| Show ITA MIRACLE Lois Sears Brown 95 West 2nd South Manti UT B84 L2 Non-Professional Division Second Place Historical Essay Tears of frustration gathered in my eyes and an occasional one streaked through the grime gathering on my face asscraped the soot from the small door at the bottom of the huge tlack stove in our Kitchen Worse was yet to come Asgrasped the chicken wing and started to sweep the fine soot and ash sniffled and coughed and dreaded the cleanup of me and the kitchen that must take place after this the worst of all possible chores in our home conplained and sulked at having to do this task butknew Mother could not accomplish all the cleaning that must be done each Saturday Mother was busily cleaning the small wooden box so it could accomodate the chunk of ice that must g0 into it She always did this as it was imperative that the drain be thoroughly clean and empty so the melting ice would not form puddles on the floor And while the ice box wasneat rectangle ice seldom was So as ice was lowered into the box the ice-pick chippedcorner here and curve there These bits and pleces which should have dropped quietly into the box always flew and quickly melted into dirty puddles on the floor The ice hauled from the river contained bits of leaves and debris that made cleaning the floor and ice boxslimy job There must bebetter way Surely all the girls and women in the world should not suffer this misery this frustration the dirt and work that my mother andexperienced each Saturday Sunday brooded this protlem and Monday asdipped heavy clothes from the boiling water on the old black stove ny anger mounted The steam turned my face flaming red Every shred of curl disappeared from my hair Hot soapy water splashed everywhere even into my eyes and mouth aspulled fron the water one white shirt after another and linen table cloths and napkins and dresses and pillow cases shuddered to tl of the hours of ironing the stiffly starched articles with an iron that stuck and scorched 37 |
