The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-10-08
AN INSUBORDINATE WIFE.

hanging up her Mondays wash ; the last
piece had found its place upon the line.
"Done at last" said Mrs. Giles,
speaking 10 herself, q habit in which she
frequently indulged. "Now, if dinner
was out of the way, / might have time to
finish Leonard suit this afternoon /; I've
had it around so long. If only had a
sewing machine, how much / could ac-
complish - and picking up her basket,
she went into the house. The prospect
within was not very cheering the wash
tub to clear away and the dinner to place
upon the table. Just as she began to
lay the table, Mr.. Giles appeared at the
door and said:-
Put on an extra plate that man will
take dinner with us. "
Dinner was soon ready and as soon
dispatched, for ceremony was one of the
unknown things in the Giles family.
Mr.. Giles and the stranger retired TO the
sitting-room to discuss the merits of n
new reaper and mower, while Mrs. Giles
remained and cleared away the dinner
table. When she had finished and made
herself ready for the afternoon, she went
into the sitting-roOm. Mr.. Giles was
saying " If you have anything new, and
better, anything that will make work
easier and do more of it, I'm your man
I'm in favor Of all machinery that will
tighten work for man. Why, bless you,
just look around my farm ; it's run
mostly by machinery"
Profitable Certainly" replied he,
TO an interrogation from the stranger.
Money in the bank, he added, never
emitting an occasion of mentioning
small deposit he had in the city bank
The stranger was gone at last, and
Mrs. Giles sat down with weary limbs
and aching shoulder to finish a suit of
clothes she was making for her Oldest
son, lad of fifteen. Slowly and YEARLY
the needle went in and out stitch after
stitch was taken, but to little purpose :;
it did seem as if she would never come
to the last. But if stitches progressed
slowly, her thoughts flew fast enough.
The least words of her husband fingered
in her mind, and again they REQUIRED to
her.
Yes, men can have their burdens
lightened, but poor women may drudge.
Every year Giles has added something
new to his farming implements, while /
have to plod along with hardly sufficient
utensils to cock decent dinner IAN old stove
without boiler or whole griddle, and u
cracked door. No wonder [ can't bake
a loaf of bread decently. Then here /
have to sit and stitch for week on this
suit, when two hours on machine
would complete it.
1t is needless TO record all of Mrs.
Giles thoughts and words as she sat
stitching the hours away. A dim
consciousness Of her wrongs, and
a faint determination hereafter to
assert her rights, was entering her
mind. She had so long given up her
opinions, set aside her needs and fos-
tered the selfshness of her husband,
that it was hard to break through the
meshes of habit which his stern Will
had woven around her. The afternoon
wore away, and Mrs Giles laid aside the
unfinished garment to prepare the even
ing meal.
The next morning at breakfast she re-
marked to her husband that an agent for
a sewing machine had called the day
previous, and wished her TO try one OF
his machines.
"I told him." she said, "he might
leave one when he came next week.
Mr. Giles laid down his knife and fork
and sat with utter amazement depicted
on his countenance. "a sewing ma
chine :" he gasped when he had recov-
cred himself. =" He needn't leave any
of his new tangled humbugs here /;
have no use for them.
"But / have"
"Youl" interrupted he "don't see
what use You have for a machine. You
could never learn to use it or if you did,
what have you to sewa Only my clothes
and the boys. Women, nowadays are
getting mighty independent, wanting
machines TO do their work too lazy TO do
it themselves. Suppose they want to
CAD about and gossip about their neigh
bors.
"Why, Philip
"W oman s work is nothing, continued
Mr.. Giles, not needing the interruption.
Ny mother had not as many conven-
fences for doing her work as you have,
vet she always had her meals regular and
well cooked, and that is more than can