The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-08-16

OnS VINO no0 ever taken 70 nQu4e-
md Mother was one Of those do
- -. uden-bearers who never consider
IA so heavy but that they can
aoo anotnt triae.
e' n ,ever been fortunate, pecu-
.ru .g anxious to give al
'peir children > Aod education. the labor
of saving for this ~ -. .dass - ,ha;r
other toll And thel,iL many another
geod and unselfsh, bl upv;.s motber.
she allowed us our own W .na .no;lsd
Us through indulgence; an :. - h.d
often heard her say she woulo-.,her 40
thing herself than take the Aorh,o -
teach us how, we felt as if we We ac+u.
ally comforting favor upon her h. ls..
ting things alone. To be sn.e we e.n,d
sweep, dust, wash dishes and ma. had.
and were familiar with some of the ml.-r
details of cookery; but to be able to
keep the domestic machine well oiled and
In constant motion was to Us like trying
to converse in an unknown tongue. And
so now, without any adequate knowledge
OF work and its responsibilities, we found
ourselves with a mountain of difficulties
to surmount, and pretty mess we made
of it for few days, too. 1t was not diff
cult to get 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, cookies all gone, and not a stray pie
for dinner, our troubles began-and they
broadened and deepened with every pass
ing moment, as we became painfully
aware that making bread and pastry was
branch of our education which had
been terribly neglected and when about
10 O'Clock, Father, in blissful ignorance of
the novices in charge at home sent up a
sirloin roast and the information that a
stranger would dine with us, and fifteen
minutes later the washerwoman 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. Oh, that
weary, weary day. But only the begin
ming of many similar ones that followed
it. How we longed for Mothers skillfu
hand to straighten out the tangled threads
that 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 un-
done 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 a veritable scold. John scowled
over the miserable meals, Kate teased US
in every vulnerable point; but poor, pa
tient Father pitied our often infirmities,
and ate what was set before him for con-
science sake. 1t went on in this way for
about fortnight. when after very try
ing day, we took our books and sat down
for quiet evening But, alas for our
hopes. only ten minutes of peace, and
then an honest "ahem " from Father
caused us to look up.
"Do you know, girls" he inquired,
whether Mother mended my pants be-
fore she went away? should like them
to put on in the morning She generally
did her mending every week, believe" +"
" There" burst out Kate, shutting her
book with bang, while /, after one des-
ponding glance at the fascinating pages
of ''David Copperfeld," went to exam
inc the nlending basket.
1t was full to the brim; shirts, socks,
little gingham coats with the pockets
torn down and buttons pulled half of,
with shreds of cloth hanging to them !;
Fathers pants, and NeIlie's school dress,
with great rent clear across the front.
With a doleful sigh l lifted the basket
and without word we Fat down to the
unwelcome task. Nine, ten o'clock came
and went, and the basket was not half
emptied of its contents. Father, John,
Ross and Nellie gaped and stretched, and
one by one followed the children off to
bed. Eleven, and still we sat, silent and
grim as ghosts, solemnly stitching away
at the endless rents.
"Cad, said Kate at last, jerking out
the words as if she hated them, G how do
you like it ?"
" Like what ?" asked in astonishment
@This life of slavery; this hum-drum,
everlasting stick-to-it, unsatisfactory ex:
.istence- Without speck of spice in the
way of variety about it. just over and
over, round and round. until we seek our
rest low in the ground"
1Oh, Kate!" / exclaimed, almost shock
ed, "not so bad as that; not nearly so
bad as that
" Yes, worse than that with many, very
many, Cad Rouncewell. Ny plain opin-
Ion, very plainly expressed, is that women
are fools"
Why, Kate!'
| Don't why Kate me- Just look at
the mending basket, filed and emptied
year after year; filed by our carelessness
and emptied by our mothers slasish toll,
| "a va <x-o.& ho.lehv ov..~ ~,-<~- .,;.l.