The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-12-31

fA'o sure GnaG we women
VINO i've on farms would live happier
II we devised something little out of
the ordinary course, something that
we could amuse ourselves with. Won
4 know. | think there is too much
hard, unattractive labor in the life of
inc average farmers wife. Thew all
oreaK down under it. Some of them
grow old and haggard, and give ont
when they ought to be in The very
prime OF health and strength: and
some OF them go to the insane "
iums. 1t is the awful ROUTINE ost
Kills them, you know. Itw asa. rew
to me when L first came here. anI +
nau always had good time, and be.
iore L knew it l was settling down
INTO groove, and growing tired and
SAD, SO that wanted to cry half the
Tune, and didn't in the least know
what about. But suddenly realized
where was drifting, and started m,
and got few playthings in order.
Nv
Nov don't laugh. I did about as
much work as ever, am sure, but
found time to arrange some flowers in
the bare yard, and to plant seeds, and
TO put shade tree here and there, and
to set the vines to trailing about the
door and over every window. I start
ed little vineyard, too, and L set
fruit trees wherever there was room
Tor one about the place. l bought o
stand Of bees from neighbor, and
placed under a tree in the corner of
the yard. And il corner of the gar
den | started straw berry bed, for |
DO love Strawberries, and they grow
here so nicely. l had some fine chick
ems, too, which were too fine to be
Kept with the common BARNARD
towels, and had to have little run of
Ihelr own. Now, | suppose you think
L was only making more work for N.Y.
self with all this, but was not. used
them to rest with. They were all SO
different from what / had been doing,
you see. That is the whole secret. 1t
was treat TO go TO my flowers and
bees, after n days housekeeping. And
they have all concludes now tR.t INV
playthings are more Profitable than
anything else about the place. A
stranger offered us double what the
place is really worth the other oav,
merely attracted 10y the beauty of the
flowers and vines; but no, thank you,
this little home is not for sale. And
| wish you could have 81 en- the grapes
that came from those vines last year.
And now | have twelve stands of bees
and have sold a great many, and finer
strawberries than mine were never
seen, and we are preparing to plant
several acres next year. And, oh, my
playtime has been a great pleasure to
mo, while it has done so much for the
others.n
~
These little suggestions seemed to
me so pleasant and practical that |
wondered if many others could not be
pursuaded to give them q trial. In
many homes that 1 know they are
sadly needed. How few farm houses
are surrounded with flowers, or
Swallowed with vines! In how MANY
of them do a few old broken, stray
giing trees fill the place of an orchard!
How few farmers make any provision
tor those delicate fruits and berries
which make the poorest table fine
enough for king, and which. in the
generous climate of Texas, are within
the reach OF everyone! Let the women
of the household look to it, and pro-
vide recreation for themselves while
at the same time they are identifying
their homes.
~
1.-The bad boy of the family-how
many heartaches does he cause; how
many sleepless nights. and anxious
days" There is no doubt that tho
mother often feels quite hopeless and
worn out, as though she were being
made the sport OF unrelenting fate.
She has tried, from his babyhood up.
to train up her boy as she thinks he
ought to go, and now he is going
very different way. She has tried to
make him gentlemanly, courteous,
refined, and he is rough and boorish
instead, and fills her quiet rooms
with the voice OF a Stentor, and the
stride of grenadier. Indeed, he is
a sore disappointment to her in MANY
ways. She nisses-and misses with
an aching heart-the Tenderness she
expected from him when he was
helpless babe in her arms. Oh, the
mother of bad boy has hard lot,
not to be enyied OF any mortal.
Xxx
Doubtless she has looked many time
on some other woman, bending bro
ken hearted over little coffin lid and
has felt half disposed to envy her even
such grief as that Truly it is hard to
lay the little ones away to sleep, but
one feels so certain of them, in their
glad Immortality of youth and love!
One misses the patter Of the tiny feet,
but to think that now they never can
go astray! One listens and listens for
the sound of the baby voice, but how
sweet TO know, at least, that it can
nevor take on rough utterance or i'm
pure speech and become of earth
earthly! And so the mother whose
boy has lived to be disappointment
To her looks Will comet Hmm lilco or, LIZ