Year: 1873

hEkE IS Io lui )olldHJ uiltl cHCC III


Monday among those families who do


their own washing. The way of observ-
ing it is very similar. The first thing is
to get the man up an hour earlier than


usual to get down the boiler We don't
understand why a boiler is kept on the
top shelf where nobody but himself can
reach it. But perhaps it is not intended


we should understand it. Having got
down the boiler and taken his place at
the table, and pronounced grace with a
| benevolent aspect, he is called into the


kitchen again to lift the boiler up on the
stove. He finds it full of water and


weighing about three-Quarters of ton,
but he sinks his teeth into his lips, lays
| his eyes out on his cheek, initiates those


cheeks, and accOmplishes the task. After
| breakfast, which is eaten hastily, and
| from table that is garnished with bar
| of soap, package of starch, and a blue
! ing bag, he is sent down cellar after the


tubs, w..shboard, bench, etc. He puts
! both tubs together and the wasboard in
| side, with view to avoid coming down


stairs again, although he has been years
giving practical demonstrations that those
! things can't be carried at one time. But
| he grasps the inside Of the tubs with one
| arm and takes the washbench under the
| other, and starts for the stairs. No one


who has not tried it can begin to under
| stand the amount of circumspection re-
| quired to engineer wash tub and wash
! bench up the same stairway at the same


time He knows it, but there is an indy


ing hope in his breast that there is a way


to accomplish it and he starts. Before
reaching the stairs the tubs slide around


and the board slips out. He thinks at


first that he will put his heel on it and
| split it in two, but changes his mind


sets down the things, and replaces the
| board. Then he starts again, and when


he has got as far up the stairway as he


can go without proceeding sideways, he


turns the tubs to the front, but as his hold


to them has been gradually yielding all


the while, he finds they are so low that


they strike the stair, and in an effort to


raise them the bench gives, and to save


that he loses in part his hold on the tubs


and before he can recover it the board


slips out and goes back into the cellar,
two steps at a jump. He turns round and
! looks over the tubs down at the board


which he eyes with an intensity there ap-
| pears to be no call for, and again attempts


the ascent. He gets the bench started
ahead, but the end catches in the top step,
and having exhausted his endurance and


reach in getting it that far, finds himself
| completely powerless to lift it over the
obstruction. 1t has grown very warm in
the last minute, and his breath comes


very short and quick, and it seems as if


the arm which holds the tubs will very
soon drop off at the shoulder and leave


him cripple for life, and at this june


ture the outside tub loosens and COM


mences to slip and threaten trouble. He
presses his arm all the tigher to the inside
l. 4 Ii L, OF


the outside one, but is too late. There is


a squirm or two, and then it is over The


outside tub is down with the washboard


having accomplished the trip with a noise


that is almost deafening. The other tub
follows at once, being urged thereto by
| kick that nearly throws him from his
! feet and then getting the door open he
! shoves the bench into the kitchen and clear


across the room, to the apparent jeopardy


Of the legs Of the entire family. After


that he gets up the other things-making
no remark to any ybody, but looking around


on every one in a manner calculated to
reflect the greatest amount OF discredlt.
! Tnen he puts on his coat, rubs his arms,
| and starts down street, and gets out on the


walk, when he is called back to bring up
! some wood. If that wood was in the
| shane of a burial casket, 1t is extremely
! doubtful II ne COuiU nave looheu ulOlc
solemn in taking it p-stairs. At noon he
comes home to dinner and finds only one
| leaf up, the table-cloth i'll the wash, and


that his wife has cut the bread after cut
ting the soap. What comments he con-


templates making on this state of affairs
are never made He is sent out in the


ward armed with the elothes-line and an
! Injunction to not drop it in the dirt, and
p! in the seclusion of the space devoted to


the back yard, he vents the spleen that has


been gathering within him, and whips that
clothes line around with sardonic JOY.
After that he comes in with his teeth to-


pether, and lifts two tubs full of water to
the floor, and then goes into the bedroom


and puts on pair of dry pants, and
griuly eats his dinner. 1t may occur to
him that there is no difference in this


Monday from any that has preceded 1t,


but he can't help but wonder what kind
of misery that is which comes up every
time so fresh and formidable a. 10 appear


entirely new.-Danbury Meas,