The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-12-17

be bought at stores Are you aware
how much money we paid out for
soap, last year, Mr.. Manotte ?n
No." said the Judge, "and il
doesn't matter"
Indeed, l think it does matter
said the wife. However much
money people may have. they are
lever justified in wasting it. So
hope you will call at the grocer's as
you go down town this morning, and
see if you can procure three molasses
hogsheads."
Three molssses hogsheads 7" ex.
claimed the Judge, in q tone of min
gled terror and dismay, do you then
propose to manufacture the article
wholesale /? l shall next be invited
to peddle soft soap by the gallon from
door to door,
The wife laughed gleefully at her
husbands ruefol apprehensions, and
asked
Don't you know that l must set
up leach ?"
"A leeeb, in old parlance, means
an understrapper of q Doctor" said
the Judge, moodily.
"Well. l mean q wash-tub," re-
turned Mrs. Manotte.
Perhaps two hogsheads will an
swer, one for the ashes, the other to
hold the soap"
The Judge went out without fur
ther words; his wife did not know
whether be would heed her request
or not. but rather thought he would.
She was right in this supposition.
Within an hour dray dumped two
hogsheads and tight barrel in the
back yard.
Mrs. Manotte at once attired her.
self in a short, stout dress, long,
black poke bonnet, shut up the front
of the house and retired to the scene
of her proposed labor. She drew a
pair OF her husbands leather gloves
on to her hands, adjusted some
blocks of wood, and trundlsd hogs.
bead into position. Then she srrans.
ed some bricks in the bottom of it,
and covered it with straw, that the
I've from the leached ashes might be
clear as it :rickled through. She
recollected when little girl, of her
mother putting her into al old family
mash tub, which served for score
OF years, and telling her how to ad-
just the bricks and straw in proper
fashion.
Next she got 81 BAT bod and com.
menced to fill the hlgshead with ash.
es. She worked " such vigor that
tremendous dust. as raised in the
back yard. Peoplekoing past in the
street outside sneex4d and coughed,
and wondered whs twas going on at
Judge Msnotte's pce.
But Mrs. NJ. waS absorbed in the
work of the hour ~ the utter obliE.
iousness of the fact that from the sec.
ond story of the mansion just across
the area from her own, curious and
puzzled eyes were fastened on her
and her movements. In ber wash
room two kettles set in the arches
were heating the water to drench the
dry ashes. She had to climb on o
chair to pour each pailful on the leach.
Certainly, to unfamiliar eyes, her
work might seem strange and mystic
riUus.
The Sequin girls, at the chamber
windows opposite, with tatting and
crochet, could at length contain their
surprise and wonder no longer.
do let US call mother" one OF
them exclaimed, "snd see if she can
unriddle the mystery. and tell US the
meaning of the operations over in
Judge Manotte's back yard"
81 think the Judge has got pad
dy woman to make some sort of
compost for his pear trees" said the
other.
While the two girls gazed, stiff
pole was plunged into the tuning
hogshead, and the mass vigorously
punched and shaken by the stout
worker.
"She is q Hercules" they said.
"What muscle those Irish women
have. Mrs. Manotte is worker her.
self, and she won't hire woman to
sit STILL"
But now the woman disappeared
for while, and when she next came
in view she had under her arm an
auger and axe, in one hand smooth
billet of wood, and in the other
huge red hot poker.
The two girls gave little scream
at this sight, but the worker heard it
not, her head enveloped in the black
poke bonnet. She proceeded to bore
through the billet of wood by means
Of the flaming poker, while the smoke
as it burned away, made q dubious
blue cloud about her head
Il declare, things are getting des.
perate down there" cried the young
er girl. II believe some internal
witcb-work is going on; will have
mother called"
Mrs. Sequin was summoned.
She was city-bred woman, first
and last, aud the proceedings in
Judge Manotte's back yard were as
mysterious to her as to her young
daughters.
What the woman is doing / don't
know" she said, "but she works with
q will. l should like to get her to do
our spring cleaning"
at is very likely you can, mother"
said the eldest daughter. 1--WE will
get father to inquire of Judge Manotte
about the woman-if, indeed she is
canny."
Next there was q hole made by
means of the auger in the lower part
of the hogshead, and the bored billet
of wood driven soundly in by aid Of
the axe, vigorously welded by the
woman's lusty arm, and q whitfield
plug placed in the wooden spigot.
What q great, stout creature, "ex-
claimed Mrs. Sequin. "She handles
tools like a man !"
Then more boiling water was dash
ed into the asb-6lled hogshes till it
stood seetbing and foil to the very
brim.
And now all was silent and desert.
ed in Judge Manotte's back yard. In