The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-06-25
improved House-C Cleaning.
Ny wife beiEg much pleased with y

sweeping. as well as with her brightness
in general. is There being but two Of Us
in The family about To promote her to
Observation-Disclosures on double wages. She
is. however. first to undertake the h0ti>c-
cleaning. for which She is to receive, i'll
addition to her present stipend. the sum
paid to Bridget O'IEenry for the SAM last
spring.
Yesterday my wife devoted the day, in
a room adjoining this, 10 the hOuse-cican-
ing lesson. As her way not only of talk
ing up the carpet. bEr also of cleaning
the glass, etc, is SD Mauifcstly superior
to the ordinary manner in which this
work is done, | herewith give Il descrip-
ton of the process. taken from notes aS
the work went on.
As my Wite'S domestic government con-
Sists largely in little advisory and explain
atOry lectures, | think it pertinent TO state
that the proceedings were opened by an
inaugural address Of this character. bear
ing especially upon the Importance of
Maggie's needing and remembering par
ticnlars i'll every respect
My business will not allow me to give
You another hOur Maggie" said wife {:
" neither will it permit me t. he inter
ruptcd a dozen times Il day hereafter with
inquiries about small matters which to-
days observation should Sc tie
The furniture being by that time re-
moved, my wife continued
You need take nothing from the
walls, Maggie. When a room is not to be
~repapered | never disturb the wall fix
lures"
But, II a'am," invOlmtarily suggested
Maggie. will it not be easier to take
them from the awful dust than to clean
them aftcr?"
But we are TO have no awful dust.
Maggie laughed wife. THAT i one of
the very things | am here to teach you TO
avoid"
After the removal OF the tackS. the
stove presented itself to the unsOphiStica-
TED girl as an obstacle requiring the aid OF
the men folks" But wife. who had
decided that the tlucs and pipes required
no cleaning, and who considers sparing
the sitting-roOm stove through the varia-
able temperature of our brief summers a
great moral lapSe-tO say nothing of its
prOpiiylactic influence-quietly objected,
and went to fetch from some mysterious
receptacle a handSpike (Which she boards
for the purp0Se) and a strong wooden
chair. With these two simple inStru-
mcntS she proceeded to teach her aston
ishcd handmaidcn the principle of the
lever. and how to lift by its use a very
heavy stove without any help whatever.
Place me end under this side of the
stove, Maggie, and by lifting only lightly
on the other, you VIII raise the legs on
this side well clear of the carpet. Rest it
across the chair, which you must have in
position to shove easily III place, while
YOU draw the carpet from under this
side. Then let it down and treat the
other side in the same way, using care to
place the end under the stove well beyond
the fold of carpet
Maggie having achieved the feat OF
freeing, "all alone" that corner of the
carpet from the stove, was told TO take
hold of it, while wife taking the literally
opposite corner, directed that both walk
steadily forward to the lo~ngitudinally OPP
positc corners Of the room, dragging the
carpet after them. This, of course, folded
One-ha'f Of the carpet smoothly upon the
other. They then proceeded to again
double the folded carpet upon itself in the
same manner, repeating the process until
it was a convenient armtlII, when it vas
carried out.
"Well," said Maggie, returning, that
was very nice. If We hal grabbed it up
hcltcr-skelter | should have been white
with dust by this time"
"Now bring in the Old crumb-clOti,. a
pail of water, Il basin. and the garden wa
tcring-pOt.' said wife, "an Wa'll see
what can be done with this straw"
Maggie did as directed, and ii most thor
Ough sprinkling or rather wctting ensued.
When The straw WAS fairly soaked. Maggie
was instructed to help lift it into little
heaps about the floor, the br~oOm-handles
doing duty as p~itch-torks. This accom-
pliSncd. the crumb,cloth was spread down
in Il central position. and the heaps pitched
upon il and taken out.
And as yet no dust was raised. We a
ali remember the impotent and cOmical
struggles we have witnessed upon occa-
siOns to bring the poor involuntary nasal
muscles under control as, with compressed
lips and eyclidS, the smoking armful was
crushed into Il basket preparatory to its
exit we'll enough, | think, to make further
comment unnecessary.
When MagUie aoain rcturncd wife Said .