Sketch Of A Too Careful Housewife

ISY MRS. II. B. STOWE. Sho had a careful heart, a good, truñ womaoly ono, and was loving aDd obliging ; but stil) she was ono of the desperately paiustakiog, conscientious sort pf women, whose very blood, as thoy grovv oidor is dcvoured with ansiety, and she cauie of a racu of vvomen in wbom housekeeping was moro thau au art pr scieuce, - it was speaking, a religión. Sophio'a uiothor, aunts, and grandmotherts lor oatnetess g. nefa tions bayk, ere kuown aud celebrated housekeepers. They might Lavo been genuino descendant of tbat Holimdic town of Broeck, colebratcd by Wasli ington Irving, w.here the oow's taiia are kapt tiod up with unsullie'T'blue ribbotis, aod t-hü cnds of the firewood are painted white, líe related hovv a cclcbratcd. preácher, visiting this town, found it ïmpossiblo to draw thee housevivcs froia their carthly views and enjoyreieu's, uutil lie took to preaching on tne neatness of the celestial city, tho tfnsallied ory; tal of its walls, and the polish of its pavement, whon thO facea of its bousewives wero set Zionward at once. Now this solemri und earuest view of boiisekeeping is onerous enough wiien a poor giïl enters on the care of a liiodefately iuruishc'd house, wherü ttl'e artióles are uot too expeasive to be renewer] us tiine and use wear tfóöm ; but it is ufiu itely worse when a eataract of splendid furniture is henped upoirhoi' cure - wlienspleudid urystals cut into kex eonsciüuee, and mirrórs reflect her duliee, aud modi and rust wtand ever ready to dovour and suliy in avery rodífl and passage way. Sophie Kün so'emuly warned aud iustrueted by all the mol hem and aunts, - sho was warned of inoths, warned of coekroachep, warned of dust; all the artieles of fiirnitura had their oovt-rs, muda of coid Holland lioen, in which they lookod i i ico boJies laid Out, t-vuii the cuitaiu tasaejs liad each its lit'lo shpoud - and bundle of receipts aud of rites and cereuionies necesaary íór tttá proservation und purifieaíioii and caie oí all these artickv; wr ítuffed mío the jnxir ;irlV heaJ, befnÉe guiltletsof eaies a.i líio tVathiirK thát íloated above ií. "íot Hiil found véry no.on that bis house and lurniture wefo to be kept at siieh nn iaeal poiut of JMrfeotioü that he ji,3eied utíoiher iiouse to livtt in, - for, ftíllow, ai (buid the dife''ee 6e iweefi a hnuri'j and home it wbï onlv a year or two afeen thit my wiffl and I i staií.iüd out' iitiiMü uu very difierení i principies, and BiiJ would (t'tei Ifop in j upon us, wistfully lingerin in the ooy ' araj betweon ni) writiug tablo aud my vvií'o's sofa, and eftyjdg vvübli a t,igh how ('.(iiifouMled!y píeasaut things look j there,- so pleasuut to havu a briglit, open üro, and geranium, and roëes, and bifds', iiml all thát Bort of thing, aud to dare to stretch oat oue's legrt and to move without ono thinking what ono wasagoing to hit. ll Sophia is a good girl," he wonld say, "and wants to havo everylhing right, but )fou seo they vvon't let. L'ur. Thoy'va louded lier with so imuiy Uiat have to be kopt in lavaortor, thüt the pour girl if aetually getling thiu aLcl losing her heaUh ; ;uul tfatíu you seo thore'a aurit 'Zuruah, sho muWts guurd at our house, and keeps up suoh strict policy reguiatiorís thát a felloW páo't til) a t'hing 'i'hü parlors areuplen did but so lone&ome and disrmvl i not a ray of sunshine, in fuct, isot a ry of light, except wheu a visitor b calliug, and then they open a crack. They'ró afraid of flies, and yet, dear kn-sw, thoy keep every looking gluss anti pie turo framc mufílfd to iis throat from Míirch to December. I'd ltke for curiosity to see whal a lly wuuld do in our parlors !" 11 Wull," said T, !1 can't yon have .somo linio family giuing room, where you oan malee yottrgtílf cozy ?" " Not a bit of it. Rophia and auut Zeruuh have fixed thcir thrones ttp in our bedroom, aud tliero thi'y sifc all day long, exeept at culling hours, and then tíophia dresses hersclf and comen down. AuntZeruah iusista upon it thut Unway is to put tho whole house in order, and shut all tho blinds. áfad set in your buclroom, und then, sho says uothipg gata out of plaoe ; and phe tolla poor Sophia tho rnost liocus -poeua stories about her gianiinioüifr.-' and aünts, wfvu always kept cverytbing in their hou.-rs so that th'iy could go and hy tbuÍP hauds ou it'íu tho darkest uight. I 'II bel thöV could in our liouse. From end to end it is kept looking as if wo had bhut it u[ and goue to Europo,- iiot a book, nH a paper, not a glové, or my trauo of huüuin being in our wgíit, " Tho piano shut tight, tho book easé shul and locked, iho cugravings locked úp, all the drawers and close's 1 ickeiP. Wtiy, if I want to takt) a fullow Luto tho library, ifa the fet platte it smells lík a v:iu'll, and [ havo to unbnrrimde windows, and unlock aud rumiu:)go fóf lialf in bóttr Bofofe I can jjot auyliiing; and I know aurit 7, jn:ali is standiug tiptue at the door ready to whip uverything back and lock up agua. A tellow caut be social, or take any eoj.iibit in showing his books and piclurcs Lliat, ray. ïhuu Utre's our great, ligtit dining-roorn, with thü suuny tjoutli win dowi - Aunt Zi'ruab goi uü out of that ojrly iu April, béoauae hc said tho flie would epeet thé fruscóès and got iutu iho china closet, and we have bean enting in a little dingy atan, wiih a wia duw looking out on a back nlley, ever siuce ; and Aunt Zeruuh says that now the dining-room is alvvays iu perfeüt order, aud ihat ia such a Gare off SopUe's tnind that I ouglit to be willing to eat down etliar to thu end of the ahaptof. Now, you sgo, Chris, my position is a delieato one, lieeause Sophio's folks all agreo, that it there is anythiug in crea tiou ftutt iá ignoraut and dreadf'ul and raust not be allowcd liiu own way anyvvhere, it's a to' " VV hy, you'd thiuk to Lear Aunt Zoi-uah talk, that we were all liko bulls in a china ship, ready to toss and tenr aud rend, if we are not kopt down collar and chained ; and fefce worriü-i Sophie, and Sophie's mother comes and worrie.-, and if I try to got unything done differently, Sophio cries, and naya sbe don't know what to do, and so I givo it up. Naw, if I want to ask a few of our set iu sociably to dinnor, I cau't bav-ii them eat down cellar, - oh f that wonkl never do! Aunt Zeruah and Sopbie's raother and tha wlsolo family wouid fchink the family honor was foroyor ruined and undoue. We must uot ask them, unléss we open tho dining-room, and have out all tho best china, and get the hilver homo from tho bank ; aud if wc do that, Aunt ZtTuah doesn't sleep fór a -week after, gcttiisg things pul away ; aud then sho Éellfl me, that iu Sophie's delieate state it really is abominable íor mo to increaso her cares, ao I invite feltows to ditie with mo at Delmome's, and then Sopbio crie, ana tier mother fays it dan't look respect ible a lamily-rnan to be dining at public places; but hang it a feilow wants a homo sumewhere