Sharp County record., 1878-06-21
BARBARA HEATH.
The Way to Make work Easy.

Heath as she stood at the Kitchen LaOle
kneading out the weekly bread baking,
"if we only had conveniences to work
with, l wouldn't mind the work. l
could do twice as much and not get
half so tired if we only had things
handy and every thing kept in repair.
l don't see why men can't consult wo-
mems comfort when they build houses,
anyway! / guess if they had to do the
kitchen work awhile, we'd see differ
ent state of affairs; they wouldn't put
up with the annoyances that women
are obliged to submit to. Now here 8
this table, for instance, regular back
breaker, every time / iron or bake IN
lame for two days afterward, leaning
over it. If it were three or four inches
higher it would be the very thing, but
la it don't do any good to wish. If
I've told father once, I've told him for
ty times that this low table isn't fit for
a work table and it's the cause OF my
back achingso much, but it don't do any
good. He thinks it's just one OF my
foolish notions" and Barbara having
finished her soliloquy, and her last loaf
at the same moment, ranged her oread
near the stove to rise, and caught up
bucket to bring water to wash the
dough from her hands.
"No telling when it will rain again;
so I will have to be as saving OF this
water as if it were altar OF roses, SAID
she, as she lifted a board from the top OF
a half-empty rain-barrel that stood
under a spout outside the kitchen
window. "If ever l have 3
home of my own I'll have big
cistern if | don't have any thing else
Father don't see why anybody need
grumble if they have agood well OF hard
water, but I'd like to see him getting
the grease and dirt off OF things without
soft water. | know can't do it, |
can't endure to wash my hands and face
in hard water, either-it makes my skin
feel so dreadful. Ugh!" and Barbara
unconsciously drew an ugly wrinkle
across her nose in her disgust at the
thought-a disgust, we imagine, shared
by every one Of her sex.
Barbara Heath, as may have been
surmised from the foregoing, was her
fathers house-keeper. A bright, active,
energetic little body she was, too. Her
industry was the favorite theme Of all
the matrons in the neighborhood, and
she was held up as shining model for
the daughters to pattern from. The
sons, too, had discovered her many ex-
celIencies, and many a young farmer
had pictured in his mind thrifty home
for himself with pretty Barbara for its
mistress. She was the last of four sis
ters whom not death, but marriage, had
taken from the old man, and they now
lived together alone, with the exception
of a small boy of twelve years, who did
the "chores,n and in fact was Barbara's
only household help. An aggravation
rather than help she often considered
him, when his frequent acts Of needless
ness added to her iabors, but her father
continued to keep him, insisting that if
Barbara only would learn to manage
him, he would be of great assistance to
her in her work.
Farmer Heath meant to be very kind
to his daughter, and imagined they had
every thing in their home that could
conduce to the happiness and comfort
of any reasonable being, and it puzzled
his slow brain not little that her con-
tentment often hinged on such unim-
portant things as smoky chimney, or
wet stove-wOod few inches too long,
or lack of water. "Pooh! pooh!' he
would say, "we're as well fixed as most
of our neighbors, Barby. We don't need
wood-house half as much as YOU i'm
agine we do. If the wood is wet, make
Billy bring it in and dry it ih the oven
before you want to use it ;"6S, if it was
an ice-house she had suggS led, he
would answer: GA needless Stpense,
child-all nonsense. My lpother
used to make just as good, solid, yellow
butter as there was in the marx + ,, and
we never dreamed of an ice-hoSye OF a
refrigerator. We've got first ate cell
lar, and that's more than a gre many
country people have" BarbaEP might
have reminded him of the bro. p o 'I1
over which she had clambered ;lI.. y,@st raj
times day for the past six raoNbs,
whenever she went to TIE = = .1lptriesd
hole under the house, whi5prlt Eo "8jgni-
fed by the title of scells eWs%t sbe J1 knew
it would be of littl9S ,.o = :, = She there
fore, at their last cg -.nraotion uso on the
subject, had assuI aed ed'9I'l,si resigned ex-
preston and goFs on with her work,
hoping her forl5rn countenance might
accomplish what words had failed to
do. But Farmer Heath was getting old,
and his sight dim, 50 this sorrowful
pantomime was lost upon him. She
could never remain out of spirits long,
however, and on this particular morn
ing, in spite of her aching back and the
low state of the rain-barrel, she was in
agood humor, and had an appetizing
dinner spread when her father and the