River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-11-16
Rough Places.

hoop has burst off my wash-tub, and
my suds are all over the floor y said
Mrs. Alden, in a tone OF dependency,
to her husband, as he came in to wash
his hands at the sink, after oiling his
new horse-rake.
THAT is bad, Jenny. You will have
to let your washing go till tomorrow;
then you can borrow Mrs. Selden' s
tub"
''But this will all fall to pieces if it
stands, and we are expecting company
tomorrow.
81 can't help it; | can't stop the
work to go off with it now. You must
make hay when the sun shines if you
do at all. Can't you tie it up, so that
it will do to-dayl Ishould think you
might.
.'Perhaps so. if you will help me.
What can take
sob, anything for this time; but
really l ought not to stop a minute.
Where is your clothes-line y
''The colored clothes are on it, to
dry
'Hang them on the fence, and let's
have it quick"
So Mrs. Alden trotted and moved
her clothes, and took the line down,
while Mr.. Alden stood in the door and
whistled impatiently.
"Do mop this water, Jenny, How
can you stand in such puddle! There,
forgot to get new mop handle, but
you can make it go to-day, can't you !.
81 suppose l shall have to. You
promised to get one three weeks ago,
when you broke this,
81 know did, but never think OF
it-a man has so many thigs to see to.
There, that will go this week; it
doesn't leak much. I don't see what
made it break"
1.-THE hoop rusted out. The old tub
has done good service it has been in
use fifteen years.
"There, confound il what did you
leave the wash-board there for !
have broken it all to pieces.
sit is worn out and rotten. | wish
you would get me new one. | can
never tinker it up again.
Grub your clothes with your hands ;
my mother always did, and she never
had washboard in her life
He was hardly out of sight before
tin peddler's cart stopped at the door,
containing a collection of all articles
used in family. from wash.tubs down
to broOms, mops and pins.
Anything in the way of trade, Mrs.
Alden, to-day p asked the man.
"No, / guess not. My husband does
not like me to buy of peddlers. He
says l always get cheated"
"Have you not as good a right to
IL. 81, fn xunrly with
as he has He has new horse rake,
and hay tedder, his wife is washing
with tub tied with rope, and a wash
board that looks as if Noah wife
brought it out of the ark, and a leaky
WATERFALL dipper without handle;
a broken mop handle-bless me Mrs.
Alden. What is the use +! You had
more money when you were married
than he had, and would have tools to
work with that were comfortable, to
say the least. He never stops to think
what thing costs, if he needs it, or if
it will make his work easier. 1t tires
you more to get along with these things
than it does to do your work"
Mrs. Alden sat down. and looked the
property over. The peddler was right;
she had more money than her husband
when they started life. and she had
worked harder than ever he had. She
had managed every way to. get along,
and he never thought she needed any
thing new or convenient, Her setting
out was almost worn out, and
nothing was ever replaced. "You
must make it do it costs everything to
live p'-and so she had dragged along
year after year, and things wore out,
and were never replaced. A big lump
rose in her throat as she sat there think
ing.
ssWhat do you ask for your wash
tubs % she inquired, at length.
"Two dollars for the large ones; a
dollar and quarter for the next size.
Mop-handles for aquarter, washboards
aquarter, dippers twenty cents, brooms
thirty"
"Hand me down two wash-tubs, IL
you please-one of each size; zinc
wash board, too"
Eyes; and pail and dipper, too T! 1
would have them"
And she did have them, and sundry
other necessary things, amounting IN
all to the little sum of twelve dollars,
She paid In barter, such as feathers,
rags, eggs, dried apples, and butter
and went to work with renewed cour.