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    A Christmas Story Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House
    A Christmas Story Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House
    A Christmas Story Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House
    Ebook67 pages41 minutes

    A Christmas Story Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House

    By Samuel W. (Samuel Ward) Francis

    ()

    Read preview
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateNov 25, 2013
    A Christmas Story Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House

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      Book preview

      A Christmas Story Man in His Element - Samuel W. (Samuel Ward) Francis

      The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Christmas Story, by Samuel W. Francis

      This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

      almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or

      re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

      with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

      Title: A Christmas Story

      Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House

      Author: Samuel W. Francis

      Release Date: July 6, 2006 [EBook #18770]

      [Date last updated: July 8, 2006]

      Language: English

      *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CHRISTMAS STORY ***

      Produced by Curtis Weyant, Martin Pettit and the Online

      Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This

      file was produced from images produced by the Wright

      American Fiction Project.)

      [Transcriber's note: Irregularities in punctuation which were present in the original have been corrected. Variants such as would'nt/wouldn't, could'nt/couldn't, was'nt/wasn't, have been retained.]

      A

      CHRISTMAS STORY,

      BY

      DR. SAMUEL W. FRANCIS.

      PUBLISHED BY

      GEORGE H. MATHEWS,

      929 BROADWAY, NEW YORK.,

      1867.

      A CHRISTMAS STORY.

      MAN IN HIS ELEMENT:

      OR,

      A NEW WAY TO KEEP HOUSE.

      BY DR. SAMUEL W. FRANCIS.

      CONTENTS

      PART I.         A WOMAN'S PLAN.

      PART II.         A MAN'S PLAN.

      PART I.

      A WOMAN'S PLAN.

      'My dear Mary,' said I, one morning, to my widowed sister, as she sank into an arm chair in front of my library fire, and heaved a sigh replete with exhaustion and sadness:

      'What is the matter?'

      'Enough for a woman, William, but of course, nothing for an old bachelor like you, who have only to pay your own bills, eat your meals without the trouble of ordering them; lounge through a clean house with no chasing after servants to sweep and wash and dust; sit in your study, heaping log after log on your devoted andirons, and always meeting me with such a provoking cheerfulness, while I have not a moment to myself; am all the time running to give out stores to one girl; soap and starch to another; candles and linen to the chambermaid, and orders to the coachman; and, even then, I have no peace; for, no sooner do I sit in the nursery, hoping to derive a few minutes comfort from a quiet sew, than my ears are filled with the dissatisfaction of one girl; the complaints of another; the threatenings to leave of another, and the quarrels of all. I declare, William, I think it was too bad in you to insist on our leaving that comfortable boarding house, where we lived so much cheaper, and had no trouble. It was there, with my small family, that I appreciated the freedom from care that you old selfish, unsympathizing bachelors enjoy; and no wonder you laugh at us. The fact is, you don't know anything about it; you ——'

      'My dear Mary,' I repeated, 'you have said enough—I only ask for a few minutes to put this matter in a new light, and, in time, you yourself will be convinced.'

      'That's all very well, William, but what's the use of talking to you men. I never convinced one in my life. No sir! man is an animal that never acknowledges either that he is wrong, or that a woman is right. I tell you, servants are the bane of my existence. You cannot make them happy, do what you may. Why, only the other day

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