Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-27


very thorn in the flesh to his relatives. |
He was a man of remarkably even tenn
per, willing to deny himself for the
sake of the three nearest and dearest to
him, but he found the restraints OF
home very rksome after years of bach
elor liberty --
IF he opened a window III midsummer,
Mary would close the blinds. murmur-
ing:
-yssOh. Conrad, the flies will ruin the
paper" or, ''the sun will fade the eau
pet entirely, Conrad
If he, smoked, six anxious eyes
watched the tip of his cigar, nervously
afraid tiny speek of ashes would fall
out of the ash receiver that was osten-
tatiously produced whenever he made
his appearance. 1t the day was dusty
his mother met him at the door with
the whisk, before he sit upon a chair;
if it was muddy, one of his sisters fol-
lowed his steps with dust-pan and
brush. #@' aF
Once, goaded past all patience, he
proposed to board, but such floods Of
tears greeted him, such questions as to
chow they had failed in their duty"
show it would look to their friends"
and "what people would say" that he
abandoned that idea, and secretly began
to look about for wife.
"Nobody can say anything if [ live
in my own house after [ am married, y
he thought, and so looked forward to
matrimony as release from some Of
the exactions of his bachelor home
life
But after all Cupid will not come at
call, and Conrad did not at once meet
exactly the wife whose charms were
sufficient to win his love, while love
less marriage was opposd to every i'm
pulse of his noble, generous heart. And
when the love was awakened, he never
questioned the promised happiness when
he found an answering love to meet his
own. --
The little fairy-like blonde, who put
her wee hand SO trustingly into his,
and whose. bushes came so quickly,
under his loving eyes and tender
words, might be as great a housewife
as his mother, for all he knew or cared.
Yet great thrill of exultation flashed
over him, when one evening she made
a fearful confession. They had been
together all the long day at Mrs. Wy
mans, where Edit, has Edith, was, by
invitation, making her first visit to her
future relatives.
Coming home she was very silent, and
when they entered the parlor of her
4 aunt's house, Conrad saw an unusual
d shadow upon the sweet face he loved.
g., ssWhat is it?" he asked, anxiously.
ooh. Conrad" she answered., her
\
growing dim with tears, =" L am afraid
. you have made a mistake. You know,
dear, I told you L had just come from
!. boarding school, and I have everything
to learn, about housekeeping. cgAuntie
! is, teaching me every day, but can
never, never have such a beautiful
house as your mothers. There is no
a spot anywhere Everything shines,
even the grate- bars. IL try to be
neat, -but-but, you know, Conrad, I
can't always remember to fold q, my
work exactly, and put every pin and
needle and spool of cotton in the same
place, .as your sister Mary says she
does, and Jennie says she can go all
over the house in the dark, and put her
hand on anything she wants. I never
could have house in such order.as that
, never !! Why, Conrad, you look per-
fectly delightedP :" an ee
81 am delighted!" was the emphatic
reply. "Why, lEdie, shall imagine I
am ia heaven if you will tip every chair
I upside down, sprinkle the floor with
{ newspapers, upset your work-basket,
and make bonfire Of every. broom and
dust-pan. Now, little one, mind l want
no wife as household drudge We can
pay servants to do the housework, and
, you are. to be the dainty, pretty darling
you arenow. [ warn you now, thefirst
time Ilsee you with a broom or dust
pan I'll run away, go to California, and
stay sixteen years. .......-. .....-f o..
But, Conrad, you don't want to
make doll of me" So Z" t T.
: Exactly You are to be my walk
8 ing, talking doll Tell your aunt, with
my compliments, that you are not to
learn any more housekeeping. I've had
| enough of housekeepers.
| It did not take Edith very long after
j her marriage to find out why Conrad
/ was SO emphatic in his Remuneration of
) over meat housekeepers. Anxious as
she was to win the love of her mother
and sisters in law, she dreaded unutter-
ably either visiting them or receiving
their visits. Did Conrad's paper lie
upon the. table where he had put it in
the morning with the remark" I'd
like to look over that article again,
Edith" Mary would regard it as SER
pent put there to sting her. Slippers
under the lounge, 'swhere they are
handy when fellow is tired and don't
want to go up stairs, would upset Jen-
ME for the day. 93".''.9'.
81 am sure" Mrs. Wyman said,
spitefully, after one of these visits,
g Conrad has just the wife he wanted
a perfect doll! Did you notice that
dress "a silk as thick as pasteboard,
and she puts all her sewing out. o,~
9. And is studying German SO that she
can read the books Conrad brought
home" cried Mary a 30
s'The idea of a married woman study
ing German p said Jennie. ''She'd
better attend to her house. I counted