The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-09-27
WASHING DAY ON THE FARM.


GENIE and her mother were spending a
summer in the country with her three
aunts, who were mammals sisters.
There were ever SO many cousins, too !;
but they lived on the farm all the time.
1t was their home.
A swift little river flowed near the
house, and there was bath house on its
bank. There was also pole laid across
two crotched sticks. That was to hang a
kettle of water on, and you could make a
fire under it and boil the water if you
liked.
A real rustic bridge, such as we see in
painting and read of in poems, spanned
the stream. Lovely willows fringed the
banks, and loftier alder and maple trees
added beauty and grace to the picture.
Genie's mamma said, one August morn
ing, to me-I'm the eldest aunt
"Let us go down to the bridge and wash
| the clothes to-day"
1t was like play to wash in that cool,
sweet spot, SO said | was willing.
All the younger children went with us,
and with them went their little dog Ring.
He was little dog, indeed but he could
swim quite well.
The children took him down to the
creek, as they cali it, and while mamma
and l lighted the fire and filed the great
kettles with water, they amused them
selves by dropping Ring into the deepest
places they could find in the stream, and
watching him swim ashore.
The little doggy thought it great fun,
too, at first, but by -and-by he began to get
| tired and cold, for that water comes from
the "Coast Range" mountains and is al
ways cold, even in the middle OF summer.
| So Genie's mamma said:
"There, that will do for this time. You
will chill the little fellow through if you
keep him in too long"
So they brought him and laid him on
sort of low table in the sun to warm and
dry him.
He curled himself up, laid his head on
his tiny paws and shut his eyes as if he
thought, "This is tip top"
Then the children wandered off in the
meadows to play; all but Genie, who felt
safer with mamma, and played about us
while we went on with the washing.
made some starch and set the pan con
tanning it on the table near Ring, leaving
a spoon in the pan.
Mamma and talked good deal and
| it was after noon when the washing was
done.
/ 1t had become very warm, and ring
began to think he had better move or he
would get baked. So he yawned and
commenced getting up. Mamma said
Poor thing; he is SO stiff he can hard
ly move. He has taken cold"
"I wonder if dogs ever have the rheum
atism," she added, as Ring, having al
| last got on his legs, tried to take a steI
and twisted himself half around, SO thai
his nose pointed just the way he was mo-
intending 10 go.
| His back would not bend at all, and the
anxiety in his countenance was pitiful to
behold. 1t was plain he thought some-
/ thing awful allied him, too.
| His efforts to walk would have beer
| laughable had he not seemed to be suffer
| ing so much. He appeared to be sc
cramped as to have no control over hi
| body, and he staggered around SO help
| lessly that I, half crying between pity ane
| a desire to laugh, took the poor little dog
i gy up lest he roll off the table.
But almost dropped him in my sur
prise, His skin cracked like paper wher
/ / touched his back, and it felt like paste
| board.
.What is the matter with this dog"
cried.
Here Genie, who had just come to lool
on, exclaimed
'.Oh, Aunty, is he dry yet, SO cal
| iron him! l''-
! "What!o interrupted mamma. Iro1
him! What do you mean, Genie?"
"Why, mamma, that's the way you dt
with the clothes-wash 'em, and starcl
l -. yovn, On