The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-01-30
From Hearth and Home
The Hoosier School Master
BY EDWARD EGGLESTON.
CHAPTER XXI1.

Half al hour later, Ralph, having
seen Miss Nancy Sawyer's machinery
of warm baths and simple remedies
once safely in operation, and having
seen the roam colt comfortably stabbed,
and rewarded for his faithfulness by a
bountifui supply Of the best hay and
the promise of oats when he was cool
half an hour later Ralph was doing
the most ample, satisfactory, and amaz-
ing justice to his Aunt Matilda's hot
buck wheat-cakes and warm coffee.
And after his life in Flat Greek Aunt
Matilda's house did look like paradise.
How white the table-cloth, how bright
the coffee.p0t, how clean the wood
work, how glistening the brass door
knobs, how spotless everything that
came under the the sovereign sway of
Of Mrs. Matilda White! For in every
there are generally haltslosen wo-
men who are admitted to be the best
housekeepers. All others are only
imitators. And the strife il between
these for pre-eminence. 1t is ut least
safe to say that none in Lewisburg
stood SO high as an enemy to dirt, and
as rat, roach, and mouse extirmin-
ator," rs did Mr.. Matilda White, the
wife of Ralph's maternal uncle, Bob
ert White, Esq, a lawyer in success
ful practice. OF course no member of
Mrs. Whites family ever stayed at
home longer than was necessary. Her
husband found his office-which he
kept in as bad state as possible in Or
der to maintain an equilibrium in his
iiie-much more comfortable than the
stiffiy clean house ut home. From the
time that Ralph had come to live IS .
chore, boy 1t his uncle's, he had ever
crossed the threshold of Aunt Matii-
da's temple of cleanliness with q hor-
rible sense ofawe.. And Waiter john
son, her SOD by former marriage,
had-pOOr, weak-wilied fellow been
driven into bad company and bad hab-
its by the wretchedness of extreme
civilization. And yet he showed the
heriditary trait, for all the genius
which Mrs. White consecrated to the
glorious work of making her house too
neat to be hahitable, her son Walter
gave to tying exquisite knots in his
colored csavats and combing his oiled
locks SO as to look like dandy barber.
And she had no other children. The
kind Providence that watches over the
destiny Of children takes care that
very few Of them are lodged In these
terribly clean houses.
But Walter was not at the table,
and Ralph had so much anxiety lest
his absence should he significant of
evil, that he did not venture to in
quire after him rs he sat there between
Mr.. and Mrs. White disposing of Aunt
Matilda's cakes with an appetite only
justified by his long morning ride aud
the excellence of the brown dakes, the
golden honey. and the coffee, enrich
ed, az Aunt Matilda's always was,
with the most generous cream. Aunt
Matilda was SO absorbed in telling of
doings Of the Dorcas Society that she
had entirely forgotten to be surprised
at the early hour Of Ra!ph's arrival.
When she had described the number
of the garments finished to be sent to
the Five Points Mission, or the Home
for the Friendless, or the South Sea
Islands, forget which, Ralph thought
he saw his chance, while Aunt Matil-
do was In = benevolent mood, to broach
plan he had bsen revolving for some
time. But when he looked at Aunt
Matilda's maculats-horribly in
naculate-housekeeping, his heart
failed him, and he would have said
nothing had she not inadvertently
opened the door herself.
How did you get here 80 early
Ralph ?" and Aunt Matilda's face was
shadowed with Q coming rebuke.
By early rising," said Ralph. But,
seeing the gathering frown on bis
Aunt's brow, he hastened 70 tell the
story Of Shocky ~ we'll - he could.
Mrs. White did not give way to any
impulse toward sympathy until she
learned that 6hocky was safely housed
with Miss Nancy Sawyer.
"Ycs, Sister Sawyer has no family
cares" she said by way of smoothing
her slightly ruffled complscency, 'she
he's no family cares. and she can do
those things. Sometimes think she
lets people impose on her and keep
her away from the means Of grace,
and spoke to our new preacher about
It the last time he was here, and asked
him to speak to Sister Sawyer about
staying away from the ordinances to
wait on erybody, but he 10 . queer