The weekly tribune., 1893-08-18
A FRONTIER FARMERS WIFE.
Her burdens Are Many. and Her Pleasures
Are Few.

Her burdens Are Many. and Her Pleasures
Are Few.
Tho HGmen 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
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 OH 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 farmers
wife milks as many as or 10 cows
twice day. The milk is carried into
the cellar in great heavy pals that
would try 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 n 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 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 II all
alone. It is seldom that q farmer feels
that he can 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
front door bed Of half starved looking
fowers-old fashioned coxcomb, four
o'clocks, grass pinks and few other
cheerful 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
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
is for period Of two or three weeks
when the little stranger arrives. Tie
births of the babies are about all that
vary the mOnotony of her life. Occa'
sionally death calls and takes from her
tired arms a little life and leaves in its
old and tired out at 30.
When her daughters reach the age al
which they could assist her, the dreary
prospect of frontier life appa!ls them
. and they seek employment in town
Nothing in her house is of late improve
, ment. Her washboard is of the kind heI
mother used. and her churn i'll its heavy
clumsy build shows that it belongs to the
,, same date. improvement stalks all ovel
the farm and leaves no trace in the llitch
en-. Her pleasures are few. The salts
faction that she is doing her best Seems
to be all that rewards her. She is a hero
inc in calico dress, wrinkled and stool
shouldered--a woman with a burdeI
who never complains. Late at night
. when all the members of the family arr
! in bed, light will shine out across th'
prairie from the family living room. l
is by this light the farmers wife is doin!
her mending and sewing, and it vii
: shine out long after the occasional trave
r that way has stopped, and no one bu
: the one who blows it out knows Mt wha
3 hour the patient burden bearers labor
cease.-Baltimore Herald.