Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-24
THE WORKHOUSE GIRL.


aows, and that sort of thing; and think
I'll get gal from the workhouse."
Miss Parthenia Waldo held up her
hands in establishment.
"a gal from the workhousei" said
she. why, you'd regret it as long as
you lived. They don't teach them to
do there; they just slop about, scrub
up with brosm, turn cups to drain
without dryin' 'em-the awfullest drafts
you ever saw in all your ifel Ma had
one, and glad she was to get 'em to
take at the hotel"
81 mean to teach her my way"
said Mrs. Patterson. Them I teach
kin do; and | kin dress her for two
years out of the old things Martha
wouldn't hev when she went away.
She hadn't no need, and she never
half wore her clothes. Money is money,
and | shouldn't be as well off as l am
ef I'd wasted it. Two pounds month
Is too much to throw away when you
kin keep help for nothing"
well, perhaps you are right" said
Miss Waldo; ''and | should admire to
go and see what they'd got at the
workhouse along with you this after
noon; it would be good ride for US,
and rides is healthy"
Thereupon Miss Waldo, to whom
Mrs. Patterson was paying a visit,
called to the hired man, Job, to har-
ness Saltpetre to the carriage; and
shortly after rather rickety basket
phaeton, to which was attached
white horse, with large knobs at his
knees, a very ragged name, and one
I'D 70 ~
house; then the two ladies put on their
hats, went out, and entered the vehi-
Gle.
Mrs. Patterson, being very stout re-
suired some pushing, and when in,
weighed the phaetOn down on one
side, while that on which Miss Parthe-
MIA, who was very small and thin,
placed herself, was elevated in the air,
until Job, who was man of resour-
ees, bethOught him to put in ballast in
abe shape of box of old iron under
the seat on the lighter lady's side.
The equilibrium thus restored, the
two ladies logged on comfortably,
saltpetre hobbling at his own pace
until the workhouse was reached.
1t was long low building, destitute
of shade-the managers having appar-
emily decided that if a man could not
sit under his own vine and fig-tree, he
did not.deserye to have tree of any
sort provided for him at the public eX-
pense.
A row of hard wooden benches rang
cd against the whitewashed wall IN
one room accommodated four old men,
so, II you want her, there's only one
objection"
''What is thatp" asked Mrs. Patter-
son.
1.-THE minister's wife found it too
much to put up with" said the ma
tron. ''She jest hoI1ered out the min
nit told her. No. says she, that
ends it. Nothing supernatural kin be
right.
'Supernatral! Why, what on airth
Is it. wonderP" said Mrs. Patterson.
"You might wonder week without
guessing" replied the workhouse ma
tron. $50 I'll tell you. It's them
whispering voices"
.'Ehr' calculated Mrs. Patterson.
Voices that come to her like folks
was whispering" said Mrs. Coney
lowering her shrill tones and looking
over her shoulder. Spirits voices
''Why, Mrs. Coney, you turn me all
goose-heshw gasped Miss Parthenia
Waldo.
''She does me often" said Mrs.
Coney, AZ can tell you. The time old
Aunty Brick died she told me she
heard 'em say, One seat emptyr One
bed emptyr over and over for three
DAYS. The doctors wife she wanted
Selma, too, for she's handy; but she
,r;,. Il IL
wouldn't do for her. She thinks thaI
it's redheditary, or lfinreditary, or
whatever. What is that where your
folks kinder hands it down to you like
property? Her mother was gypsy
fortune-teller, and was taken sick and
died here. I'm sure | don't know. The
doctor don't believe III it all-thinks it
is her tricks. So should /, only she
found my new kid glove that | lost
said the voices told her to look under
the bench in the depot; and there it
was. And Billy, when he wandered
off one day, the voices said he was on
the bridge, and that was true. But if
who were at the moment much dis
turbed by the attacks of an idiotboy,
with no forehead on him to speak OF,
who went from one to the other, pok-
ing each with an old broom-handle,
and saying, ''Twitty witty, witty
witty" with the mOuotony of a Gagged
poll parrot; and on seats of the same
comfortable sort, in another room, sat
several old women in hideous calico
wrappers all of one pattern, who were
dismally hemming poor-house towels,
while young girl, small, black-hair-
81, 81
preternaturally crossed eyes, was en-
gagged in threading their needles, spec
tacles not being provided by the au-
thorities.
A pair of stairs descended into the
sitting-room, and as the ladies entered,
the floor above shook violently, and q
pair of big feet appeared on the top
step. ankles followed. then the hem of
a gingham-dress, then the rest of
portly female, who having descended,
shook hands with both ladies.
at is kind of you to come" she
said Il don't see nobody to speak to
from one weeks end to the other.
Selma. go into the next room and take
that stick away from Billy. He'll poke
old Cvicker's eyes out, and I'll be
blamed.
Take some seats, ladies-oh, there
amt none. Come to my room; We'll
De lots more comfortable there. Selma,
see to things till come back"
And she led the way to small
room, not ill-furnished, which opened
from the back of the hall.
ut is nice of you TO CALL" she said
again. 1--WE got some new cider and
q bit of cake-jest providential as it