New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-12-18
AN INHERITED VICE.

stairs. .
t.Did / wipe off the what?" asked
the person spoken to, with a puzzled
air.
He was young man, handsome and
well-dressed, with frank, jolly face.
He stood a second waiting for an
answer. the pitcher of foaming cider
in his hand. He turned to his COM
panion, pretty, delicate looking girl,
who seemed amused at his per-
plexity.
''What did your mother say?'' asked
the young man Of the girl beside him,
after waiting a minute.
''She asked if you'd wiped off the
cider barrel, y she replied, half laugh
ing. Here, Harry and she led the
way to where, in a row, under the
stairs. as many cloths were hanging
as there were barrels, and taking one
down, she handed it to him, saying:
'This is the cider barrel cloth.''
He looked at it curiously and then at
her.
500 you mean to say" he asked,
shat your mother wipes the noses-I
beg your pardon, I mean the faucets,
of every one of those barrels every
time they are used?"
why, yes" she said, with dignity;
''why shouldn't she?''
He took the cloth meekly, and
tenderly wiped off the damp faucet
with it, and then hung it back on its
own special nail.
''Well," he exclaimed, ':that beats
me! I've heard Of neatness and order
before, but I never saw anything like
this! don't believe your mother will
half enjoy her halo. she'll be so busy
scrubbing it all the time"
The young girl didn't laugh. She
went up the stairs, saying as she went:
sDon't you like to have things clean?
I can't bear Dirt
Cant you?" he said lightly. ..Now
| revel in it! All the most picturesque
things in life are the dirtiest, you
know"
They came together into the dining
room, where a TALL thin woman was
putting the finishing touches to we'll
spread supper table.
Her one daughter, Jennie, was en-
gagged to Harry Jackson. He was
going to take her away from her old
home to the city, and one would have
thought that the approaching separa-
ton from her only child would have
weighed heavily on Mrs. Putnam. But
it didn't. To tell the truth, she was so
very busy keeping things clean that
she had never had much time for
emotions of any kind.
Harry jackson was not rich, though
he had a good position in a railroad
company, with those prospects of
rising" so dear to every young mans
heart.
1t was in March that he was mar
ried, and after a. little trip, which some
how was not as rapturous as he had
anticipated, he brought Jennie back
with him, and they went to housekeep-
ing. He had almost furnished their
little home, but she was to add the last
touches and make all the final arrange
ments that women love. She was de-
lighted with every thing.
One morning after they had been
home about week she said to her hus-
band:
Harry, do you know those portieres
are going to be very hard to keep clean?
They are so heavy. I wish you would
send man, up to beat them this week"
''Why, Jennie" he answered, ''they
haven't been up a month. They sure
ly can't need cleaning already
Eyes, they do she answered firmly;
they're all dust in the folds. I was
looking at them yesterday; and while
the man is here he might as well beat
the rugs, too
Her husband kissed her.
what a little housewife it is, to be
sure!" he said lovingly. 'Well dear,
I'll try and snare a man and send him
up to-day" and he went down the
street whistling.
He did notsuspectit, but the inherit
ed vice had shown its cloven hoof.
He was sure of it, when Jennie pro-
posed to clean house in May.
4'Why, Jennie he expostulated,
this house was put in thorough order
not two months ago!''
Il know it," she said, sand it isn't
very dirty, to be sure, but it will be SO
long to let it go till fall, and the spring
always seems such a good time to clean
in, and I feel so well now.''
Her arguments carried the day, and
for over week she revelled in scrub
women and soap-suds.
Harry, coming home one evening,
was surprised to see his entire ward
robe hanging upon the clothes-line.