The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-03
A WORKING WOMAN.
What Good Health, System and n
willing Heart Can Accomplished
Model for Housewives.

MODEL Tor housewives.
Looking out of the window the other
morning ] saw a woman drive to the gate,
with trim little establishment in excel
lent order. had never set eyes upon her
before, l was sure of that, though she
looked up at the window with bright
and CHEEKY smile-as though she had
known me all my days. Springing out of
the high wagon like girl of sixteen,
though she was evidently three times that
age, she hitched her horse and blanketed
il as if she was used to it, and was ushered
into the parlor. She had come to inquire
about some lots upon our farm, and as
sure you she talked business, it evidently
being no new thing to her. | found she
was from a neighboring town, five miles
distant, where her husband is prosperous
architect and builder. After she had OBJ
tanned the information for which she came,
we fell into conversation such as our sex
will indulge in.
"Have you much of a family?" | in
quired. 'Eleven children" she replied.
| opened my eyes in establishment, expect
ing to hear the usual answer in these days,
Three, two boys and a girl" or vice
versa. "Have you never lost any chill
dren?'' said |. "None," she replied,
and none are married, they are all living
at hOme.'' "What family to look after!"
| exclaimed. 40. | shouldn't mind our
own family at all,'' she said, 81 but we
have always boarded three or four carpen-
tiers. necessary in my husbands business.
Then we have a farm, and a good many
cows to see to and butter to make, and as
my husband is always busy in other ways,
the oversight of the farm devolves mostly
on me-"
Il hope you are more fortunate than the
rest of us, in having good domestics to
help you with all this work, | said. The
good woman Strengthened herself up and
gave a decisive reply. :" never keep
any," she said; " they never suit me-"
" Your children must help you a good
deal, then?" "Yes; but they have their
lessons to learn. Their eldest sister, who
has as good an education as money could
give her, teaches them entirely at
home. We have room in our
house fitted up especially for this purpose.
They are more thoroughly taught by her,
with the deep interest she feels in them,
than if they went to school elsewhere; and
being able to recite their lessons in the
early part of the day, they spend fewer
hours over books, which is better for their
health, and this enables them to give me
more assistance than they otherwise could
do" What a sensible woman, thought |,
for you know what a favorite idea home
education is to me, when it is at all practica-
bic. So drew my chair up nearer to her
and said, g You don't do your own sew
ing. do you?'' Never sent out a stitch in
my life, dresses or anything else, even
when we had not a sewing machine, and |
don't know what excuse | could have for
it now, with a good machine" "Do you
make your husbands and all your boys
shirts ~ | asked. Every one of them.
NV eldest son is something of dandy, as
Young men will be, and he bought some
shirts while ago. Oh! such fit as they
were! | spent more time ripping and fix
ing them than would have cut and made
good half-dozen."
Z" Do YOU ever have time to go outside
your house?' inquired.
"Oh, yes,'' she replied with a smile: Il
am here this morning, you see, to inquire
about the land. and day before yesterday 1
went to the State Fair with some butter,
which took premium"
"EOu must sit up very late nights" L
said
"0h, no, not very; we always finish up
our work by eight O'Clock evenings, unless
something very special il going on, for we
are quite a musical family. We have a
piano. My daughters are good players,
and father and mother, boys and girls, all
count upon good sing, often before going
to bed, and this causes us to sit up rath-
er later. | have sometimes thought, than
was good for us, considering we have TO be
up with the lark in the mornings. You
know" she added. music is very fascin-
ating to those who love it." Are you
always well ?'' | asked. my health is
perfect | have a good natural cOnstitu-
ton, and have no time to be debilitated
and nervous" Here this paragon arose
to 90. | followed her to the gate, saw her
unhitch her horse and drive off. while | re-
turned to the house with these reflections:
Eleven children, boarders, farm, no ser
wants, no sewing put out, all teaching
done in the house, premium for butter at
the State Fair, music and the fine arts
Think of it, o We daughters who have a
family of three children, three servants,
hire all your sewing done, and have head
ache, dyspepsia and general debility
thrown in.
As for me. | went up stairs after this in
terview, unrOlled some shirts | was just
going to send out to be made, and oiling
up my machine went to work at them.
Of course | hate it. OF course it will tire
me to death, but it is so nice to be smart
like this good woman. | have made some
| inquiries about her since she was here, and
find her story was not exaggerated. She
is living example of what perfect sys-
TEN and industry will accomplish. She
was once teacher, well educated and SEN
Sible. She married her husband when he
was not worth a cent, and now they live
i'm a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. house, own a
good farm. and to the good management
and thrift of the wife is attributed much
of the husbands success. They and their
children have the name of being one of
the happiest and most united families any
where about. But my paragon does not
write such long letters as this, suspect.
must 90 back to my machine; it acts
like a witch today" R,,th," IN N. 7.
Journal Of Commerce.