Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1896-09-12
4 FRONTIER FARMERS WIFE.
Purdens Are Many, and Her Pleasures
Are Few.

,Ou nv the farmers wife GA the frontier.
Thora are no convenient laundrics, baker
;ao or stores where she could buy the
.oodv made articles she Is compelled to
mote for herself. 1t is uuceasing work
Nth her from early sunrise until long
ofar tAe hours have grown small at
sicb+ She lights the fires for breakfast.
Nowhere is q man 50 completely lord
and master rs on the farm. His mother
wos farmer wife and lighted tie fires;
HE wife shat DO the sa14o, While the
kettle is boiling she does the milking,
and cases are not rare whore fl -, er's
wife milks as many ra = or 10 COWS
twice day. The mink is carried into
the cellar in great heavy pals that
would try mans strength. and she re-
tnrns to the work of getting breakfast.
During the progress Of tie 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 ana children.
It is often a 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 20. 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 III then
turns throughout the week there are
washing, ironing, baking every other
day, scrubbing, sweeping, sewing aA3
mending. In harvest time she will have
as many as II to cook for and does it al
alone. 1t is seldom that Il 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 cozcom5, four
o'clocks, grass pinks and a few other
cheerful looking plants that VIII 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
new baby every other year, and the only
time when help is employed 70 assist her
is for a period of two on three weeks
when the little stranger arrives. The
births Of the babies are about al that
vary the monotony Of her life. Occa'
sionally death calls and takes from her
tired arms little life and leaves in its
place an added pain in her heart. Sheis
Old and tired out at 80.
When her daughters reach the age at
which they could assist her, the dreary
prospect of frontier life appalls them,
and they seek employment IN town
Nothing in her house is Of late improve
ment. Her washboard is Of the kind he1
mother used, and her churn in its heavy,
clumsy build shows that it belongs to the
same date. Improvement stalks all oven
tne farm and leaves no trace in the kltch'
en-. Her pleasures are few. The salts
lactlon that she is doing her best seems
10 De all that rewards her. Sheis hero
me IN calico dress, wrinkled and stoop
shouldered-a woman with burden
who never complains. Late at night,
When all the members of the family are
In bed, light will shine out across the
pralrie from the family living room. 1t
Is by this light the farmers wife is doing
ner mending and sewing, and it will
shlne out long after the occasional travel
mat way has stopped and no one but
the one who blows it out Knows at what
hour the patient burden bearers labors
cease. -Baltimore Herald.
1t Is stated that since the second PIE