The Commoner.
VOLUME 4, NUMBER g,
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VKfliP .jCttfden Watts MWM JT
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My City of R.ofue.
I have a city that is all my own,
Where I can enter In and be alone;
A strange, still city, where no traffic
beats,
With noise and rattle, through its
golden streets.
When hato and envy and the Ills of
life
Beset my pathway with their bitter
strifo,
I lift my curtain, and I ope my door,
And thoy exist for me no more, no
more.
I am the monarch of my kingdom
wide,
I, too, the subject that doth hero
abide;
There is no other of a mortal -race
Can find an entranco to this blessed
placo.
Its gate is hung upon a silver hinge,
And sot with pearls of opalescent
tinge;
Its walks are . bordered witn the rose
and fern, ' -Arid
tall wh'lto lillies'in the shadows
burn.
Thore la a fountain where the waters
laugh
Like merry children, and I alt and
quaff
From their bluo goblets of its nectar
sweet;
My life is perfect in Its dim retreat.
I .have a garden that is red with
'v' bloom,'
Tho air ialangorous with its rare per
fume; Tho feathorod songsters in the
branches trill
At my good pleasure; at my wish are
still. .
I am not lonely; when I choose to
call,
My nymphs come trooping to my crys-
.' ; tal hall;
Tho 'dome of azure opens wide for me,
And palo Bhips enter from a wave
loss sea.
This Is my refuge. And the world
must wait,
Howo'er 'twould ontor, when I close
my gate.
There mosque and templo lift a shin
ing thole,
In my white city of the Peaceful Soul.
Isabel Rlchey, in The Dial.
Home Chats.
Now that tho winter days are wan
ing, there are many things to engage
the attention of every member of tho
household. Among others of import
ance, do not forget to clean up tho
yards, back and front, and to make
your premises as neat and tasty in
appearance as possible. If you can
not paint your fonces and outhouses,
a good whitewash will clean and dis
infect, whilo the shrubbory should bo
neatly pruned and cared for. If you
have no shrubbery, and have any
ground at all, it is a good time to
study tho catalogues, and read up on
such things. Nothing gives such an
appearance of real home to a place, in
city, village or country, as a few well
cared for plaDts and neat, well re
paired and painted or even white
washed outbuildings. Don't leave the
work for "motner" to do; for mother
has the whole internal economy of
the home and household to look af
ter; surprise her by doing it yourself
and see if you do not feel hetter for
It.
If you are intending to have a sum
mer kitchen built, do not make the
mistake of having it built away from
the main house no matter how short
a distance. From a separate kitchen
to the house in all weathers is a dan
gerous journey for the overheated
cook; the added steps count up veiy
fast, and the housewife hardly stands
in need of any more. . In having tho
outhouse closely joined to .'-the main
building, there will be no extra screen
doors to be opened when serving the
meal with both hands' full 'of dishes.
If proper care is exercised' in keeping
the door between shut in summer wea
ther, the heat will not. reach the din
ing room to ,a troublesome degree,
while tho extra heat from the ranee
on cool damp mornings will be quite
acceptable, m such matters as tnese
the housewife should be consulted, as
this is her province. In building any
house or room for the family occu
pancy, tho wife should have a very
strong "say-so.
For tho Bod Room.
Cotton sheeting and pillow-slip mus
lin can be bought at a low price by
the bolt of about fifty yards, and
where there is time for home-sewing
this is a good way to supply one's
needs. Each sheet should be two and
one-half yards long, tho hem at one
end being a little broader than at the
other. A finish for pillow slips for
every-day usage may have a hem an
Inch or two wide with a cluster of
tucks above it; or they may be hem
stitched, with a finish of wash-lace
sewn on the hem. While not a ne
cessity, a counterpane and pillow
shams always give the bed a well
made appearance, and these are eas
ier washed than quilts or heavy pillow-slips.
The shams may be elab
orately wrought in embroidery, or as
simply made as one may desire but
they should always bo clean and un
rumplcd. Pretty scarfa may be used on the
wash-stand and bureau, or merely
doileys upon which to set the neces
sary furnishing?. For ordinary, tow
elling material can be cheaply bought
S ' r I fyaMd'.alYays keeDinS in mind
the fact that the best for the pur
pose is the cheapest in the long run
though costing a few cents more at
the first. If bought by the yard or
bolt it can be made into the desired
ft hem-stitched or fringed, but
the fringed towel soon gets "taEEv"
or ragged, if constantly used. Fine
towelling may be elaborately embroid
ered fancy-stitched, or simply marked
with a monogram or letter ,ieu
In supplying the bed furnishing
one should include with the toiS
necessities a supply of wash-Mo it
neatly hemmed, button-bote "dged or
with raw edges overcast to proved
ravelling, and supplied with Preycnt
by which to hangXm up. a l0P
OW Coffeo Grounds,
agency respoL,,,,' I"3 "er
ordered stomachs no Vk , uy ais
Uabit of some ZoZ of r?K1GUSible
fee grounds CnffJL u "filing cof-
timeg or even boHeS tTt a SGCOnd
e, imparts "&
acid which is an active poison. First,
buy the green berry and brown in a
closely covered pan not too dark, but
a little darker than that usually sold.
That sold in the stores has lost much
of its strength and flavor by exposure
to the air. Immediately after browned
grind the whole of it and place in
closely-stoppered bottles. To use,
place sufficient quantity in the boiler
and pour on cold water; set on the
stove, and the moment it starts to
boil, pour in a cup of very cold water;
this settles it, and the liquid should
be immediately poured off the grounds
and the grounds thrown away. Two
or three times a week, scrub out the
boiler with soap and sand, or ashes,
and set in the open air. The liquid
can be kept hot, or reheated without
injury. If you value your health, do
not use coffee grounds a second time,
and do not boil them more than a
minute, if so long."
Tea leaves impart to hot water a
more active poison than coffee, and
to have tea entirely harmless, pour
boiling water on the leaves; as soon
as the last tea-leaf sinks to the bot
tom, pour off the liquid and throw
the leaves away. Be sure that tho
water is fresh-boiled, and boiling hot
when poured on the leaves.
Now Book3.
New books have been appearing at
the rate of a hundred or more a
week; but the great mass of these
books are ephemera shallow and
short-lived. Publishers complain that
tho public appetite is vitiated to such
a degree that the demFnd runs far
too strongly in the direction of me
diocre fiction; trashy novels hold su
premacy, while belles-lettres lag in
the background. The majority of our
readers use books only to "kill time "
and one is lead to think that our
youth is troubled with a mental dys
pepsia, judging from the constant
craving for the sensational, and the
hurried skimming through the many
books that fall into their hands, a
lew books, well chosen, closely read
fnf,me?taLy imilated, would be
greatly to the advantage of both our
w601?6 and our yutn- But our
best books are seldom taken from the
shelves while on every chair and win
dow ledge can be found the chlan
trashy novel, the reading of wX
Sjy t0 het the appetite or
Same? 8ame kind- Wno to
Especially in the matter of tahl
men, the best fa the cheapest and
though much",, be LeTby JK&
small flSri i, ? dlosc". the
ana ras fiooe?, oSec? itl''
In making tho cloth ,,? much.
should bo done by hand' Sa mi?llle
ravelllngg puli out ' 2?d th, long
straight edge when f ,to malCG a
should be sfved for the hint ,lengtns'
embroidery cotton ,L eimming'' flnQ
-ther t
II there are no ravollings, or for
mending in older cloths.
By getting remnants, one can get a
supply of small cloths to be used for
luncheon, or for tray cloths at a
small cost "When old table linen
shows signs of becoming thin it
should be cut into tray cloths, nap
kins, or otherwise used in ways that
will suggest themselves to Ine eco
nomically inclined housewife.
Many women are now using for
breakfast, luncheon or small family
dinner, the small cloth, called a tea
cloth, which just covers the top of tho
table; these cloths may be finished
with rows of drawn-work, or a aeep
hem-stitched hem. The cloths come
with a fringed edge, but fringed edges
soon become taggy-looking as tho
fringe wears or breajks off in launder
ing. A monogram or initial adds a
finishing touch, worked in one corner
or at one side of the center.
Query Box.
Mrs. N. L. To make your tough
meat tender, let it stay in the water
in which it wajs boiled until cold.
Distressed. Moth patches are the
result of a disordered liver. The liver
must be relieved before you can bo
rid of them.
Flower Lover. Look in the adver
tising columns for addresses of firms.
The parties are reliable, and will
treat your order right.
Laundress. To keep your flat-irons
from rusting, rub them with a cloth
saturated in coal oil after using, and
keep them in a dry place.
F. M. Coal oil will clean the rubber
rollers of your wringer; rub with a
rag saturated in the oil and wipe dry
with a dry cloth when clean.
Bufey-Bee. Alcohol will take the ink
off the cylinder of your typewriter,
.nd clean the rubber rollers from the
stain. Apply with cloth, and wipe
dry.
Puzzled Hostess. I believe it is to
be the rule with St Louis hostesses lo
furnish only lodging and breakfast
to their guests in general; of, courso
tnere will be exceptions.
L. J. -After washing the hands, dry
perfectly, and then rub thoroughly
with cornmeal, before going into tho
cold air. For brittle finger nails. rub
the nails with & few drops of warm
olive oil every -night.
Housewife. An under-corer of felt
or flannel is used on the dining-room
table to preserve the polteh and dead
en the sound of dishes. It should bo
covered by a tea or table-cloth, which
should be unstarched and uncreased.
Anxious. It is said that sal soda
in solution, applied to blackheads ev
ery night for two weeks, will general
ly remove them. Keep the soda in a
bottle, ready dissolved, for use. If
the skin begins to get chafed with its
use, rinse it off eyery morning with
a little cider vinegar.
Young Cook. For carrot, salad,
wash and scrape a sufficient duantity
of tender, rich-colored N roots, throw
them into fast-boiling water and boil
until tender. Cut iuto very thin slices
and put them into a glass bowl; sprin
kle with sugar; add the juice of a
lompn and a wine-glass of olive oil.
Li. J. H TtVlt nnnorlnni o natloil onni
nrst cover the walls with a coating of
good paste, then put Jengths of cheap
muslin on the wood as you would
the wall paper, tacking It on at tno
end and along the selvage edges; let
the muslin get perfectly dry and then
paste on the wall-papeias you would
on any wall. "
Querist To rid the nouse of insect
Pests of any kind, dissolve one pound
of common alum In two quarts of hot
water; when thoroughly dissolved, ap
ply hot to tho bhelves, in pantry and
cupboard, closets, collar, or any other
infested place about the houso. For
bedsteads and springs, apply so the
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