The Mineral argus., 1884-12-18
An English Farmers Wife.

yves up at four o'clock, for yer
must be up betimes, the young poultry
are soft, and can't bide long whites with
out food. At quarter to four I steps
out of my bed just sharp like, and sings
out to the girls, and they slips forth
from bed as quick al ever they may,
and we jumps on with u cloths and
minds our beasts, whatever it may be
that God has given us to look after.
And then at seven o'clock Bilston and
all of us have breakfast. We has home
made bread, and there's bread and milk
for the gals; and we always has a slip
of bacon on Sundays. After We have
had breakfast continued Mrs. Bilston,
master he bids they settle theyselves,
and we all sits this wise-Polly there,
and Tom yonder, and Bilston in his
armchair, and the good woman enumer-
ated and showed me exactly where
each member of her family sat.
Then the master he calls for the
family Bible, as belonged to his grand
mother, in which is written how his
fathers sister died of the measles when
she was 4 years old; and he begins at
the first chapter of Genesis and works
right on forward like till the book is
ended, and then he starts and begins
again. He always reads one chapter,
and never no more and never no less
and when anything as he thinks applies
like he says to one of them, Now, you
take and mind that, my lad or my
wench' as the case may be; and then
when he has said a few words of learn
ing and minding we get up, and each of
us goes off to his or her business. L
churns regular three times a week, and
the girls they get off to making the
beds or scrubbing, or may be to the
calves or to the poultry. There's always
work for the willing. Then by IL
o'clock we're all in again; and after the
gals and the boys has a-made theyselves
tidy-for I can't do with no dirt about
their hands and faces at ~meal-while
we sits down; and we has most times
broth, and rice or sagy pudding, and
Winter times an apple tart, or, for a
treat like, a jam roll; and then there's a
class of cider for Bilston and the men,
and there's milk for the rals. And aft
err we've done-that's saying, when alls
have eaten up clean and neat whatever
father or myself has a-g1ven them-we
goes out, all but Polly, who clears away,
and washes up and puts back all the
pewter; and then we minds the beasts
again till 4 o'clock, when we comes IN
and has tea, which L keeps in the tea
caddy as my mother a-gave me when |
married, and which l always keeps lock-
ed-for | won't have no trifiing with
the tea; and after tea we drives in the
poultry to roost, and we stalls the cal
yes and such like mesh beasts for the
night, And after that the gals
come, and they out with their needle
and thread; and to make the work go
merry we sings such songs as 1 used to
learn by times when / was a chit, such
as Cherry Ripe Little Boy Blue, and
Sally in u Alley, and all the while
we darn fathers stockings or make the
/ boys new shirts, or may be the gals
make their own gowns-but L won't
have no furbelows nor punching about
behind or before, as such-like folly on
ly binders their gait and makes them
vain with fippery. Then there's often
the sheets to mend or the underlinen
to put to rights. And ! always keep
they sweet with lavendy, as does a body
good to smell and seem well and pleas
ant-like for any one in bed. And at 8
o'clock we all get to bed, and L goes
round rooms at the half hour, for ]
won't stand no candles burning after
such whites, for it be a danger to the
house and a folly to themselves. THE
Nineteenth Century.