Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-08-26

he could hear her toiling at the wash-tut
and hurrying to get up the meals, Will
she attended to the neglected baby whe
she could catch moments time. His IL
dignation was at white heat by night, ant
he felt that he could have caned 'stha
graceless scamp" his nephew, with pleas
ure. for permitting such state of affairs.
They walked out after tea and looked a
! the growing crops, Ridgway feeling unu
sually we'll satisfied with himself and al
his doings.
| Uncle Alexis first remark hardly chin
ed in with this sentiment.
| "Didn't it ever seem to you, Ridge, as
rather one-sided arrangement that yot
have stout man to help you out of doors
and your wife no help at all indoors
Turn about is fair play" Suppose now
that you try the business for three years
alone, and let her have the help"
ooh, uncle,'' expostulated Ridge, "there
is steady work for two men on this farm
the year around.''
''And steady work in the house for two
women: and yet you have let a young
delicate wife carry it on single handed
and, as far asI know, have never remon-
strated with her on the slow suicide she
was committing. Such havoc as three
short years have made 1t ought to make
man ashamed, if his feelings are not
ironclad, to so overwork a woman he has
vowed to love and CHERISH
Ridgway Redeemed at his uncle's plain
dealing, but he was not disposed to admit
that he was the one SO much to blame.
Il tell you, uncle. Phebe has not the
faculty of getting along with her work that
some women have. 1t takes her longer
than it needs to get every meal. I am
sometimes almost surprised"
eft certainly does take her longer than
it need to. have plainly seen that, and
now, young man, I'll teach you lesson.
You are to rake hay tomorrow, believe.
I'll TX you rake, and III see you use it. :"
And the irate old man smashed all but
three teeth out of good rake and handed
it over to his nephew There's your i'm
plement, and III come out and see how you
get on with it. There'll be no Sinking
either. Everything I have seen of your
indoor convenience es have been just of that
order. Your wife works with three
toothed rake from morning till night. 1t
is good to be saving and lay up money, but
not if you must grind it out of the life
blood of those who should be nearest and
dearest to you. No more new rakes for
you until see different order of things
IN the house! Let Phebe make out list
Of all she needs as we are together this
evening and then do you draw check and
foot the bill.o
"Why, uncle, you never kept house. You
know nothing of a woman's demands. 1t
would sweep every cent have.'
'Let it sweep then. Money gotten dis.
honestly as that was had better go to the
place it was stolen from. You have been
robbing your wife of her life power, her
health and her happiness these three years.
1t is time you began to make reparation. l
but never preached dishonesty. If you
can It keep house in decent way, break up
and let Phebe 60 back to the good home
she came from. You can 60 into store
in the city and make your own living"
What desolate picture it was Leave
his pleasant home, his wife and boy, and
take up with the old solitary lodgings in
boarding house He felt lonesome at the
bare suggestion. Uncle Aleck went on !:
Il should like to give your wife this piece
of advice The next time YOU even hint
about what is needed in the housekeeping,
and what is not, and suggest retrenchment
here and cutting off there, l want her to
walk out and give orders to your hired
man; tell him how much grain he must
give to the horses, how much salt to the
sheep how he must scrimp the wheat when
he sows it. and the corn when he plants it.
She may tell him how to tie up the broken
harrow with a string, and not 60 to the ex-
pense of getting it mended, and shall insist
on going ahead if the pillow handle is brok-
en- 1T is too trifing thing to stop the
work for that. All the fault I find with
Phebe is that she did not do this long ago.
If she had given you good setting down
on The start, and taught you to mind your
business, it would have been blessing all
around.
1t was pretty plain dealing, but it was
a great eye-opener to the young man. He
sat upon the piazza for an hour in the
moonlight and thought and thought.
Whatever his .meditations were, one
thought was uppermost-he must gain
ground with Aleck or his chances were
slim. That little talk had, as Mark Twain
would say, knocked more conceit out of
him than fit Of sea sickness" Hum
BILE pie'' may not be very palatable, but it
is sometimes just the diet to bring one
around right. Slowly and soberly the
young man "came to himself" and then
the foremost thought was-'what wretch
have been; can Phebe have a spark of
love or respect left for me ?"
There must have been something good
in the young wife or that loyal heart could
not have held fast in her affection for him
through thick and thin, as she had done.
uncle Aleck's visit was god send to her.
He saw new order of things established
in the house, and hung up the three-tooth-
ed rake in a conspicuous place in the barn
as standing object-lesson. Phebe scarce
ly knew how to get meals in her renovated
kitchen, but her face was as bright as her
new saucepans.
Phebe soon won back her roses, and
went about her duties blithe as a singing
bird. She would always laughingly head
her husband off when he began to allude
to the old times, and ''set down naught in
malice,' but charge the whole to ''our
youth and inexperience
When Uncle Aleck came back the next
year to the christening of the little Caro-
line,'' he made out to her the deeds of