The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-08-04
A FRONTIER FARMER's WIFE.
Her Burdens Are Many, and Her Pleasures
Are Few.

Her Burdens Are Many, and Her Pleasures
Are Few.
The women who live in cities can form
no estimate Of the work done day after
day by the farmers wife on the frontier.
There are no convenient laundries, baker
les or stores where she could buy the
ready made articles she is compelled to
make for herself. 1t is ~unceasing work
with her from early sunrise until long
after the hours have grown small at
night. She lights the fires for breakfast.
Nowhere is a man so completely lord
and master as on the farm. His mother
was a farmers wife and lighted the fires;
his wife shall do the same. While the
kettle is boiling she does the milking,
and cases are not rare where q farmers
wife milks as many as 8 or 10 cows
twice q day. The milk Is carried into
the cellar in great heavy pals that
| would try a mans strength, and she re-
turns to the work of getting breakfast.
| During the progress of the meal she "a
| not sit back aud eat and rest, as many
| do, but is kept jumping up and down
| waiting on the men folks and children.
4 IL . O1kCA q AuCGt1pi w oGAoAAAOA0 Al
visit on the frontier If she ever gets a.
| chance to eat at all. Then the children
| are to be started off to school, and
| though the credit Of their education falls
| TO the father 1t is the mother who does
extra work that they may 60, and who
| pulls them out of bed and starts them
off in time every morning.
The milk Is to be strained and put
away, crooks scalded, butter churned,
and the dishes and chamber work still
wait. Dinner and supper and afternoon
work take up her day. Then In their
turns throughout the week there are
washing, ironing, baking every other
day, scrubbing, sweeping, sewing and
mending. In harvest time she will have
as many as IA to cook for and does it all
alone. 1t 10 seldom that a farmer feels
that he can afford to hire help in the
kitchen. She has the vegetable garden
to zee to. To brighten the dreariness of
her life she has close to the seldom opened
front door a bed of half starved looking
fowers-old fashioned coxcomb, four
o'clocks, grass pinks and q few other
cheerful looking plants that win thrive
under neglect. She makes everything
that her family wears except hats and
shoes. She has no time 10 think OF rest
or self.
1t is in most cases her lot to welcome a
new baby every other year, and the only
time when help is employed to assist her
ia for o period Of two or three weeks
when the little stranger arrives. The
births of the babies are about all that
vary the monotony Of her life. Occa-
sionally death calls and takes from her
tired arms q little life and leaves in its
place an added pain in her heart Shei is
old and tired out at 30.
When her daughters reach the age at
which they could assist her, the dreary
prospect Of o frontier life appslls them,
and they seek employment In town.
Nothing In her house 10 Of late improve.
ment. Her washboardi Ii OF the kind ben
mother used, and her churn In It's heavy
clumsy build shows that it belongs TO the
same date. Improvement stalks all owe,
the farm and leaves no trace in the htch,
en-. Her pleasures are few. The salts
faction that she In doing her best seems
to be all that rewards her. Sheis ahero
Inc In q calico dress, wrinklsd and stooI
shouldered-a woman with q burden
who never complains. Late at night
when all the members Of the family or.
in bed, a light win shine out across Chi
prairie from the family living room. !
ID by this light the farmers wife is doinl
her mending and sewing, and it vii
!, shine ont long after the occasional trave
. that way has stopped, and no n bu
the one who blows IL ont knows at wha
. hour the patient burden bearers labor
cease.-Baltimore Herald.