Year: 1873

were dirty and smoky, the breakfast
dishes stood on the table in the middle
of the fioo-, the cooking stove was
open, with kettles and pans on it, and
cold ashes on its hearth, its sooty
plates away, a pot Of dish water stand
ing on top Of the stove, and the broom
and poker and tongs lay just where
the little riders had left them when
called to prepare for school. Johnny
bad gone off crying, and his whine
could even then be heard coming up
the hollow from the direction OF the
school house. The milk had not been
strained, and the flies were buzzing
about it as they sat on the edges of
the two brimming pals, slipping and
rubbing their hands together in sat-
isfied way. Tie baby was teething
and cross, and the one pair of hands
that could have brought order out of
this disorder were busy trying to sooth
it.


Is it any wonder that tears were in
the mothers eyes, as she cuddled her
baby to her bosom, and walked across
the floor, trying to still its cries


"Oh dear! what life-what a lifep'
SAID she; al try to be patient and
make the best of it, but it does seem
so hard"


just as the babe was growing quiet,
and its little blue hands had fallen
listlessIy upon its bosom, a shadow
fell across the doorway, and the hus-
band entered, saying:


"Jane can you tell me what the
children did with the hatchet, yester-
dsy?"


at was out on the rock, behind
Johnny's wagon, last night,p she re-
piled, speaking low, and gently lay
ing the baby down in a bed thai had
not been made upyet.


AiSeems to me you're good while
gittin' your chores done; you haven't
che knack of gittin' along, like Mrs.
LeavOndyke-her work is done up
long ago, an she's busy in the gar
den. Tell you, she's a nice garden
don't look much like Our'n; you don't
put the time on our'n that she does in
her'n."


HOh, John," said the little woman,
slipping up her sleeves and tying on
big apron, and trying to keep her face
turned away to hide the gathering
tears, "Hith four children AMI the ba-
by sick, and three COWS to milk, and
the calves to feed, and hands to cook
for, and all the other work to do, 1 on
ly wonder that I get half my chores
done in q whole day"


"Well, I'm sure don't see how it
is" said he; "my mother had ten liv-
ing children, and she managed to get
along first-rate, and do all her own
weaving, besides taking in veav-
ing for the neighbors. You have
more room than she had, and you
don't have to carry water forty rods,
like she did-here it is, right at the
foot of the bill; and you never have
cut your own firewOod, either, unless
it Is ia the midst of harvest, and j
think you shouldn't complain. If
there is anything hate to hear, it is
a growing, whining wife. Now, /
have to be out of doors all the time, no
matter how hot the sun shines or how
the winds blow, while you are in the
shade and comfortable-if you only
knew it. All! you have an easy time
of it, you women, if you only knew it,
so cheer UP. married you for q
helpmate, don't you know. The girls
will be big enough in three or four
years to help you and then you can
take times easier; and maybe by that
time the bottom farm will be paid for,
and Wen be able to ride in a carriage,
like the LeavOndykes."


"How long since you brought in
il this water ?" He added, as he took
e drink from the dipper. Finding it
not cool, he squirted it out coOlly
right on TO the floor among some pans
that had slipped down off shelf.


As he took the hatchet and started
out toward the wagon to fix the hay
rigging on it he said


'1Jane, if yoa can as well as not,
'sposin' you have some of them new
beans that grow in that 'ere lot for
diDner.h


'WeII, I'll try" said she hopeless
ly, and she slipped her shoes off SO
fhat she might step swiftly and with
more comfort. All working women
know what task it is to put disor-
dered kitchen into neatness, especial
ly when little children have been
about. First, she strained the milk,
taking out quart with which to mix
the bread, for the yeast was set the
night before, and had been bnbbling
two hours: she mixed it and set it in
the warm sunshine, then started a
fire and made feed of skim-milk and
meal for the noisy frolicsome calves
that run in the door-yard- Then she
swept and picked up playthings after
the children, hung up their coats and
q irons, and set their old shoes away,
ano moved their sleds and wagon and
hoons from about the doors.


WhiIs' the dishweter was heating
she hurried up stairs and made up the
heds then washed the dishes, and
went down cellar and skinned the
milk. There WAS cream enough for
ehurnfng, and the ehurn was scalded
and then left a pail Of cold water
Standing in it, SO as to be fresh and
ready. By this time baby woke and
cried, and tired little mother was
compelled to sit down and take MIN
her sheltering arms.
In half an hour or so he was ready
to at down on the floor on a quilt, and
she left him long enough to carry
three or four pals of the SKINNED
.uiIK to the pigs-two pailsful at
time, and she went on the run. she
always fed the pigs; when she asked
her husband once to carry the milk to
the pen, on his way out to his work,
he said, tsThat belongs to a womSn's
work: q man whose name is out Tor
should not be asked to
lsIop the pigs-thats a little too


1T was no trifiing Job to feed those