The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-06

oence. l shall begin as q Cook-my
great novitiate-and go to a cooking
school. WE'LL isn't it a great thing to
be a good wife and motherH Is any
thing more worth while, I'd like to
knows Not society, college, athletics,
profession -no-nothing. l don't
want to have q Work with a capital
w. don't want a Mission with a
capital ID. I don't to be a lawy er, or a
doctor, or a trained nurse, or a society
leader, or a globe, trotte-, or a
tea trotter, or an aut1or, or
an artist, or a Sorosis, or a reformer.
l love Richard. I am going, please
heaven, to marry Richard. l was born
old fashioned, 1 suppose If I've got to
have capitals, I shall be q Wife-a
Mother. I am going to stay at home
and mind my own business strictly. 1t
is as fine q business as there ia, and a
good, and if unenlightened, mind to
give to it.
Nov then-hrst, a cook. we can
live without love, we can live
without books, but civilized man can
not live without cooks and Richard
S eminently civilized. l hope I shall
be an improvement on mammals cous
in's Bridget, who has had eight years
at a public school and on being csked
to cook crabs, sid she knew the habit
of the crab, but had no idea how to
cook one, or like Susan Mallory's col
ored specimen in Charleston, who,
when rebuked for failing to get the
simplest dinner in five hours (another
public school graduate. fourished her
dish cloth Enthusiastically and remarked:
We'll, as L0ngtellow says, ''art is long
and time is feeting.' I've laughed
over such stories often. l now see
that most women, myself included,
are not educated at all. No woman is
who does not know everything that a
woman ought to know, and can't do all
a woman ought to do, be she young or
old, rich OF poor, black, white or cop
per colored! As for me, l shall disap-
pear from society for a year. / shall
take lessons for three months in q
cooking-school and go out for a month
in service to see what a cooks life is
what her duties are, how she ought to
be treated. Then 1 shall, l think, go
next to an orphan asylum and learn
the care Of healthy children; then 10
a hospital to take care of sick ones
then l shall apprentice myself to a
dressmaker and learn how to sew, and
go as maid to the housekeeper at one
of the big hotels and learn all about
house hold management. And then l
shall marry my Rich with a clear
conscience and be happy ever after!
She unf0lded her little plan to her
parents, and, having led them around
by the nose for the past twenty two
years, che f0ally, after some brisk
skirmishing and strong debates, Sc
cured their consent-on certain condi.
lions. She was TO report TO them
every week. She was to fall back upon
them if she got into any trouble; she
was to ask them for help whenever
she needed it.
O hearing this, Sarah rose up from a
dainty Breakfast table, napkin III hand,
and embraced them both, called them
''seI sib e dears" and ''periec6 ducks, ,
swore them to absolute secrecy, and
sat down again delighted. Not a word
90 Dick, mama, above all! That would
ruin everything R member, l rely
upon you. / shall be here every Sat
urday to see him as usual-he can run
up fromTrenton only once a week, you
know. And / shall write to him every
day to keep him quiet. And l shall
tell tell him all about it when 1 have
graduated! On! you dear, delightful
things! What a fuss most parents
would make about il! Parents always
do make a row when their children
strike out for themselves. l never
loved you 30 much. You know that
can take care Of myself perfectly
Y.u see what 1 mean and why 1 want
this experience, and you just let me &C
ahead and take my own way, without
a regular fare up. I'd take it anyway,
If you did but this is SO much nicer,
declared this strong minded anC
strong Rilled young person, with en-
thusiasm.
When do you go, Sarah9' asked
Mrs. Miggs, with great meeknees anc
mournfulness.
Tomorrow, my dear mamsey
And don't you be blue aOouE l.. You'll
get stout and cheerful over my adven
lures yet. To. morrow-Cf comes al
TINS faery, these diamonds, this watch
this fine gown, these fEil.s and laces