14 



Take only one clay's burdens. Let to-morrow's wait. Seek com- 

 panionship with congenial friends or neighbors if you have them 

 and books. If possible, join a woman's club (don't be shocked), lit- 

 erary or for mutual improvement in any desired direction. It will 

 help you work, talk and keep you sunny hearted, if it is wisely 

 directed. In these days even five people who agree to study a few 

 months can have with very little expense a library from our State 

 department at Albany. JS^o one needs the rest and stimulus this 

 will bring more than the busy housekeeper. If it seems impossible 

 to meet the club, induce them to meet at your home, where you 

 may keeo the books and book-cases." 



The Story of a Busy Life Briefly Told. 



A hitsy woman who has time to read. — " Two things I have been 

 taught in my long farm life ; one is that work never kills and the 

 other is that w^e nmst calculate work beforehand in order to save 

 steps and do a great amount of work. I am fifty-eight years old. 

 Have been on a farm all my life until a year ago when we built a 

 new house on one end of our farm which opens on a public road 

 and retired from farm labor. My father was a farmer and a min- 

 ister of the old school who believed in no salary but believed in 

 working for a living. I learned to milk when seven years old and 

 always did my share while at home. I was sent to school, but at 

 fourteen commenced to teach a district school on a third grade 

 license. I soon received a second and then the first grade. I 

 boarded around. I was married at nineteen and then my farm life 

 began in earnest. AVe always kept a dairy, from twelve to fourteen 

 liead. When we were married we did not own a foot of land. Mv, 

 husband and I bought thirty acres the day after we were married, 

 joining the old homestead of his people with whom we lived. 

 They owned fifty acres, but there was a mortgage of $350 on that. 

 A¥e took care of them until they died, paid the mortgage, bought 

 enouofh more to make us two hundred acres. AVe had a suerar 

 orchard and made from three to five hundred pounds of sugar and 

 a great deal of syrup every year. We kept sheep and always 

 worked up the wool, spun, wove and made full cloth for men's wear 



510 



