Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-06-13

Inc mOtner," whose plaClu, lOVely lace
is just shaded by soft, gray curls, is our
| friend, confidant and counselor, entering
into all our plans with a zest prompted by
| a heart young and sweet to the core.
The conversation which / have given
above took place on Saturday, and the
next week, after the washing and ironing
was out of the way, bright and early
Wednesday morning the work began.
Mother always believed in taking hold of
the worst end of a job first; so Kate and
Nell went up into the garret, while mother
and undertook the cellar. 1t was love
ly, sunshiny day, and there was a crisp
sparkle in the air that was wonderfully ex-
hilarating, and everything went on as
"merry as marriage bell" SO energeti-
| cally did we work, that not only were the
two extremes of the house set in order,
but the girls finished the spare chamber,
Susie's room and the upper hall (taking
up no carpets) while mother and cleaned
the kitchen and dining-room, pantries and
the china closet. That evening" when we
gathered round the CRATE in the sitting.
room, we felicitated ourselves greatly on
the wonderful success of our plan; while
father, who now heard of the compact"
for the first time, somewhat chilled our
enthusiasm by prophesying that every one
of us would have to pay a forfeit before
| the week was over, and added, with
laugh, $50 much feasting will give us all
| the dyspepsia"
The next morning I found, ON rising,
that had taken cold in my subterranean
labors, and was dreadfully stiff and lame,
and Kate's heavy eyes and listless manner
at the breakfast table betrayed that one of
of her headaches was coming on. We
fingered at the table, and after prayers
did not "spring to- as we had the day be-
fore. Still, Tom volunteered to stay at
home all day, and the way he beat carpets,
moved heavy furniture and made himself
generally useful, was quite overwhelming.
So, in spite of aching head and rheumatic
bones, we finished all the chambers, tax
ing up the carpets. Susie, of course,
| could not join in the work, but her trial
lay in her lonely hours and the inconveni-
ences she was often subjected to in the
general upheaval; and what wonder if the
poor, helpless child sometimes grew u
little fretfull l was racing down stairs
for clean water that morning, when she
called from her room :-"Bessie, won't you
shut my door?"
Eyes, in minute, Sue" 1 answered,
and hurried on.
While | was in the kitchen, mother
wanted me to peel the potatoes for dinner,
and that done l went up the back-stairs
to my cleaning, quite forgetting poor Sue.
In about half an hour l had occasion to
go down again, and as l passed through
the hall | heard Susies soft voice, this
time little tremulous:
Bessie, dear, you forgot to shut my
door"
"Why, bless your heart! so I didr' l
exclaimed, going in; and there the dear
child lay, curled up in heap, and with
great newspaper spread over her.
Its lucky l had this big paper" she
said, trying 10 smile; "there is such a
draught, and my fires all down"-and not
word of reproach did she add. But my
heart smOte me as | tucked the silk com
Portable around the wasted form. poked
the fire, brought her a new book from the
sitting-room, and with penitent kiss left
ner once mOIc alone.
Friday morning came dark and lower
ing, and we all felt the depressing effect
of the general gloom. Tom declared he
had urgent business down town, and took
himself off right after breakfast; and
worst of all, Susie had taken cold, thanks
to my carelessness, and was suffering one
of her painful attacks, and mother could
only leave her a few minutes at a time.
She gave us the hall, parlor and sitting
room for that days work, and we knew it
was doubtful whether we could finish it;
but we went to work with a sort of grim
determination that was quite contrast to
our frolicsome mood on the first day. In
stead of song and merry jest, almost COM
plete silence reigned among us. | felt
myself growing sullen and irritable, and
thought despairingly of "Our Compact"
But l shut my lips, firmly resolved that
however | might feel inside, there should
be no outward sign; but towards noon, as
l was passing through the hall with my
arms full of blankets to be aired, Kate
called out:
Here, Bess, you may polish the stair
rods.n
Her authoritative tone irritated me. I
knew Lady Kate" disliked staining her
white hands with such work, and would
have been glad to humor her had she asked
me kindly; but l was about to make her
an angry retort, when caught roguish
glance from Nell and checking myself
Just in time, marched off without word.
By the time had the blankets all hung
out | had recovered my equanimity, and
was able to speak pleasantly as | gathered
up the stair rods, and Kate, whose back
had been turned, never knew how near /
came to incurring the forfeit.
Halfpast twelve came and we were still
hard at work. Nell, perched on the high
step-ladder was dusting books on the top
shelf of the secretary, Kate was mailing
down the drugget in the sitting-room, while
was oiling the furniture, when suddenly
Tom appeared in the doorway and sur
veyed the scene with prolonged whistle
of astOnishment
"Ain't dinner ready yet?"
"No, it amt, sir" responded Nell, curt
ly, but not offering to stir.
"Well, step round lively, girls, for I'm
in an awful hurry" said he, roughly, but
not ill-naturedly.
was Just leaving the room, but looked
back as Nell exclaimed with flashing
eyes:
"Get it your"
Tom ciapped his hands when she
stopped suddenly and buried her face in
her dust-cloth.
"Bravo, Flashl" he cried; "you shall
have premium for that"
A hearty laugh did us all good, and we
hustled about with such hearty goodwill
that dinner was soon on the table. Tom
made amends for his eXasperating speech
by starting the fire, getting the ice-water,
and carrying Susie's dinner upstairs.
Greatly refreshed by good cup of tea
and the pleasant chat at the table, we went
back to our tasks in much better humOr.
We accomplished wonders in that short
afternoon, but night drew on rapidly
much too fast to suit our purpose-and we
got into desperate hurry. Nell was fran
tically busting and setting back the parlor
furniture, when suddenly something
went-crashl
"What the dickens is that" exclaimed
Kate, as we both hurried to the scene of
the disaster, But when she realized that
it was her marble bust of Clytie-the apple
of her eye, bought with the first fruits of
her pen-her wrath broke forth;
"You careless, miserable"
sprang to her, and putting my hand
over her mouth, entreated, "Oh, Kate
Kate, Tememberlh
Whereupon she burst into tears and sank
in heap on the floor, with her battered
Clytie in her hand. Poor Nell threw her
self on her knees beside her, and put her
arms around her, reiterating, through her