THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



SHELLING PEAS. 



Pink sun-bonnet hanging down ; 

 O'er a fair face lialf a frown ; 

 Basket tipped up on her knees- 

 Maiden busy shelling peas. 



Looking o'er the garden wall, 

 Youthful figure, straight and tall, 

 Lounges with a careless grace, 

 Straw hat pushed off sunny face— 



And a pair of lazy eyes 

 Look with cool and calm surprise 

 On the lingers jjlump and white 

 Shelling peas with ail their might. 



"Such a busy little bee 

 Puts to shame poor thriftless me !" 

 And a yawn, half made, half real. 

 To these words gave sign and seal. 



Pink sun-bonnet nods assent. 

 Fingers give the pods a rent. 

 As though saying, " Were these you, 

 I'd soon show you what I'd do I" 



" So you think I ought to be 

 Quite ashamed of this 'poor me,' 

 Who bewails his lazy lot 

 And to better it tries not?" 



Pink sun-bonnet gives a nod. 

 Cracks a fresh new glistening pod. 

 Which, exploding, seems to say, 

 Answering for her, boldly, " Yea." 



Lazy-eyes dart a quick look. 

 Naught but silence will they brook ; 

 Bending closer they peer down 

 'IS oath the bonnet's clumsy crown — 



" I would toil and strive each hour. 

 Working with a will and power. 

 Had I aught to work hard for— 

 Some sweet bright reward in store." 



Pink sun-bonnet laughs out now. 

 And the face is all aglow. 

 As she answers, pointing down 

 To her basket with a frown — 



" Lots of shell and little peas ; 

 Words are well and sometimes please ; 

 But words are shell— it's fruit we need : 

 Talk is easy— prove by deed ! " 



Quick the lazy eyes flash fire. 

 And the owner bends down nigher. 

 Till the color in his cheeks 

 Fades and flickers as he speaks— 



" Ah, but 'tis within the shells 

 That the perfect fruit first dwells : 

 All my words I'll prove quite true. 

 If my REWARD may be you ! " 

 Pink sun-bonnet's still and dumb ; 

 Busy fingers quite o'ercome ; 

 l)r.»p the basket off the knees. 

 And down roll the half-shelled peas. 

 *' See, you work in vain alone— 

 Without HELP nought can be done ; 

 May I then through our lives be 

 Helpmate to you loyally ? " 

 Two brown hands clasp fingers white ; 

 Lazy-eyes grow clear and bright ; 

 Pink sun-bonnet 'gainst her will. 

 Looks up with cheeks pinker still, 

 And again it gives a nod — 

 Then a noise ! Was it a pod? 

 Something sounded. Aa you please. 

 It all happened— Shelling Peas. 



DOMESTIC RECIPES. 



Orange Syrup. — To one cup of the 

 juice of ripe thin-skinned oranges add 

 one and a half cups of powdered sugar, 

 boil and skim, when cold bottle and put 

 in a cool place. Fine for flavoring cus- 

 tards or pudding sauces. — Aaron's Wifb, 

 in Prairie Farmer. 



Lemon Jumbles. — Ingredients : Eggs, 

 one ; sugar, one teacup ; butter, two- 

 thirds teacup ; milk, three teaspoonsful ; 

 cream tartar, one teaspoonful ; soda, one- 

 half teaspoonful ; lemons, two ; flour. 

 Use the juice of both lemons and grated 

 rind of one ; mix rather stiff, roll out, and 

 cut with cake cutter. 



Baked Tomatoes. — Sprinkle a layer of 

 bread crumbs into a yellow nappy or a 

 baking dish, and spread over it a layer of 

 chopped raw tomatoes, seasoned with pep- 

 per and salt, and bits of butter. Fill up 

 the dish, having the upper layer of bread 

 with bits of butter. Bake for three-quar- 

 ters of an hour. An excellent breakfast 

 relish. 



Apple Pancakes. — Ingredients : Ap- 

 ples, twelve ; eggs, twenty ; cream, one 

 quart ; cinnamon, two drachms ; nutmeg, 

 two drachms ; ginger, two drachms ; 

 crushed lump sugar, six drachms. Peel 

 the apples, cut in round slices and fry in 

 butter. Beat up the eggs in the cream, 

 add the spice and sugar and pour over 

 the apples. 



French Vegetable Soup. — To a leg 

 of lamb of moderate size take four quarts 

 of water. Of carrots, potatoes, onions, 

 tomatoes, cabbage and turnips, take a tea 

 cup each, chopped fine ; salt and pepper 

 to taste. Let the lamb be boiled in this 

 water. Let it cool ; skim off all fat that 

 rises to the top. The next day boil again, 

 adding the chopped vegetables. Let it 

 boil three hours the second day. 



Cranberry Roll. — One quart flour, one 

 heaped teaspoon baking powder, sifted to- 

 gether ; mix into a soft dough with sweet 

 milk ; roll thin and spread over it a pint 

 of cranberries, and a cup and a half of 

 sugar ; roll it over and over into a roll, 

 and put loosely into a pudding bag, and 

 put in the steamer over a kettle of boiling 

 water, and steam one hour. Serve with 

 a rich sweet ?ance. — Aaron's Wife, in 

 Prairie Farmer. 



printed at the steam press ESTAULISHMEKT of COPP, CLARK k CO., OOLBORNE STREET, TORONTO. 



