The Northern Pacific farmer., 1884-07-24
= N
- r II you yourlp
~ "a Would keep rom slips
" Five things observe with carel
"a OF whom you speak,,
8 To whom yon speak,
ea''@ End how, and when; and where.
If you your ears
Would save from jeers,
These things keep meekly hid:
Myself and I,
And mine and my,
And how do or did.
MRS. BARKER'S WOOD


Sidney Dayre in Arthur's Magazine
"No Wood!"
Mrs. John Barkers eyes wandered in
dismay around the unpromising-looking
wood yard. Two or three green logs
lay there; against one of which an Ak
leaned ID a cleft formed BY 81 stoye
length Being half chopped off; =; Her
husband and his hired help, consisting
of man and boy, had just gone to their
work on distant part of the farm, and
sheknew She should see neithersof them
before dark.
What should she do? Half inpatient
ly she turned toward the house, with q
thought of pan of light dough waiting
inside, she began to gather some of the
chips which lay around; only to fling
them down again.
"1t's no use. can't bake bread with
these: II 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 Y a horse
to light buggy
~~"Mother and the girls will Think I'm
Crazy" she said to herself, ~"but T can't
help that I swung the ak once and
ached for a 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
I miles: which lay between her own house
and her mothers. Arriving there she
carried IN her pan, and set it down
with laugh. >.
"There, mother. I've come to bake
my bread. John and the others went
off without leaving me any wood, and
had to do it or let it spoil. Men will
forget, you know"
She was not going to blame him to
others, nor let them imagi how often,
since She had gone as q bride to John
Barker's new house ouly last spring
she had had this same trouble about
wood. -~-,. - ..-
"That's right. Set it right down
here by the fire, Susan, so TIL get het
up before you knead it into loaves.
Yes, they will; and if any mans to be
excused for not keepin' wood on hi S
mindit's John Barker, if there's any
thing in blood, and Isay there is. His
father was just so--a real forehanded
man, good 'prosider, and took proper
pride in. shavin' things spick and span
about him, 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 with Johns mother and see her
have the greatest time scrapin' up a
few chips or shakin' the snow off sticks
of miserable green wood"
Johns wife turned away her face as
she. took off her things, for fear her
| friends would see in, her face how near
" her own experience was already be-
coming like tothat of Johns mother.
. s'I used to Tell her," went on her
mother, |'that shed ought to train him
better when he was young. Men do
need trainin', you know! Now, like as
not, John takes little after his father
nobody could wonder at it-and !
wish father could haul you over a load
or two of his"good seasoned wood, but
I s'pose 'twouldn't do-eh, Susan?"
mo, 'twouldn't do, mother, thank
you all the same.'
Twilight of the November day was
ehutting in when John Barker, return
ing to his house, missed the accustomed
fire glow in the windows.
"What'sup! No fire! no wife No won
der?'" 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 a bright fire cracking
and .enapping in the stove by the time
his wife's CHEEKY voice was heard.
'sI've had real frolic, john" she
said, tugging in basket, from which
she laid out several loaves of bread and
number of light, puffy biscuits. II
couldn'tf find any wood, SO just hitched
up old Bill and drove over to mothers
to bake my bread"
There was not the slightest shade Of
reproach in her tones, but John felt a
tingle of modification at what had oc-
Cured and resolved it should not hap
l hoo
great favor.
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 timberland belonging to the
farm, and fora Week all hands chopped
and sawed with will. Then the re-
suits were flung pell-meu into the wood
shed, and John, who had never learned
at home to look far enough ahead tc
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 quite q
| good deal of mind of her own to make
up) that she would never worry through
such another, remembering some sensi-
BILE advice her sensible energetic mother
had given her when she left home.
"Bear things, Susan Theirs lots of
things has to be borne in this world
and them that learns to bear 'em best's
the best off. Men will be trying, and il
women can't be patient it's apt TO make
trouble. But mind-when say bear
I mean there's reason in all things, and
/ don't mean you should bear things
that's out of all reason. If woman II
let herself be trod on she's sure to be
trod on, and them that does it'll never
thank her for it or look up. to her for it.
Bear what's. reasonable, Susan, but il
things goes beyond reason, why then
look out for yourself"
It came about when the next October
term of the circuit court was in session
John was drawn on the jury, and had to
be away for two weeks.
"Why, what in the worlds this, Su-
SAM" he said, staring into the wood
shed when he got home the second Sat-
urday. -
"That's my winters supply of wood, u
said Susan.
"And how in thunder did it get there
and in such good shape, too" He
gazed at it in astonishment.
1t was in good shape. Row after
i Il