River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-06-01
The South Door
y BY Margaret n. Eckerson.
y = : i


u i hAO buCh nAN5 0NAA ~ |
such a model in all respects, that
Giles Hewitt felt his excessive pride IN
it perfectly justifiable thing, and as he
strolled about it this sultry July morn
ing, surveying it from all points OF
view, he could not restrain his oft-re-
peated encomiums: Admirable! Adj
mirable! Fine! None better in the
country" Then, as he espied Esther, his
wife, looking for early apples in the or
chard below, he called in his soft, slow
voice: "Come up here, Esther"
The call troubled her. She had no
time to spare, as this was very busy
morning, crowded with work, and the
girls, Ria and Ella, were engrossed with
preparations for a picnic at Point
o'Rocks, on the lake, that afternoon.
AS for the barn, how thoroughly she
knew it, from the shining COW that
served as weather vane TO the founda-
tons. 1t had been the staple of Giles
conversation for months, and she could
not tell how many times she had meek
ly followed in his wake to survey its
conveniences.
Esther, do you hear me?" The soft
voice was distinctly peremptory. Giles
Hewitt always expected his women
folks to come at his bidding.
She put down her basket filled with
red astrachans and went reluctantly up
the hill.
'T want you to see how well these
doors work now,' said Giles, leading
the way to the rear of the building.
What a grand view these doors
framedl 1t always struck her with
sense of loneliness quite inexpressible
in words. She drew a long signing
breath as she looked ON wood and
meadow, dimpled dells and swelling
hills, church spires rising whitley from
bowery hamlets and river winding
afar like a silvery ribbon. Northward
blue lake glittered like a jewel in an
emerald setting, and in the west cir
clet of hills vanished delicately like a
dream into the softly tinted sky.
''How beautiful" she said. 1T rests
me Just to look. l could sit here and
look, Just look for hours! Oh, Giles, if
the house only stood here on the hill,
and l could only see all this from the
kitchen door!"
1.-THE house is in the best place,
Esther, sheltered from the north winds.
I don't understand why you are always
saying that
She sighed. "Yes, know, but such
view is food and rest. Oh j know you
think me silly. Yes, / am truly glad
YOU have such big, convenient barn,
so many nice labor-saving things about
it; it must be good to have things as
YOU want them she began to plat her
apron hem nervously. Il was thinking
that now the barn is finished and allthe
crops so promising and the hay crop is
so large, that you will be willing to let
me have the door cut through the south
side of the kitchen. You know how
long have waited to have it done?'
She looked so wistfully meek, stand
ing there with timid, deprecatory
smile on her lips. She had never been q
self-assertive womau-no one knew
that better than C1es. Nevertheless,
he felt annoyed and angered. He had
not called her up here to discuss her
whins.
"You know" she went on, II just
want a common door with glass sash,
and then I'd like little stoop running
TO the end of the house. | could do the
churning out there, and lots of little
chores-the kitchen is so small and hot
and it won't cost much. Johnson cal
culated he could do all wanted for
$40"
Johnson" his tone was distinctly
angry.
"You see, Giles" she plated the apron
Overland over, quite frustratedath his per-
ceptible annoyance; sit was when he
came down to the house one day for
drink of buttermilk-and you know
what a hand he is to joke--he said:
This is sort of unhandy kitchen, Mrs.
Hewitt; you'd better move up to your
husbands barn and have it airier and
handler Then told him how l want
ed door cut through on the south and
we talked it over and he figured it up
and"
Good heavens, Esther!" cried Giles,
too vexed to listen further Il never
knew such gadfly as you are. You get
an idea in your head and harp on it
eternally, Door! Door! Door!' You
can't think or talk anything else; and
now, after all the barn has cost and the
necessity for economy, one would think
YOU would have some common sense.
But, you are Royal"
He sneered as if thus branding her
signified that her people had been ex-
travagant and wasteful, Then, noting
the quivering of her lips and the tears
yelling beneath her lids, he was more
angered than ever and went on irately:
'For 40 years my mother used that
kitchen and never heard her complain,
but some women want the world, and
having that would cry for the moon.
Don't you say door to me again"
She turned away without a word and
went down the hill TO the orchard bars.
She wiped her eyes before she took up
the apples and trudged back TO the
house The girls must not see the
ears.
Mother is long time picking APP
ples," said Ella Hewitt, as she frosted
a tempting cake just baked for the
picnic.
Probably pa has called her to tag
him about the barn. said Ria, whowas
deity slicing pink ham for sandwiches.
"That barn is the hub of his universe
Just now-has been for six months. He
houses his cattle better than his women
folks. Isn't this a fine, light, airy.
handy kitchen?" Very. for a man of
his MEANS" said Ella. vexedly. I'm
Just ashamed of such a gloomy, I'M
handy little pen. See the walls-rough
boards that il never pays to clean. two
miserable. tiny windows, stuck so high
up you can't see out of them, and cell
lar trap door in the middle that takes
up good quarter of the room; no wa
ter brought in: and the well way down
in front of the house; not single con-
venience 10 make work handler or
easier. and poor mother has had to put
up with il all these years, Why doesn't
pa have that door cut through for here
She shrugged her pretty shoulders.
"Say, do tell me if this ham is thin
enough. l want my sandwiches TO be
frst-class.'
Giles Hewitt was distinctly taciturn
at the dinner table that noon, and in
view of his lowering conference.-the
meal proceeded in unpleasant silence.
Immediately after dinner he made
ready TO drive to Hoyt with load of