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The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER S7
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October's Bright llluo Weather
O euns and skies and clouds of Juno,
And flowers of Juno together,
To can not rival for ono hour
October's bright blue weather;
When loud the bumblebee makes
haste,
Belated, thriftless, vagrant,
And goldenrod Is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are frag
rant; When gentians ,roll their fringes
tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Aro leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged sqeds are
sowing,
And in the. fields still green and' fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and in the
. brooks,
In idle golden freighting '
firlght leaves sink noiseless in the
rhusa; t t ,
-Of SwoodB, for' winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country
. haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count' like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.
0 sun and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.
Helen Hunt Jackson.
be handy, if you would keep the baby
from taking cold and feeling uncom
fortable generally. It would not
probably bo necessary that these
thicker garments should be constant
ly worn, but they should be slipped
on when the morning or evening is
chilly, even though they must be re
moved during the middle of the day.
A little flannel jacket often saves the
baby a spell of sickness.
,.v
Looking Forward
Donot these cool, gray mornings
make you think of Christmas? It is
none too early to begin your prepara
tions for the white festival, even
though you do not intend to give
many gifts, or have those you do
give very elaborate. You have now
the choice of great variety, and there
are many little odds and ends that
can be picked up for a small expendi
ture. Many women took advantage
jf the mid-summer sales to get quite
a few bargains, especially the hand
kerchief sales. If your preparations
are begun now, the finished prod
uct of your leisure can be laid away
in your "Christmas" box, and before
you kno7 it, you will have an abun
dance of pretty things without the
struggle with clamorous crowds who
put off their Christmas shopping un
til the last few days. Then, too, by
beginning early, you may be better
prepared to give intelligently,
through knowing your friend's needs
or tastes. In your giving, do not
forgot the old folks, and do not think
that because they are old, they do
not care for the pretty things that
please others. The "useful" present
has no place in the Christmas giving,
though the real gift which may be
but a pretty box of candy, or a pot
ted plant, or bit of lace, may be sup
plemented by the necessity in the
way of shoes, stockings, headwrap,
or other piece of wearing apparel.
For the Woman Who Works
It is just as creditaole to sell your
time and skill as it is to sell mer
chandise, and tho selling should be
conducted along business lines. When
you buy a pound of anything, you
expect to get sixteen ounces; when
you buy a quart, the quantity expect
ed is two pints. So, when selling
your labor, you are expected to do so
much, or so many hours' work for a
certain amount of money, or other
remuneration. If. the grocer gives
you short-weight or scant measure,
you say he is dishonest; if you clip
your day at either end, an hour here,
or a few minutes there, or take your
ease "'tween whiles," are- you not
dishonest, too? The wage may be
paid you without comment, but you
do not always get employment again
in the same place, if there is any ono
(else to be had. A working woman,
seamstress, housekeeper, laundress,
clerk, or in other lines which are
open to women, should adhere rig
idly to her hours; she sttould do her
best for the regular salary or wage,
and should charge for every extra'
hour, filling to the .fullest her every
duty. Such a person is always in
demand, and if there is any work to
do, she will be sure of a favorable
chance at it. It is such women who
keep the work given them, even in
slack times, and when others are be
ing "laid off," she is not in constant
fear of being "turned down."
Wasliing Corduroy
White corduroy Is especially de
sirable for little children's coats, as
it wash.es so beautifully and needs
no ironing. .The colored corduroys
wash well, also, and are admirable
for coats for older children and for
suits and separate trousers for boys.
It wears like iron, and the garments
can be passed down quite a long
line, so far as wear is concerned.
Wash it with good, white soap and
water, making a suds, and rinse in
plenty of clear water, hanging it up
to drip without squeezing or wring
ing, as wringing win ruin it. When
it is dry, rub smooth with the fingers
to restore tho silky look. A thin
wadded lining of sateen, or silk and
lamb's wool, made by the same pat
tern as the coat, will make it quite
warm enough for tho cold days. The
gray, or fawn, or brown are all good
colors. Tho goods come in twenty
two inch width, and costs from ono
dollar a yard up, for a first-class
article.
on His Old Oaken Staff," was printed
in this department, issue of Septem
ber 3. Ed.)
Two little ones grown tired of play
Roamed by the sea one summer day,
Watching tho great waves como and
go,
Prattling as children will, you know,
Of dolls and marbles, kites and
strings;
Sometimes hinting of graver things.
At last they spied within their reach
Ah old boat cast upon the beach
Helter-skelter, with hierry din,
Over its sides they clambered in
Ben, with his tangled, nut-brown
hair,
Bess, with her sweet faco flushed
and fair.
Rolling In from the briny deep;
Nearer, nearer, the great waves
creep;
Higher, higher, up the sands,
Reaching out with their giant hands,
Grasping the boat with boisterous
glee,
Tossing it up and out to sea.
The sun went down 'mid clouds of
gold;
Night came with footsteps damp and
cold;
Day dawned; the hours went slowly
by;
And now, across the sunny sky,
A black cloud stretches far away,
And shuts the golden gates of day.
A storm comes on with flash and
roar,
While all tho skies are shrouded o'er;
The great waves, rolling from the
west,
Bring night- and darkness on their
breast,
Still floats the boat through driving
storm,
Protected by God's powerful arm.
The home-bound vessel, Seabird, lies
In ready trim, 'twlxt sea and skies;
Her captain paces restless now,
A troubled look upon his brow,
While all his nerves with terror thrill,
The shadow of some coming ill.
The mate comes up to where he
' stands,
And grasps his arm with eager hands,
"A boat has just swept past," said
he,
"Bearing two children out. to sea;
'Tis dangerous now to put about,
Yet they can not be saved without."
"Naught but their safety will sufllce,
They must be saved!" the captain
cries;
right,
By lips I hope to kiss tonight,
I'll peril vessel, life and men
And God will not forsake me then.'
With anxious faces, one and all,
Each man responded to the call;
And when at last through driving
storm,
They lifted up each little form,
The captain started, with a groan,
"My God!" he cried, "they are my
own."
Tho Baby's Comfort
These chilly days must remind you
hat the little flannel garments, thick
stockings and comfortable shoes must
, Drifted Out to Sea
Maud R. Isenberg, of East New
market, Dorchester county, Mary
land, in sending the following poem,
says: "I am a littlo girl of twelve
yeaTs old; I was reading your paper,
The Commoner, and saw a request
ior uie poem caiiea 'Drifted Out to
Sea.' I happened to have it, as it is
one of my elocution pieces. I will
send it to you. (Tho poem asked
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is th Old Man Thinking as He Leans coarse salt, or one five-cent bag of
table salt. Let the water cool, then
put the blue garment, any kind of
cotton dr linen, into this brine and
leave to soak overnight, or at least
several hours. Then rinse the gar
ment in clear warm water, using
two or three waters so as to be suro
that all brine is removed. Then
wash in good soap suds, using white
soap if possible. When clean, rlnso
well in soft water mado quite blue
with good bluing; hang to dry in a
light wind, but not in strong sun
shine, and when nearly dry, take in,
fold down to dampen evenly, iron
on tho wrong sido until nearly dry,
then, on tho right side. This will
prevent the glossy appearance so un
desirable. Mrs. J. K. B. says: "Soak tho
goods in a strong brine for several
hours, then rinse out the salt through
several rinse waters, and wash
through a thin flour starch, using
no soap, until clean. Rinse in soft
water in which has been dissolved
one tablespoonful of either sugar of
lead or powdered alum, and hang to
dry. No starching is necessary, and
the goods "will be "like new."
For Baby's Bath
A most convenient apron to wear
while giving tie baby its bath Is
made .of a square pi! heavy twilled
flannel, .which may be made orna
mental enough for a pretty present
by feather-switching, with pink or
blue -wash silk, a broad hem all
around. Open the heni at each end
of ono side and run a ribbon through
for a belt. Baby may be lifted drip
ping from tho bath tub, to thjs apron,
thus doing away with the need of a
blanket,, , and also protecting the
nurse's dress.
Washing Blue Goods
"Beth" sends the following method
of washing blue goods' which are like
ly to fade through laundering: Dis
solve in enough quite arm water
to cover tno goods
The Bulb Planting
This is the month for putting tlm
bulbs to bed, whether indoors or out,
if you want the best results. For
hyacinths, from the middle of Sep
tember to the middle of October is
the very best time,' though they will
do well if planted as late as Tecem
ber 1. If potted for indoor blooming,
procure the best bulbs to be had
large and solid; the small bulbs will
bloom, but will not give as large
or as many blossoms. Use rather
large pots, as this gives room for the
fine roots, Fill in an inch of broken
pot or gravel for drainage, and use
good garden soil with a littlo sand,
but no manure. After tho bulb is
growing nicely a, little liquid manure
may be given. Two bulbs, or even
three, may be planted in a five inch
pot.
Narcissus do well in pots, and
half a dozen bulbs may be planted in
a six-inch pot. Most of the hardy
bulbs do better out in the border,
and all bulbs like a cool, moist at
mosphere. Crocuses do not bloom
A Fine Pair of
Tension Shears
is being Bent FREE AND POST
PAID by Tho American Home
stead of Lincoln, Neb., during tho
next few days to every subscrib
er who sends in a yearly sub
scription at tho regular price
50 cents a year. This great farm
and household papor contains in
valuable information on all farm
topics, household matters, fash
ions, building plans, homo gard
ening, fruit growing, boe-lceep-ing,
poultry, etc.
This is the papor that offers
15.00 every month for tho best
reclpo or household suggestion.
Send them your favorite recipos
at once. You have an opportu
nity every month to secure this
cash prize. Read description of
this great paper, and full in
formation . regarding this offer
to send, without extra cost, a
pair of line Tension Shears. See
offer on Page 10.
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