The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-06
A DOMESTIC EXPERIMENT.

"Indeed." said his wife, absently.
"And if there isn't any fall in the
price of fruit he said, ''our peach
orchard is going to net us a cool hun
dred dollars"
AS he spoke he flung the homespun
towel, with which he had been wiping
his hands over the back of the chair.
"Oh, George, do hang up the towel
said Mrs White, ''the nail is just as
near the chair-back, and Ihave enough
steps to take in the course of the day,
without waiting on you"
"You are always grumbling about
something" said the young farmer,
as he jerked the towel to its nail.
'"There, Does that suit your"
"Here is letter from Cousin Dora,
George, said Mrs. White, wisely avoid
ing the mooted question. "She wants
to come here and board for few
weeks"
"Well let her come" said White. "It
won't cost us a great deal, and a little
extra money always counts up at the
years end"
ttBut George, was thinking"
"About what?'
"Why, | am so hurried with the,
work, and there is so much to do"
''That is the perpetual burden of
your song" said Mr.. White, irritably,
"Women do beat allfor complaining. !"
"Won't you hear me out? said Mrs.
White, $50 thought it good plan to
me with the house-work a little. 1t
would accommodate her, and it will ac
commodate me-"
"But it won't accommodate meI' said
Mr.. White, cavalierly. "Really, Lefty,
you are getting absolutely lazy"
Mrs. White crimsoned.
"No one ever said that of me be-
fore, "said she.
"But just look at it" said the far
mer. ''Tell me of any other woman
in the neighborhood who keeps a girl!
why, they make boast of doing their
own work"
"'They all have sisters, or mothers,
Or grown up daughters; have none"
"Pshaw!" said White ridiculous!
OF course you have to work. We all
do, don't we? But your work don't
amount to row of pins. I don't
know of any woman who has it easier
than yon do"
'"That is all you know about itl'
said Lefty, in a choked voice.
"Write to Dora that we'll board her
for five dollars a week." said White,
athoritatively. "Wemust earn all the
money we can while there is chance.
Make the hay while the sun shines,
eh? And | guess you'll do as well as
other women do, Lefty. Now run up
stairs to the garret, dear, and get me
my blue jean overalls, that's good
girl!''
Lefty obeyed, but the tears were in
her eyes, and a big round ball was ris-
ing up in her throat, and she could
hardly see the jean overalls, as they
hung up high on end of the beams.
AS she reached up a loose board in
the garret floor tripped her; her foot
slipped through on the laths and plas-
ter below, and, with agroan, she sank
to the floor.
The time passed on, and George
White grew tired of waiting.
He shouted up the stairway:
"Look alive there, Lefty! Do you
mean to be all day."
But no answer came. He ran up
stairs, to find Lefty lying on the floor,
with one leg broken, just above the
ankle.
"Now you'll have to get some one to
do the work." said Lefty, not without
a spice of malice, as she lay on the
calico-covered settee, with her poor
ankle duly set and bandaged.
tNot if I know it," said George
White. "Hire a lazy woman who'll
want dollar and half week, and
her board into the bargain, to do the
work of this house? Iguess not!"
"But what are you going to do2"
asked Lefty.
s"To do it myself, to-be-sure. Half
an hour every morning, and half an
hour every evening ought to be enough
to square up accounts"
"Well," said Mrs. White, ''I shall
Just like to see you do it."
''Then you'll have your wish," said
her husband.
He rose early the next morning and
lighted the kitchen fire.
"Phaw," said he, as he piled on the
sticks of wood, 'twhat does a woman
amount to anyhow? What's the next
lesson, Letty?"
"I always skim the cream and
strain the milk" said Lefty, who,
bolstered up on the lounge, and was
combing her hair with more delibera-
tion than she had practiced for a
year.
''Well, here goes then," said George
And a period ofsilence ensued.
Presently he shouted:
81 haven't got milk-pans enoughr'
"Of course you haven't said Let
ty. 'EYou must scald your yester-
days. You know you said you
couldn't set up a tin-shop when asked
for dozen morel last month"
t'They smelllike a fat-boiling facto-