Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-01-23
Written for the Rocky Mountain Husbandman
JOHNS WIFE.
BY s. A. MOSS.

w.-" BY S. A. MOSS.
Did you ever reflect on the position of
Johns wife? Did ever you think on her
chances of happiness, even if John is to have
the place with it's grand old fruit trees and
rows of currant bushes. John is "John,
my w dear son. but just who is Johns
wife, a sort of necessary evil?
Never the wife for Johnny,
He wouldn't take my advice"
And yet Johns wife determines to do her
best to please. She gets up early the first
morning after she arrives at her new home:
she gets the breakfast, for surely that will
please Johns mother but no., Johns moth
er appears; John has gone for a pail of wa
ter; now then, is her opportunity:
"lti is just as | always told John it would
be-" she says "if he brought home a wife
she would want to be so smart she would
just get up in the morning and rattle and
bang around so there would be no chance
for me to get any rest or peace.n
Johns wife hides her chagrin under a
smile, and next morning lies in bed quite
late When she appears, Johns mother
has breakfast nearly ready, and as John is
out milking, there is another opportunity
for her to speak to Johns wife:
"It's just as [ always told John it would
be if he ever brought home a wife. She
would just lie in bed and doze away her
time, and [ should have all the work to do.''
But Johns wife is usually a brave little
Woman nYf{ 1,slnc -, - ~ %1s. A.~-t1- o.
her husband, and works on cheerfully, and
struggles to be brave for his sake.
She marks out her line of conduct, and no
amount of fault-finding or unkindness causes
her to swerve from her duty, and when
Johns mother has been to live with each of
her other sons and daughters. she returns to
spend the remainder of her days with Johns
wife, who is, she ayers, the best one of
them ALL"
AS the years go by, and grandmother
knits the stockings for little John and Jane,
and tells stories of what happened when she
was a girl, and of how capable and prudent
women We're III those days as compared
with now, the neighbors wonder how Johns
wife can stand it. And when she burns her
arm while taking pies from the oven, and
Johns mother exclailns, "Burned your
arm, didn't you? lucky you had your sleeve
rolled up" they feel that the time for for
bearance has ceased, and that she will speak
out; but no, she does not seem to zeal or
heed it. for she is used to the ways of Johns
mother now, and it does not seem so very
dreadful to hear her say disagreeable things
as once it did. Besides Johns wife is grow
ing old, and does not know how soon she
may have a mansion all to herself, and rest
from her WEAKNESS.
But, Oh. if she had her life to live over
again, she feels that she would rather have
two rooms and john hers alone, than to have
the big house and all tie broad acres of APP
pleton farm and go to live with Johns
mother.
Johns mother might come to live with
them. Oh, yes; that would be vastly diff
ferent and Johns wife, in her own house,
would, she feels, have been q very different
person from that Johns wife who went to
take care of Johns mother.
HOW A MAJ GOES TO BED.
Speaking Of how a mai goes to bed, an