The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1890-01-03
EBENSBURG. PA FRIDAY. JANUARY 3. 1890.

stitches on a two-feet-by-three rugi
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 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
rufied and tucked and embroidered
pillow-shams, and-well, all the rest
1t makes me sick at heart to see Ii 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 amusemen.s, and gym
pathize with him, and he can't play
in the dirt because he viii soil his
clothes or course the husband has
the same treatment Ha has 10 be
very careful about throwing his papers
about or making litter in tho 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 mani 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 he to
morrow She is a new neighbor, you
know, and l will tell you beforehand
just what / shall find i 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 smen-if it were anywhere but
in Colorado IL would be musty. The
lady will raise a shade and let in
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 will be painfully neat and un-
used / shall scarcely have introduced
myself until she begins to bemoan her
lot on account Of this dusty country.
She will tell me that l. i 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.
II tell you that woman Is dying by
inches of fancy work and lack of sun
shine and pure air. She tells me that
her disease is not hereditary, but she
was always a delicate child, and it was
brought on by a hard cold. A hard
cold, indeed! How could any one keep
any lungs and sit all day by north
window crouChed over those fendish,
shining need esq"
Aunt Matilda's usually mild brown
eyes flashed Indignantly and then
filed with sudden tears.
.Oh, my dears, the pity OF it, And
to think that she is only one of many.
l saw a whole stack of Home Journals
and Journals of Fancy Work, and
fashion magazines. but not one single
useful book or paper in the house.
Talk about the suppression of i'm
proper literature. / sometimes think
journals of fancy work and fashion
ought to be included in the list, for
they surely do tempt weak-minded wom-
en- to their ruin. L meant to go homo
next month, but you will have to keep
me a spell longer, Martha- I've a
clear call to missionary labor in the
red house over there / must have
the phaeton at least two or three hours
every day-for she won't be able TO
walk far at first and you must help
me hunt up all the poor children you
know and IL she must sew she shall
make plain garments for them. But /
don't mean to let her touch a needle
for month If 1 can help 1t. How
will L manage it? You'll see Where
there will there's way"
And in Aunt Matilda's case we
knew this to be true--Ella Beecher
Cuttings, IN Chicago Advance
AIIMOROIIS