Fair play., 1881-09-03
eagerly put in Mr.. Birney, anxious to

blame II her house Is dI>Ordcrly, an
swered Mrs. Birney, mournfnlly shak-
ing her head. And it isn't pleasant
when one has worked hard 10 have
things neat and clean, to have strangers
get the impression that one is sloven."
:. You are nervous, to-day said Mr..
Birney, all at once comprehending that
his wife did not look well. docs your
head ache?"
80: ache all over; I'm clear tired
out" she replied. YEARLY, putting her
hands to her throbbing temples.
"You must go 20 bed right away, and
will 90 for DIR. Carson" said the now
alarmed husband. almost carving her
in his arms as he laid her on her own
| bed.
In the long. dreary weeks that fol-
lowed while the sick woman lay pros
trate, the husband mad ample time To
discover that his own want Of thought
| and blindness to her failing strength
had largely contributed 10 her illness.
| The hats and coats were allowed u lie
| undisturbed now where he ilappcncd To
| throw them; the dust was left unlno-
esied on the furniture, and had it not
| been that MIR. Birney's thoughts We're
SO much occupied with his wiie's re-
covery. the dirt and disorder prevail
ing in the once tidy household would
| have been intoierable. i rafting. noisy
| Irish girl. wholly unframed III domestic
duties, had been employed to do the
work for the family during Mrs Birney 5
illness. and with her crude ideas of
cleanliness and Indifference 10 her en-
plOyer's interests. the whole home at
nosphere seemed changed. The chill
dren, KNOWN. no mu,hcrly restraint,
ran wild. with unkempt hair and dirty
frocks, from morning till night. pre-
senting 50 different an appearance that
the poor invalid herself scarcely recoy-
nized them when they We're permitted
occasionally to visit the sick chamber
the whole sadly transformed household
being II forcibie answer 10 the question
| i'm the old song. .'Wh hat is home with
out mother:
| LA, sakcs, Where on earth did so
many iics come from?' one day queried
Mrs Clavson. kind Old lady living in
the neIghborhood. who often came To
relieve Mr.. Birney by sitting :. few
hours with his wife, while he attended
| 10 Ills outSluc uutieS.
1--WE been kecrful to keep the blind,
down and the room cool and comforta-
BILE every time I've been here. and now
here is the poor creetur just about
eaten up with llies that are Il buZIin' in
and out like swarm o. beesr pursued
the Old lady, as she went beating about
the room with fly brush. in the en-
deayor to get the troublesome Great
ures out. Going to the window and
looking out. she started back, eXclaim-
| ing, "Well, if that don't beat all.
| Somebody has gone and set an empty
sugar bar right under this very win
dow. as sure as my names Samanthy
Ciayson. just TO draw all the llies in this
end of town and poster this sick wom-
ans life out of her. Who could done
such silly tricka''
Mr.. Birney rushed from tho room,
and seizing the barrel, from which ISSUED
a cloud of lilies at his approach, kicked
it vigorously down to the bottom OF tn.
lot, soliloquiZing as he went, What :
confounded fool am, to set this barre
in that place! | declare, ought to bt
iiayed alive; Just as if poor Kate hadn
had enough suffering aud misery n
readvr' Then, IS the remembrance o
the numherless daily inconsiderate act:
of which he had been guilty, and o
! which his patient wife had been TIL
man grOaned aloud, If Kate ever get
well she shan't wash any more dirt
spittoons for me. It's an awful meal
Job for man to impose upon any WON
an, and ! might have saved her lots O
scrubbing of oil cloths and WASHING q
lenders II | had been particular neve
TO SPIT on em. I've sometimes though
may be she was triile too nice, but
see now how unhappy and miserabl,
I'd be if l was compelled 10 live with 8
slaiferniy woman who hadn'I
pride enough TO keep thing,
tidy. Home wouldn't be home
ITO me it Kate had been dirty. careless
W0lnan like Norah. And yet, all these
years We been making laborfor her by
my~confounded c;iIc,.essness. suppose
it is modification. just as she says, to
have strangers look on her rs careles,
and s'oyenly housekeeper. when she
tries very hard to have things nice.
Alany's the time she's lugged in heavy
buckets of water when her back was
aching terribly. while I've been sitting
by, reading. She never could bear to see
the yard Uttered up, and | shouldn',
wonder if her sickness WASH
partly brought on by carrying away
those heavy planks that I'd been prom
ising her for two months to take to the
barn. Ialways intended to do it, but
somehow I've forgotten, though I'd
rather have got up out of bed at mid
night and done it than let her strain her
poor weak back by carrying EN- herself.
That the way it was with fixing up
the ash hopper when she wanted to
fmake soap. She asked ME at least 4
dozen times to do it for her. but some.
how never got ut it, and SO at last she
yot discouraged and did it herself.
When mans got an ambitious. ener.
getic wife who takes pride in her home
and surroundings, he can't do her !;
greater wrong than to throw cold water
on her efforts and he a milestone in the
way"
The approach of an old farmer friend
living short distance down the road.
who stopped his horse at this moment
to inquire after Mrs. Birnev, put IN end
to the husbands bitter reflections.
You have nice place here" OBJ
served Farmer Doyle, as he glanced al
the vines and rows of bushes in the
yard at the rear of the house .Youl
wife took q sight of comfor, in cul,ivat-
ing this little patch of ground before
she got sick. used TO expect TO see
her nearly every time | passed in the
morning just as regularly rs | expected
to see the house itself standing there.
Sometimes she was digging around the
! vines and shrubs and sometime.
carrying basketiuls of earth, or maybe
she would be working with her bees uI
there in the hives under the trees. OF
making new beds for her flowers. or
trimming of the grass with her sickle.
l used often to tell her it WAS top hare.