Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-05-20
Mrs. Cobleigh Calls On New NeighbOr.

A NEW family moved into the neigh
borhood on Friday, and at dinner the
next day Mrs. Cobleigh said to her hus-
band:
"Coblelgb, a new family has taken
Holcomb's house, and i guess Ill run
over and see them this afternoon"
"You don't know them, do you?" said
Mr.. Cobleigh in some surprise.
"Why, no; but that don't make any
difference in such case; for, you see,
they are total strangers, and it's proper
that the old neighbors should call on
them out of courtesy. Now, know how
I'd feel if was in their place-not know
ing a soul about here-Pd like to have
some one call. And so I want to do to
them as I'd like them to do to me, you
know"
Mr.. Cobleigh was much pleased with
this expression of the golden rule from
his wife, and told her so.
"The other neighbors will be calling,
without doubt" she added, land don't
want to be among the last
After washing the dinner dishes and
putting the house to rights Mrs. Cob
leigh put herself in excellent condition
and started out on her laudable call.
At the tea-table Mrs. Cobleigh said to
her husband:
q went over to see the folks in Hol-
combs this afternoon"
"Ah," said he, twas she glad to see
your"
cob, yes; I asked her if there had
been any of the other neighbors in and
she said was the first. She amt very
old-not more than thirty, | should say
and she's got three children, one of
them a baby The two others are boy
and girl, both of them old enough to
be of help to her. The boy was off
somewhere and the gal was racing
through the yard like wild Injin, al
though she is eleven years old and looks
as strong as horse. Now if our Mary
was one-half so strong as that trollop
I'd be satisfied. 1t makes me so vexed
to see a mother Shaving her life away
and big tom-boy Of girl tearing
around the place like all possessed. She
came in the house only once while | was
there, and then she stood up against her
mother like a great baby and put her
finger in her mouth and flouted herself
like spoiled child don't see for the
life Of me what the women of this age
are thinking of to bring up children in
that way. And she looked herself as if
she was ready to drop with all the care
and work Her husband is a shoemaker
and works at the factory. They can't be
in such very good circumstances don't
think, for the parlor carpet is only a
twO-pIy ingram, and [ noticed that it
was spotted in several places. The par
lor chairs are just common Wo0d-stained,
and she has a large awkward bed-lounge
instead of a tete-a-tete, and it doesn't
match with the chairs at all. Her crock
cry is simply stone china, and there are
several odd pieces among it. She didn't
have any china, at least | didn't see
any, and if she'd had it she'd showed
it, I know. She amt going to have
anything on the kitchen floor, she says,
and only a piece Of oil-cloth in the din
ing-room. What oil-cloth I saw was old
and faded. She has got up the kitchen
stove-it's like old Mrs Ransom'S-but
it was covered with grease, and some of
the pipe was badly rusted. / don't see
why people can be so careless with their
property. That pipe would last ten years
if it was properly cared for. Then her
parlor stove stood out in the shed without
anything over it, and it will pretty soon
go the way OF the kitchen pipe. Ispoke
to her about it, but she said she didn't
think it would take any harm. Oh, she's
an easy one, that's plain enough to be
seen, and if she don't have trouble with
that girl before many years pass, then
I'm no prophet The baby was on the
floor when I was over there, playing
with some empty bottles. It's real
bright child, but it don't have proper at
tention. I don't believe its hair has
seen a comb in three days, and its clothes
Look as if they had been mopped over
the floor for a fortnight; they were as
black as ink. | declare it seemed like
getting into a new world to get back
home. But I had to go, of course, and l
am glad now it is over with. 1t won't be
necessary for me to call again"
And Mrs. Cobleigh, having discharged
Christian duty to neighbor, gathered
up the crumbs from her lap with nap
kin, and smiled complacently on her
family.-Dan6etry Meas.
THE other day the Postmaster, on en-
tering his Office, had his olfactory nerves
diSagreeably assailed On questioning