Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-04-03
A FARMERS WIFE,

We know refined, intelligent wo-
man living among the green hills of
Vermont, whose life is typical of
hundreds in that vicinity and scores
scattered throughout the fur West.
She arises at o'clock in the morning.
chops wood, draws water, makes fires,
prepares the meals for five stalwalt
''hired men," besides doing the family
washing. ironing, scrubbing. chuning
preserving, picking, mending and
knitting. She behonds the chickens,
feeds the hens and calves, and is oc-
casionally called upon to accelerate
the departure of pigs to that bourne
from which no pig ever returns. Her
work is never done. She fries dough
nuts at 10 o'clock at night, and begins
life on pie the next morning. Her
only dissipations are prayer meetings,
funerals and hucklebcrrying, varied
by winter kettle drums where tie
guests sew cmpet-rags, refreshed with
cider, forfeits and kisses. Her litera-
ture is limited to ''Bunyan's Pilgrims
Progress" "Josiah Aliens Wife," and
the "Zion's Herald" Her music to Il
fountain filed with blood, dismal
sound from the tomb and invitations
to anxious seats. Her pictures to u
plump prodigal son, perpetual Sam
uel, furious Cain, an amiable George
Washington, Napoleon on his death
bed at St Helena, weeping willow
and widow in Il graveyard of hair, and
II few glistening tin-typcs of freshly
engaged couples, who with hands
clasped, hair oiled, and imitation
watch chains spread out to "show,"
stare rigidly into II future the coun-
tcrpart of her own. Her bric-a-brac
consists of wax-work, dagucIrctoypos,
plaster dogs with green noses, yellow
baskets and crushed strawberry tails
and u shell box containing reward of
merit cards, the pathetic rcmcm-
branccs of her vanished childish years
the only visible recognition Of her
goodness that the poor little woman
ever had. Her dress is calico all the
year round for week days and black
alapaca for Sundays. Her windows
are covered with green paper shades
and the parlor floor with the envy and
awe Of the ncighborhood, tapestry
carpet ovcrflowing with red and pink
atrocities in ycllos horns Of plenty.
She is Il woman after Rev. Morgan
Dixon's own heart. She stays ut
home. The glorious pictures Of ma
jestic mountains,the flushing cascades,
the leafy woods, the splcndor of blue
skies, the soft white clouds and sweet
smelling daisy fields are not Tor her,
except in tantalizing glimpses which
only increase tho thirst Of her thirst
ing soul. She has no time to receive
the sense Of power and peace that
comes from those stately mountains;
no time to reyel in the exquisite beau-
ty of those waterfalls; no time to lie
on the grass and watch the softly sail
ing clouds, Or trace the truthful sym
bols and discover the wondrous rove
lalions that nature gives to those who
love and understand her.
Yet this womans husband has made
n little fortune OF $4,000 from lumber
which is considered something colossal
in those regions where wants are few
and pleasures circumscribed. She
has been brought up to believe that
he was created a superior being. SO
was he. He is course; red haired,
freckled, pious, ponrrious and asth-
matte. He had u change of heart and
one change Of "meetin' clothes,' in
which he looks more hideous than he
does in ovcralls. His chief satisfac-
ton is to chew tobacco, talk in class
and to get II bargain He
never owes penny and never gives
one. He can pray and he thinks he
can sing. 1t takes him 30 minutes
every night and Is minutes every
morning to tell the Lord of several
mistakes in the universe, and to ask a
few mild fayors. One is to wreak
eternal vengeance on the wicked by
them into everlasting fire;
md another is request for ''power to
yrastle with the stranger sojarning
within his gates;" and notwithstand-
ng her promptly paid board bills, to
'ring her to sense of her own vile
nature and hardened heart; created
,u1 in tho first n1nna on1y IA hp piIui