Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-10-31

oullClcHb W PciHdHcntiy ueStfOy the
family peace. Why. some of the hap
piest families know have inmates who
are hopeless inyalids, and all the other
members seem to make a point of be-
ing bright and CHEEKY To- their sakes.
No, there is something more than this
trouble over there. Never mind, !
shall find out by and by"
A few days later she called to me as
was passing through the hall.
"Come here, my dear. Come and
look out OF my window.
a am on the right track now. /
told you should find out. DO you
see?"
Il do not understand you, auntie, !"
| said.
"Why, just look at the clothes on
the line. back of the red house. See
that petticoat. Ithas yards and yards
of knitted thread-laee on it--actually
hand knitted. child. just think of it,
every stitch of the millions of them
requiring four motions OF the hand!
More than that, see that knitted coun-
terpane
1T is lovely. auntie," could not
help saying.
Lovely! Yes. il one did not think OF
the woman's life-blood that went into
it. and Of the child's happiness that
went into ii. of the widower and
orphan soon to be made by t. Why,
think. Uetty. what Il costly quilt it is!
Likely they he'd to break up coy
home at the East, and sacrifice prop
erty and business interests there to
come here for her health. And you
can buy a beautiful Marseilles quilt
for ten dollars! Yes, very good one
for five. Five paltry dollars and
think what went into that! | walked
past the front of the house yesterday,
and there were fine hand-knitted cur
tains at the windows. Why, even
those check gingham kitchen aprons
hanging there have cross-stitch en-
broidery three or four inches deep
And the rugs that she hangs out on
the line every day--all nand work!
One has little cloth circles buttoa-hole
stitched 10 a tion-pyramids OF
them thousands of embroidery
stitches on a two-feet-by-three rug!
A yard of Moquette or Wilton carpet
could be bought for two dollars or
less. and you know yourself, Hetty,
that it is twice as pretty and durable
for a rug"
perhaps she does not do all this
work herself. 1t may be given to her,
or she may buy it of poor invalids
who can do nothing else"
mo. child. she does it herself.
see her sit by her kitchen window
every day knitting and crocheting, OH
SO steadily! 1t is a north window
too The sitting-room fronts south.
and she can not sit there because the
sunlight would fade her carpets. The
shades are nearly always close down.
And the poor child wanders about the
yard looking so homesick and lonely
that my heart aches for him. His
clothes are nice and fit beautifully, and
his linen is starched and polished and
fresh every day. She does her own
ironing. | see her bending for hours
over the ironing-board, and stopping
every little while to cough. Look at
that line now, Hetty, and see what she
has before her this week. There are
six white shirt-waists for the boy,
plated every one and to be done with
the polishing-lron; then there is that
skirt first showed you, and pair OF
rufiled and tucked and embroidered
pillow-shams, and-well, all the rest.
1t makes me sick at heart to see it and
think of that poor, starved little boy.
He has no mother. don't you see? Only
a nurse and laundress. She won't let
him run the street and get with bad
boys. She thinks she is very careful
about him, but she starves his very
soul. She has no time to an
swer questions for him and help
him plan amuscmen.s, and gym
pathize with him, and he can't play
in the dirt because he will soil his
clothes OF course the husband has
the same treatment. He has to be
very careful about throwing his papers
about or making litter in the house;
and when he comes home at night his
wife is too tired to talk and coughs a
great deal. The cough worries him,
and he feels that he ought to do some
thing more for her but he has done all
he can. poor man! The doctor has told
him to bring her to Colorado. and he
has done so-but she doesn't seem to
get much better. and she never will.
Hetty, till she stops that everlasting
knitting and fancy work and gets into
the sunshine, and takes an interest in
something outside OF her house-keep-
ing ! am going to call on her to-
morrow. She IS new neighbor, you
know, and will tell you beforehand
just what / shall find. | shall ring the
bell, and wait long time. Then /
shall hear doors open and shut, and
finally the key turned in the front
door. and shall be let in. The sitting
room will be dark and have close,
shut-up smell-if 1t were anywhere but
in Colorado it would be musty. The
lady will raise shade and let in a
little light. taking care to shut out
as much sunlight as she can by draw
ing the knitted curtains close. The
room will be literally crowded with
handmade fancy work. and every
thing viii be painfully neat and I'M
used. / shall scarcely have introduced
myself until she begins to bemoan her
lot on account Of this dusty country.
She will tell me that it IS simply i'm
possible to keep things clean. and that
she wears herself all out trying
The call was made. and Aunt Ma
tilda came home more indignant than
ever.
Il tell you that woman Is dying by
inches Of fancy work and lack Of sun.