A Yankee Fanner's Wife

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 85, 18 April 1885, Page 5

A Yankee Fanner's Wife

Siik hasrecoived a certain amount of instruction at a public school, thon marries young, and begins hor, to mo, horculean labors. It is hor part lo perform all tho daily houso hold tasks with but soldom any outside aid. Sho must mako butter, milk tho cow, food

the chickens, and attond to tho kitchon garden, as woll as to hor special pot flowerbeds and vinos. Then she harnesses her horso and drives to a neighbouring town to barter (as no ono else can) with hor butter, eggs, and garden produce If anything io brokon or out of ordor in tho houso and farm, she mends it, and, boing a woman of infinite resources, sho may oven construct somo of her own furniture or paint her fonco. Her "parlour" is adorned with the latest absurdities in tho way of worsted work or

pressed bouquets, while her storo closet is woll stockod with preserves, and hor garrot hung with dried fruits. It is probable that sho has children, and none aro moro thought fully tendered in all thoir needs, bo they physical, moral, or ornamental. The clothing of tho family, oven to thoir stockings and mittens, is hor handiwork, while occasionally a garment is mado for ono of tho village poor. But whoro is hor self-culture? say you. Ah I thero is tho mystery—how and when is it accomplished 1 And thero is no denying tho fact, a narrow, provincial education it may bo, but that is owing solely to hor circumscribod lifo.

If you wero to ontcr a small, commonplace, white-washed farmhouse in any of tho straggling New England villages, which appear littlo else than a cluster of huts in a wilderness to English eyes—if you woro so bold as to enter in, and so fortunate as to havo uninterrupted conversation with the mistress of tho houso, you would find her a plain, probably faded woman, clad in noat calico, sharp-voicod and sharp-visaged, perhaps, butgontloin manners, nnd displaying as sho talks a well-cultivated intelligence, and moro or less familiarity with literature

in all its branches of history, philosophy, ecionco, nnd belles -lot-res. You would find her a member of the nearest library, and a subscriber to all tho leading periodicals. But in order to make this a strictly truthful account, I must add that she seldom reads the newspapers, and is utterly devoid of that knowledge of current affairs that distinguishes particularly the women of New York and Chicago. But then consider how precious to her is each moment of time, and how far is she removed from the centre of life and civilisation ! Sho has no amusements, no diversions, no trips away; nothing but the dull, everlasting grind. And yet is she patient and never resting from ber round of necessary duties, and that, to her, no loss necessary one of self-culture. Some one ha 3 beautifully Eaid that " the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rocks the world." The children of Priscilla—or, more correctly, " Sairoy Ann "—will doubtless bo rich, and somo will call them parvenus, perhaps ; but as for hor grandchildren and great-grandchildren, what may thoy not be come ?—" Cassoll's Magazine."