The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-12-25
CHAPTER VI.

AS Matte Armstrong had predicted,
il 10as easier for her to keep some SEM
blanee OF order in the great bare living
room at the "barracks," after the in
valid and her little ones had been re-
moved. There was not only less work
TO do and fewer steps to take, but the
continual fretting and crying of the
babes had served to keep her nerves con-
stantly excited, and now that the little
ones were well out of the way, though
she did shed some bitter tears over bid
ding Margaret goodbye, and was sur
prised to discover within her soul some
real tenderness for the baby half-broth-
ers as well as the apathetic step-mother,
she set about reforming the uncomfOr-
table housekeeping arrangements with
vim and deXterity which had always
characterized every determined effort
which she had ever put forth to accom-
plish anything. \ file of the Weekly
Yale, local newspaper, and the only
one that regularly visited Stonehenge
farm, WAS used for papering the rough,
unsightly walls, and valences, made of a
faded calico dress, were hung as sort
of curtain around the legs Of the old
fashioned bedstead, completely hiding
the skeleton of the truudle bed by day.
The children, boys and girls alike, were
compelled to carry stones aud thick
pieces Of pine bark with which to cover
the worst mudhOIes in the unsightly
dOor-yard, over which ducks and chick
ems stalked with a freedom that pre-
cluded the possibility of absolute clean
illness. CObwebs were swept down, seal
loped pieces of newspaper pasted as n
covering over unsightly shelves; boughs
Of fir and pine were twined around some
wOod-cuts clipped from stray pictorial
newspaper and fastened in their places
by her own willing hands bits Of white
paper were made into cornueOpias with
curled edges, from which rosy apples
were allowed to peep as they hung be-
meath the rude pictures uncouth vases
of pine burs were formed and used for
the same purpose the unpainted chairs
were secured to a thorough whiteness,
and the rough floor scrubbed until
severely clean.
Matte tOiled busily for several days
before this task was completed, and
never once while she was thus busy, did
she fail to receive some growing repri-
mand from her father when it suited his
purpose to come in and look on.
"You'll get over all this hifalutin nom
sense before you're twice married, Mat" Z"
he would say impatiently.
"Father," said Matte one day, after
the hardest part of her work had been
finished, "won't you get some blinds for
these great south windows. Nettie is
going to occupy the bed in this room,
and we must have some way to have the
windows darkened."
Shrewd Matte Had she said "These
windows look so bleak and bare that
want curtains for the beauty of them" ,"
she might have talked in vain. But
Isaac Armstrong did not see through the
little stratagem, and so, like many
another "head OF the family" who has
things all his own way, and permits no
foolishness in household expenses, the
father made the purchase, and hence il
was, that when all was finished and the
blinds snugly hung in their places, Mat
tie stood a little way off, viewing her
work, and rubbing her hands with AN
air Of supreme satisfaction.
John, the eldest hopeful of the "protect-
ing" sex which the Armstrong house
afforded, came in from days idling at
the district school, taking pains as he
walked through the door-yard, to avoid
the bark and stones that his sisters and
younger brothers had carefully laid fol
steps; and by planting his coarse boots
in the thickest mud, the oblging boy
was enabled TO bring in with him no
only a superintendent quantity Of th,
sticky compound, but also to set an indie
pendent example before the three young
est masculine scions Of Armstrong stocl
number one, who were named respec
lively Daniel, James and Peter. Thes,
children have been compelled to wait til
chapter six Of our story, good reader, no
because they were not often conspicuous
but because there were so many Arm
strongs that we did not before find j
convenient to introduce them.
"LOok out there fifteen or twenty o
you young ones p' exclaimed Matti
angrily. 81 may scrub my finger nail
off, trying TO keep the house in order
and three or four dirty, abominable boy
will come in and undo all Tye wade'
through all day ~
"Halloa, SRapr' yelled John. ''You',
better take in that lip! You'll tread OF
ii the first thing you know"
"Of course she will % cried Dan
mounting a cleanly secured chair an,
planting his muddy shoes upon Tia
rounds.
'Just look at the floor and that chair =
said Matte. "What encouragement
have I to try to keep things cIean?"
81 know % exclaimed Pete, clingin
toher skirts and laughing immoderateI,
You're lookin' for beau. lie
Woodworth's comm from over the hil
and saw Doc. Harding riding q hon