The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-03-29
4 PICTURE FOR FARMER HUs-
BANDS.
by MRS. o. T. DANIELS


"What does q woman know of hot
weather here in the house ?" exclaimed
stalwart man of S5, as coming from
the bayfield, he threw himself down on
the bit of rag carpet that partly covered
the floor. The wife, who had remarked
the exceeding warmth of the day, re-
piled to this exclamation of her hus-
bands only by slight compression of
the lips and single flash of the mild blue
eye; then, holding 'baby" in her arms,
went on frying doughnuts over the hot
stove. Now and then she looked at her
bread as it baked in the oven, and turned
the apple pies, which were nicely brown
ing orsupperand neutrality-suspicious. odor
through the room. In few minutes
there came from school five hungry,
tired children, the youngest only two
years old. AS she was just out of moth
er's arms to make room for another,
smaller yet, the mother sent her to
school with her older brothers and sis
ters. The craving appetites of the little
army are stayed with each slice of
cake, and they go cheerfully out to play,
while the mother gets supper for six
hired men, who must have their meals
regularly in order to get their required
amount of work done. What indeed
does q woman know of warm weather? :?
Up at four in the morning and cooking
over a hot stove till six in order that the
men may have their breakfast betimes;
beds to make; rooms to sweep; dishes
to wash (coOl work this in August); lit
tie ones to get ready for school; dinner
to get over the same hot stove; baking;
washing; ironing; a nice, warm supper,
for the working men must be well fed;
butter and cheese to make, wherewith
to buy the groceries; sewing; mendingi
mopping;-all through July days and
=. August heatsI Children to bear and
children to rear! How ones heart aches
merely to hear the long catalogue o
what she must do! No doubt our farm
ers work hard-too hard. But they are
in the open air, under the morning anC
evening sky-not forever in the same
weaTisOme kitchen. They have but th'
mild care of the farm animals-nOt tn,
worrying and fretting association of cry
ing children. 1t is not possible for mel
to conceive the nervous apprehension
tine baseless but nevertheless real fore
bodings OF evil, and the causeless melan
choiy, which more or less infest the live
of women while rearing children. Al
these make the daily toil-hard enough
on the bodily frame-even worse on tn,
nerves than the flesh, and the sou
breaks down under its burdens.
But how much would sympathetic
tones and words, appreciatiye compli
ments and kindly attentions from the
husband sustain and cheer the overbur
dened wife! Let not these be wanting
husband, hard-handed but kind-hearted
and you will bind a buOyancy of spirit
hOpefulness and affection in the share
your tolls, your joys and sorrows, tina
will doubly repay your efforts. Thu
may you make happy the wife of you
bosom whom before God and men yoI
!. solemnly vowed to love and protect, anC
should she be early called from your sid'
you will not have the remOrse of con
l science caused by neglect of duty. l
! not,
e she'll grow yellow and bilious and thin,
: With her teeth falling out and her cheeks fall
/ Till death and dyspepsia seize on their prey,
> And she, in her grave, gets her first holiday.