South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1892-03-11

MY niece, Maud, is not great
talker, and yet find that after she
has returned home from her annual
Summer visit, / recall a good many
of her sayings.
One morning she came running
in, fresh and rosy from a buck
board ride with her uncle.
"What, Auntie ironing ?'' was
her salutation. s'and you not feel
ing at all we'll this morning This
will never 1o-sit right down in the
rocking chair-give me the handle.
There, that looks bitter. i love
to iron."
"Well. you may do the napkins
and the other small articles" said
L, recalling with dismay the gene
raj ironing / had entrusted to a
young girl not long before.
.'Oh, you need not trouble for
your nice table cloths, Auntie. To
convince you that ] am equal to
them / will take the best one to be-
gin with. Let me see. This is the
way mamma folds them at first
straight and even through the mid
die lengthwise again, ironing the
folds. AMI the sheets she irons in
the same way. Grandma taught
me to iron. Mamma was i'll, the
village was full of city boarders.
and 1T WAS almost impossible to find
spare laundress We drove miles
and miles for one. At last Bridget
said sue would do the washing if /
would get dinner and help about
the ironing, and / was only too glad
to accept the offer. / even told her
i would do the ironing alone. i
was not so old then as / am now,
and dear mc, / had Mt near as much
patience. Grandma would come
out of poor mammals room and sit
down by me and tell me how every
article ought to be folded. / cried
little over the first sheet, but
found the bottom of the big basket
after while, and Grandma said the
entire ironing was very nicely per-
formed. And have done the IRON
ings many times since then. When
my little brother was sick, was 1
not glad / took that lesson in IRON
ing sheets T! We used SO many, and
he could not endure crease or a
wrinkle. ] know, the learning may
be little hard, but it is such sat
lsfaction to know how to do things
and it always pays to learn how to
do everything in the best way,
and the best way is the easiest eye-
~ time"
"I should like to join that cook
ing club in Harper's Young Peo-
pie, /" Maud said one day, ''only
have been president and 'asso-
ciete' Of our own household cook
ing club so long, it would be easier
to tell what / don't know about
cooking-from meat and vegetables
to confectionery-than to tell what
1 do know about il. Still, / think
the cooking club idea q fine one for
the reason that it encourages girls
in ali stations in life 70 become fa-
miliar with all the details Of cook
ing and house-wOrk.
"Your tastes run that way,
Maud" said another niece visitor,
with just little tinge Of superiori-
" in her manner, turning from the
piano.
II don't know that they do nat
urally, but I can understand hew
much need there is in every house
hold for some one who has . prac-
teal knowledge Of homework.
Then we never suffer from emer-
gencies, aud it is the only way that
real comfort can be assured. One
need not necessarily become q
drudge. lam strong and well and
it hurts me no more to spend my
mornings about the house than is
does to play At tennis, or to ride,
drive, dance or walk. I have tried
them all, and really, tho house
keeping brings the most satisfac-
ton. If one Of as can dress and
go out in the morning, il is man.
mas place to go, for she needs the
air more than / do"
81 think it is simply dread full for
you to shut yourself up 30 when
your village is so fun Of young men,
and college students at that" said