Year: 1876

..


"What a cOnfOunded state of disor


der this house is in" said to my wife


on coming home from business TIL


other afternoon. If l didn't know


better, I should think we were goini


to move. Pray, tell me what you ar


about" Ftr


"You look as if you were about t


become an inmate of an insane asylum,


answered, for my wife was shocking


ly attired in dressing gown that hat


seen better days and many house


cleanings. She carried long-handle'


feather duster in her hand, and had (


cap on her head.


"Oh, you may sneer at me as muci


as you please" she said; "but L pre-
sumo you would find a difference IL


the house if it were not that I superin


tend the cleaning"


what possible good is accomplish


ed," T asked, by turning the house up


side down in this manner? For my


part 1 never could see that you in


prove it's appearance in the least by


doing so; it is simply confoundeG
bore, and have come to the opinion
that if there be one thing I dislike
more than another, it is house-clean-
ing"


Zone thing is very certain" she re-
piled, (Which is that you men know
nothing about it. Look at that cob
web in the corner there !"


And my wife made an attack with
the long handled feather duster upon
and inoffensive little cobweb that 1
thought rather ornamental than 9TH
erwise."


"Now, don't you Think" I said, elf
you were to clean one room at time
that it would be great deal better than
throwing the entire house into cOnfu-
sion at once? Devote one week, for
instance, to the cleaning of the par
lors, another to the dining room and
sitting room, and so on. That is my
plan."


"At that rate house cleaning would
last through an entire year, and 1 for
one am not disposed to adopt your
plan. No. 1 want to put it into as
small space as possible, and get
through with it as speedily as 1 can.
If 1 were to follow your suggestion, the
dust and dirt raised i'll cleaning one
room would be sure to settle or in some
way get into another room just put to
right, and the result would be that
house-cleaning would never end. No;
everything must be done at once"


"Well, my DEAR" said, "I'll not
attempt to argue the matter with you,
for 1 know it would be a very useless
task but must say that my mother,
who understood these things, used
to-


"Of course" my wife interrupted,
"your mother did differently from
what I do. She was differently situ-
ated, and could do as she pleased. A
widow, left as your mother was, could
have her own way in great many
matters which we poor wives can not
follow. 1 kaow your mother was a
very remarkable woman; but l trust
that / do my duty to you and my chill
dren and my house as well as 1 know
how. II DON'T" continued my wife,
putting the end of the handle duster
into the corner of her eye and brushing
out an imaginary tear, "think it is fair,
or honorable, or generous, or husband
like in you to be always telling me how
much better your mother kept house
than do. 1 wish to gracious you had
married your mother"


"Pooh pooh!" I exclaimed "you
know that wouldn't have been proper.
I might have married your mother,
though, which would have been as
near as could come to gratifying your
wish"


MY wife smiled.


ssMy mother wouldn't have had you,
SIR"


taste, then, as her daughter did," L re-
Piled.


"Her daughter sometimes regrets
the good taste she showed" my wife
said mischievously.


II think you are mistaken, my
dear" answered; "but / am ready |
to waive the question, provided you
will tell me when dinner will be ready.
1t is six O'Clock, and as yet I see no |
signs of it,"


'I thought L told you before you
went out this morning." my wife made
answer, "tliat you would have to get |
your dinner down town, for we should |
have none"


"You did say So" replied; "but
it was simply hint for me to
send something from the market,
which did"


81 know you did-enough to feed the |
aldermen and their assistants with. |
How did you think it could be cooked
when we were cleaning house ?"


az didn't know you Were going to |
clean house," said. / wish to good I
ness / had. l wouldn't have come |
till midnight"


eyes, and left your poor wife here in |
the dust and disorder, while you were
feasting and enjoying yourself. 1 am
glad now you have not been to dinner,
for you can see what L have to put up
with-how 1 have to get along, and
how uncomfortable to me is house.
cleaning"


81 presume it is, my dearn said. in