Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-07
A Household Artist.

II hate washing dishes, and sweep
ing, and making beds. l hate to waste
my life on these things. | want to ac-
ccmplish something I don't want to
do over and over work that is undone
as fast as I do it. Anybody can do this
work,-let anybody do it, and let girls
who are capable of doing what any
BODY can't do, do it. I am leaving my
talents to mold underground, and am
frizzling up here in daily wrestlings
with wash-cloth and broom. Heigh-
ho!' Lima Powers gave the bolster in
her hand a vigorous shake, and threw
it across the + d she was making
''And tn rst of it is, [ get no
thanks for it. theoretically and prac-
tically / am not worth anything. Every
cent that father ever placed in my
hands he gave no made me present
of, and grudged it too; he never paid
me a penny.
"a hired girl would be worth to
him her board and weekly wages. But
I, because I am his daughter, am not
worth anything but my board Ho
hum! this is a queer world; now il I
go across the way and do the same
work / do here, l am valuable. It
SENS it is a, great disadvantage, finan-
cially speaking, to be a daughter Yet,
here | am mistress, and the social
equal of the house mistresses of the
town; but if I step across the street
and do the same work for Mr. Pratt
instead of my father, | am a servant
girl, unrecognized outside the kitchen"
Giving the bed final pat, Lima
stood up very straight and looked
hard at the wall. ITO be or not to be,
that Is the question" Catching
glimpse Of her intensely earnest face
in the mirror, her humor changed, and
she laughed heartily.
IT believe I really am growing tragic
on this subject" she SAID to the girl
In the mirror What is the use of
karping forever on one string? Either
drop it and make the best Of things as
they are, or leave home and try your
fortune"
The girl in the mirror said she
would The soliloquy was concluded
or rather suspended, and with a fleet
Lima ran down stairs to set the table
or dinner, to fry the fish, to pare the
potatoes, beat froth for the pudding
and other wise to work about, as busy
as a bee. until the whistles began to
shrek and the bells to ring, the noon
hour.
Then there were huwying feet
eager voices, and the unmistakable
slammer of the outer door, that always
heralded the master of the house.
I'm hungry as Il shark" cried
overgrown, rough brother Ben. throw
ing himself into chair and Tipping
w his Mate ready tC exchange for
filed one.
eff ! wasn't hungry I should be the
minute | had a look at the table said
brother Bert, the younger Lima
makes things look good" Then he
added as a sort of postscript to his
previous remark. "And things relish
when you know what sort of place
they are cooked in and what sort OF
a person cooked them"
At the last word he looked up and
caught Iinas eyes, very expressive
eyes. smiling upon him gratefully.
Tina's glance turned to her father
He was gravely eating his dinner as If
the eating of his dinner was one of his
daily duties, and he did not look up
or appear to hear But his plate
already needed replenishing and as he
passed it he observed, "Lina's had
training enough to know something
by this time"
Aldena. the younger sister, glanced
from under her long lashes at her
father, and regarded him musingly.
Why was not she as good house
keeper then as Lima? She had had the
same training.
faint all that" said Ben promptly,
Slook at Dene; she can't fix things
like Line, nohow Lines got-got-
sumption, guess" Ben returned to his
plate after this effort with renewed
activity
Dear old fellow, Lima could have
Rugged him then and there.
Aunt Macy said Lima had good
Judgment" remarked Aldena, and as
everything | ever heard Of is mixed,
stirred. beaten, baked, boiled, fried and
frosted with judgment, I think it must
be that"
and after judgment has cooked a
dish, taste garnishes it. So it must be
a happy combination of good judg-
ment and good taste that makes the
dinner. and not the dinner only, but
the whole house, so inviting"
This from Lincoln Millet, the
Lawyer Mi1let," as the boys
called him, for that he was a law
student.
Bert loked up again and met his
sisters eyes. He had thought of some
thing no one had mentioned yet, and
she saw it when he looked up at her
Dear thoughtful Bert! could she live
without him? Immediately she glanced
at her father again. Yes, she could
she would.
Lawyer Millet'' observed the loving
glances exchanged between the brother
and sister and the quick glance toward
the father. He grew quite distracted
and forgot to eat his pudding "Now
what is the trouble here" he unused.
that they are not good friends, these
two? Does she fret under the impress
sioE that she is not appreciated or is
do