Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-11-16
WHOLE NO. 1851.
Mrs. Small GOV erns Her Temper

mornin', i do wish you'd try and
govern your temper little. You'er
gettin' to be an awful scold home
would be a sight pleasan'er il your
voice wasn't always pitched to the
highest key because somebody's done
somethin', or else because they
haint.'
That last sentence was pretty well
put in, tor Ed. knows that Pm just as
likely to have reason to scold because
Some,hin' is left undone, as for any
thing else. | told him that | guessed
if he had so much to contend with rs
| did, he wouldn't be a bit better than
| was but for all o'thst, after he
went out began to think there
might be some truth in what he said,
and | do want my children TO have
pleasant recollections of home, for
it's about all they'll be likely to get,
except what our free schools will do
for 'em. There's six of 'em and the
oldest is only ten years old, and
boy at that, and so is the next one;
50, you see, | don't get much help
from that source. The last two are
twins and the next of them Amt
old enough to dress herself. s., with
the milk to skim and breakfast to get,
I'm pretty tolerable busy o mornin S
and I'd like to keep my house lookin'
about as well as anybody's, and when
I'm tryin' so hard to get through
with my work, and the children are
round clinging to my dress, and get
TIM under my feet, and teasln for
somethin' and gettln' into mischief,
| must acknowledge that ! do get
worried, and cross and nervous.
I'm ashamed Of it, though, after |
get two or three of 'em to sleep, and
the rest go off to play, and my nerves
get quoted down enough so | can
think but it don't seem to keep me
from doing the same way again next
time. But l thought I'd try and not
say anything this mornin' no matter
what bothered me.
| don't like to speak 10 Ebenezer's
faults as a general thing, but | can't
spoil my story for relations sake. He
amt the very best man in the world
about gettin' good wood L was
goin' o.have company this afternoon,
Mrs. Squire Parker aud the minister's
wife, and | was determined that if |
hadn't such nice furniture and the
like about my house as they had,
that they should find what | did have
clean, at any rate, and | think that
goes long way toward maxim up
for lack of other things.
| got up bright and early, made the
fire, put on the tea kettle, and pota-
toes to cook, and then dressed the
twins, and went to the kitchen again
and the fire had went clean out. l
confess that | wasn't in very good
humor about it, for | knew that the
wood was wet and soggy, and Ed. got
it because it was easy to cut.
| kindled it up agin' and by that
time Samantha was awake and had
to stop and dress her. When | went
back every bit o. my kindlin was
burnt up, and the fire just about gone
again. | snatched up Eds boot jack
and split that up, and made it burn,
but the advantage of early risilI' was
all gone, for knew that | couldn't
have breakfast bit earlier than com
mon. My children never will sleep
after get up; everybody tells me
that they'll be willin' enough to be
abed as soon at they get old enough
to be of any help. They want to con-
sole me, | 'spose for havin' so much
bother with them now.
Breakfast was over at last and L
was carryin' pan of milk into the
pantry, when 'Thaniel threw his shoe
and it struck kerslap right into that
pan and spattered the milk all into
my eyes and over the floor. was
provoked enough. but I'd commenced
dom without scoldin' and | knew he
didn't do it a. purpose, al hough he
had no business to throw the shoe,
and he looked so scared, thought |
wouldn't say much.
| can't always feel as though Ed.
did exactly right; row when Mr..
Smiths folks moved away, they had
bureau what wanted most dread
fully, and they offered it for ten dol
lars but Ebenezer couldn't begin
to afford it, but he went and paid ten
dollars for that great. nasty yal err
dog. Now | amt saint, by any
mean, and I've never had any great
love for that Cog he's always snoop'
in round and gettin' into things that
he's no business to, and maxim me
an eyerlastin' sight O. trouble. l had
worked over and stamped nice
chnrnin' of butter and set it away IN
the milk house with good deal OF
pride, thinkin' that it was just about
as good as anything in the whole
neighborhood could make. l had
some fine clothes on the grass, that |
had been bleachin' and rinsed them
out and bued them, and as the
clothes line was broke down, | spread
'em back on the grass to dry. While
| was a wringin' 'em out | saw Ed. a
comm up from the milk house, where
he had been for drink of butter
milk. | thought like as not he hadn't
half shut the door, and would go
and see as soon as | got the clothes
spread out. Sure enough the door
was open, and that abominable yal-
Ter dog was just swallerin' the last
roll of that butter. He got ont o
there about two inches ahead OF my
foot, Just as he always does, and up
set pan of milk as he went was
SO mad | trembled like leaf, but
thinks |, if can stand this without
iawin', l can govern my temper all
the rest of my life, for III never
have anything more provokin' as long
as l live, and it'll be a good thing for
the children. So l stood there few
minutes wishin' that dog would swal-
low keg O. powder and a box o
matches, and then went back to the
house.
| Nv bread was ready to bake by