Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-11-05


VI royal souls whose honest work at length
Shall yield our country life its needed strength
MRS. BARKER'S WOOD.
"No woodp
Mrs. John Bankers eyes wandered II
dismay around the unpromising look
ing wood yard. Two or three green
logs lay there, against one of which an
ak leaned in cleft formed by stove
length being half chopped off. He,
husband and his hired help, consisting
of a 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
~ she turned toward the house, and
then, with thought of the pan Of light
dough waiting inside, she began to
gather some OF the chips which Law
around, only to fling them down again.
"It's no use. I can't bake bread with
these. I know what I'll do"
She quickly washed the dinner dish
es 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 horse
to lig ht buggy.
Mother and the girls will think I'm
crazy" she said to herself, "but I can't
help that. l swung an ak once and
ached for month to pay for it, so I'm
not going 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
laugh.
here, mother. I've come to bake
my bread. John and the others went off
without leaving me any wood, and Ihad
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
Bankers new house only last spring,
she had had this same trouble about
wood.
"That's right Setit right down there
by the fire, Susan, SO till get bet 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 I say there is. His father
was just so-a real forehanded man.
good provider, and took proper pride in
h0uin' fhinopc c,oiob or1 e~oo,o ol>o,,A
but never seemin' to think what
bother it was to the women folks not to
have their wood handy. Many and
many's the time I've dropped into tea
to Johns mother and see her have the
greatest time a scrapin' up few chips
or shakin' the snow off sticks of misera-
bic green wood"
Johns wife turned her face as she
took off her things, for fear her friends
would see in her face how nearly her
own experience was already becoming
like that of Johns mother.
II used to tell her." went on her
mother shat she'd ought to trained him
better when he was young. Now, like
as not John takes little after his father
nobody could wonder at it-and I
wish father could haul you a load or
tw of his good seasoned wood s'pose
'twouldn'5 do-eh, Susan?"
mo, 'twouldn't do, mother; thank you
all the same"
Twilight of the November day was
shutting in when John Barker, returning
to his house, missed the accustomed
fire glow in the windows.
"What's up? no fire! no wife! No
wonderl" he calculated again, as he
went out and took view of the wood
yard.
After fifteen minutes work with his
Ak he carried in an armful of wood and
kindling, and had bright fire cracking
and swapping in the stove by the time
his wife's CHEEKY voice was heard.
Il have had real frolic, John" she said
Juggling in basket, from which she
laid out several loaves of bread and
number of light, puffy biscuits, 81
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 &C.
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 felled, others which had fallen
through decay, were hauled from the
piece of timber land belonging to the
farm, and for week all hands sawed
and chopped with will. Then the re-
suits were thrown pell NELL into the
wood shed, and John, who had never
learned to look far enough ahead to
think of providing seasoned wood from
year to year, felt proud at 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
up her mind (and she had a good deal
of mind of her own to make up) that
she would never worry through such
another, remembering some sensible ad-
vice her sensible, energetic mother had
given her when she left home. =,
4Bear things, Susan. There's lots of |
things has to be borne in this world, |
and them that learns to bear 'em best's
the best of all. Men will be trying, and |
if women can't be patient it's apt to |
make trouble. But mind when 1 say
bear I mean there's reason in all things, |
and I don't mean you should bear
things that's out of all reason. If q |
womanu let herself be trod on, she's
sure to be trod on, and them that does
itn never thank her for it or look up to /
her for it. Bear what's reasonable.
Susan, but it things 80 beyond reason,
why then look out for yourself"
It came about that when the next
October term of the circuit court was
in session. Iohn waa draun On