Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-07-31
MOST MOTHERS KNOW '1ER.
The Thoughtless Woman who flinders
Her NeiEhbors with Her Gossip.

The Thouchtless Woman who flinders
Her Neishbors with Her Gossip.
We are all acquainted with her, the wom-
an who never goes, who drops in for a call
in the busiest part of the morning-it little
matters whether it is washing day or iron
Ing dav 1t is all the same to her Your
irons may grow cold and the clothes may
boil over, but still she stays. She usually
mentions that she has dropped in on n lit
tie errand It is probably a borrowing err
rand Only after she has exhausted your
patience and produced as much demorali-
yation in your household as she can is she
ready to so.
But oh, the goingl you have any idea
that she is really going you are quite GER
tain to he disappointed. She comes back
TO tell you about some neighbor you had
never seen or ever desired to see, to explain
the why's and wherefores of certain goings
on in the neigh borhood, in which you take
pointerest, and then she fingers at the door
and keeps you standing far beyond your
strength. 1t is impossible to calculate the
time that is wasted by well meaning wom-
ell in such ways as these.
II would he an excellent thing II calls of
all kinds could in some way be limited to a
ten minute rule. In the social world among
women of leisure it is considered in bad
form to lengtben ones visit beyond set
period and when a woman has numerous
Rcquaintances she usually has a visiting
day and can be certain of freedom from in
terruption during the rest of her time.
There is considerable excuse for the much
abused mot at home" which is frequently
used by women of society, and which
simply means not ut home to visitors, or
engaged, and there is no reason for any
ones taking otfcnse In the matter.
Only working women, the busy farmers
wives or women who do their own work,
are subject to the annoyance of the unan-
nounced visitor, who is bound by no social
law as to her arrival or departure or her
length of stay She is one uncertain guam
tity in all the routine of the household. 1t
would take n keen mathematician to calcu-
late the amount of spoiled dinners, spoiled
washing and actual loss Of money value
for which she is responsible, to say nothing
of the loss Of temper and general misery
consequent upon a disarranged household
delayed duties and work put ont of joint
The very worst effect is that upon the
visitor herself. Her own work must go
awry while She spends her time gossiping
about the neighborhood. Her own charac-
ter deteriorates, while she becomes what
our grandmothers were wont to call a
"gadabout." Though she may have the
most amiable intentions when she uncon-
sciously repeats the interesting stories of
the peighborhood, the temptation to en-
large, 10 impugn motives when possibly
there were no motives, is likely to render
her in time a veritable scandal nonger,
upon whose word no person of sense will
place any reliance.
1t Is not necessary to dwell upon the folly
of borrowing but it is enough to say that
all provideut and sensible housekeepers
provide for the future and do not allow
themselves 60 impose upon the good nature
of their neighbors.-N York Tribune.