The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-04-23
MRS. GILES INVESTMENT.
A GOOD STORY FOR EVERY DAY LIFE.

MFRS. GIL ES stood in the front yard,
lXI hanging up her Mondays washing
the last piece had found its place upon the
line. "Done at last" said Mrs. Giles,
speaking to herself, habit which she fre-
quently indulged. "Now, if dinner was
out of the way, might find time to finish
Leonard's s suit, this after neon; I've had it
around SO long. If only had sewing
machine, how much would accomplish,
and picking up her basket, she went into
the house. The prospect within was not
very cheering; the wash tub to clear away,
and dinner to place upon the table. Just
as she had begun to lay the table, Mr.. Giles
appeared at the door, and said: PUT on an
extra plate; that man will take dinner with
u.s." Dinner was soon ready, and as soon
dispatched, for ceremony was one of the
unknown things of the Giles family, Mr..
Giles and the stranger retired to the sitting
room to discuss the merits of new reaper
and mower, while Mrs. Giles remained and
cleared away the dinner table. When she
finished and made herself ready for the
afternoon, she went into the sitting room.
The stranger was about taking his leave.
Mr.. Giles was saying to him:
"If you have any new thing, any thing
better, any thing that will make work ca
sier, and do more of it, / am your man ! l
am in favor of all machinery that will work
for man." emphasizing the word MAN.
"Why, bless you, just look around my
farm. It's run mostly by machinery"
profitable? certainly" replied he to an
interrogation from the stranger. More
than pays expenses. Money in the bank, !"
he added, never emitting an occasion of
mentioning a small deposit he had made in
the city bank The stranger was gone at
last, and Mrs. Giles sat down with weary
limds and aching shoulders, to finish suit
of clothes for her oldest son, lad of fif-
teen. Slowly and wearily the needle went
in and out; stitch after stitch was taken,
but to very little purpose; it did seem as if
she would never come to the last. But, if
stitches progressed slowly, her thoughts
flew fast enough. The last words of her
husband fingered in her mind, and again
they REQUIRED to her, eyes" said she, at
last, breaking forth into soliloquy, her us
ual habit when much disturbed in mind.
9" Yes, men can have their burdens tighten
ed, but poor woman can drudge. Every
year, Giles has added something new to his
farm implements, when l have to plod
along with hardly sufficient utensils to cook
decent dinner; an old stove, without a
whole griddle, and cracked door. No won
der cannot bake loaf of bread decently."
| Then here have to sit, and stitch for a
week at this suit, when two hours on a
machine would complete the whole"
1t is needless to record all of Mrs. Giles
thoughts and words, as she sat stitching
the hours away. A dim consciousness of
wrongs and faint determination to assert
her rights, was entering her mind. She
had so long given up her opinions, set aside
her needs, and fostered the selfishness of
her husband, that it was hard to break
through the meshes of habit which his
stern will had woven around her. The
afternoon wore away, and Mrs. Giles laid
aside the unfinished garment to prepare
the evening meal. The next morning at
breakfast, she remarked to her husband
that an agent for a sewing machine had
called the day previous, and wished her to
try one of his machines. 81 told him"
she said, she might leave one when he
came next week" Mr.. Giles laid down his
knife and fork, and sat with utter amaze
ment depicted on his countenance. "a
sewing machine p he gasped, when he had
recovered himself. "He need not leave
any of his new-fangled humbugs here, I've
no use for them" "But / have" inter-
rupted the wife. "You p interrupted he,
"I don't see what use you have for ma
chine. You could never learn to use it, or
if you did what have you to sew? Only
my clothes and the boys. Women, nova
days are getting mighty independent, want
ing machines TO do their work; too lazy
TO do it themselves. Suppose they want
time to gad about and gossip about their
neighbors."
"Why, Philip"
"Woman's work is nothing" continued
Mr.. Giles, not needing the interruption.
"My mother had not as many conveniences
for doing her work as you have, yet she
always had her meals regular, and that ia
more than / can say for you. No, don't
want any sewing machine about my house.
God made as good sewing machine as
want when he made woman" With this