The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-06-07
THE HOUSE CLEANING.


Talk of washing day! What is that
to whole week of washing days? No,
even this gives no true idea ofthat worst
of domestic intlictions poor man can
suffer-house cleaning. The washing is
confined to the kitchen or washing
house, and the effect in the dining-roo
is in cold or badly cooked meals; with a
few other matters not necessary to men,
ton here. But in house c]eaning-oh,
dear! Like the dove from the ark, a
man can find no place to rest the sole OF
his foot. Twice year, regularly, have
I to pass through this trying ordeal,
willy milly, as it is said in some strange
language. Torebel is useless. To grum-
BILE of no avail. Up come the carpets,
topsy turvy goes the furniture, and
swash! goes the water from garret to GEL
lar. don't know how the other men
act on these occasions, but find discre
ton the better part of valor, and SUBJ
mission the wisest expedient.
Usually it 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 common
thing for Mrs. Sunderland, and this
makes its occurrence on these occasions
80 much the harder to bear. Our last
house cleaning took place in the fall. l
have been going to write faithful his
tory of what vas said, done, and suffer
ed on the occasion ever since, and now
put my design into execution, even at the
risk Of having my head combed with
three legged stool by my excellent wife,
who, when she sees this in print, will
be taken, in nautical phrase, all aback.
But, when history of our own short
comings, mishaps, mistakes and inisal
ventures will do others good, am for
giving the history and pocketing the
odium, if there be such thing as odium
ness and error.
"We must clean house this week."
said my good wife, one morning as we
sat at the breakfast table-"evervthing
is in dreadful condition. l can't look
at nor touch anything without feeling my
flesh Creep"
the room. l was not, before aware of
the filthy state in which we were living.
But not having so good "an eye for dirt"
as Mrs. Sunderland, was rot ab q, even
after hay ing my attention called to the
fact, to see "the dreadful condition" of
things. said nothing, however, for I
never like to interfere in my Wife's de-
partment. assume it is fact that she
knows her own business better than I
do.
Il Our domestic establishment consisted
of cook, chambermaid and waiter.
This was an ample force. my wife con-
sidered, for all purposes of house clean
ing, and had 50 announced to the ipdiv-
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 we're not excellently we'll off
in this respect. Things had gone on for
months with scarcely a jar. This was
pleasant feature in affairs, and one upon
which we often congratulated q ourselves.
When l came home at dinner time, on
the day the anticipated house cleaning
had been mentioned to me, I found my
wife with a long face.
"Are you well?" asked.
'I'm we'll enough" Mrs. Sunderl rland
with Ann and Hannah"
"What is the matter with them?" I
asked in surprise.
"They are going at the end of this
week."
Indeed! How comes that? l thought
they were very we'll satisfied"
80 they were, all along, until the
time for house cleaning approached. 1t
is too bad!''
"That's it's it?"
Eyes. And feel out of all patience
about it. 1t shows such a want of prn-
ciple:"
"Dear knows! expect 80. He's been
as sulky as he could be all the morning
in fact, ever since I told him that he
must begin taking up the carpets to-
morrow and shake them"
''Do you think Ann and Hannah will
really 60" asked.
"Of course they will. have received
formal notice to supply their places by
the end of this week, which I must do
somehow or other"
withstanding 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
out of them.
When l made my appearance at DIN.
ner time 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 Han
nah had given notice to quit in order to
escape the very house cleaning, they
we're in no humor to put things ahead.
In consequence, they had "poked about
and done nothing" to use Mrs. Sunder-
lands own language: at which she was
no little incensed.
When evening came, found things
worse. My wife had set her whole
force to work upon our chamber early in
the day, in order to have it finished as
soon as possible, that il might be in
sleeping condition by night-dry and
aired. But instead of this, Ann and
Hannah had "dilly dallied" the whole
day over cleaning the paint, and now