Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-07-27

without any adequate knowledge oil
work and its responsibilities. we found
ourselves with mountain of difficulties
to surmout, and pretty mess we
n'ade of it for a few days, too.
1t was not difficult to get through
supper, for, thanks to mothers provi
dent hands, there was enough prepared
for that meal but when, next morning,
we fouud the bread was out, cookies all
gone, and not Il stray pie for dinner. our
troubles began-and they broadened
and deepened with every passing mo-
ment, as we became painfully awake to
the fact that making bread and pastry
was "A branch Of our education which had
been terribly neglected; aud when at
10 o'clock father, in blissful ignorance
of the novices i'll charge ut home, sent
up sirloin roast and the information
that stranger would dine with us, and
! fifteen minutes later the washerwoman
Brought in the clothes for us to iron. |
was ready to melt i'll tears, and Kate
was 80 cross 1T was dangerous 10 speak
to her. Oh, that weary, weary day !!
But only the beginning OF many similar
ones that followed.
How we longed for mothers skilful
hands to sirAighten out the tangled
threads our awkward fingers 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
undoae would stare us in the face, or
the children would come in with clamor-
ing tongues and empty stomachs, and
III few days became addicted to
chronic fretfrlness, while Kate was
transformed into a veritable scold. John
cowled oyer the miserable meals Kate
teased us III III every vulnerable point /;
but poor, patient father pitied our in
tirmitlies, and ate what was set before
him for conscience sake.
1t went on this way about II fortnight,
when, after very quiet, day we took our
books and sat down for quiet evening.
But alas for our hopes Only ten min
utes of peace, and the 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 p burst out Kate, shutting
her book with a bang, while /, after
one desponding glance at the fascina-
ting pages of David Cooperfield,
went to examine the mending basket.
1t was full to the brim shirts, socks,
little gingham cocts with the pockets
torn down ard the buttons pulled half
off, with shreds of cloth hanging to
them ; fathers pants and Nellie's school
dress, with a great rent clear across the
front.
With a dolefuI sigh 1 lifted the bas-
ket, and without word we sat down to
the unwelcomed task Nine, ten o'clock
came and went, and the basket was not
half emptied of its contents. Father,
John, Ross aud Nellie gaped and
stretched, and one by one followed the
children off to bed. Eleven. and still
we sat, ,rilent and grim as ghosts, solemn
ly stitching away at the endless rents.
"Cad, " said Kate, at last jerking out
the words as if she hated them, chow
do you like it?"
Like whatt" asked, in astonish-
ment.
This life of slavery. This humdrum,
ever-lastlng-stick to it, unsatisfactory
existence. Without speck of variety
about it. Just over and over, round and
round, until we seek our rest low i'll the
ground"
"Oh, Katel" I exclaimed, almost
shocked, mot so bad as that not nearly
so bad as that.
"Yes; worse than that width many,
very many, Cad Rouncewell. My plain
opinion, very plainly expressed, is that
women are FOOLS"
"Why, Kate !"
"Don't why Kate me. Just look at
the mending basket; it has been filled
and emptied year after year; filled up
by our carelessness and emptied by our
mothers slavish toll, and we, great,
healthy, overgrown girls sat caImnly by
and saw her do it. And the weak. un-
selfish women that she is hadn't snap
enough about her to rap us over our
heads for our ugliness.
Iopened my mouth to say something,
but she made a dab at me with
her needle, and I desisted.
"Don't expostulate ~ she exclaimed.
--"I have it. Look at yourself as you
are and as you have been ever since you
were born, little, useless bit IF furni-
ture, and see if you don't look ugly. I
have been taking Just such view OF
myself ever since we've found ourselves
trying to fill mothers place and found
we couldn't, and have got SO full of in
djgnation at myself for being so blind,
and at mother for being so foolish, that
1 shall burst if 1 don't out with it."
"But we cannot help itnow, Kate, l
ven ured to remonstrate.
mo, of course we can't, you goose.
The past is not ours, but the present is,
and the future may be. That is what /
am coming at, exactly. We must not
let mother and father die, yet while"
"Die p I exclaimed, shocked beyond
expression.
eyes, Caddy, L didn't notice it any
more than you have, until the past two
weeks /; but it seems to me POW, that l
could count every furrow in fathers
care-worn brow, and every thread of
mothers whitening hair. They are old
beyond their years, Caddy. They have
been worked to death, and because they
loved us so well as to bear it all patient
.ly, we never saw it.
Kates voice was all of tremble; and
I burst into tears.
Mother is an intelligent woman,"
she went on in moment, with mind
capable of rare development. But low