The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-03-30

A FRONTIER FARMERS WIFE.
Her Burdens Are Many, and Her .'icnsure,
Arc lew,

Her burdens Are Many, and Her .icnsures
Arc Few.
The women who live III cities can form
no estimate of the work done day after
day by the farmers wife on the frontier.
There are 40 convenient launlries, baker,
les II stores where She could buy tie
ready made articles she is compelled &c
make for herself. II Is u~nceasing 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 i'm While the
kettle is boiling she does the milking,
and cases are not rare where a farmers
wife milEs as many as 8 or 10 COWS
twice a day. the milk is carried into
the cellar in great heavy pals that
would try n mans strength. and she re-
turns to the work of getting breakfast.
During the progress of the meal she can
not sit back and eat and rest, as many
do, but is kept jumping up and down
waiting on the men folks and children.
1t is often Il question to strangers who
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 it is the mother who does
extra work that they may go. and who
pulls them II of bed and starts them
Oft in time every morning.
The milk is TO be strained and Put
away, crooks scalael. 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 Il to cook for and does it all
alone. 1t is seldom that Il farmer feels
that he cai afford to hire help in the
kitchen. She has the vegetable garden
to see to. TO brighten the dreariness Of
her life she has close to the seldom opened
rontd door Il bed of half starved LOOKING
fiowers-old fashioned coxcomb, fou.
o'clocks, grass pinks and a few other
looking plants that will thrive
under neglect. She makes everything
that her family wears except hats and
shoes. She has no time to think of rest
self.
1t is in most cases her lot to welcome a
new baby every other year, and the o y |
time when help is employed to assist her
is for a 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-
death calls and takes from her
arms a little life and leaves in its
place an added pain III her heart. Sheis
old and tired out at 80.
When her daughters reach the age at
which they could assist her. the drea~v
prospect of n frontier life appalls them.
and they seek employment in town.
Nothing in her house is of late improve
lnent. Her washboard is Of the kind her
used. and her clurn in its heavy,
build shows that it belongs to the
date. Improvement stalks all ove1
he farm and leaves no trace in the kitch,
IN. Her pleasures are few. The salts
that she is Doing her best seems
20 be all that rewards her. She is IA hero
ne i'll a calico dress. wrinlsled and stoop
'houldered-a woman with a burden
who never complains. Late at night,
when all the members of the family are
n bed, q light will slime out across the
prairie from the family living room. 1t
s by this light the farmers wife is doing
Ter mending and sewing. aud it will
'hine out long after the occasional travel
hat way has stopped. ard 10 one but
he one who blows it out knows at VIVA,
lour the patient burden bearers labors
ease.-Baltimore Herald.