and tasteful furniture, 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, mat.
ters look dingier. Old Mrs. Thomp.
son had not cared to be smart aud
nice, Robert never thought about it
And what though he had Pit is only
had done for mother would do for g
wife.
The matter to-day-which had put
her so very much out-was this:
sewing club had recently been esab
lished in the neighborhood. There
was much distress amidst the poor la
borers' wives and families, and some
ladies with time on their hands set W
o sewing club, to make few clothe.
for the nearly naked children. Tht
farmers wives had joined in; Mrs
Thompson among others; they met o.
stated intervals, taking the differen
houses in rotation; dining at home q
twelve, assembling at one o'clock, ant
working steadily for several hours.
It was surprising how much work go
done; how many little frocks and pet
lcoats were made in the afternoon.
In less than a month it would be Mrs
Thompson's turn to receive the com
pany-for the first time-and she nat
urally began to consider ways ant
means. For they met for an enter
tainment as we'll for sewing; tea in th
afternoon, grand meal later whel
the stitching was over.
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