The Northern Pacific farmer., 1882-10-05
CLEANING HOUSE.


manttau and let me be OFT on a lecturinn
tour, until Flora Lees visit come to an
enl"
Mrs. Dove looked a little disappointed
To confess the truth she had especially
arranged this visit with reference to her
nephew, Eric.
Lies fine young fellow, she had
said to herself. with true feminine
diplomacy, with an excellent parish,
and fine prospects it's high time
he was settled in life witha wife. And
think Flora Lee would suit him OK
actly."
And here was the young man himself
ups,tting this charming little caStlci in
ethe-air, without the least scruple of con-
science, like the modern iconorast that
he WAS.
"WcH, Erie said Mrs. Dove, despair
inglv, "Iil write to her not to come OF
course, don't want to put You out, just
when You re 50 busy. too, with that course
of lectures on the Book Of rcvc|ation-
but l really thought Flora would make
the house live ly.'
''Shes deal too artificial to suit me, :"
said Eric Hale ASK her to come in
June, when | shall hr Oft to t,nalrl and
Nevada on that conference business
But as for Il visitor. | should prefer little
Polly Pepprrrurn'S big wax doll with
ewes, that open AMI shat bV machinery" :"
So Mrs. Dove, checking back the tears
of disappointment tfDr she had been
nursing this pet sche1ne. il secret for Il
long while), sat down and wrote IL letter
to her friend, Miss Lee, po:'poniny the
proposed soiourn at CtlarbOilHh farm
until roses should be in bloom, and straw
berries beginning to rirrn.
''-\hnnijah,' - said she to the hired man,
"takc this letter to the post office"
'lvS, 'um said Adunljih, ant. he put
it in his pocket, and straightway for got
all about it.
II was Il dismal rainy morning in
April, the yellow j',..'.,~:> beaten to the
ground, the very wild violtts shutting
ur =. il eyes as if in unniti -at"I disgust
at the Cnpromisln,. STATE. uir ne Mr,thcr
Overhead, racks of cray clouds Sru'l,le,|
across the heavens. and the little sheet
of silver lakeet under the hill was dot
ted Anl 'linIpIed all over NTH the fall
Ing rain, as if pierced with thousand
tiny iavelins.
"It's no use trying,' said Mrs. Dove,
plaintivelv, "thr iatcS themselves have
ronSpirt'l against me-
The carpets were up, the pals ofwhitc-
wash stood stcaniny in the middle Of
the }'arlor floor, and Mrs. Dove herself,
with her gray c,r'S tied up in Il yellow
danllSk pocket handkerchief, which her
great uncle had brought from China half
4 century ago, sat crying on the lower
ed ge of a stepladder. For Bctsey, the
help, had fallen down the cellar stairs
and broken her leg, and Mrs. Mulruny,
the charwoman, had sent a message that
her eldest son had broken ont ''wiI de
malzles, sure-sDeckled all over like q
shower of red pepper, and sorra Il bit Of
.lanin' could she undertake for until the
wakes over"
And these three days Of all Others"
sighed Mrs. Dove, "When Eric had ex-
changed pulpits with Mr.. Washburne!
And he SO dislikes house cleaning and"
'Dear me, Mrs. Dove, what is the
matter?'
Mrs. Dove started to her feet with a
little scream-for there, exactly as if
she had been raineu down out Of the
gray zenith stood Flora Lee herself, in
i, trim, brown travelling dress, witt a
neat little handbag, a gossaner water
proof cloak and silk umbrella.
"Why, Floral" cried she; "how came
you here?"
"By the train, of course" said Miss
Lee, 'and 1 walked from the station"
~ wrote you not to come," said Mrs.
Dove in CONSERVATION.
But [ never received any such let
ter said Miss Lee. "Shall 90 a4,tino"
"No, you darling, you shall do nothing
of the sortn' said Mrs. Dove enthusiasts
tically. ut is only because-becal,se
we were house rlraning'
"rn not afraid Of luusc-cIeaning,"
SAID Flora. Il see how it is," with a
comprehensive glance around the scene
of confusion,.. and I'm going to help you
through with it,
"You?" said Mrs Dove.
eyes. T." said Flora. "Why not
Just lend me one of E,t,cv's old dress
t.s: Where is Betscy, l,y the way?'
"fler father has 'l>t carried her home
in the wagon" SAID Mrs. Dove. "Shc
broke her leg"
'And your old w',l.r,noo"
"Oh, dear! OH, dtur.' sail Mrs. Dove
'She has got q visitation OF the measels,
or small -poN, or some other horriu dis
ease in her family. And my nephew,
Eric, is to be gone for three days; and
made sure l woul, finish the house
cleaning while he was absent"
And we WILL said Flora, chcerily.
''IOW ,:an wt?'
"Oh, you shall see" nodded Miss Iee
And depressed though she was, Mrs.
Dove began to feel the mercury rise in
her mental Thermometer at once
And Flora Ice arrnycd herself in one
of Betsey's cast off c;,li,otS, tied her rip
Piled brown tresscs up III a c:lnhlic
sweeping cap, and went vigorously to
work with q s,!u|,')in' brush; while
Mrs. Dove bent h,r attention to the
window glass, and .iHrnijnI', With more
zeal than discretion, >ri,'heI white
wash over himself! and the floor with
]au,'" Die impartiality.
'Wall," said A'loi'i;rI,, anrrwarl, "I
never did see no cl"!.. t NnrL sprycr
than that city young l,,.',.. l'y gracious,
she beats H',:S:v "il hni|"r at it,!
And she's x! s',ci. an up-an down,
pretty way Of 'irin' ii!i,:~, 700. de-
clare, couldn't hardly to!>,: my eyes off
her all the time | wA' in vI,it"va S!in'n'
Mrs. Dove, l'p"rTrr. was unused to
the severe eX"r'ln,lsinciI'n upon house
cleaning time, ana went o beat with the
sick headache, in tn" :.li'Id,,. Of the af
ternoon.
"Never mind, Mrs.Duve, said Flora;
I'll get tea, and l'li y:t some Of those
cream WaflleS and Il short cake for Mr.
Dove, and you shall s, how nicely / can
fry oysters"
"Indeed, indeed, Idon't know what
shall do without Flora" said Mrs Dove,
tervently,
But, as it happened, Daniel Dove was
unexpectedly detained on business at
Whiskill, a neighb bring town, and in
stead of him, who shonld walk dcbo-
nairly into the little sitting room, fling
ing down his carpet-bag, but Eric Hale
himself, just as the rainy dusk closed in
and the delicious oysters and Mocha cof-
fee filled the house.
"Hello" said Eric. $50 you're clean
ing house-eh, Betsey?"
"Yes' SIR" a demure voice responded
from the kitchen.
"And where's aunt?"
"She has retired with sick head
ache"
"The natural consequence of cleaning
house, suppose" said Eric Hale, with