Connecticut western news., 1884-11-05
MRS. BARRIERS WOOD.
"No wood !"
GEORGE KRNaLER.
A LESSON FOR HUSBANDS

"No wood r
 Mrs. John Barker's eyes wandered in dismay around the unpromising looking woodward. Two or three green logs lay there, against one of which an ax leaned in cleft formed by stove length being half chopped of. Her husband and his hired help, consisting of 8 man and boy, had just gone to their work on distant part of the farm, and she knew she should see neither of them before dark.
 What should she do? Half inpatient ly she turned toward the house, and then, with thought of the pan of light dough waiting inside, she began to gath CT some of the chips which lay around, only to fling them down again.
 s'It's no use. can't bake bread with these. know what I'll do."
 She quickly washed the dinner dishes with the already cooling water, and then went to the stable, in which, with hands dextrous by practice in such work, she had soon harnessed a horse to light buggy.
 "Mother and the girls will think I'm crazy" she said to herself, ''but can't help that, I swung an ax once and ached for a month to pay for it, so Pm not go- ing to do it again.
 She brought out her pan of bread wrapped in large cloth, and, setting it in the bottom of the buggy, sprung in herself, and had soon driven the two miles which lay between her own house and her mothers. Arriving there she carried in her pan and set it down with a lan9h-
 ''There, mother. I've come to bake my bread. John and the others went of without leaving me any wood, and I lad to do it or let it spoil. Men will forget. you know"
 She was not going to blame him to others, nor let them imagine how often since she had gone as bride to John Barker's new house only last spring, she ha.i had the same trouble about wood.
 ''That's right. Set it right down there by the fire, Susan, so'tn get het up before you knead it into loaves. Yes, they will; and if any mans to be ex- cused for not keepin' wood on his mind it's John Barker, if there's anything in blood, and say there is. His father was just so-a real forehanded man, good provider, and took proper pride in hayin' things spick and span about him, but never seemin' to think what both- CT it was to the women folks not to have their wood handy. Many and many's the time I've dropped into tea with Johns mother and see her have the greatest time a scrapin' up few chips or shakin' the snow of sticks of misera- ble gresp wood"
 Johns wife turned her face as she took of her tSings, for fear her friends would see in her face how nearly her own experience was already becoming like that of Johns mother.
 'I used to tell her," went on her mother, ''that she'd ought to trained him better when he was young. Now, hko as not, John takes little after his father-nobody could wonder at it-and wish father could haul you a load or two of his good seasoned wood. S'pose 'twouldn't do-eh. Susan ?"
 ''No, 'twouldn't do, mother; thank you all the same."
 Twilight of the November day was shutting in when John Barker, return ing to his house, missed the accustomed fire-glow in the windows.
 Whats up? No fire-no wifeI No wonderl' he ejaculated again, as he went out and took a view of the wood yard.
 After fifteen minutes work with his ax, he carried in an armful of wood and kindling, and had bright fire cracking and snapping in the stove by the tina his w1fe's cheery voice was heard.
 'Pve had a real frolic, John," she said, tugging in basket, from which she laid out several loaves of bread and number of light, puffy biscuits. "I couldn't find any wood, so just hitched up old Bill and went over to mothers to bake my bread"
 There was not the slightest shade of reproach in her tones, but John felt a jingle of modification at what had oc- cured, and resolved that it should not happen again, and so he assured Susan, with great fervor.
 And the next day he went vigorously to work to keep his word. Logs, some freshly feIled, others which had fallen through decay, were hauled from the piece of timber land belonging to the farm, and for 6 week all hands sawed and chopped with will. Then the re suits were flung pell nell into the wood shed, and John, who had never learned at home to look far enough ahead to think of providing seasoned wood from year to year, felt proud of having done his duty like man.
 And Susan, as she worried through that winter with wood green or decayed, too short or too long for the stove, made mp her mind (and she had a good deal of mind of her own to make up) that