The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-08-22

The Adventures OF q Woman Who Wants
FEY ON Her Tombstone.

The Adventures Of a Woman Who Wants
#. \. v. ON Her Tombstone.
Two women were discussing 'mottoes
and monograma 81 don't care anything
about the precious things while am
alive" said one OF them. "but I'm going
to have II. F.V. carved on my tombstone.
"But Thought you were Northerner,"
said her companion.
so am" rejoined the first. r. =.
v. doesn't mean anything Virginian In
my case, but merely fcored by the nan
nsls OF virgil;' he's nv husband you
know, and his shirts have turned my hair
gray, toppled me over the brink OF nerv-
Gus prostration and will ere long drive
me to suicide"
81 suppose he wears white suits In sum-
mer and gets grass stains on them" sug-
gested the other speaker, a plump little
body who looked as il IL would take mnch
more substantial worries than speckless
specks, or spots of any description TO
ruffie her, serenity. "They are an awfui
nuisance"
''No, am talking about just plain
everyday undershirts," replied the COM
plaiuant, who had tipped back her rock
ing chair and was looking up street
through the piazza curtain OF dropping
woodbine "when married VIRGIL | took
him for better or for worse but never
reckoned upon the washing OF his Han
nels."
81 don't see that they're any worse than
other washing" said the plump woman:
looking puzzled "and besides, why need
you wash at alli I've heard you say your
Katie was the smartest girl you u had In
n long time"
yes" said the flannel remonstrant,
"Katie does all the rest OF the wash and
does il nicely, but you know flannels
can't be washed, and yet you never feel
as If you had done your full duty by
them until you have tried yourself and
failed"
Cant be washed What do you
"Just what said. OF course you can
get the dirt out of them, but when you
have been through the process a certain
number of times you have to train a
microscope on the tub TO nnd what gone
with your fannels."
"You mean they shrink"
II mean was looking over my attic
chests "A while ago and it occurred to me
that instead OF adopting an orphan boy,
as l hal thought might some time do to
wear out Virgips shrunken hannels, l
was forced to face the fact that IL j meant
to do the thing in any sort OF adequate
style / should have TO found an orphan
asyium. Virgips stored undershirts are
treasure from which / could fit out any
number of children of any age from three
months to l3 years-always provided the
l3year-olders were city children aud not
too well grown"
II know they do count up awfully."
1T was when l got to thinking about
the orphan asylum that IL occurred to me
to wash the things myself; / never had
tried before, but it seemed TO me that I'd
be under moral obligations to see AN
architect about the pllns for waits and
strays' home il the business wasn't put
a stop to somehow. First got directions.
You can always get directions when
you're buying fiannels il you ask for them;
/ never had asked before. The directions
came in a book; they were beautifully
definite; it seemed to me that hannels
couldn't have the heart to shrink il any
body went to all that trouble Tor the sake
of them, so ! began that very evening"
Evening""
"Yes, that is one thing that has made
flannel washing hard for me l try each
out because she hasn't any faith in direc-
tions she says she washed flannel petit
coats in Ireland years before l was born,
and she is SO sure the directions are all
wrong that don't like her to know put
any trusC in them: you can't be too care
full when you have good girl"
That's so, but never heard"
Well, never did either. but the first
night Katie was out of the way got
down one shirt I o try on. The directions
said, soak the garments one hour in
water OF tIe temperaturs OF 100 degrees
and in which soap has been boiled OF
course had to boil water with the soap
in it first, and the fire was out, but 1
thought could make the gas stove answer
very nicely. put on the boiler and some
water and threw piece OF soap into 1t.
I've mostly cut up the soap since, but /
don't see that 1t makes much difference.
Then sat down on the piazza to wait for
IL toh boil m al that II afia
keeps the gas stove in the cellar because
she doesn't like 1t and won't use 1T, and
there is only one gas jet In the room it's
in, so that when the tube Is con-
nected all the light you can get, II you
happen to be washing after dark, comes
rather pokerish. l have to wait till it
boils hard enough to hear before 1 can be
sure that il boils at all. When il comes
up and bumps the roof as Virgil calls the
boiler cover, then get him to carry the
whole outfit up stairs To the kitchen.
That first time went back to the piazza
again to let it cool down to 100 degrees
After about half an hour took up little
in a teaspoon to touch; it was just as hot,
SO far as / could tell by my fingers, as
when IL was boiling, 80 / looked
at my watch. 1t was after g.
so, though l hated to do it,
| poured in dipper of cold water. The
soap wouldn't have been boiled in that
part, knew, bat l felt as IL had to get
done before Katie came home. The
directions said 100 degrees or as hot as
could be borne by the hand. thought
I'd have to have it little hotter than /
could bear. because not being used to
washing, I couldn't expect my hands to
represent the true average Of heat bear
ing. 49,,
preston and had to keep pouring in and
pouring in till l was really frightened.
hut after while i did get the water so
that / could just touch II with my fing-
ers. The directions said three table
spoonsful of ammonia to six gallons OF
water and / guessed had about four
gallons; so / put In two tablespoonfuls
and then n little for good measure, and
then a little more dripped, so l didn't
stint on that anyway.
~ put In the shirt and put on the
boiler cover, for the sake OF tile retained
heat the directions told about, and then
/ went back to the piazza again. Well,
YOU can see that 1t was pretty near half
,,a.t a hefore could begin washing, The