The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-08-13

Furl meant 10 be thorough. So swept
the crumbs from under the table
and rearranged thethings on the buffet
but, dear me, how the time did
fly, till was Obliged 10 finish off with
Il feather buster. | don't approve oil
feather busters, they uuly Flip the
Inst in the air 70 come hack again
just where it was before. Ihave often
SAID JnIs 10 Winnie.
Then | looked into the bedrooms
How dusty the rugs were. | eonclud-
ed to give them a good shaking. Just
,hen, The front door bell rang, and
rushed into the kitchen to press the
Iuor- opener, then back again to the
rugs. II ought to get them done be
fore my visitor mounts the long
stairs" said |, so flung open the
blinds and shook the rugs vigorously
out into the air shaft. the wind blow
ing the dust directly back again into
the room. At this juncture my op,
.jUsiIc neighDor put her head out oil
her window, and called he to account
Tor haunting my dust i'll upon her
Our eyes met. | should never have
known ner to be the lady in silks and
ve'Vets | had seen on the street
(Wiunie always looks the lady, even
At her work., and she seemed taken
tback at seeing Tue with disneveiied
hair and nv ueclltie under my left
ear. We did not continue the CONVEX
~-Tion. | hastily shut down the win,
dow, and hurriedly brushed the dust
from my clothes, so that l could de
Gently open the door for the some
body who was ringing, so necessarily
that | thought the elevated train had
run of the track, and that Winnie
ard Philip were both killed.
1t was boy with bundle.
Does Mrs Cunning live herc?N
No, you little rascal, and don't you
ever ring my bell like that againn' !
AIN afraid that l slammed the door
and said things. But | couldn't stop
along as if it had a thousand legs
seven forry-tive, and things looked
worse than when | coinmenced-so !
spread down the rugs and rushed to
the kitchen, for | must wash the
dishes.
took down the dishpan and put
some pearl!ne ii it, as | had often
seen Winnie do, put in tie cleanest
dishes and turned Oh the hot water;
bat no hot water came, only air, with
L scornful snort and q prolonged
sputtering, then-nothing. Now,
what am | to do? Hello, iauitor" |
down the dumb waiter,
whats tue matter with The hot
water The reply came up, in tie
dulcet tones OF the janitor's wife:
''Jis5 wait bit, an it'll come all
right, and don't We be botherin' ne. "
1t moaned and sighed and snorted
but il didu come; 80. III my deSpera-
ton. turned on the cold water. Ii
wasn't nice, bar | pitched in and did
my best.
There, what's that?' said l. lis
that the front door bell again.
opened the door from the kitchen and
went on with my work; nobody came
up and the bell continued to ring, al
ternating with shrill whistlings.-
That must be the postman, l sup
pose he has got q package too large 10
go into the box, or a registered letter.
| have no time TO go down stairs.
But there was no alternative, down /
had to go.
A letter, sir, one cent due
| didn't trust myself to speak, but
paid the cent; and flew up the stairs
again.
Dear me-" said |, as began my
task again, what lot of dishes for
our little family, And yet, am al
ways so particular about having d
clean plate and spoon for everything
If | had this thing to do every morn
ing, | should soon become Il gibberiDg
idiot. Here are big plates and little
plates, cups and saucers, bowls, plat
tiers and pitchers chow | hate to wipe
pitchers, tumblerS and spoons, knives
and forks, and worse than all, the fry
ing pan, the oatmeal boiler and the
coffee pot land the coiTee-pot is worse
than the pitcher).n | resolved ovel
and over again never to use more than
one rlate at meal, never to drink
any more coffee, nor to eat anything
that would leave horrid pan to bt
washed. / made pretty good time
however, though was not very prout
of nv work. The things didn't lool
as clean as they ought to, and | coult
not stop to finish them all. lsincereiy
wished that | haC never begun. IL
nv frantic efforts to finish up, haC
turned the kitchen into a sort of pan
demonium. But time was flying, ant
| must get Off.
Again the front door bell rang
This time it was Mrs. Jones, to SET
Winnie. | should have thought
when she saw the glare in my eyes
that she would have gone right dow
stairs again, but she didn't. Sh,
wanted to get her BREATH she said
so she stepped inside and leaned
against the wall. and talked and talk
ed, and kept he answering idiotit
questions as to how we all were, anC
whether Philip had got over his cold
etc. | have often found fault will
Winnie for not eXcusing herself from
callers when she was busy, but
never will again, for | simply coulC
not browbeat Mrs. Jones, nor get rio
of her until she was ready to go, un
less | threw her down stairs. Aftel
she was gone, | went out feeling quite
exhausted and unhinged, and | con
cluded not to say anything this time
to Winnie about the object lesson.
What her impressions were wlier
know. She couldn't tell me the crue
truth. but when ! came home tonigh
and the house looked as peaceful anG
lovely as any home could, felt like
taking off my hat to her, for realized
in some degree, what she had to do tt
make it so.
| found out, little by little, how sur
prised she was to find the window
open, the shades up, the sun pouring
in and the flies walking over every
thing. Worst of all, had not turned
off the hot water. When it got ready
to run, it ran over, till, in the kitchen
below, it began TO make rabesque!
on the ceiling. Fortunately, | hat
not fastened the door of the dumb
waiter and the janitor's boy pulle(
himself up and turned the faucet be
fore any great damage was done.
Winnie did not reproach me, bu
said that she appreciated my motive
and that it was real sweet" of HE t.
try so hard to help her.
Tonight ] am a regenerated man
Hereafter, | shall feel that her par
of the work is quite equal to mine
Besides, she has Philip. and tina
means an unending combat with com
pressed activity. In fact, | am fire.,
to say. from my small experience an(
large opportunities of observation
that not even with my strength an(
athletic training, and my non-obtru
sive garments, would | exchange
Never will | again undervalue wo
mans work, and while live she shall
have my sympathy and help.
|, however, hasten to write thi
tonight. l want my good resolution
to 90 on record while they are fresl
and crisp. How shall feel tomorrow
being rested, and having recovere,
my equanimity, cannot tell. My i'm
pressions may not be so clear then Il
they are now, and may have slippe,
back into nv old Way of thinking