I
The Commoner.
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 9
A False Step
Sweet! Thou IuihI. tr d on ? heart;
I'uhk! There's a world full ol men;
And women as fair as thou art
Must do such things now una then.
Thou only hast stopped unaware,
(Malice not one can Iinpuloj,
And why should a heart have boon
thoi'u
In the way of a fair woman's foot?
It was no! a Htono that could trip,
Nor wuh it a thorn that could rend;
Put up thy proud undor-lipl
"I'wan merely tho heart of a friend.
And yet, peradventure, one day,
Thou, Hitliim alone at tho glass,
Remarking llu! bloom gone away,
Where tho smile In Its dlmplemont
was.
And HPGklni: around thee in vain,
From hundreds who ilattored be
fore, Such a word as "Oh, not in tho main,
Do I hold theo less precious, but
more."
Thou will sigh, very like, on thy
fl t't
'Of' all I liavo known, or can
know,
wish I had only that Heart
I trod upon agea ago!"
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
,-il the same time insist that mother
should keei young and rested by
sharing their pleasures with them,
there would bo many happier homes
and more rested, care-free mothers.
The girls aro not always to blame for
their seeming indifference to the
comfort and wellaro of the mother,
for too many women refuse to let
tho girls help thorn, saying it is more
bother to have them about than to
do the work alone; but it is a moth
er's duty to see that her daughters
are fitted to meet Intelligently the
cares of life that will surely fall to
thorn. Many girls would gladly do
the tasks, and share their pretty
clothes, as well as their pleasures
with the mother, ii tho thought had
ever occurred to them to do so; but
it is never suggested that they
should and they get tho idea that
hard work and shabby clothing is
mother's "normal condition," and
their carelessness arises more often
than not in unthoughtfulncss rather
than selfish indifference.
Among tho kindnesses some of our
readers do me, is that of occasion
If all members of the family would
make it a rule to breakfast at the
same time, the work would be much
easier for the housekeeper, and the
breakfast more satisfactory to the
eaters. Few people like warmed
over dishes, or to mako a meal of
tho left-overs from others.
After You Arc Married
Women are beginning to realize
that It will requiro a little more tact
readers o mo. ib uiai 01 occ u,ioi- d dlplomncy to hold tho husband's
ally sending favorite poems wit tic , d admir;ltion ater marrlag0
request that they appoar in tic IIo me , , , h u
Dopartment. In tho Issue of 1 ebru- , . .. . . ,. wi,n
ary 2L is ono of these poems, clipped
from some publication, and signod
"Larona Miller," which is evidently
not tho name of tho author, as sev
eral friends have written mo, saying
that (ho author of tho poem, which
is an old ono, is Susan Coolidgo. Tho
poem is certainly lino enough to
tempt ono to covot tho honor of be
ing its author, and 1 am glad to givo
iho immo o tho real author, at tho
Biuno time thanking our friends for
mipplylng It. 1 do not know what
paper furnished tho clipping to our
roador who sent it to mo.
"A Good Position"
On leaving school, or attaining an
Ago at which they consldor thom-
boIvcs old onough to tako up some
responsible work, many girls aro
busy looking for "a position." The
trouble is that, In many casos, they
overlook a very important wtrk that
lies right at their hand. If theso
girls would try taking tho mother's
position in tho household for a whilo,
doing the almost endless tasks that
tax her strength, whethor woll or ill,
thoy would lind a call for all thoir
oxecutlvo ability and much intelli
gent labor. Tho returns would pay
big in tho increased happiness of tho
reliovod mother, and tho additional
comfort of tho whole family, includ
ing thomselves. Few girls realize
tho strain under which tho loving,
conscientious mother of a family is
constantly kept, or tho multitude of
tasks that lio always at nor hand.
If tho daughtors would share the
bunions, working side by sido with
the too often "family drudge," and
is true that, after marriage when
ono has to live in tho closo relation
ship of husband and wife, the wo
man can not bo expected to be al
ways as carefully dressed as when
tho visiting was only occasional; but
she should not allow herself to de
generate into ; dowdy or sloven by
wearing only worn out garments, and
bedraggled skirts. Every day gar
ments can at least be neatly mended
and clean, with no loose or lacking
fastenings or frayed edges. The hair
can always bo neatly combed, and
some pretty neckwear be worn.
Pretty clothes aro not all that is nec
essary, but manners and actions
should be looked after just as scrup
ulously as beforo marriage. Men are
vory quick to notice these things,
and it will not do for the wife to
allow her appearanco to compare un
favorably with that of other women
whom tho husband meets. Men are
apt to follow tho wife's example in
such matters, too, and show an in
creasing disregard for their own neat
appearance if tho wife becomes negli
gent or her looks. A slovenly man
is just as objectionable as a slov
enly woman, and adds just as much
to tho untidy looks of tho home;
but it is the custom to "blame it
onto tho woman," and the only thing
co oo uono is for tho woman to take
as much pride in her own neatness
as the girl did. Ono of the best aids
to this is plenty of looking-glasses,
and a generous looking into them at
all hours of tho day. Wo can only
as oiners see
forehand for the coming cleaning-up
is to lighten the work very ma
terially. In the matter of floor cov
ering, if you must get a new carpet
or rug, try to get the best for the
money. Brussels and other like car
peting wear woll, but are hard to
sweep and heavy to lift or clean. In
grains and three-ply are quite cheap,
easily kept clean, reversible, and
light for handling. A good ingrain
will wear many years and look well
as long as there is a piece of it left.
In selecting a carpet, either a very
light or a very dark color is to be
avoided; of tho two, the lighter one
looks the cleaner. Get a small de
sign; geometric figures, arabesques
and conventionalized floral designs,
especially if of two-tone color, seem
the most satisfactory. Select colors
that harmonize with the rest of the
furnishing. The floor covering must
be the background of the home.
If the floors aro rough or broad
boards, an all-over carpet is best.
Some use matting to cover an ugly
floor, with rugs spread about, but
where there is much walking about,
or moving furniture, the matting
gets worn quickly. Tapestry fillers
come in all colors, of one tone, and
aro agreeable to the eyes. A paper,
or light straw or hay lining under
tho carpet makes it much pleasanter
to walk on, and saves the carpet.
Borders on carpets contract the
space, if the room is small or nar
row, and should be avoided.
If a bare floor is preferred, have
the boards well scraped and have a
carpenter smooth uneven surfaces,
fill all wide cracks with putty or
plaster of paris, and then have it
stained. Stains come ready for use,
or can be prepared at home. After
staining and letting get thoroughly
dry, a stained floor may be given two
coats of varnish, which will last a
year. Staining and varnishing do
not obliterate the grain of the wood.
tablespoonful of flour to one pint of
milk is about the right proportion.
Havo your sauce very hot, add a
lump of butter about as large as a
walnut, and servo the sauce with
asparagus, beans, celery, potatoes
and other vegetables. This white
sauce is especially nice for left-over
meats, vegetables and poultry, as
they can be re-heated in it without
cooking. Cold meats should never be
re-cooked.
Cream Salsify Clean and cut in
slices a few roots of salsify and boil
in a very little salted water until
tender, drain, and cover with enough
milk to nearly cover tho vegetable,
season with butter and a little pep
per, and, if needed, a little salt;
thicken very slightly with a very lit
tle flour rubbed smooth in a little
cold milk and the mixture allowed
to come to a boil. Serve hot.
An Inexpensive Pudding Make a
good biscuit dough, roll about three
fourths of an inch thick and spread
on it any cooked fruit or grated
apples, roll up, tie in a pudding
cloth and steam an hour and a half.
Serve with any nice sauce in slices.
M. N. Bits of dried fruits, cooked,
that the family has grown tired of,
can be used up in this way.
Some Statistics
The most recent census bureau re
port of prisoners and juvenile delin
quents showed that in the country
as a whole during the year, 34,753
persons were sentenced for drunken
ness, 28,339 for vagrancy, and 17,264
for disorderly conduct, which consti
tuted nearly fifty per cent of the total
number of commitments. Drunken
ness, vagrancy, and disorderly con
duct are close-allied offenses, stand
ing usually in the relation of cause
and effect. These statistics are es
pecially interesting at this juncture
when the government of many of the
states are passing laws to abolish the
saloon, since the institution is large
ly responsible for tire inebriety that
lands its patrons in the jails.
Wedding Superstitions
"Married in May, and repent for
aye."
It is a bad omen to break a dish
on one's wedding day.
Saturday is an especially unlucky
day to be married on.
A rainy wedding day foretells sor
row tor the bride.
Snow on the wedding day fore
tells a happy married life.
thus "see ourselves
us.'
AN OLD AND WK1.1. TH1KD REMEDY
Mus. Winmow's Sootiuno Svui'i' ror clilliliou
roiiirhlHHil( always. l.iMiMHl tor elillilien whllo
trptlilnir. It Hiltons the Ruins, nlln s tliu pnlii, cure
w lint col o niul Is tlio best remedy for diarrhoea.
j w cntj -11 vcci nth ti bottle. "0l
"Spring Winds"
Spring winds mean more than re
viving vegetation, and tho stormy
month of March is full of sugges
tions for tho busy housewife. There
Is still time to look over things and
plan, and to bo well prepared be-
Some Timely Kecipes
Split Pea Soup Pick and wash
one-half pint of dried neas: tint them
into a sauce pan with two quarts of
cold water, one small carrot, one
onion, three leeks, a stalk of celery,
and half a pound of salt fat pork,
and a little pepper. Set over a slow
fire and let simmer for four hours.
Take out the pork and press the rest
through a colander, and return to the
fire, bring to a boil and serve with
croutons. If nreferred tho nnrlr mnv
bo omitted, and just before serving
tho puree, butter the size of an egg
may be stirred into it.
Croutons Cut stale bread in one
third inch slices and remove the
crusts; spread thinly and evenly with
butter, then cut in one-third inch
cubes; put in a pan and bake until
delicately browned, turning fre
quently that they may brown evenly.
These aro sometimes called Dutch
crusts, and aro excellent accompani
ments for soups.
Cream Sauce Cream, or white
sauces are made with thin cream or
rich milk thickened and seasoned A
Contributed Recipes
Corn Chowder One quart can of
corn, one quart sliced raw potatoes,
a two-inch cube of fat salt pork, one
onion sliced very thin, teaspoonful
of pepper, tablespoonful of sugar,
two tablespoonfuls of butter,
two tablespoonfuls of flour, one
pint of rich, sweet milk, six butter
crackers. Heat the corn, pare and
slice and scald the potatoes, fry the
meat, and take it from the skillet;
cook the onion in the fat, and then
strain the fat into one quart of water
in whin'i the potatoes were scalded;
then, into the skillet put a layer of
potatoes, one of corn pulp, season
ing with salt and pepper, and sim
mer twenty minutes; blend the but
ter and flour together over the fire
as for white sauce, pour into it the
pint of hot milk, stirring all the
time until it comes to a boil, then
pour over the chowder. Put a layer
of crackers in the tureen and turn
the chowder over them; serve hot.
Date Meringue This delicious des
sert is quickly made in case unex
pected company comes. Beat the
whites of five eggs to a stiff froth,
add three tablespoonfuls of sugar,
and one pound of dates stoned and
cut up fine. Bake fifteen minutes
in a moderate oven and serve, as
soon as cool, with thick, sweet
cream, or a custard made with the
yolks of the eggs.
Nice Sugar Cookies Two cupfuls
of granulated sugar, one cupful of
lard and butter, equal parts, ono
cupful of sour milk, two teaspoon
fuls of baking powder and one of
soda, a teaspoonful of lemon juice;
beat the mixture well in a bowl be-
Only One "BROMO QUININE"
That Is LAXATIVE BROMO QUININE Look
for tho slpnaturo of E. w. GROVE. Used the
world over to Curo a Cold In Ono Day. 26c
t . 1
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s-Lm a tl