Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-05-30
He WOuldn't Swap After All.


There is an old ballad of the farmer
who boosted that he did as much work
in day as his wife could do in seven.
She answered his challenge by propos-
ing he should stay ut home and she
would 60 into the field.,c After giving
him careful directions for his work next
morning, she left the house and did not
come until night. She found the old
man with his head tied up where the
COW had kicked him blind; the milk all
soaking in the ground; the hens strayed
away and all their eggs laid where the
old man could not find them; the calf
missing and everything gone wrong,
everything topsy-turvey. The old
farmer took it all back and agreed that
1t was his wife who could do more
work in day than he could do in
seven.
A New York young fellow, hauled up
last week before magistrate for laZi-
ness and refusal to support his wife,
had very much the same notion OF
woman's work rs the old farmer in the
ballad. In answer to the Judges ques-
tons he grumbled that he was sick and
tired of standing behind counter all
day, and therefore took a mt. h-needed
rest. But the baby and | starve in the
meantime, demonstrated the wife. He
said he loved hcr too well for that, but
she couldn't expect a fellow to kill him.
self, could she? She naturally thought
there was very little danger of that.
Then sudden thought struck him.
"Tll tell you what I'll do, Nellie" said
he. ''You take my place in the store
and / will attend to ;he household
duties" His wife expressed a good
deal of amusement at the idea, but he
repeated his offer. you must have a
NICE time" said he, your work is
awfully easy" The wife answered she
would be only too glad of the change,
and agreed to swap occupations
Nov" said she, you must get up in
the morning and make the fire., prepare
the breakfast, mind the baby" The
husband stopped her right there, and
gave her to understand that she would
have to take the baby TO the store with
her. 'Not n bit of it, was her
answer. You are taking care of the
household and that's a part of it," He
protested that. rs she knew, the baby 5
crying made him almost crazy, but She
insisted that ii be took her place he
must look to her duties. She told the
magistrate she was willing to take her
husbands place in the store, and that
| official was about to arrange the affair
on that basis. Just here her husband
was very skeptical about her being able
to stand it; thought she had better at
tend to the household and he would 60
back TO the store. The Justice re-
marked that 1.-The baby settled him, -
which was n much wiser observation
than some of the more elaborate and
longer decisions which come from the
| bench.
As matter of fact man is not
well-fitted to endure the petty annoy
ances and has no patience with the
petty cares which make up a large
part of 'women's domestic work. II
women have no business tact or capa-
city. men, on the other hand, have lit
tie of the infinite painstaking in the
dull routine of house service that
women attend to every day in their
lives. The affair seems 10 have been
pretty well arranged by Providence.
The backs and The burdens of the sexes
seem murialiy and respectively adj
| justed To Que another, and so the world
wobbles on after its fashion o. the last
several thousand years, and is moi
likely, in thi, respect at least, to fly
the track iors good many years "a
come. Detroit Free Press.