Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-04-05

Just "a it had shone on us two thousand
miles away, for so many happy even
ings stood IN the centre. Albums, pic
lures, fans, and golden butterflies
from the last summers seaside home
were scattered about and our little
parlor was a work of artl
The children's books, piled high in
the corner case; our dearest poems
ANA iavorite stories-the piles of news
papers and magazines sent ms by every
sisge-as it numbered over the hills
from civilization, all gave golden sig
nificance 20 the humble home.
Words can never tell the glory of
onr windows or 1.-The frSshening" it
, was 10 soul and body III the midst of
our daily work to lift our eyes ito the
mountains round about Jerusalem" as
they shut inside their snow-cappel,
, purple walls of our busy little camp.
With sudden golden visions OF the
beautiful city, or the wide deep shad-
ows as they started downward across
the Thousand pinony trees aud low,
red mountain oaks we could see
| christians aud the children" climb
ing upward!
The romance and poetry of this
home made the ''calllng high" and
the end digniied the means abso-
| lUtely; but, domestic economy in the
kitchen was a study. Oar clean, white
muslin curtains, toilet sets and sunny
bedrooms, were home like and srtis-
tic. The dining room, half glass and
crimson canton-fanne curtains, was
radiant with its ix-foot fireplace, of
furnace Stag filled with blazing pine
logs, Ia dozen at once); but our Mex
lean "help," was destruction, dirt and
! Ignorance. 1t is dreadful enough to do
ones own cooking, but ,Chat is home
without a washwoman. We tried ten;
each worse than the last. Seraphina Car
mena offered to take our clothes to "mis
casa" (my house, for ten cents apiecei
: (Thirteen in our family. We declined.
, "Marguerita, young and Jolly
woman, came at seven, bringing only
three of her seven "munchachitas"
! QIttle oDesl. After giving them their
breakfast and visiting us merrily for
half an hour, she curled herself up on
! the wood box with the baby, took from
an old, dirty, calico bag tied around
her waist a package of yellow paper,
and bag of tobacco, and deftly rolled
cigarette, carelessly watching the
smoke curl over the haby's brown face,
while the kitchen fire ragged, the water
fast boiled away, and the table linen,
calico aprons, aud black stockings were
soakIng together in the tub. NY poor
mother had to come to the rescue,
sorting, rinsing. boiling, and hanging
out clothes all day.
Marguerite said, gracefully: "Ah,
Sonora, munchO buena" (much good /;
PLAYED with her babies, smoked twelve
&c cigarettes, fed little Raphiellino four
times and washed p all she could be-
tween times. Her voice was low and
sweet, Ter musical Spanish charming,
the constant pantomime of her pretty
little dark hands, bewitching: We
learned whole sentences of MexicanO,
but-at six o'clock-three tubs stood
full of half washed clothes, in n wet
and dirty Kitchen; the hannels, baby's
dresses, and all the towels tied in a
bundle, were found behIud the
doOri
"Alanans, Sonora, manana," to-
morrow Isl Senora"-aud with a
cheerful smile the easy going gypsy
tribe sailed off-in a blue smoke to-
ward mia Casa, waving ''adios" and
"buenos noches'' tgood night to each
of our family. My mother sat down
on the doorstep-speechless, and when
Joe bounded in to supper, he asked.
an xiously, "What has happened?"
We visited the dug-outs, called on
the best famIlies-in piony homes.
made of two good branches, inter
viewed the miners and finally Sonora
Gabrielle Montoya, consented to come
the next week TO help wash"
She was eighty years old, bronZs
face, thin and tall, with great, black
eyes, sad and mournfuL She told us
her children had all gone "a Palacio a
Dios" Ito the Palace of God) and almost
broke our hearts with her tears and
wailing hymns, in most pathetic Span.
ish. At 4 p. m. she had the first tub.
full ready for the line.
Another Texas woman With three
boys, would board with US, cook and
do our washing. I said: "Mother, we
will take her. We will board seventeen
boysl' She staid with us one month,
then was promoted to a laundry in
camp, bIH took our Washing with her
We had "dinner parties," "even
ings" and concert-l Life was full Of
devices and plots and sweet surprise:
for one another. We had Santa Clau:
and royal Christmas: Sunday
School, church, reading room, and q
school ms'am from Brooklyn, New
York. But 1 will tell you more il
lanother letter.