Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-10-17

NGELINE was a Young eirl mora
II thai o years ago. when voung
girls led very different lives from the
girls of to-day. All about the peon:a
were TODD and apparel and uarmth
ana hght IN h crude state, but their
utlhzauon depended upon the un-
ceaslng individual effort of women as
Well as of men, of children as well
as OF adults. TE;s struggle with in
things-the rocks of the
New England fields, the great trees
and strong underground of the vir-
GIN Observation-Disclosures constant in
oustry. 1t wa war to the knife be-
tween man and all the other king
doms OF nature, and the knife could
not be for an instant laid down, or
there was a vantage point lost which
could never be regained.
Thus it happened that Angelina had
e Idle Minute" book. It wa a rude
affair, for paper was scanty and coarse
IN those days, but Angelina consid-
cred her book very dainty. 1t was
tied with blue lutestring ribbon. and
there was never a blot on the pages.
which We're covered with the record
IN h finest, most acute1y cramped
chirography.
AngeI1ne used to look at it and think
what a pity it was that the record was
OF such a disgraceful nature. Her
eldest sister, Mary Ann, had first sug-
gested keeping it to her mother. Mrs.
Jehoram L~ittleield was married when
b was only Is, and was hardly 16
years older than Mary Ann, and so
made a ~confidante of her eldest
daughter. There were three girls
and three boys between Mary Ann
and Angelina, who was Is.
She is as old as 1 was when I was
married" Mrs. Littlefeld said to Mary
Ann. "And only to think how much
work L used to turf off, and look at
Angeline! / declare, sometimes it
doesn't seem as if she could be my
daughter. Why, my linen chest was
hlled to b brim with my own work
by the time 1 was II, and only look
at the blankets and quilts, And 1
used to make all the candles and soap
for the family.
"Angeline seems to me sometimes
as if she was good for nothing as far
as work is concerned. She does not
seem to have any idea of the respon-
sibility which her birth has brought
upon her. She is nothing but a child.
/ have had the minister talk with
her, and her father has talked, and l
have talked, and you have talked, and
none of it has seemed to do a mite
of good. She seems to mean we'll
enough, and she never loses her tenn
per when she is talked to; sometimes
/ wish she did. I don't know but it
would make her have a little more
spunk.
There, this morning she was late
to breakfast again, and breakfast
was late, too-four o'clock, when it
is usually half past three! 1 gave
her a good faithful talking to, and
it wasn't half an hour before l sent
her up to make the beds When h
didn't come down I went up after
her, and found her sitting by the win
dow, staring out at hat red maple
tree in the yard, and doing nothing
at ALL"
Then it was hat Mary Ann sug-
gested the Idle Minute book, and her
mother grasped at the idea eagerly.
She was so honestly anxious about
her idle little daughter that the tears
were in her eyes. Maybe it will set
her to thinking she said. So that
very day Mary Ann made the book,
and Mrs. Littlefeld gave it into Ange-
lines keeping.
Now. Angelina" said she, here is
a little book which your sister Mary
Ann has made for you. and you are
to keep in it a record of all the idle
minutes which you spend every day.
We hope, dear child, that it may
help you to amend your ways, and
not waste so much OF the precious
time which Sod has giTen you"
Mrs. Jehoram Littlefeld, for all she
was such a capable and industrious
woman, was very gentle and soft
spoken. Her sweet voice faltered as
she made hat address to Angelina,
and as for Angelina, h fairly burst
into ~repentant tears.
80 mother, 1 will try to do better!"
she said, as she look the Idle Minute
book.
WELL said her mother, put the
book away carefully; then go out into
the yard anu SUI lhC Sodp-hSIlAS.
And tell Mary Ann to come in and do
the spinning before dinner"
So Angelina obedicntly put her book
away. and went out into the yard
where the great soap-kettle was hung
over a fire which was dashed one
vyay like a red flag by the wind.
Mother says that you are to go
into the house and spin, Mary Ann,
and I am to stir the SOAP" said An
geline.
well, be careful you don't let it
hurn.a replied Mary Ann, and yielded
nm her stirring-stick somewhat dubi-
ously to Angelene Then she went in
70 the house to her spinning rather
YEARLY.
Mary Ann was herself old enough
to be Angeline's mother, and had a
pretty, gentle, sad face. All the 9TH
err sisters were married, but Mary Ann
had been disappointed in a tragic
wav. Three years before the young
man whom she was to have married
had been taken prisoner by the In
dams. in a raid upon the border set
element of Deerfield, where he was
STAYING at that time with his uncle;
and nothing had since been heard
.an him His uncle'S family had all