Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-10-12
King Cotton donned his royal robes of

King Cotton dOnned his royal ropes ol
cotton once more, and sacks again became
the one thing needful. 1t was the very
rainiest, wcttest, muddiest picking season
that had evrr been seen. In pursuance OF
my plan, l had seven or eight women
down from the quarters, and spinning
wheel also, which was set to hummng
right under our bed room window.
The rainy weather had kept Charlie
in the house, and he was lounging on
couch in my room, enjoying pleas
ant semi dose, when the monotonoue
whirrr.r of the spinning-wheel first at
tracted his attention "Lnlie,' he asked
rising into sitting posture, what is that
Internal noise in the back gallery!'
"The spinning wheel, Charley. They
are spinning thread to make the sacks
with" answered, without looking uT
from my work.
"Aheml Lulie, my dear, how long is that
devi'ish spinning to be kept up'"
"Devilishl Why, Charlie, that's the
way mother did it"
"Well," said Charlie, scratching hif
head and looking foolish. IL know she did
Lulie, but I'll be confounded II l can
stand it much longer"
"Why, Charlie, you used to stand II
when mother did It," I answered mali
ciously.
II was hardly ever about the house in
thos. days, Lulie; I suppose that was why
I didn't mind il"
"Why weren't you about the house
much in those days, Charlier ?"
"bccause you weren't in it, you witch
suppose"
This was such a decided triumph over
the old lady of the portrait that could af:
ford to be smiable; so, giving him spas
motto little hug and an energetic little
kiss, went out and stopped the spinning
nuisance Immediately.
After that the hobby went slower and
slower, and feebler and feebler. One more
energetic display of my bogus spirit and
"the enemy was mine.'
Winter came on in its duly.appointed
time, brine ing with it the usual quantity
of wild ducks and more than the usual de-
gree of severe cold. Charlie was an in
veterate duck shooter, and with the return
of the season came the return of mud and
dirt in my bowls.
I determined to do as mother did. A tin
basin made its appearance on the back
gallery, four yards of crash sewed together
at the end we're to resolve over the roller,
and by way Of forcing the experiment to a
successful issue, orders were given that my
own pitchers should be filled only after
nightfall.
/ was sitting in my bedroom sewing
away, in placid unconsciousne SO OF outside
cold and discomfort, when Charlie got
home from his first hunt Ct the season.
"No water, Lulie?" and the monster
took hold of my nice pitcher with q pair
of muddy half frozen hands.
"On the gallery, dear, just where mother
used to keep it," and l smiled up at him
angelically.
With muttered something or other,
poor Charlie bounded out to the back GAL
lery. He came back in q minute, his
hands as muddy and cold as ever.
"Look here, Lulie; the waters all
frozen in that confounded tin basin out
there"
"1'n have it thawed out for you," said
sweetly, rising as spoke.
IL say, wifey"-and the great handsome
fellow came close up to me with his mud
and his burs-" do you think its exactly
fair, when a fellows been out all the
morning shooting ducks for your dinner,
to make him stand out on the gallery such
a day as this and scrub the mud off his
frozen Q8nOS
"That'a the way mother did," was all
my answer.
"Look here, Lu1ie, cry quits. If you'll
only let body off this once, you may
K sp house on your own plan, litlao lady,
and I'll never tell you how mother did it
so long as live"
"Well, tnen, don't, that's DEAR" re-.
piled, "for you'll only make me dislike
her memory, without doing any good.
Just be patient With me, Charlie, and
maybe after awhile III be as good house
keeper as your mother was before me.
The mistake you and all other men make
is, in comparing your wives at the end of
their first year Of housekeeping with your
mothers, whose housekeeping you knew
nothing about until it was of ever 50 many
years duration I'm young yet. but I'm
Improving in that matter every dsy,
Charlie"
With which little moral lecture I gave
Charlie kiss, and some water to wash
the mud from his poor red hands.
Msral-My dear girls, don't you ever
msrry man that cannot take his affidavit
he never had mother, unless it is ex-
pressly stipulated in the marriage contract
that he is never to tell you how his mother
did it.-LIppincotrs Magasine.