River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-06-07
TIE HOUSE CLEANING.

Talk Ut a washing day. What Is that
to whole week OF washing days? No,
even this gives no true idea ofthat worst
of domestic infections poor man can
sufIer-house cleaning. The washing is
confined to the kitchen or washing
house, and the effect in the dining-room
is in cold or badly cooked meals; with a
few other matters not necessary to men.
ton here. But in house cleaning-oh
dear! Like the dove from the ark, g
man can find no place TO rest the sole Of
his foot. Twice year, regularly, have
] to pass through this trying ordeal,
willy milly, as it is said in some strange
language Torebeli is useless. To grum-
BILE Of no avail. Up come the carpets,
topsv turyy goes the furniture, and
swash, goes the water from garrett to eel
lar. I don't know how the other men
act on these occasions, but l find discre-
ton the better part of valor, and sub
mission the wisest expedient.
Usually 1t happens, that my good wife
works herself half TO death-loses the
even balance Of her mind-and, in con
sequence, makes herself and all around
her unhappy. TO indulge in an unami-
able temper is by no means a common
thing for Mrs. Sunderland, and this
makes its occurrence on these occasions
so much the harder to bear. Our last
house cleaning took place in the fall.
have been going to write a faithful his
tory Of what vas said, done, and suffer
ed on the occasion ever since, and now
Put NV design into execution, even at the
risk Of having my head cOmbed with q
three legged stool by my excellent wife,
vino, when she sees this in print, vii
be taken, in nautical phrase, all aback
But, when a history of our own short
COmjugs, mishaps, mistakes and misal-
ventures will do others good, | am for
giving the history and pocketing the
Odinm, if there be such a thing as odium
attached to revelations Of human weak
ness and error.
eve must clean house this week, d
said my good wife, one morning as we
sat at the breakfast table everything
is in a dreadful condition. | can't look
at nor touch anything without feeling my
flesh creep
turned my eyes, involuntary, around
the room. | was not, before aware of
the filthy state in which We were living.
Bu. not having so good "an eye for dirt"
as Mrs. Sunderland, ] was rot alb e, even
after ll ing ms attention called to the
fact, To see the dreadful condition" OF
things / said nothing, however, for
never ike to interfere in my wlie's de-
partment ! assume it is fact that she
knows her own business better than |
do.
Our domestic establishment consisted
Of cook, chambcrmaid and waiter.
This Was an ample force. my wife con-
sIdercd, for all purposes OF house clean
ing, and had so announced to the iudiv-
iduals concerned some days before she
mentioned the matter incidentally to
me. We had experience, in common
with others. on our troubles with ser
wants, bUt were not exceIlently well of
in this respect Things had gone or fol-
months with scarcely q j3r Ehis WAS a
pleasant feature III affairs, aud one upon
which We often congratulated ourselves
When came nome at dinner time, ON
the day the anticipated house cleaning
had been mentioned to me, | found my
wife with long face.
"Are you wcli?" l asked.
''Im well enough Mrs. Sunderland
answered. "but I'm out Of all patience
with Ann and hannah"
"What IS the matter with them?" l
asked IN surprise.
They are going at the end of this
week"
Indeed How comes that? thought
they were very well satisfied"
So they were, all along, until the
time for house cleaning approached. It
is toe bad"
"Thats it's it?"
YES. And / feel out of all patience
abou it. 1t shows such a want of prin-
ciplc."
SIS John going too?" | asked.
''pear knows, l expect 50. He's been
as suli,v as he could be all the morning
-in fact, ever since | told him that he
must begin taking up the carpets to-
morrow and shake them"
'spo Won think Ann and Hannah will
really 90" | asked.
Ofrourse they will. ] have received
formal notice 10 supply their places by
the end of this week, which | must do
somehow or other
Tine next dav was Thursday, and not
withstandng both cook and chamber
maid had given notice that they were
going on Saturday, my wife had the
whole HOUSE, knocked into pi as the prin.
ters say. determined to get all she could
ont uf them.
When | made my appearance at din
uer time I found all in confusion, and
NV wife heated and worried excessively.
Nothing was going on right. She had
undertaken to get the dinner in order
that Ann and Hannah might proceed
uninterruptedly in the work of the
house cleaning; but as Ann and Ham
nah had given notice to quit IN order to
escaps the very house cleaning, they
were in no humOF TO put things ahead
IN consequence, they had ''poked about
and done nothing TO use Mrs. Sunde--
lands own language: at which she was
no little iucensei.
When evening came, l found thing;
worse. Ny wife had set her whole
force TO work upon our chamber earl y in
the dav. in order to have it finished as
soon a. possible, that ii might be in a
sleeping condition by nicht-dry and
aired. But instead Of this. Ann and
Hannah had "dlly dallied' the whole
dav over cleaning the paint. and now
the floor WAS not even washed up. My
moor wife was in a sad way about 1t; and
am sure that / felt uncomfortable
enough Afraid to sleep in damp
chamber, we put two sofas together IN
the paror, and passed the night there
The morning rose ciOudily enough.
understood matters clearly. If Mrs
Sunderland had hired a couple of wo-
men for two or three days to do the
cleaning, and got man TO shake the car
pets, nothing would have been heard
about the sui6ineSs of John, or the no.
siCe to QUIT of cook and chambermaid
Putting upon them the task of house
,leauing was considered an imposition
and thew were not disposed to stand it
~ shall not be home To dinner to day,
I said, as rose from the breakfast Ia,
bile. Is Won are all in such confusion
and vou have to do the cooking, / pre-
fer getting something 10 eat down town
VERY well" said Mrs. Sunderland
go much the better"
81 lett the house in few minutes after
ward. glad to getaway Everything wa
coniusion. and every face under cloud
GLOW are you getting along? l asked
on coming home at night.
'Ilumrh, Not getting along at all!
replied Mrs. Sunderland, In fretfu
tone. In two days the girls nigh
have thoroughly cleaned the house from
top 10 bottom, and what do you think
they have donel Nothing at all!''
Nothing at all? They must have done
something"
We'll, next to nothing, then. They
haven't finished the front and bach
chambers And what is worse; AM
has gone away sick, and Hannah is il
bed with q real or pretended slck-head
ache