The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-12-04
John Jones New Leaf.
BY ROsELLA RICE.

$4,000
It was q dreary kitchen-the walls
were dirty and smoky, the breakfast
dishes stood on the table in the middle
of the floor, the cooking stove was open,
with kettles and pans on it, and cold
ashes on its hearth, its soOty plates awry,
pot of dishwater standing on top of
the stove, and the broom and poker and
tongs lay just where the little riders had
left them when they were called to pre-
pare for school. Johnny had gone of
crying, and his whine could then be
heard coming up the hollow, in the di-
rection of the school-house. The milk
had not been strained, and the flies were
buZzing about it as they sat on the edges
of the two brimmiDg pals, slipping and
rubbing their hands together in a salts
fled way. The baby was teething, and
cross, and the one pair of hands that
could have brought order out of this dis
order were busy trying to soothe it.
Is il any wonder that tears were in the
mother s eyes, as she cuddled her baby
to her bosom, and walked across the
door trying to still its cries?
"Oh, dear, what a life what lifer'
said she; 81 try to be patient, and make
the best of it, but it does seem so hard"
Just as the babe was growing quiet, and
its little blue hands had fallen listlessly
upon its bosom, a shadow fell across the
doorway, and the husband entered, say
ing, "Jane, can you tell me what the
children did with the hatchet yester-
day p"
at was out on the rock, behind
Johnny's wagon, last night" said she,
speaking low, and gently laying the
baby down in bed that had not been
made up yet.
ffEnan1c IN mo votaf "a q orood MI, 10 rrif
tim your chores done; you haven't the
knack of gittin' along like Mrs. Lavon-
dyke-her work is done up long ago,
and she's busy in the gardin'. Tell you,
she's a nice gardin', don't look much
like our'n; you don't put the time on
Our'n that she does in her'n.n
"Oh, john" said the little woman,
slipping back her sleeves and tying on a
big apron, and trying to keep her face
turned away to hide the gathering tears,
"With four little children, and the baby
sick, and three cows to milk and calves
TO feed, and hands TO cook for, and all
the other work to do, only wonder that
1 get half my chores done in a whole
day"
"Well, Pm sure l don't see how il Is, :"
said he; "my mother had ten living
children, and she managed TO get along
first-rate, and do all our own weaving,
besides taking in weaving for the neigh
bors. You have more room than she
had, and you don't have to carry water
forty rods, like she did-here it is, right
at the foot of the hill; and you never
have to cut your own firewOOd, unless il
is in the midst of harvest, and / think
you shouldn't complain. If there is
anything l hate to hear, it is growl-
ing, whining wife. Now, / have to be
out o. doors all the time, no matter how
the sun shines, or how cold the wind
blows, while you are in the shade and
cOmfortable-If you only knew it. All.
you have an easy time of it, you women,
if you only knew it; so, cheer up.
married you for a help-mate, don't you
know? The girls will be big enough In
three or four years to help you, and then
you can take times easier, and maybe
by that time the bottom farm will be
paid for, and we'll be able to ride in a
carriage, like the Leavondykes do"
"HOw long since you brought in this
water?" said he, as he took drink from
the tin dipper, and finding il not fresh
he squirted it out cOOlly right on the
floor among some pans that had slipped
down of a shelf.
AS he took the hatchet, and started
out TO the wagon to fix the hay-rigging
on IL, be said, ''Jane, if you can as well
as not, s'posin' you have some o. them
new beans that grow in that fur lot for
dinner.n
"Well, pn try" said she, hopelessly.
as she slipped her shoes off so she might
step softly and with more comfort. All
we working women know what a task il
is to get disordered kitchen into neat
ness, especially when little children
have been about. First she strained the
milk, saving out quart, with which to
mix the bread, for the yeast was set the
night before, aud had been bubbling two
hours; she mixed il and set il in the
warm sunshine, then started a fire and
made Iced Of skim milk and meal for the
noisy frolicsome calves that ran in the
door-yard. Then she swept and picked
up playthings after the children, hung
up their coats and aprons, and set their
olu SHOES away, and moved their,sleds
and wagons and hoops from about the
door, VIZ
While the dishwater was heating. she
hurried up stairs and made the beds.
then washed the dishes, and went down
cellar and skinned the milk. There
was cream enough for a churning. and
the chuTn was scalded, and then left
with pail Of cold water standing in IL,
so as to be fresh and ready BY this
time the baby woke and cried, and the
tired little mother was compelled TO sit
down and take him in her sheltering
arms.
In half an hour or so he was ready to
Slt down on the floor on a quilt, and she
telt MIN long enough TO carry three or
l1ur pals of the skinned milk TO the
Pigs-two pailsful at a time, and she
Heht on the run. She always fed the
bss1 When she asked her husband once
" carry the milk to the pen, on his wav
- ut ~ 70 ms work, he said, ''That belongs
~Oulahs % S work; a man whose ma me-
Is out Tor commissioner sbonIdni, ~
steep" 'nAV little too
It was no trlfling Job TO faod ,ho.o
pigs; the pen had been made ont Of snuse sa.,se
old house logs, and the openin-' tl ~ some
which the pals had to be liftssS iiio9egh
they could be empted was so b,a'ts oeiore
that it just came even with bar Sn a up
and was only wide enough to adm, IN,
pail with the bail lying down. Twicn
when she was dressed up clean, had H.
unsteadily poised pail tipped back and
poured the contents upon her, from her
neck even down 10 her little feet.
drenched as by waterspout
Withal the little mother was quite
patient, and almost every day could her
unframed voice be heard, even down TO
the lotrar falI coboo1-