Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-02-18
A QUIET HOUSE.

DEAR me-" sighed MIR. TurmOyle, IS
burst of shrill, childish laughter
sounded from the nursery down the hall
stairs and into the sitting-room where he
was making out some accounts. 81
wish those children would be quiet
Amt it most bedtime, Tillie?"
"They are probably undressing" Mrs
Turmoyle replied quietly. "I1l 60 and
see if they are ready for bed"
"Do keep them quiet until they arep
There was an interval of profound ST.
ence, and in about half an hour the
mother returned.
They are all asleep now" she said
" Tom had dressed the kitten in Bessie's
dolls clothes"
The accounts finished, Mr.. Turmoyle
leaned back IN his chair
IL wish you had some management
with those children, Title" he said. II
went over to Stones ON business last
evening, and you would not have known
there was child in the house. And
Stone has Eve while we have only three. !"
Perhaps they were abed."
They were all in the next room," was
| the triumphant reply. "Stone is proud
of them, and well he may be. There is
Willie, just the age of our Tom, study
ing Latin, instead of dressing kittens in
dolls clothes, and Amy, who will not be
four years old for three months, reads
well and knows the multiplication table
through. Look at our savagesw
They are getting along we'll at school,
dear. think Mark is too young yet to
study. The others did not 90 to school
till they we're FIVE"
And Tom just manages to write a
decent letter at twelve, while Willie is at
Latin grammar. And as for manners,
why, Tom will make more noise, alone,
than Stones five children, all together"
Mrs. Turmoyle, being woman of
sense, did not continue the argument,
but mentally resolved to see Mrs. Stone
the next day and talk with her about the
wonderful secret of having five children
and quiet house.
II am sure l can't do itW the gentle,
loving neither thought, with a sigh.
Seated the next IN morning in close con-
yess alton, the ladies presented contrast
as marked as the atmosphere of their
own houses. The tiny, blue eyed woman
who had no heart to suppress TOMS
merry whistle or Bessie's silvery laugh,
had left o home where constant
care only secured cleanliness and
where childish disorder was manifest
everywhere but in the best parlor. She
looked at the tall, dark haired woman
opposite her, noted the exquisite morn
Ing dress, faced with light silk, spotless
and unrumpled, and thought, regretfully,
OF marks of ten chubby fingers upon her
own, printed there when her boy baby,
her darling Mark, just succeeded in fore
a of h,c ,r,t<
mammals mouth. She noted the dainty
order OF the sitting-room, where every
chalr stood primly in its appointed place
ana not even thread rested upon the
carpet, and remembered Marks stable
lot ms "'spress cart" and horses under
,le lounge and Bessie keeping house on
me lower shelf of the book case
Visions haunted her, also, of snip
pings Of paper, bits of string and odxs
ana ends of dolls finery upon the table.
Drltng from one scrap of matronly
AK TO another the ladies came natural
y 10 The care and management of chill
g,!sn' and Mrs. Turmoyle complimented
neF nelghbor upon the appearance of her
.ou>e and the proficiency of her little
sneS.
| cannot understand how you accom-
t''. H. she SAID, frankly.
by SYSTEM was the reply. "The
ealcation of nay children begins, | NAV
,ay' IN their cradles. AS soon as they
s4n walk they have their own proper
pace in the room and are trained to per
s1t." pN'
MS Turmoyle thought of the noisy
ss"ofus OF shouts, the eager recital of the
I'd! pleasures or accidents, that greeted
Iapar aunties or uncles in her own nurse
NJ and wondered if Tom, Bessie and
rtsfh would be trained to sit quiet in one
pace Tor hours at time.
,l, ~ TWO years of age / teach my
sN.!afen their letters, and after that they
orc sent to school All OF them were
rl.eTed' at three years of age, at pri.
,a.e school, and FIVE al public one. In
tle intervals of school hours nv bows
c1,e geographical puzzles, spelling
me. ines and problems, and my girls are
AlFl' sewing
but when do they play"
o.; lher games and puzzles are suf7i.
-'IN' amusement for the boys, and | al