28 TOM’S EXPERIENCH 
and the thousand and one other things that must be 
done, and then think of one woman, and she often in 
poor health, being expected, and often compelled, to 
doit all! It is outrageous, and I have no patience 
with the man who will permit it. We men sit on 
our sulky plows, cut our wheat with self-binding 
reapers, and avail ourselves of all other labor-saving 
machinery to lighten owr work. But no machines 
have ever been invented to do the cooking, the wash- 
ing, the ironing, and the thousand other things be- 
longing to ‘‘woman’s work,” and I regret that so 
many men are too thoughtless, or careless, or heart- 
less, or stingy, to procure the necessary help for their 
wives. Far better have fewer acres under cultivation, 
and a little less money laid by at the end of the year, 
than have your wives work their lives out, as many 
are doing. In this country, where a hundred and 
sixty acre homestead of as good land as the sun ever 
shone on can be had for the taking, and another 
hundred and sixty for $200, there is no need of any 
man’s permitting his wife to ruin her health and 
shorten her life for want of help to do her work. 
That tenant house has been the means of securing 
efficient help for my wife, as well as for myself, and 
has, besides, helped two families to get a good start, 
from which they are sure to work into a competence. 
I consider it one of my very best investments. 
EXTENDED PLANS. 
In the spring of 1881 I had made my plans for 
