The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-29
CHRISTINE.
a Story for Thankseivine Dav.

story for Thanksgiving Day.
Written for the Indianapolis Journal by Mrs Eliza
beth Barnett Hit.
Margaret Dale was usually the brightest
the most cheerful of women, but one after
noon in early May she sat upon the porch
of her pretty home, quite in the ''doleful
Dumps" as she called her mood. Her two
boys, Philip and little Ned, were racing up
and down the garden walks with Don, their
new dog in hot pursuit, while Ethel and
Edith the year-old twins, were alternately
getting up and then falling fiat on their
little noses in their first vain attempts at
walking, But for once, the sight of her
sturdy boys and babies gave Margaret no
pleasure
"After all" she said aloud, 81 am really
nothing but rather superior kind of a
second girl and nurse, inasmuch as 1 sweep
and dust the holes and corners as we'll as the
middle of the room, clean the children's
nails and wash behind their ears. 1t is
nothing but work, work from morning until
night Not that mind work, for 1 like it;
but wish could occasionally do what /
wanted to instead of always doing what l
have to do.'
Margaret sighed, and started from the
reverie long enough to settle quarrel which
the boys had got into, pick up Edith
who had fallen down on the gravel walk,
and rescue Ethel, who had crept to the
edge of the fountain and was just on the
verge of falling in headlong, in her efforts to
kiss the bonnie baby who smiled so sweetly
up to her from the water. Then she sat
down again on the steps, and went on with
her complaint
"How hurt John looked dear fellow, when
I said that to him this morning. why don't
you get another nurse, dear? he replied, in
that helpless way men have when a wife
complains. But I've certainly had enough of
nurses for the present, for the last one got
drunk one night when we were out and all
but set the house on fire; and the one before
that had an awful temper. and pinched the
children when she was angry. Poor Phil.
had blue and green marks on his arm for a
week after 1 sent the horrid thing away; and
as for Kate" Margaret laughed aloud at the
thought of the day when John, coming home
unexpectedly to take her and the children
put driving, found Kate in his dressing room.
doing up her water waves with his tooth
brushl Kate was very good nurse, as nurses
60, but the line had to be drawn somewhere.
1t was 10 o'clock when John discovered her,
and at II she was out of the house, bag and
baggage
II am not half the mother or wife want
to be-" she continued, because have to be
10 much the second girl and the nurse My
pictures lie untouched on the easels; I have
not even had time to look into my studio,
except to dust it, since the twins came l
never read any more. There is no time for
it during the day, and when night comes,
half the time am too tired even to remem-
Der my own name to say nothing of reading
anything less profound than the latest novel,
which weakens my mind more than it
does it good. l know John thinks
me awfuily stupid, though he never
says So but how can help it?"-with little
sob-"when l have four little children to
care for from morning till night, house to
look after, and piles of sewing, nearly noun
!ain high, to do. l wish the right sort Of a