10 



THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



©HE I)OUSBHOLD. 



SUMMER IN THE COUNTRY. 



By J.E. McC. 



" I hear the wild bee wind his horn ; 

 The bird swings on ihe ripening wheat ; 



The long green lances of the corn 

 Are tilling in the winds of morn; 



The locust shrills his song of heat." 



WhiUier. 



The summer is full of sweet sights and sounds ; 

 but too many hurried house-mothers feel that 

 they have no time for even a breathing-space to 

 flrink them in. Yet, It is good for the mother, 

 and good for the work, to make her little pauses; 

 to leave the hot kitclien a minute and feast on 

 the delicate perfume and the rich beauty of the 

 opening rose^ this June day; to perform some 

 little, loving office for a drooping favorite in the 

 flower border, and to pick a little cluster of pinks 

 to wear through thv, bustle and hurry of the 

 morning. These are all little things, but they 

 are sweet helpers to busy hands. It is just such 

 little, softening influences: that keep the heart 

 from growing hard and fretted, and that bring 

 pleasant thoughts, those cheeriest of all guests. 



The influence of the flower border is not for 

 herself alone. The children will feel and show 

 its power in their every day lives. There is some 

 line of good in the roughest boy who prizes a 

 beautiful flower. I dropped a little bunch of 

 roses, one morning, as I walked up from the ferry 

 in New York, near the stand of a little bootblack, 

 and as 1 crossed a street I glanced back to see the 

 result. He had sprung to the spot in an instant, 

 and already a half dozen others seemed to have 

 flocked about him, to whom he was dealing out 

 a rose apiece. I have many times since then 

 given a flower to a street child, and never with- 

 out seeing a look of delight spread over Its face. 



Oh mothers who toll in the country, and think 

 your lot so hard, rejoice that you and your child- 

 ren are not even common working people in the 

 city. What it would be to belong to the city 

 poor, one can only guess with a shudder. 



COUSIN PHEBC. 



Sy Aunt £^a. 



" Good news for you children," said Mrs. Clyde, 

 ** Cousin Phebe is coming to spend all of July 

 TTlthus." 



There wa« a chorus of "good, good, good," 

 from three chubby children, and the baby came 

 in at the close with " dood, dood,'" though he did 

 not at all understand what it was all about. 



*'I thought cousin Phebe was that lame cousin 

 of Mr. Clydes,"said Mrs. Black. "I should think 

 it would be a sight of trouble to have an invalid 

 about the house in the very busiest season." 



Mrs. Clyde smiled cheerily, as she said : '* You 

 don't know cousin Phebe ; just to have her in the 

 house helps folks, even If she is not able to sit up. 

 But, though she is not strong, and is lame, she 

 helps along with all the work. It is not her 

 happy spirit altogether, but she knows just 

 where the hurry and worry comes in, and can 

 sit in her rocking-chair so calmly, and get a 

 whole dinner ready for the stove, if need be, and 

 invent simple plays for the babies, or sing a 

 Bweet song to the children all at the same time, 

 and, yet, all is done with no apparent eflbrt. She 

 can do the most in the quietest way of any person 

 I know. She will not let me touch a needle while 

 she is here. 



** * I cant do much, Lucy/ she says, * but I can 

 sit and sew, or knit, and I should be miserable 

 with nothing to do.' As if she was not always 

 doing; working twice as much as I wish she 

 would. Rut she says it is ctnly a play-spell to 

 her. Still, if she could do nothiug but lie on the 

 lounge all day and cheer one up, and suggest 

 easy plans for doing work, she would be a bless- 

 ing anywhere. 



••It is quite different fVom having a fine lady 

 Visitor settle down in your house and fold her 

 hands, waiting for you to entertain her, I always 

 prefer to have such company come at some other 

 time than harvest ; but Phebr can never come at 

 the wrong time. We all want her, and will keep 

 her as long as we can when we get her. Stay as 

 long AC she will, she will never out-slay her 

 ■welcome." 



TO SPEND THE SUMMER. 



*• What am I to do cousin I.lnda?" said Nelly, 

 laying down the letter she had been reading 

 aloud, with an air of vexation, perplexity, and 

 discouragement. 



"I have always found that a truthful, straight- 

 forward way was the best, Nelly. I would just 

 write a kind letter explaining the situation, and 

 declining the girls' visit until after the busy sea- 



son is over. Tell them you are greatly over- 

 worked as it is, and that you dare not undertake 

 any additional labor. If they are oflended, you 

 must try and bear it with composure. They have 

 no reason whatever to be so. People who choose 

 the most inconvenient time for their farmer 

 friends to entertain them, merely as a matter of 

 convenience to themselves, and as a means of 

 saving money for the summer, are not people of 

 very fine natures. They are too thoroughly self- 

 ish to make their opinion of us a matter of much 

 moment. If they get angry over such a reasona- 

 ble request, it is all the plainer that they would 

 be very undesirable guests. I knew a family 

 living in a roomy house in a small village, who 

 had two half-grown, hoydenish school-glrls sent 

 down to them for six weeks, while their city 

 friends shut up their house and went to Saratoga. 

 They were merely acquaintances, and they came 

 for a visit, the lady of the house receiving in- 

 structions '* to treat them just as she did her own 

 girls, and not allow them to be careless about 

 making washing, &c.'* She must "limit them to 

 so many white waists a week," which was a very 

 encouraging view for the mother of eight child- 

 ren, one of whom lay dangerously sick all sum- 

 mer. They all survived it, but it was a puzzle to 

 see how. The next year when they wrote to 

 invite themselves down, the letter was left un- 

 answered. People who are of the order of 

 * spongers,' may well be avoided by any fair 

 means within our reach. I would surely write 

 to the girls, asking that their visit be deferred to 

 the fall; and while I would write polilely, I 

 would also write plainly, so that there would be 

 no dangerof being misunderstood." 



LIGHT BrSCUIT. 



'* What, making biscuit for your workmen, 

 Mrs. Hammond?" said her neighbor as she ran 

 in to borrow a cup of sugar. " You must have 

 more time than I do." 



"This is the second time to-day," said the 

 other, sliding a wide tinful in to her oven. "I 

 gave them two heaping bread-plates full for 

 breakfast. I do not know of anything that I can 

 make in ten minutes' timt*. that is half as satis- 

 fying to a company of hungry men. They about 

 take the place of hot buckwheat cakes in winter, 

 only they are far easier made, and far more 

 wholesome. I think this talk we have heard all 

 our lives about the un health fulness of hot bis- 

 cuit, Is largely superstition. There are no hear- 

 tier or happier Sfl of workmen than ours come 

 around a tabic, and nice, light biscuit twice a day 

 is our regular custom. I put a plate of bread on 

 the table for any who prefer it, but it is t;eldom 

 touched. It Is far easier for me than the same 

 amount of bread moulding, watching, and bak- 

 ing, and if It hurts nobody, I mean to keep It up. 

 I think biscuit got their bad name from that hot 

 shortcakf of our grandmother's, which was fairly 

 melting with shortening. It was a different kind 

 of provision from our modern, feather-weight, 

 baking powder biscuit." 



"I don't want to hinder you, but could you 

 just give me your directions for making them." 



" Oh, yes; I can write them down in a moment," 

 and taking up the ever-handy pencil, she wrote : 



One quart of buttermilk, with enough soda to 

 jiV^t sweeten It. Half a teaspoonful is usually 

 enough. One teasponnful of salt; one large, 

 heaping spoonful of lard. Mix five heaping tea- 

 spoonfuls of baking powder with the flour; then 

 rub in the lard, and mix. Bake quickly. 



" It usually takes me just ttn minutes to mix, 

 roll, and put in the oven; though, when in a 

 hurry, I can do it in less. Then it can go on bak- 

 ing while I am preparing the rest of the meal. I 

 like it, and my men folks like it, and we have 

 not a dyspeptic person in the house. So, I mean 

 to keep up the practice for the present.*' . 



A POOR TOPIC FOR CONVERSATION. 



Bij Ay(fy. 



Kiss E. had a very pleasant face and manner, 

 as she sat down cosily for an afternoon call. She 

 isa well-informed woman, and there were many 

 topics of interest on which she could have con- 

 versed with pleasure and profit ; but the sole one 

 of which she could speak, was a recent lung and 

 bronchial difficulty, of which she had been the 

 victim. She smilingly opened up the subject in 

 reply to an inquiry about her health, and for one 

 hour the symptoms, treatment, and past history 

 of the case were detailed with sufficient exact- 

 ness for the most searching medical inquest. It 

 was useless to try and change the subject. It 

 must be heard to the end, and all was told as 

 impressively and pleasantly as if it was the most 

 agreeable of news. She is an excellent, kindly 

 woman; but even that could not prevent the 

 infliction from being very wearisome. As far as 



I could see, it was of no possible advantage to 

 her, and it was diflicult to imagine how the pain- 

 ful review could have been a pleasure. 



One might suppose that Emerson had fallen in 

 with people of this type, which caused him to 

 give this good counsel, which is especially valua- 

 ble to young people whose habits are forming. 

 He says:— "There is one topic that is peremp- 

 torily forbidden to all well-bred, rational mor- 

 tals ; namely, that of distempers. Ifyou have not 

 slept, or if yon have slept, if you have headache, 

 sciatica, leprosy or thunder-stroke, I beseech 

 you, by all angels, to hold your peace." He 

 always says a thing strongly, if at all; and w© 

 can easily see that he takes this point too far. 

 There are suitable times and seasons for speak- 

 ing of complaints, even to our friends, but they 

 should not be made the staple of conversation. 

 Details are not usually interesting to outsiders; 

 but on the contrary, quite the reverse. Sympathy 

 is quite as likely to flow from a few words regard- 

 ing our affliction, as from a day's harping upon 

 it. • 



There are those who must talk over their 

 troubles, and who rejoice when a fresh listener 

 can be obtained. Ifyou are that listener, take it 

 patiently and kindly; at the same time, when 

 you see how irksome it is, take the hint and do 

 hot do so yourself. It is an art to learn to talk 

 on suitable subjects, as well as to speak in a flu- 

 ent and graceful manner. 



RECIPES. 



Snow Cake. — 12 eggs, 3 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 



1 cup sweet milk, 1 cup butter, 1 cup corn starch, 



2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder; flavor to taste. 

 Ginger Bread.— One-half cup lard, 2 cups mo- 

 lasses, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup sour milk, 1 tablespoon- 

 ful soda, 1 tablespoonful ginger, some salt. 



Lemon Cake.— 5 eggs, ."5 cups sugar, 4 cups flour, 



1 cup sweet milk, 1 cup butter, 2 teaspoonfuls 

 baking-powder; flavor with lemon. 



Sponge Cake. — ti eggs, 3 cups sugar, 1 cup water^ 

 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder. 



Soft Ginger Bread.— I cup sugar, 2 cups mo- 

 lasses, 1 cup butter (if lard, salt), 1 cup water, 1 

 teaspoonful soda, 2 teaspoonfuls ginger, 2 tea- 

 spoonfuls cinnamon, 2 eggs, 5 cups flour. 



Aunt Millies Hard soap. —6 pounds sal-eoda, 

 4 pounds unslacked lime, 24 quarts rain-water.. 

 Put all on the fire, and boil, then set off and let 

 settle. Brain off and put over the Are with 6 



Sounds clear grease, and one-half pound rosin. 

 ;oil until it begins to thicken, throw in a couple- 

 handfuls of salt. Let cool and cut. 



Mrs. M. I. H., Greenville, IIU 



Graham Gems.— 1 quart buttermilk, 1 teaspoon- 

 ful soda, 1 teaspoonful salt, flour enough to make 

 a very stiff batter, and baked in gem pans, hot 

 and well greased, in a hot oven. 



Potato Soup.— 1 gallon water, 6 potatoes peeled 

 and cut in squares, 1 tablespoonful Bait, 2 onions,. 

 one-half cup rice. Boil one hour. Just before 

 taking from the stove add 3 tablespoonfuls flour,, 

 stirred In a cup of sweet cream, and a tablespoon- 

 ful butler. 



Ginger Bread.— One-half cup sugar, 1 cup- 

 molasses, one-half cup lard, 1 teaspoonful each, 

 of clover, cinnamon, and ginger, 2 teaspoonfuls 

 soda in a cup of hot water, 2 well-beaten eggs,. 

 214 cups flour. 



CREAM Pie.— 1 pint milk, one-half cup sugar, 



3 tablespoonfuls flour for 2 of corn starch), yolks 

 of 2 eggs, pinch of siJt, flavor with vanilla- 

 Boil quickly until thick. Bake a lower crust. 

 When baked pour in the cream. The whites of 



2 eggs, one-half cup sugar, beaten until stiff, 

 spread on pie and brown in oven. 



White Cake. —2 cups sugar. 1 cup butter, one- 

 half cup milk, whites of S eggs, 1 teaspoonful 

 baking-powder, cream, butter, and sugar, odd 

 milk and well-beaten whites, flour, and baking- 

 powder for a moderately stiff batter. 



Custard.— 1 quart milk, set to boil in a pan of 

 hot water, 1 taVdespoonful butter, yolks of 4 eggs, 

 well beaten, added to a little cold milk, and 4 

 tablespoonfuls sugar; stir into the hot milk, and 

 let cool until creamy, stirring often. Just before 

 taking from fire add salt and vanilla to taste. 

 Beat whites to stiff" froth, add 2 or 3 tablespoon- 

 fuls sugar, while beating, and a few drops of 

 vanilla; place on top of custard. 



Mrs. a. H. M., Charleston, W. Va. 



+ 



White Cake.— 1 cup milk, 3 cups flour, one- 

 half cup sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, t 

 egg, I tcjispoonful soda, 2 teaspoonfuls cream tar- 

 tar (or 3 baking powder.) 



JuMBLES.—l cup V>utter, 2 cup su^ar, 3 e^s. 1 

 teaspoonful soda, lemon for flavoring ; roll in 

 sugar. 



Cream Puff.— 2 eggs, one-half cup sugar, two- 

 thirds cup flour, 1 teaspoonful baking-powder, 

 mix with flour; break eggs in a bowl, add sugar, 

 then flour. Split the cake, and put the custard 

 between. Cn.sfoi-d :—l egg, 2 or .3 tablespoonfuls- 

 sugar, 1 tablespoonful cnrn starch, 1 cup milk; 

 cook in hot water, like boiled custard. 



Doughnuts.— I cup sugar, 1 cup sweet milk, 1 

 egg, 3 teaspoonfuls baking-powder, 1 tablespoon- 

 ful butter. After taking out of the lard, roll in 

 sugar. 



Dre-ssing Salad for Cabbage or Lettuce.— 



4 eggs, beaten well. 2 tablespoonfuls mixed mus- 

 tard, one-tUird teaspoonful red pepper. 1 tea- 

 spoonful salt. 1 tablespoonful hard butter, 6or8- 

 tablespoonfuls vinetrar: si-t into boiling water 

 over the fire, and stir until thick, like custard; 

 when cold and rcadv for use taUe one-half cup 

 cream, and add 2 tablespoonfuls of the salad. 

 Chop the cabbage fine, and ]iour over. 



Ginger Cake.— 1 cup molasses. 1 cup sour milk, 

 1 cnp brown sugar, one-half eup shortning, 3i-^. 

 cups flour, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls soda; spice to 

 taste. Mrs. .1. W. J., Onaga, Kansas. 



