Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-05-14
Recompense.

1t funny ~
"To mep exclaimed mother, in turn, la
ing down the blue sock she was mendin
and smoothing her apron as though ST
were going to take the baby. "Dear me
"Why, how queer !" said Hattie, droppin
her book and looking at Kate wonderingl
"George hasn't written to any of us in a
age, and never to ma. What secrets brev
ing now, ] wonder ?"
"Maybe he and Milly are coming HON
on a visit" said /.
"Not so early in the Spring as this" r,
turned Hattie sagely; "Milly and hous,
cleaning can't be separated"
At this moment, mother, who had SUE
ceeded in tearing off the envelope wit
eager, trembling fingers, and had commence
reading the letter, suddenly twisted her chai
around so as to turn her face from us, ceare
her throat, and wiped her eyes on a corne
of her gingham apron.
Anything the matter, mother ?" ques
toned Kate anxiously, while Hat and sa
in wondering silence.
There was no answer for moment then
turning slowly towards us, she held out th
letter. saying, Read it aloud, Kate. Mill
IS taken very ill with typhoid fever, an,
George has written for me to come to them
Dear child, wish it was so I could 60"
"Go echoed Kate, decisively, " of cours
you'll go, and take one of us girls along t,
help nurse, too
81 But the work, my dear. How will 20,
manager"
"Some way" said Kate. diets see; tn,
express goes at half-past six, and its half-pas
five now--just an hour. Go and get ready
mother, and Cad and I'll pack your valise."
But your father"
Well take good care of him, never fear
and he'll be home before you 90. Hat
you're not fit for much at home except to run
errands and keep awake nights, and you can
do that there. Get ready as quick as pos
sible, and help mother; she's so excited
she'll be sure to get her dress on hind side
before and forget to lace up her Shoes
My energetic sister had by this time
gathered together their clothes, and, bring.
ing the valise from the wardrobe, was pack
ing them into it in a manner which foretold
their coming out mass of wrinkles |,
meantime, looking helplessly on. BY dint
OF her earnest efforts, they were ready in sea-
son; and when father came home from his
work he found us hailing street car to
convey them to the depot.
"Now, what's to be done first ?" inquired
Kate, after we had seen them off and had
re-entered the house with something of a
realizing sense of the responsibility we had
undertaken weighing our minds "There's
supper to get, of course, and-Nelie can
wash the dishes. That's all, isn't it ?"
Mother said something about baking to-
morrow" | suggested, with vague idea
that certain preparation was generally
made concerning the bread the evening be-
fore its manufacture.
"To-morrow Well, let tomorrow take
care of itself, said Kate, SO promptly that |
was at once silenced. "Iet's see what's for
supper light bread, cookies, float, and cold
beef. Very good The clouds disperse,
and the sky is most serene and fair. Set
the table, Cad, while | make the tea"
And now, while | am doing that, if the
reader will take little retrospective glance
over our lives up to this point, she will no
doubt the better understand why we were
all so ignorant of household affairs. There
was large family of us--ten children in
all. John, master workman in one of the
machine shops in the flourishing manfactur.
ing town of which we were resident; Milly,
the married sister, and a general favorite !;
Kate and myself, twins, but totally unlike,
both in looks and disposition Hattie,
studious girl of sixteen; Ross, a boisterous
school-boy of fourteen Nellie, delicate,
petted child of eleven and three little boys
in row, aged respectively nine, seven and
four, whom we called Tip, Earle and Benny.
And mother did the work for us all. |
don't know how she managed it, but she
did. Milly was the only one who had ever
taken to housework, and mother was one of
those domestic burdsn-bearers who never
consider their burden so heavy but they can
add another triie. Father had never been
fortunate, pecuniarily, and, being anxious to
give all their children good education, the
labor of saving for this end was added to
their other toll. And then, like many
another good and unseltish, but unwise,
mother, she allowed us our own way and
spoiled us through indulgence; and, as we
had often heard her say she would rather do
a thing herself than take the trouble to
teach us how, we felt as if we were actually
comforting favor upon her by letting things
alone. To be sure we could sweep, dust,
wash dishes, and make beds, and were
familiar with some of the minor details of
cookery; but to be able to keep the domes-
tic machinery well oiled and in constant mo-
tion was to us like trying to converse in an
tongue. Aud so now without any
adequate knowledge of work and its respon-
iibilties, we found ourselves with noun
tain of difficulties to surmount, and pretty
mess we made of it for few days. too. 1t
was not difficult to ge. through supper, for,
thanks to mothers provident hands, there
was plenty prepared for that meal but
when, next morning, we found the bread
was out, the cookies all gone, and not sin
gle stray pie for dinner, our troubles began
and they broadened and deepened with
every passing moment, as we became pain
fully aware that making bread and pastry
was branch of our education which had
been terribly neglected and when, about
ten o'clock, father, in blissful ignorance of
the novices in charge at home, sent up
srloin roast and the information that
stranger would dine with us, and fifteen
minutes later the washer-woman brought in
the clothes for us to iron, | was ready to
melt into tears, and Kate was so cross it was
dangerous to speak to her.
o that weary, weary day But only the
beginning OF many similar ones that Iol-
lowed it. How we longed for mothers skill
full hands to straighten out the tangled
threads our awkward fingers had managed
TO produce. There was something TO be
done from early morn till late at night so
that no sooner did we fancy ourselves free
for half an hour than some duty undone
would stare US in the face, or the children
would come in with clamoring tongues and
empty stomachs and in a few days became
addicted to chronic fretfulness, while Kate
was transformed into veritable scold.
Ihn scowled over the miserable meals, Ross
teased us in every vulnerable point, but poor,
patient father pitied our often infrmities,
and ate what was set before him for con-
science sake.
1t went on in this way for about a fort
night, when, after very trying day, we
took our books and sat down for quiet
evening. But alas for our hopes only ten
minutes of peace, and then an ominous
" ahem from father caused us to look up.
"Do you know, girls" he inquired,
" whether mother mended my pants before
she went away? | should like them to put
ON in the morning. She generally did her
every week, believe"
"rherel" burst out Kate, shutting her
book with bang, while |, after one de
spending glance at the fascinating pages of
" David Copperiield," went to examine the
basket.
1t was full to the brim shirts, socks, little
gingham coats with the pockets torn down,
and buttons pulled half off with shreds of
cloth hanging to them; fathers pants, and
Nellies school dress with great rent clear
across the front. With doleful sigh lifted
the basket, and without word we sat down