The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-05-28
ROUGH PLACES.

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us hands at the sink after oiling his
lew horse rake.
"That is bad, Jennie You will
nave to let your washing 60 till to-
morrow; then you can borrow Mrs.
Se)den's tub"
But this will all fall to pieces if it
stands, and we are expecting COM
pany tomorrow"
II can't help it; | can't stop the
work to 60 off with it now. You
must make hay when the sun shines
if YOU DO it al all. Can't you tie it
up, so that it will do to-day? Ishould
think you might"
"Perhaps so, if you will hep me.
What can take?"
"Oh, anything for this time; but
really | Ought not to stop a minute.
Where is your clothes-line?"
The colored clothes are on it to
dry
Hang them on the fence and let's
have it quick"
So Mrs. Alden trotted out and
moved her clothes and took the line
down, while Mr.. Alden stood in the
door and whistled impatiently.
"Do mop up this water, Jenny.
How can you stand in such a puddle?
There, forgot to get you a new mop
handle, but you can make it 60 to-
day can't you?"
Il suppose | shall have to. You
promised to get one three weeks ago,
when you broke this"
II know did, but | never think Of
it-a man has so many things to see
to. There, that will go this week; it
doesn't leak much. don't see what
made it break.
The hoop rusted out. The old tub
has done good service; it has been in
use l5 years.
There, confound it! What did you
leave the washboard there for? l
have broken it all to pieces"
at is worn out and rotten. wish
you would get me a new one. | can
never tinker it up again"
Rub your clothes with your hands;
my mother always did, and she never
had a washboard in her life."
Alden marched off to the hay field
before he met with another catas-
trOphe to take up his time.
He was hardly out of sight before O.
tin-peddler's cart stopped at the door,
containing a collection of all articles
used in g family, from washtubs down
to brooms, mops and pins.
Anything i'll the way of trade, Mrs.
Alden, today" asked the man.
"No, think not. My husband does
not like me to buy of peddlers. He
says always get cheated"
"Have you not as good right to
have suitable apparatus to work with
as he has? He has new horse-rake,
and hay-tedder, and his wife is wash.
ing in tub tied up with rope, and a
washboard that looks as if Noah IS wife
brought 1T out of the ark, and leaky
water pail, a dipper without handle,
broken mop handle-bless me! Mrs.
Alden What is the use? You had
more money when you were married
than he had, and | would have tools
to work with that were comfortable,
to say the least. He never stops to
think what thing costs, If he needsit
or if it will make his work easier. 1t
tires you more to get along with these
things than it does to do your work. /"
Mrs. Alden sat down and looked the
property over. 1t was ridiculous to
get along in this way. The peddler
was right; she had more money than
her husband when they started life,
and she had worked harder than ever
he had. She had managed every way
to get along and he never thought she
needed any thing new or convenient.
Her setting obt was almost worn out
and nothing was ever replaced. ''You
must make it do; it costs everything
to livel"-and so shehad dragged along
year after year, and things wore out
and were not replaced. A big lump
rose in her throat as she sat there
thinking.
What do you ask for your wash
tubs?" she inquired at length
1.-TWO dollars for the large ones; a
dollar and quarter for the next size.
Mop-handles for a quarter, wash
boards quarter, dippers twenty cents,
brooms thirty I.
Hand me down two washtubs, II
you please -one of each size; a zinc
washboard, too"
"Ycs; and pail and dipper, too2 1
would have them"
And she did have them, and sundry
other necessary things, amounting IN
all to the little sum OF $12. She paid
in barter, such as feathers, rags, eggs,
dried apples and butter, and went to
work with renewed courage; but she
knew that her husband would growl
at the outlay and expected regular
tempest at dinner.
She was not disappointed. But she