mi --wrijyir' f
reT'IIUIiyoiWTfi-VTTI j"T
The Commdner,
.VOLUME 9, NUMBER 38
- jjr-
ft
I?
K.
R:
Olaro'fl Curl
Today I found this shining tress
'Mong letters worn and old;
"What raomories of happier days,
And tendor joys it told!
And one faint line, unfaded there,
Said, "Dear, remember me."
Ah this soft tress of shining hair,
. Bright waif on Memory's sea.
Brings back the past in low, sweet
chimes,
Through all the long-dead years;
How blest was that dear, lost lang
syn,o! How filled with hopes and fears!
Our pathways led along the shore
Of Youth's unruffled sea;
And like this soft and shining curl
Was that dear past to me.
One day we idly parted hands
'Mid songs and sunny weather
Wo somehow lost the olden paths
Wo walked no more together.
And on that sunlight shore, some
, where,
Is one dear, sad goodbye;
It., came between our lives, dear
v "Clare,
And clouded all life's sky.
"i
The Silk Waist
Care must be taken when launder
ing the washable silk waist. A good
sudB, mustbe made with a few drops
, 'of ammonia added to it. Only es
pecially soiled spots should have a
, very little white soap rubbed on, as
the soap, itself should not other
wise touch the silk. If good white
soap, with a little ammonia is used
in the suds, this will generally be
found sufficient. In Ironing, the
greatest care must be taken, as silk
'scorches so easily; a thin piece of
cloth should be used between the
iron and the silk as a protection.
If, however, the hot iron yellows
the silk, treat it just as you would
a scorch on linen; apply benzine or
alcohol first, then lemon juice and
saltvlaying it in the hot sunshine.
Pink1,., in silks, usually deepens in
colbr'in washing, while blue or green
fades; the tan colors keep their
shade.
so tho design in embroidery will
stand out like new.
Crocheted pieces such as sofa pil
low tops, colored linen center-pieces,
embroidered articles which do not
require washing after finishing,
should be spread out on a wide,
thickly-padded surface, with the
wrong side up, covered with a thin
white cloth which has been wet and
wrung as dry as possible, and
pressed with a hot iron, not scorch
ing, until thoroughly dry and per
fectly smooth. An over-hot Iron
should never touch embroidery.
It is claimed that If cotton frocks
are washed in a soap lather having
dissolved in it a good sized himp
of alum, and the same in the rinse
water, they will bo less apt to catch
fire when the children press too near
the hot stove at school in cold
weather.
Making Over Goods
When making over a cloth suit,
rernember that nothing freshens it
up so much as. to thoroughly sponge
and press it. Rip apart every seam
and sponge each piefce separately.
Saturate a piece of muslin in warm
water, then roll the muslin and the
cloth together and allow them to re
main thus for several hours, being
careful to place the damp, muslin on
the wrong side of the material, then
carefully press the goods, being
careful to run the iron along the
thread, keeping it-perfectly straight;
if ironed across, ,it is apt to be
pulled out of shape. When ripping,
see that every particle of thread is
pulled from the seam, and a good
plan is to dampen the marks of Itho
seam and run the Iron over it on the
wrong side, thus taking out the
marks of the stitches. These are
very difficult to remove, and the iron
should touch only the wrong side of
the cloth. If the new garment is
Intended for the school girl, liven it
by some suitable trimming. Give
It a distinctive appearance and dis
guise the fact that It Is a "made-
over.
biscuit cutter. Lay in a greased
biscuit pan and bake in a hot oven.
If you have no cream, rub a spoon
ful of lard or butter in the prepared
flour before adding a cutfful of sour
miik with the soda. Keep the dough
as soft as possible so the biscuit will
be tender. Buttermilk biscuit are
made in the same way, using a table
spoonful of shortening to a quart
of flour. The acidity of milk varies
so much that' judgment is required
of the cdok, a general rule, however,
being a level, teaspoonful of soda to
one pint of sour milk that has stood
two or three days; and a gcant tea
spoonful of soda if the milk has just
turned to a jelly-like consistency.
a
For tho Laundress
Try to wash all the finer pieces
by themselves; if waBhed in a tub
with coarser goods, such as sheets,
table linen, etc., the thin lawn, cam
brics, and nainsooks will soon tear
to pieces.
A teaspoonful of borax to the md!
of water will whiten linen, and do
less damage than sal soda, which
sometimes ruins fine garments.
A teacupful of salt should be
added to a pailful of water and gar
ments that are apt to fade should"
be soaked in this before washiner.
This is especially good for black and
white goods that are inclined to
"run."
For washing flannels, use the same
temperature of water for both suds
and rinse water nicely warm.
Flannels should not be wrung out
either by wringer or by hand, but
should be pressed dry enough be
tween the hands to admit of hang
ing them on the lines to drip. When
nearly dry, blankets should bo pinned
to the line by the edge.
When ironing embroidered pieces,
a thick piece of flannel should be
laid underneath the embroidery, and
a piece of soft cloth on top, pressing
tho goods always on the wrong aide
Hanging Curtains
A' simple way of hanging curtains
and draperies is in the best taste.
The muslin or lace curtains hanging
straight or looped back, or cut in
two sections, the first falling straight
to the top of the lower sash just
covering the wood work, and the
second hanging from a rod hidden
under its ruffle or hem and pushed
back to each side; the heavy drap
eries at the sides hanging straight
to the floor from a separate rod so
they can be pulled together at night.
For the curtains next the glass there
are plenty of nets, laces, plain and
ngurea muslins and thin silks to
choose from.
To Keep Cider Sweet
Cider should be made of finely
flavored juicy, apples, perfectly ripe,
rejecting all that are decayed or
wormy. Remember that you get out
of the cider press just what, you put
into it. The greatest neatness is
necessary throughout the entire pro
cess. It is better to crush than to
grind the apples, and as the juice
runs thrpugh from the press it should
pass through a clean, loose-weave
flannel cloth into a perfectly clean
harrel or keg. Let the juice stand
two or three days, if the weather is
clear arid cold, hut it warm, do not
'allow it- to stand more than one day.
Rack ,it once a day for foui weeks,
then draw oft and bottle and cork
tightly. This process makes perfect,
unfermented cider, and nothing must
be added with a view to preserving
It." Lay the 'bottles away on their
sides in sawdust, in a cold, dry place,
but do not allow to freeze.
Another -Take freBh, sweet cider,
put in a vessel over the fire and be
gin skimming as soon as a particle
of scum begins to rise. Tho main
point is to remove all traces of
pumice from the cider. Skim until
It reaches the boiling point, but do
not allow it to boil; then fill pint or
quart self-sealing fruit jars to over
flowing with the boiling hot cider
and seal at once. This is delicious,
the flavor being perfectly preserved,
and will keep all winter. Mayflower.
In short pieces, or put into the water
whole; the water should be salted
as for tho table, and should be boil
ing hard. Italians cook It twenty
minutes, but the American cook usu
ally gives it thirty to forty minutes.
Stir it now and then to prevent
sticking, cooking until it is tender;
when tender, turn into a colander
and drain, pouring cold water
through It to blanch it and wash off
tho starch which gathers on the sur
face of tho pipes. This is the pre
liminary preparation for all macaroni
dishes. If it be merely seasoned, at
this stage, with butter and a little
salt if necessary, it is called boiled
macaroni.
Macaroni with cheese: Melt two
tablespoonfuls of butter, grate four
ounces of cheese (about eight table
spoonfuls after grating), to one
fourth pound of boiled macaroni.
Grease a baking dish, cover the bot
tom with macaroni, pour over it a
little of the melted butter and
sprinkle with grated cheese, contin
uing thus until all is used, having
the last layer cheese; brown in a
quick oven and serve hot from the
same dish it is cooked in. Slow
cooking dries and makes the maca
roni indigestible.
Macaroni a la' creme. Put two
cupfuls of milk to boil In a double
boiler; rub together two and a half
tablespoonfuls of butter and the same
of flour, until smooth; add this to
the hot milk and stir until it thick
ens, salt and a dash of pepper to
taste. Place in alternate layers tho
boiled macaroni (one-fourth pound),
sauce and finely chopped American
cheese, in a baking dish, and sprinkle
the top with cracker crumbs and
brown. Serve hot from baking dish.
Making Soda Biscuit
For the biscuit, sift together two
cupfuls of flour, one-half teaspoon
ful of salt, a level teaspoonful of
sugar, and a rounding teaspoonful
of baking powder. Put into a bowl
half a cupful each of sour cream and
milk; then beat into it half a tea
spoonful of soda dissolved in a table
spoonful of cold water; when it stops
"singing," stir in with the sifted
flour, mix gently but quickly with a
spoon, and turn out on a well
floured board. Pat, with tho floured
hand until a smodth cako la, formed,
then cut lntbi.shap withIa- small
Some Cake Lore
Always turn a cake out of the pan
onto a sieve turned up side down;
a clean towel laid over the sieve
keeps the marks of the wire from
the cake. The air will pass all around
the hot cake, allowing the steam to
evaporate. If turned out on a cloth
laid on the table, the heat will not
pass off, and the cake will be heavy.
A larse fruit cake must ho
handled very carefully or it will
break; turn it out by lifting the
edges of the paper which should line
the pan, having some one hold the
sieve upside down in such a way that
tho top of the cake touches, then the
work is easy.
Cooking Macaroni
Macaroni is now regarded as being,
weight for weight, of not less value
In the animal economy than beef or
mutton, and it offers an excellent
substitute for meat, and at the same
time meets the need of vegetables.
To cook it properly, at least two
quarts of salted water should be
used for each one-fourth pound of
macaroni, which is enough for six
persqns. .i-Tho. pipes may be broken
,..; m . , , Query Box
L. C.-r-Black. china silk can be
washed in a lukewarm, suds made
with pure white "soap, rinsing and
hanging to dry without wrlnglLg.
Li S. Crepe de chinp may bo
washed, if carefully done, but loses
a little of its brilliance and gloss by
the operation.
Alice L. Common yellow soap
contains rosin, and should not bo
used for washing blankets. There
are many good white laundry soaps
to be had for a few cents a cake; not
expensive.
Mrs. L. To whiten the linen, soak
in a strong hot suds made with white
soap, for several hours, then spread
on the grass to dry. If no grass,
hang on the line. Repeat the suds
ing and drying several times.
Worried Mother. It is recom
mended to use one ounce (two table
spoonfuls) of lime water to the pint
of milk for the baby. If the child
is inclined to vomit without being
constipated, the dose may be doubled.
A "bottle-fed" baby is a law unto it-
Cash for Recipes
The American Homestead of
Lincoln, Neb., is offering spe
cial prizes every month to its
subscribers for tho best recipes,
household suggestions, new
ways of doing things about tho
home, etc.
The American Homestead is
a national farm and household
journal devoted to better farm
ing and better farm life. It is
a paper that will interest any
housewife. It contains matter
of special interest to every ono
Interested in home gardening,
fruit growing, poultry raising,
bee-keeping, etc. It is unliko
any other farm paper. Always
bright, interesting and enter
taining. See special offer on
pago 10 of this issue.
-4U.Wwh
MMAWrfetfAt