The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-06-28
M i s ella ne O u q.
Job Spinning's Work,

Mrs. Job Spinning was a round, rosy,
compact, hard working little woman Job
Spinning was a meagre, pale-faced, hard
working little man. Mrs. Job was fretty,
but quite good enough for this world. Job
was too good for it. BY heroic labor, that
laid out elsewhere would have made him a
general, he earned salary SO small that |
won't disgrace these columns by telling it;
and Mrs. Job, who was financial genius,
stretched it, and met the ends over the
year; and there were three little Spinnings
of that abhorred class of H. fants who are
perpetually taking every possible disease,
or being brought home with the breath and
teeth knocked out of them, or failing in
these, fall back on hives and sore ears and
Mrs. Job doctored and precepted these
three little Spinnings, made their clothes,
made her own clothes, made Jobs, made
everything in fact, but -four, meat, coal
and groceries,, for she hadn't the receipt,
all in the shortest conceivable time, run
ming the household machine with prodi-
gious dash, energy and friction.
The consequence was pain n Mrs. job
back every night, and twist in Mrs. j obs
temper. -
Then, as Mrs. Job was heroic woman,
she suffered in silence, making the tea as if
she were dying, and laying the cloth as
with her last gasp, narrowing Jobs tender
soul by the piteous spectacle.
There was also family tradition that
Mrs. Job was in feeble health, and only
prevented from commencing mysterious
process called drumming down." and sink
ing into an early grave by unwinking
watchfulness on Jobs part.
Now job came home from his work a
tired man a sorely tired man; turning the
corner with feeble step, and lingering
heavily in his own door; but between the
tradition and the piteous spectacle he found
no chance to bring this tired man in and
rest him, but hung him up with his coat
on the hall peg, and came in a fresh, Chez
ny sparkling Job, to take the baby, put the
children to bed, and oil the wheels gener-
ally. BY nine o'clock Mrs. jobs back and
temper were apt to be comfortable, and Job
was dead tired.
One morning Job said, as he put on his
hat, "My dear, see that you are running
down again. | shall be home very early
this afternoon"
This was formula, and signifed Spin
ming spree; a familiar institution hugely
relished in the Spinning family, consisting
| of a trip across the ferry-a finer thing pro-
perly done, than you may imagine-and a
lunch of buttered crackers; therefore Mrs
| Spinning hurried what she called her "busy
cares" out of the way, scrubbed each little
| Spinning within an inch of its life, and
| tied her bonnet strings in futter, with
the hand of the clock at three, for that was
Jobs hour on early afternoons, and JoL
had never disappointed Mrs. job since
their wedding day.
There is Il first time appointed, however
for all that can be said and done, and on
this occasion Job did disappont his wife
He came home late and looking gloomy
and found Mrs. Job pathetic.
II should not have cared for my own dis.
appointment" she said. 81 am used tc
that but the children, poor
disappointment" repeated Job, absent
| ly. "Oh yes!" and subsidized again into
his gloomy thinking, and that was all the
explanation that Mr.. Spinning ever offered
for keeping his wife waiting in bonnet and
shawl for two hours by the clock. He wa.
in frightlul humor and answered Mrs
Job, who had been teasing him lately tc
insure his life, so like an ogre-or, not tc
| Dc pOCtiCulj llhc OlHeG women nuShunus
when out of temper, that she dropped thu
subject aghast, and never dared to renew
it. This was not all. On the next nigh
he came home late againt, a hing unprece
denied in their married annals. On thu
next night be was later yet After that h'
was regular only in being late.
Mrs. Job was a woman of energy, also
woman of some sentiment. When hus
bands change morally, for the worse, sh,
knew that good wives make themselve
physicians to the case, and, in home read
ing at least, always effect a cure. Mrs. DR.
Job resolved that she would try to toucl
Mr.. Spinning's better nature and this i
how she did it,
Job coming home, late as usual fount
the cloth laid, the steak on the gridiron
the little Spinnings trying TO keep thei
eyes open, and worrying about the room
and Mrs. Job resignedly sewing. On Job
entrance she laid aside her work with
gulp, indicative of swallowing much un
digested sorrow, looked at her husban,
with red eyes and nose and watery smile
and set about the supper as one doubly en-
feebled by the pangs of sorrow and hunger
but resolved to bear all mcekly withou
complaint.
In fact, rousing from his haggard stupo
Job did ask, with something of the old il
terest, "Was anything the matter 2" Mr.
Job set her lips. 1t would take a week t
tell in order all that she thought was til
matter and then with second edition {