Chapter 5When Jane returned home, Ma did not show any sign that she had been worried about her daughter's late return. Pa was off at the poker tables as usual.
“Puppy seems happy with Dr. Glick,” was all Jane said.
“Get some sleep,” said Ma. “Tomorrow is laundry day.”
Jane was exhausted, so she willingly complied.
The bulk of Ma's new enterprise as a laundry woman was done on Saturdays, so that the miners would have clean clothes for their one day off on Sunday. Pa did some of the preparation, all the while grumbling that it was “squaw work.” He carried water to be boiled, put up clothesline, started the outdoor fire for the big kettle, and hauled enough firewood for the day. Then he shaved, in order to look the part of card sharp, and set off for town. The bulk of the work was left fo
