"FARMER AND WIFE."

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 267, 26 May 1888, Page 3

"FARMER AND WIFE."

Fa km mi (Jkaifam's wiio camo in fiom milking, ,'inrl setting tho two heavy buckets in■side the dairy, stepped to the kitchen lo wash her hands before straining away the milk. Mr Clrahim had eomo from the I Jiold, and was sitting on the piazza steps with head bared to the pleasant breeze of o \'cning. Tho June sun wa.s near .setting, and its level beams .streamed fiom the open back door to tho broad fire-place of the kitchen. *' Did yon finish the oats, .lohn .' ' asked Mis (J , as she mo\cd briskly about her w 01 k. " Ye- : the job is done, and I am glad of it. And. Maiy, if you Ikuo enough victuals cooked, you miiM, give the hands their supper now. Non know 1 piomiMjd them (luce me d.s -md extra nii»o>! lo d,jy it they finished the woi k." "Well, let me -ot tlie milk away first. I suppose J h.ivo enough. 1 tried to cook enough meat .md vegetables .it dinner for then supper." "The hand-"' now camo inio tho yard, and bc^an wa-hin<r face- and hand- at the well. Two stout Xegio men and three women, with. i boy "tluowniu" — am 1 all chatting and laughing alter tho mannei of their light heaited race. Mrs (Iraham wa« busy, filling plates with fold meat, biead and \egetablo-, and bowls w ii 1 1 i licli buttermilk ; and a- the women imiho to the dooi , she li mded each hei portion, and they sit down on the gia-s under a spreading oak near by, and began to eat. Mr (iiaham now c mic m to got thepl.ite.s foi t lie men. iSeai the open window was placed the long kitchen table, and Jlelen, the -londei daughter of thirteen, stood at it ironing clothe-. " I Fry ! Ironing day, is it Helen" s, t id hei lather. "Then I we shall !ia\e some good biead for supper. Jleie, Jake, Tom, and Sam — come get \ our plales." While tho workmen and w omen sat and en|oyed the beautiful meal, the farmer went into tho hou-e loi his pm-e, and returning piOMMitly, paid each hi- wages in shining sih ci . "Aicjou almost, done with the ironing Helen" a-ked hei mothct. " \o- mothoi, theie aie only the towels to do now, ' answered the child, as a sigh o-cipcd hei lips. " Little \]i—j '- tired mo- down, T deknow,"' said one of the buxom women, who had hi ought in her empty plate. And quickly putting on a clean apion, which i-lie pioduced horn the ine\ itablc "bundle' fchat tho eoiouied woman delights in, she Ljood natuiedly took the child'- place, -ayin<r, '' Dai, honey, you down an' take dat pooi sleepy baby. 'Peats like hit'mamniv can't gel time to nus- hit, how.' 1 Helen took up the baby that had been cieeping aiouid under her feet, and sat down with him, while the mothers bu-y feet still tia\ellcd to and fio in the kitchen. "Aie vlllv 111 not tued too, Betsy.'" asked Mis (Jiaham. '" Oh, not so pow tu 1 much, Mi-- Mary. I'-c \i-ed to \.oik, > c know ; and 1 dunno a- it - a?iy hardei to toller tie ciadle in do oat-, patch all <\<\) dan hit ai' to wouy lOiiii' in the house like } on hah to. I '-peck- \f on done tuck a- man} step- a- I hab ihi- day." " I'm sine I'm tiled cnouirli, al an) wile," said the tarmefs wiie. The ii oning wa- .soon done ; tho Xegioewent away, singing niertily, and Mistliahain took the baby from Helenas arms, -aying, " You may put the supper on the table now, daughter, while J vet him to sleep Father, please call the boy-, and all of you gel leady foi -upper.' 1 On the health stood two l.nge o\en-, and tiom tlie-c Helen took the beautiful loa\ c- ot snow 3 light In cad one made of coin meal the othet >f Hour which were Mi (iraham's delight lie liked this biead much bcttei when baked this -way than when it a\«s- cooked in <i -to\e, and it was easy to bake it thu- on ironing da>s, when good, li\o coals ueie plenty. The two clde-t boys came in irom I ceding the hoi-es ) md (he two younger one- fiom attending to the cow- and cahe-, and all -ai don n to -upper cie twilight fell. The waim, fiatciant loa\e- ot biead, the rich milk and butter, Ire-h horn the churn, with a bowl of ci\stal honey, and di.-h ot baked apple-, made a supper fit foi the choicest pal'ite : but tho tiied wife and mother could not eat She sat at the table, where her hu-baud and children were en joying their lepa-t, and leaned her wcarj head upon hei hand-. "Can't" \on cat, Maiy' a-ked her husband. " I do not feel like eating — but I wMi 1 had made a cup of codec ' " I'll make il for ) on now, mother," cried Helen, lining quickly. " liut you air tired, child; don't mint! — 1 can do i *ei\ well without it. " Not no ii -o tiled a- >ou, mothei , for 1 don't belie\ c )ou ha\o stopped a minute to da\ Thi- \\a- ikmi th^ tiuth, For in that long sutnniei day the 'ou-y bouse-niothei had only -at down long enough to hastily eat a few mouthful- ot tood at bicaktasand dinner, to take Ihe baby when ab-ot lately uece-sary and to ply the nea\ \ da-h ' ot the old-ta-hioncd churn. Fir.M, up before the dawn, cooking bieakta^l toi hei family, and the expected day labouiei-, who came at suniisc. Then milking four cows ; then \va-hing di-lies, making bed.-, sweeping floor- ; gathering and jirepai ing \egctable.- ; fruit, etc., toi dinnei, sotting yeast to n-c, and making the bread at just the right moment, and getting dinner on the table ut jusc the right time. Then the hot afternoon's -\\ oik of ii oning, the churning and milking again, the caroot pigs and poultry, etc., etc., — " to the end ot the chapter," and all with only Helen to help -it had been a ceaseless strain on nerve and muscle, and brain -all day long. She thought of it, all as she on the poich to rest atter supper, in <ho cool ot the dying da\ — >lohn leaning back in his ea.sy chair near her, > with bus feet on tho banister, and the well- < bcloxed pipe in his mouth. < "My crop of oats is all light now" he ' said ; "all saved in fine weather, and it ; cost me only a few dollars in money. Those ' hands worked well to-day. But 1 tell you, Mary, it is tho last crop I expect to cut with the cradlo. Next year J shall have better machinery than that. I shall be able to buy it with this year's cotton crop." " How much did you pay tho«c women, John?'' a-ked his wifo. " Fitly cents each — and they earned it." "And they wcio boarded besides. Tf they were to get such wages tho yonround, tho v would haye — A\cll, say a hundred and fifty dollars each. 1 wish 1 could oarn that " " You ?'' laughed John, knocking the ashes from his pipe, "and \vhn,tdo t yoM want with it V " Oh, 1 could find a use for it. And J have been thinking to-night that I have worked a.s hard to-day, according to my strength, as any hand you had in tho field ; and 1 do it day s^ter (lay, year in and year out. And what are my wages ?" " What do you moan, Mary ? Jlavo you not a good homo, and everything you need, in return for your work ?"