Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-03-16
NO THIRD MRS. PERRY.

NO THIRD MRS. PERRY.
| ''She ain t the same sort az your FIRST
wife, Henry" said Mrs. Perry, with an
ominons closing of her upper lip over the
lower one.
Mrs. Perry called herself q devout Chris
tian. All through the country she was
held in estimation as one of the salt Of the
earth, comforting beside sick bed. eff
Gent in neglected household, and well
come everywhere. And when Alice May
came to the old homestead, as her sons
second wife. she naturally looked up with
rever entail affection to the venerable,
white capped old lady.
'.Sweetheart!" the young husband had
said, looking fondly into the eyes of his
bride, as they stood under the blossom ing
boughs of the ounce trees on the soft May
night when first he brought her home. "do
you think you can be happy here?'
"Oh. Harry" the young wife had repli-
ed, lit is like paradise"
But Mrs. nenry Perry sooE found out
that Lilac Farm was something more prac-
tical than her ideas of paradise.
Don't know how to churn - said Mrs.
Perry, Senior, in amazamept. "Why,
Alice, where were you brought up
Henry's first wife thought nothing of
churning twenty pounds of butter of a
morning, besides DUNG all the homework
md inn hroo b f,o for rod
Alice colored to the very roots of her
luxurIant chestnut brown hair.
II know nothing about the country,
dear Mrs. Perry" she said, for she was too
shy to use the tender term, mother
unless by the special invitation which had
not been accorded. II was educated, you
know, at boarding school after grad
uated taught school until met Henry,
and
ST dare say,'' said Mrs. Perry, dryly !;
"but if you are going to be afarmer's wife
it is high time you acquainted yourself
J with some of the duties pertaining to your
position. My sons first wife now was q
model
Alice looked eagerly up.
"Please, Mrs. Perry" said The. "tell me
what she used to do. of course, I have
had no experience. but"
"Well," said. Mrs. Perry, looking up to
the top fringe OF the curtains and touching
the tips IF her fingers refectively together
''she had faculty, Dorothy had. She was
famous cook. She baked fresh pies every
ay, for no one can be expected to like
stale pies. Her hot breakfast biscuits
were Ike flakes of snow, and we mostly
had waffles for supper, with honey end
fresh apple sauce. She always got up at
O'Clock Of Monday morning to do the
| washing. Henry's shirts have never been
the same since Dorothy was removed. and
I wish you could have seen her ironings
The sewing circle met here once month
and the teas Dorothy got up were the talk
of the neighborhood. Aud there was q
Sister of Industry meeting here once q
fortnight, and the Singers Symposium
every other Friday. She was noble.
! hearted Christian, Dorotay was! And
! UllCu ott0 III Lil0 A00lliy oCW1uks Oue
could not reconcile it to her own con.
science and her husbands income she said,
! to hire such work DONE"
Ard Alice. who had committed tie
enormity of having a dress made by a
| dressmaker, colored scarlet and hung her
| head.
Then at butche:ing time,' proceeded
! relentless Mrs. Perry, Senior, "DOrothy
always made the tripe and sausaqe-meat
and cured the hams herself, and she
cleaned he house four times year. She
was master-hand at quilting, and she al
ways made her own bonnets. A woman
can save much for her husband that way
AS for the butter and cheese, 1 think, If
she hadn't died so suddenly, poor thing,
| that she could have beaten any record in
the county!"
Alice sighed deeply. How could she. a
slender, Inexperienced woman of twenty,
hopo t. cope with these mar velous attain
mentsp
Henry never told me all this" said
! she.
III suppose he has thought of it many a
time." said Mrs Perry. Senior. "But per-
haps he didn't like to allude to it while
you were playing on your melodeon and
reading your books. Dorothy never got
any time to read ~
"Rnt if you III teach me. "pleaded Alice !;
II will do my best to learn"
She locked the melodeon. put away the
books and portfolio and her basket of fancy
needle-work. and set herself resolutely to
work to fill the place of the departed
Dorothy.
"Why. what q little housewife, you
are," said Henry. laughing, when she
showed him the tray of golden butter that
she had churnpd, and succeeded in burn
ing her fingers at the ironing fire and re-
ducing her pretty complexion to scarlet in
cooking buckwheat cakes for breakfast.
II want to he one. said Alice, wistfLlly
She crt up squares OF brieht-colored
calico into patchwork she studied the
cookery hook until her head ached, she
caught heavy cold working over butter
in the damp dairy-honse. and sprained her
wrist washing clothes. which. after all.
looked damp and dirty. She rose early
and went to bed late; she counted eggs,
mixed up white-wash, mad3 herself sick
chopping up sausage meat, and strained
her back lifting kettle of pickles off the
fire, and still she strove resolutely on.