Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1908-10-15
Big Boy Martyrs
BIZ MARY Sidney.

~ hUi otubSO'
There is a class of martyre, |
in the country, not generally |
thought much about. 1t consists |
of women, and men, too, for
that matter, who live in houses
several sizes too large for them.
Many of them have come into
possession of ridiculously big
houses because they have hired
farms or rented them, and had
to put up with a woman-killer
in the shape of a house, for
the sake of the land.
But there are those, even in
this enlightened age, who build
immense dwellings, thinking,
perhaps, that they will gain
little prestige by living in a big
house; but the glory is soon lost
sight of when the mistress finds
herself alone, with no help to
clean and scrub and dust and
air and keep a lot of needless
rooms in a condition conducive
to health.
The long and the short of it
is, she can't do it, but there
are lots of women injuring
themselves in the attempt; and
when they find they have I'M
dertaken too great a task, they
are apt to close up the front,
with all it's maddening bric-a-
brac and furniture, and retire
into the kitchen, where they
can find a moiety of rest. Not
all of them do this, however
the larger number of the big
house martyrs toll and. drudge
on until the light goes out of
their countenances, the elastici-
ty from their steps, and a sec
ond wife seems to loom up in
the dim distance. You may
know them when you meet
them away from home, for they
have nothing to say-they play
wall flower, and it is about the
liveliest sport that they eve1
engage in. Nobody seeks then
out for a little feast of reason
and flow of soul, for they cam
talk; they have had no time tt
practise talking. You can no
get out of a person what is no
in them, and if they haven
done any reading, nor minglini
with intelligent people of ideas
they have nothing to talk abou
and conversation with them be
comes like that of the bashfu
swain who was escorting to he
home a young lady equal,
bashful. With great trepidatiol
he remarked, "Quite moon to
night" and she replied, eyes
very quite;" and the talk cease,
and they drove on in silence
But l don't think that men gen
orally care much about this sor
of women. They seem to ad
mire most those who chatter al
the time, even if they say moth
ing when they talk.
1t would take as many ser
wants as a Hindu bungalow re
quires to make life pleasant TO
the mistresses of some of tn
big farmhouses that are dotte,
over the country, to say nothin!
of large suburban and city resi-
dences where sufficient help ca.
not be obtained. or if If car
possibly there is not enoug
money in the bank to meet sci
wants exorbitant charges an
waste. Trying to ape gentilit
is as improbable a business a
one can imagine; and many
home has been brought to dies
titution by large living and lii
tie lucre.
In founding a home, a ma
has need to remember that,
"A little house well filled,
A little field well titled,
A little wife well willed
Are great riches"
Think of the comfort an
content that may be found in
snug home where nobody
worked to death trying to kee
up appearances. But be y
rich, or be We poor, a big hous
with it's usua environments
a WEAKNESS to the flesh of tn
poor woman who presides Their