Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-09
MRS. LIvINGsroN's SYSTEM.

Mrs. Livingston had system; she ate,
drank, slept, and nearly died by it. Mon
day morning, rain or shine, the washing
was done ii it rained, the clothes were
dried IN the house-around the fire or any
where, but dried they ust be. Tuesday
she ironed, and such ironing; every brown
towel was faithfully folded and ironed all
over, and she would have considered 1t an
everlasting disgrace not to have ironed her
shirts on both sides. Wednesday she
mended, laid away the weeks wash and
churned. Thursday her house was swept
and garnished from cellar to garnet, or,
perhaps, l should say from garrett to cellar.
Friday she did the thousand and one
things which come under the head OF lit
tie puttering Jobs" Saturday she baked
and mopped floors very good system,
you perceive, if only she had ''bossed "
the system instead OF letting the system
"boss her. Were either of the two chill
dren i'll, it was only aquestion of getting to
bed before Sunday morning; the system
went on as usual. Did the mother herself
feel hardly able to rise from her bed, she
worked 1t off, but the system must not be
interlered with. As the months went by
Mrs. Livingston's voice became a fretful,
querulous whine the crow's.feet began to
gather on her face, the circles to deepen
under her eyes, her foot to lose its elastic
step. In short, she failed daily, but the
system went on the same. One Monday
morning the sun rose and found Mrs. Liv-
ingston in bed when her husband came in
with the milk lie went into the bedroom in
surprise at not finding her up-and here
let me say that he was Il good, faithful
husband-one who did all he could to
tighten his wife's labors, and demonstrated
with he almost daily on the system, which
he said would kill her yet. ''Are you sick
this morning. Emma? % he asked "Donot
let the clothes boil over the stove my head
swims so that | must sit down minute"
Even In her delirium she knew the day of
the week, and washed as usual The wash
ings were done without her now for many
weeks, and when at last she did rise from
her sici, bed it was to months of weary con.
valescence, more trying to an energetic
woman than dangerous illness. In the long
days that she reelined in her easy chair
the slightest jar enough almost to draw
tears from her eyes the least thing
enough to upset her calm and quiet for the
day-she had ample time to think of the
wreck she had made of herself, the neg
lected opportunities for intellectual and
physical growth; the money her sickness had
cost in various ways-yes, so much time
that sometimes she almost grew frantic
There came a time at last-one blessed day
when "mother" took the household
reins again took them to drive herself, in
stead OF allowing the system to do it for
her; a time when the children and father
followed her around with loving looks, and
thanked God that mother was well again,
even though she could never be as strong
again as before her illness Look out for
these systems, sisters they are making
old women and invalids of many of us.
Remember that dirty floor is better than
a baekache, and that, be the house ever
so clean and neat, it loses for the family all
pleasure if the home mother is tired and
depressed. Anabel G. Andrews, in Coun-
try Gentleman.