Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-11-15

wood in the. cellar. and for once
should like to enjoy a pretty fire.
| Mrs. b. appears Nth her s0orE.
Mrs. b. Yes. it is cozy to have a lit
tie fire such a cherries day as this,
and the house is very damp. I'm glad
you thought of it Don't You think
you had better take of the blower
now? You don't want your fire all
going up the chimney.
l Kate takes the blosoer off.
Kate. There, now, I call that pref
| ty fire, and want you to understand,
| mamma, that made it all myself, and
Mary had nothing to do with it
Mrs. B. Mary might have brought
you up some of those round sticks
which James sawed up the other day;
| they would burn so much more slowly.
Why don't yo,, run down cellar your
self and bring up two or three of them?
Kate. / think will go down. Mary
has so little idea of any thing but coal
! and kindling-wood; she declared that
\ those were the largest sticks to be
| found. Exit Kate.
Mrs. B. latter a feso moments rises
| and looks at the freJ. Perhaps 1 had
! better put on the blower again while
| Kate is gone; the fire seems to be dy-
1 ing down, and the smoke is certainly
| coming out into the room puts ON the
| 6ioaDer. I wish that Kate would not
be so set about insisting upon a wood
| fire, which is always more trouble than
it is worth; she takes her streak of OBJ
stinacy from her fathers side of the
house.
Enter Kate, soiab three large round
sticks.
Kate. / did find some lovely big
sticks, real logs, and-but why have
you put on the blower again, mother?
The fire was going beautifully; and
now you have filed the room with
smoke.
Mrs. B. On the contrary, it was be-
cause you took the blower off too soon
| that the smoke came out, and if had
not been here it would have been out
| by this time. When you are as old as
your mother, and have had as much
experience with wood fires, you may
know more about them.
Kate. Yes, that is always the way; if
try to make a fire, somebody comes
in and spoils it, and then says that it
is my fault, and that can not expect
| to make fire while under fifty years
of age.
Mrs. B. Now, Kate. you are getting
disrespectful. If you had not insisted
upon going down cellar for those
sticks l should not have touched the
blower; but now that you have brought
them, you had better put one on.
Kate takes off the bloacer and puts
on t,0o of the sticks.
Kate. 1t is going so nicely that 1
should think two would be none too
many. She replaces the bloUer. 1
want you to understand, mamma, that
do know something about a fire if
have not lived half a century. And
I'm sure that there is nothing simpler
than making a fire if one only uses
little common sense.
Mrs. B. Kate, that does not seem to
be kindling up very we'll. 1 think the
wood must be damp, and it would have
been better to have only put on one
stick, as told you at the time. Kate
takes off the 6lower.] Put on some
more kindlingwood and the blower
quick, it is smoking awfully.
GBloaDer hurriedky replaced.
Kate. That is because you made me
get those round sticks from the cellar.
How did / know that they were damp
Now the fire is almost out, and I'm
sure it is not my fault; it was going
beautifully until you came down and
began to suggest.
Mrs. B. 1t would have been much
better for me to have staid upstairs,
where was comfortable and happy
before you called me down, and then
the fire would have died natural
death, and you would have had no one
but yourself to blame.
Kate. Died a natural death! You
speak as though Twas merely amusing
myself by working to make fire, and
by bringing great logs from the cellar,
when the house is as cold as a barn,
and damp enough to make us all die
before long, and not of natural deaths,
either. / know that / have taken a
bad cold already, and / shall probably
have pneumonia before tomorrow.
l can't understand how. you and papa
could allow the furnace fire to go out
at this season of the year.
Mrs. B. Oh, Kate! Kate! what would
you have done if you had lived before
the time of furnaces, as l did? Young
girls had to exercise then to make
their blood circulate. / can't account
for your wishing to sit all day over a
register. 1t is absurd to say the house
is cold; it is very comfortable. If you
would do some active housework, you
would feel much better, and have some
of the rosy cheeks which were not so
rare in my generation.
Kate. 1t may be my misfortune, but
1 can't see why it is my fault, that /
was born a generation too late to look
like a dairy-maid; and am response
BILE if you and papa have made me sem
sitive by adopting modern improve
ments against your better judgment?
OF course, should have been just as
happy if had always been brought up
in ignorance of gas and hot-water pipes
and furnaces; but as it is, you can not
expect me to go to bed by one candle;
1 L Al