Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-04-27

Poor Mrs. Carlyle. must be the thought of
every one who reads her interesting but mel
ancholy letters, which, having been collected
by her husband, are now published. Poor
Mrs. Carlyle! the invalid, the household
drudge, We say yet her life is but tragedy
constantly enacted by all those married wom-
en- who struggle with poverty, unappreciation
aud parsimony. Because she was the wife of
a distinguished man Of letters because she
was cultured and sensitive and delicate, bred
an only child in loving home atmosphere,
We resent the fate that spun the pitiless web
OF encouragement and suffering. But in these
letters sent to her husband and dearest friends
she speaks of her life as one to be preferred
far above an idle, "lady-like" existence, and
even tries at times to laugh away the many
household cares in buoyant expressions of de-
fance or mock despair. She prides herself
upon her economical housekeeping. When
she has become settled in her new London
home, she writes
"Our little household has been set up again
at quite a moderate expense of money and
trouble, wherein l cannot help thinking, with
a chdstened 0dnity that the superior stiffness
and thriftiness OF the Scotch character has
strikingly manifested itself To see how they
live and waste here, it is wonder that the
whole city does not 'bsnkrape, and go out o.
sicht !; hinging platefuls of what they are
pleased to denominate crusts Chat is what
consider all the best of the bread into the
ashpits l often say, with honest self
copgratulaton, in Scotland We have no such
thing as crusts' "
Her conscientousness in the matter of eX'
penditlre becomes sometimes almost painful;
but when we remember that strict economy
was the necessary rule of the house, we can
excuse her desire to explain to her husband
why she could buy the lounge, having recev-
ed a new dress as gift, and why in all small
matters of similar nature she felt it duty to
explain her seeming extravaganza. In every
case she fluids the necessity of asking hor hus-
band for money provoking" and disagree
able" Like other housewives who are forced
to conduct their establishments on the "singe
maid of all work" plan, Mrs. Carlyle had many
| grievances to endure in the matter of servants.
| For time she endeavored to train young, in
experienced girls, but found it very unsatis-
| factory work, some of the raw recruits prov
| ing dishonest, one incorporate, and others
departing in unexpected moments. During
| this period of housekeeping she was herself
! Obliged TO take an active share in the servants
| duties. At one time she had her mothers as
sistance, and then was able to divide lab or and
"keep a very tidy house."
'Sereetha (the little maid) has attained the
unhoped- -forIperfecton of getting up at half ef
six of her own accord, lighting the parlor fire,
and actually placing the breakfast things (ail
desperandlim me duce) l get up at half after
seven and prepare the coffee and bacon ham
| (which is the life of me, making me alway'
hungrier the more | eat of it). Mother, II
the interim, makes her bed and sorts her room
After breakfast mother descends to the infer
no, where she jingles and scours, aud from
time to time scods Sereetha, till all is righ
and tight there l above stairs, sweep tn
parlor, blaeken the CRATE, and make the room
look cleaner than il has been since the day
Of Grace Macdonald then mount aloft L
make my own bed (for was resolved to en-
Joy the privilege of having bed of my OWN
then clean myself Gas the servants say), an
sit down to the Italian lesson. bit of mea
roasted in the oven sufiices two days cold, an
does not plague us with cookery, Secretly
can fetch up tea things, and the porridge
easily made on the parlor FIRE, the kitchen on
being allowed to go out (for economy whei
the Peesweep goes to bed at o'clock"
Like other housewives too, Mrs. Oarlyl
was often annoyed by the disturbances atten
dant upon cleaning, papering and repairin
the house but these performances would nc
J conform to any fixed times, on account of tn
movements of Carlyle, who would not endur
, periodical "house-oleaning, and who alway
hed at the moment it was bound to take plao,
! ! With fortitude and resignation Mrs. Carly