American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-09-20
Washing Day.


Monday among those families Who do
their own washing. The way of observ-
ing it is very similar. The first thing is
to get the man up an hour earlier than
usual to get down the boiler. We don't
understand why boiler is kept on the
top shelf where nobody but himself can
reach it. But PERHAPS it is not intended
we should understand it. Having got
down the boiler and taken his place at
benevolent aspect; he is called into the
kitchen again to lift the boiler Dip on the
stove. He finds it full of water and
weighing about three-q quarters of ten,
but he sinks his teeth into his lips, lays
his eyes out on his cheek, initiates those
cheeks, and accomplishes the task. After
breakfast, which is eaten hastily, and
from table that is garnished with bar
of soap, a package of starch, and a blue
ing bag, he is sent down cellar after the
tubs, dashboard, bench, etc. He puts
both tubs together and the wasboard in
side, with a view to avoid coming down
stairs again, although he has been years
giving practical demonstrations that those
things can't be carried at one time. But
he grasps the inside of the tubs with one
arm and takes the washbench under the
other, and starts for tile stairs. No one
who has not tried it can begin to under
stand the amount of circumspection re-
auired to engineer wash tub and wash
bench UP the saline stairway at the same
me. He knows it, but there Is an indy
ing hope in his breast that there is way
to accomplish it and he starts. Before
reaching the stairs the tubs slide around
and the board slips out. He thinks at
first that he will put his heel on it and
split it in two, but changes his mind,
sets down the things, and replaces the
board. Then he starts again, and when
he has got as far up the stairway as he
can go without proceeding sideways, he
turns the tubs to the front, but as his hold
to them has been gradually yielding all
the while, he finds they are so low that
they strike the stair, and in an effort to
raise them the bench gives, and to save
that he loses in part his hold on the tubs,
and before he can recover it the board
slips out and goes back into the cellar,
two steps at jump. He turns round and
looks over the tubs down at the board,
which he eyes with an intensity there ap-
pears to be no call for, and again attempts
the ascent. He gets the bench started
ahead, but the end catches in the top step,
and having exhausted his endurance and
reach in getting it that far, finds himself
completely powerless to lift it over the
obstruction. 1t has grown very warm in
the last minute, and his breath comes
very short and quick, and it seems as if
the arm which holds the tubs will very
soon drop off at the shoulder and leave
him cripple for life, and at this juno
ture the outside tub loosens and COM
menccs to slip and threaten trouble. He
presses his arm all the tigher to the inside
tub, and tries to get his knee up against
the outside one, but is too late There is
squirm or two and then it is over. The
outside tub is down with the dashboard,
having accomplished the trip with a noise
that is almost deatening The other tub
follows at once, being urged thereto by
kick that nearly throws him from his
feet, and then getting the door open he
shoves the bench into the kitchen and clear
across the room, to the apparent jeopardy
of the legs of the entire family. After
that he gets up the other things-making
no remark to anybody, but looking around
on every one in Il manner calculated to
ref ct the greatest amount of discredit
Tlen he puts on his coat, rubs his arms,
and starts down street, and gets out on the
walk, when he is called back to bring up
some wood. If that wood was in the
shape of a burial casket, tits extremely
doubtful if he could have looked more
solemn in taking it up stairs. AT noon he
leaf up, the table-cloth i'll the wash, and
that his wife has cut the bread after cut
ting the soap. What comments he con-
templates making on this state of affairs
are never made. He is sent out in the
yard armed with the clotheslin and an
injunction to not drop it in the dirt, and
in the seclusion of the space devoted to
the back yard, he vents the spleen that has
been gathering within him, and whips that
around with sardonic joy.
After that he comes in with his teeth to-
gethcr, and lifts two tubs full of water to
the floor, and then goes into the bedroom
and puts on pair of dry pants. and
grimly eats his dinner. 1t may occur to
him that there is no difference in this
Monday from any that has preceded 1t,
but he can't help but wonder what kind
of misery that is which comes up every
time no fresh and formidable as to appear
entirely new.-Danbu1y Neaos.