St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-09-27
Selected Sfnru.
MARIA'S TROUBLE CURED.


Maine sea coast summer morning
Her sur-bOnnet was pulled over her
face: she was CRYING.
''Well, Maria" said her aunt, as
the young woman entered, "how are
you, and how is Ben ~
Ben has gone off mad" said
Maria, tossing off her sun-bOnnet,
He grows more and more cross
every day. begin to think l must
leave him.
Tut, tut, child Don't talk so!''
replied her aunt. Leave him, in
deed. He is your husband, remem-
Der, and a smart, gOod-principled
man he is, too, and he was a quiet,
plcasant-tempered man when he liv-
ed with US. What ails him now, my
dear?"
He said he didn't know when he
married me that he married a
sloven,' the young woman sobbed,
then added spitefully, land l didn't
know that 1 married a scold. He is
just hateful, and | will leave him, if
he keeps on So"
Maria" said her aunt gravely,
Il want you to listen to me. You
have complained that l seldom come
to see you, to make any stop. l will
now tell you why have not come.
When | stayed with you while your
uncle was away, | saw how you
kept your house, and | wondered
how Ben, brought up to such very
different ways, could bearit. But at
that time, he was still too much in
love with your pretty face to mind
other things. l was sure, though,
that this could not always last.
Your uncle and | have often worried
about you, for we saw trouble was
in your future. 1t has begun to
come; but if you will bravelv and
faithfully do your duty, you can
escape the worst of it,"
Pm sure l don't know what you
mean, auntie. I've tried to be a
good, true wife, / am sure"
Eyes, my dear; you shall be credit
ed with that, but you must become
good, neat housekeeper, too, if you
would have the respect and love of
your husband. Now, let me tell you
how you keephouse. You leave open
your closet doors while you sweep /;
you neglect to hang clean towels on
the rack; you set your milk any
where, subject to dust and all sorts
of smells; you do not keep Ben in
plenty of clean clothes, we'll mended
his buttons are always off; he can
seldom find comb or brush, nor an
empty chair to sit down. He never
had a real relishing breakfast, and
his supper was when he could catch
it. The dishes felt rough, and often
Of 6TSh oil
use little water; you don't scrape
your dishes, nor even your milk-pail,
that is set first in the barnyard and
next into your sink; you hang your
dish-cloths and wipers, all unrinsed,
anywhere to dry, or not to dry, as
they can, so that they are stiff and
sour. You cook tea and coffee till
they are unfit to give to pigs, and
you kill your bread and cakes with
soda. In your sleeping-room you
have ribbons and laces and gloves
and shirt-collars and stockings and
combs and handkerchiefs, face paint
and powder, soap and letters, brush
es, wash-rags, wet towels and hair
pins, we'll mixed with feathers, fans
and other things on the table, the
stand, and in the drawers, while
hats, mantles, and silk and muslin
dresses are flung on the unmade
beds. l could not stand this two
weeks, Maria. How can a man,
brought up as Ben was, stand it for
years :"
Not one word of answer made
Maria, whose tears were dry, and
whose bright checks and brighter
eyes were flaming. She caught her
sun bonnet, clapped it over her eyes,
and away she fed.
Provoked enough" said auntie,
gazing smilingly after the hurrying
FORM but l hope the truth will do
the child good. She's a good-heart-
ed girl, after ALL"
Maria made all haste home. Her
first move was to set on the stove
pot full of water. Starting the fire,
she drove out the flies, brushed out
and closed the closets; then, after
gathering the dirty dishes in piles,
she swept the floor. By this time
the water was hot. When she had
faithfully washed the dishes, and
washed, scalded, and hung out in
the yard her dish wipers, she ran up
stairs. made her bed, and set every
thing in the room in order, putting
her husbands things all by them
selves. Benjamin took his dinners
away from home, so Maria had
plenty of time to carry on her re-
form.
When he came home that evening
she had an excellent supper ready for
him, and as he looked round the
welI-Ordered room in much surprise
she, seated on a lounge, SAID, in low
tones that slightly trembled, Il
mean to be a better Maria Mus
grave, Ben, than l have ever yet
been" His handsome face brighten