The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-05-04
IKADFN,
DOES 1T Paw?

When Polly Gartsidc's letter came last week
with the announcement that she and her daugh
,1r were about to visit her old home in Merry
England and would spend week with me on
lhcir way to New York, looked about me in
dismay- Polly's notable neat
ucss and the aggressive cleanliness of her house
in Rock Island
The afternoon sunshine was pouring across
She diningroom; and, as is its wont IN spring.
time, seemed bent on revealing the latcncss OF
our houscclcaning-glaring upon any ucklcss
stain on wall or window and searching out the
dusty corners with long, relentless fingers Not
hat ] am a negligent housckceper or that our
dwelling was worse than others alter this mud
diest winter that ever presented an old maid
with an excuse for sharp words or II careless
man with an opportunity for being aggravat-
ing. On the contrary am accused Of being
100 quick to SPY out specks and too anxious
60 remove them at the cost of my own and
other peoples comfort.
But this year | hdd decided to be sensible
and comfortable, SO that the housekeeping
should not be-, like Mr.. Bonip, "a regular brown
bear all round had dccrecd that on no aC-
goun; whatever should we undertake more
shan one room in a day, and it was to be i'm
mcdiately restored to order so that the man
oi She house should not even suspect the pres
once of his natural enemy: those rooms from
which the stoves were to he removed for the
summer should not be disturbed until settled
weather; and, on damp days, not pail of water
should enter The house, except for cooking and
the family ADDITIONS: Jessie was not Ia be
kept from school for Il single day, and no
ehuckling doctor should reap the benefits of
oycrwork or exposure on the part Of any mem
Der Of our welI.rcgulatcd household TO be
sure il required no little sclfcontrol to keep
the pulses beating evenly when Mrs Edwards
and Libbic Cosgro ran in to report their res
pectiye hcarths clean and houses shipshapc; .
with the usual womanly pccring about and
nOAstretcmng, followed by the triumph of
discovery that they were ahead of at least one
ambitious sister. but thought Of the male re-
iatiyes who had probably been thinking
swear for the last two weeks; of the tlsmal
dressing in cold, damp rooms o mornings ::
ami kept my course with calm resolution.
All well, all this was before Pollys letter
game That broke down my firmncss com.
pic'ely, andopcned my eyes to the really shock.
ing state Of living rooms and west chambers
For Polly-in whose house an atom of dust
~as never known To rest in any wcather-had
never been in house presided over by myself
during all the years Of our intimacy and proba.
bly, never would again. How. then. could |
suffer her to take me 50 at disadyantage-to
j dgc Of my best from my worsts What ex.
PLANTATION would her conservative mind accent
for state Of things 50 at variance with the ira.
ditions Of notable housewives. There was no
bop for It, the house must shine by Monday
soon, and this was Wednesday. And after the
repression Of nay natural propensities in the
cause of peace and order, must confess that I
pitched into" the work Of the next two DAYS
with an abandon that was not devoid Of pleas
ure. even secretly enjoyed the hopeless re.
signation of Mr.. Haydon's face on entering the
freless and carpciless dinIng-room on Friday
n.ght
% never mind, my dear Patty" he replied
with a sad smile TO my apologies and explana
tons, " / understand that il is inevitable You
aI do Il, you know"