Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-10-26
A WASHING DAY.

It was windy day. Washing days are
generally windy unless 1T happens to
storm, which it is quite likely to do.
Mrs. Tibbs lifted her hands from the
suds and felt of her crimping pins to make
sure that none of them had slipped out, for
the sewing society met that afternoon, and
she wanted to look well, and she remarked
with emphasis that "she wished to heavens
that it didn't always blow like sixty on
washing days." And she added as q me-
neurological fact that ''it blowed last Mon
day and week ago last Monday too"
Mr.. Tibbs was reading an article on the
tariff, the writer of which had proved con-
clusively to Mr.. Tibhs' mind that If the
present tariff continued the bottom Of all
things would fall out inside of six months,
and the paper he had read before breakfast
contained an article which had shown him
just as clearly that if the existing tariff
should be changed creation would go to
everlasting smash in the twinkling Of
cats tail.
Tibbs scratched his head and gave vent
to his perplexed state of mind by exclaim-
ing, "Waal by jimby, don't see what q
man can doE'
''I'll tell you what to do" said Mrs.
Tibbs, whirling the clothes wringer round
with will as she ground out the grist OF
Tibbs' shirts and drawers into the clothes
basket. "You go and put up that clothes
line and hang out them clothes. The wind
blows enough to take a woman right off
her feet. -
Tibbs rose reluctantly. All men dread
the clothesline racket. 1t is trying to the
masculine nerves. Tibbs put his hand to
his back and volunteered the information
that he "guessed he was going to have an
other spell of lumbago into his spine.
Mrs Tibbs was not in the slightest de-
gree interested in Mr. Tibbs' gloomy an
ticipations, but went on wrestling with
the clothes wringcr and scattering the
soapsuds in every direction.
Mr.. Tibbs put on his hat buttoned his
coat, tied his neck up in a red muller and
shivered "Seems to me-, he remarked,
"that / feel touch Of that old sciatica in
my hip joint
Nov, you put that clothesline up
tight said Mrs. Tibbs, entirely ignoring
his observation "Last week the sheets
dragged ON the ground, and had to rinse
don't come out of the posts. Be careful of
it where it's tied. Put up the Oldest part
of the line under the pear tree for the
towels and don't go to hanging out them
clothes in none of your slipshod ways,
Tibbs. Hang all the stockings feet down.
Put Annie's flannel petticoat in the sun
and hang it square. Pull them tablecloths
out around the hens after you get 'em on to
the line. Pin the colored things on with
them Oldest clothespins, for they'll mildew
the white things. Hang that ragged sheet
under the shirts, SOS the holes won't show.
Folks Is allus staring at clothesline. Put
that embroidered nightgown of mino next
to the street. Mind, now, and not set the
basket so 8 it'll tip over.
And in the midst of it Tibbs went out,
with bag Of clothespins and the line in
one hand and the basket balanced on the
opposite hip, and the water which the
wringer had not squeezed out running
down over his leg in little rills. There had
| been some snow and then, by way Of va.
riety, there had been some rain, and then
/ it had frozen, and the footing was exceed
ingly slippery and insecure. Tibbs soon
found that beyond doubt that passage Of
| the wicked stand on slippery places" Is
true. He had great difficulty in prevent.
ing himself from going down the side hill,
where the clothes posts were located, faster
than he wanted. Of course the line was
| full of kinks, which is family trait Of
clotheslines, and Tibbs skinned his hands
by pulling the line through them to gel
out the kinks, and when he got mad and
banged the board on which the offending
line was wound against the wood pile he
barked his knuckles and tore off one cor
ner of his thumb nail.
Mrs. Tibbs and her cousin, Sally Green
who had dropped in for a morning call
were looking out of the window to see how
he was getting along, and they both laugh
ed at his mishap and said that was just
like man.
Mr.. Tibbs got desperate. He took his
pocketknife and severed the line in it,
kinkiest part, and, having tied up one piece
of it, he began to hang up the clothes HI
had his mouth full Of clothespins, just al
he had noticed Mrs. Tibbs always had hel
mouth ON such occasions, and he slapped
the clothes on to the line with will.
Up flew the kitchen window, and Mrs
Tibbs stuck out her head.
"Turn that shirt tother side up! Dom
hang them sheets by the corners Put TIN
towels on that old line! Don't hang then
flannel drawers of Toms up by the legs
Pull out that edging ON Mary AIMS skirt
Look out, there you We stepped right int
the clothes basket! What fools men are
knowed you'd make mess of 1t! wisl
I'd hung 'em up myself If had blowet
to Guinea In doing itP'
Tibbs discharged the clothespins and be
gan to swear 1t relieved his mind. HI
got the other piece of line and fastened on
end Of it to the post, then he gave goot
pull on 1t to make sure 1t was tight, ant
1t parted amidships, and the sudden lie
60 upset Tibbs' equilibrium, and in spit
Of himself hewent rolling down the ic.
hill like an empty -four barrel.
Mrs Donovan's pet goat was enjoying
little feast on batch of old tomato can
and some discarded oilcloth carpets hal
way down the hill, and when she say
Tibbs coming she quit the oilcloth an,
charged on him, with all her batterie
open, so to speak.
1t was an exciting scene, and 1t wa
made still more so by the appearance O
Mrs. Donovan, with the mop, and Dono
vans two dogs barking their loudest, an,
they took samples of Tibbs' pantaloons
Tibbs doesn't hang out clothes now
Exchange.