A  Few  Pretty  Things. 
T  would  be  unpleasant,  to  say  the  least,  if  when  we 
die  and  go  to  heaven  a  risen  fellow- being  should 
ask  us  what  we  did  while  upon  earth,  and  we  should 
be  obliged  to  reply,  “  Not  much  of  anything  except 
that  I  made  a  great  many  embroidered  throws  and 
rugs  and  things.”  Hut  there  are  times  with  many  of 
us  when  we  can  indulge  in  fancy  work  without  in¬ 
fringing  on  time  that  should  be  given  to  more  impor¬ 
tant  duties.  As  I  think,  there  must  be  a  good  many 
others  who  are  like  myself  in  that  when  they  do  have 
time  for  fancy  work,  they  like  to  make  something 
very,  very  pretty,  and  not  merely  a  few  more  yards  of 
crocheted  lace,  I  shall  try  to  describe  a  few  pretty 
things  I  have  seen. 
I  cannot  tell  how  to  “  take  a  barrel,”  and  make  an 
easy  chair  nicer  than  any  that  can  be  bought  in  the 
stores  ;  so  in  fancy  work  it  seems  better  to  have  a  little 
something  that  is  rather  nice  to  begin  on.  But  often 
our  own  handiwork  will  make  from  simple  materials 
a  much  nicer  article  than  could  have  been  bought  for 
the  same  money. 
If  one  wishes  a  set  of  napkins  it  would  be  hard  to 
find  prettier  ones  than  I  saw  a  lady  making  not  very 
long  ago.  They  were  of  a  nice  quality  of  white  damask 
with  an  initial  letter  perhaps  three  inches  high  in 
white  embroidery  in  one  corner.  The  initial  is  worked 
in  simply  an  over  and  over  stitch,  sometimes  called 
satin  stitch  I  think,  leaving  as  much  floss  on  the  wrong 
side  as  there  is  on  the  right.  The  work  is  raised  by 
means  of  threads  run  over  the  design  before  working. 
The  napkins  should  be  hemmed  by  hand,  the  stitches 
running  evenly  with  the  threads  of  the  linen  on  the 
right  side  and  hardly  showing  at  all.  Hemstitched 
linen  napkins  with  a  border  of  drawn  work  are  beau¬ 
tiful. 
White  lawn  or  linen  aprons  are  pretty  with  a  colored 
hem,  perhaps  pink  or  blue  or  yellow,  of  a  similar 
material  joined  to  the  white  goods  with  a  narrow 
fancy  braid  ;  or,  which  is  prettier  I  think  joined  by 
means  of  the  old-fashioned  herring  bowe  stitch.  The 
two  edges  to  be  joined  together  are  basted  very  evenly 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  apart  upon  a  strip  of  stiff 
paper,  with  of  course  no  raw  edges  visible.  The  stitch, 
very  similar  to  that  made  in  working  button-holes  is 
taken  with  linen  thread  zig  zag  fashion,  first  on  one 
edge  and  then  on  the  other. 
If  one  paints,  a  thin,  white  apron,  with  wild  roses 
or  any  other  favorite  flower  running  riot  across  one 
corner  or  as  a  border,  is  a  delight  to  the  eyes.  And  to 
the  practical  ones  I  will  say  that  it  may  be  washed  if 
one  is  very  careful  about  it.  Bridget  probably  would 
not  launder  it  nicely. 
A  lovely  pair  of  curtains  that  I  saw  last  summer 
were  made  of  bolting  cloth  with  a  flight  of  swallows 
across  one  curtain,  done  in  art  embroidery,  perhaps 
one-fourth  the  length  of  the  window  from  the  top. 
Another  beautiful  pair  were  of  creamy  silk  with  a 
very  deep  border  of  the  purple  iris  across  the  lower 
edge  of  each  curtain.  It  seems  to  me  that  similar  de¬ 
signs  might  be  painted  with  good  effect  upon  much 
less  expensive  materials. 
It  is  quite  possible  for  a  country  girl  to  learn  to 
make  real  point  lace,  for  I  did  so,  and  live  to  tell  the 
tale.  But,  oh  me!  Our  eyes  are  too  precious  and  life 
is  too  short.  grace  Hamilton. 
Extracts  from  my  Bee  Book. 
THE  honey  harvest  is  over  for  this  year,  and  alas  for 
the  high  hopes  of  the  early  spring  swarms  ! 
For  reports  come  from  every  bee-keeper  in  this  region 
that  the  bees  have  done  little  else  but  swarm,  in  spite 
of  the  most  vigilant  efforts  to  the  contrary.  They  did 
not  seem  to  care  how  much  the  queen  cells  were  cut 
out ;  for  fresh  ones  could  be  built  after  they  were 
gone,  and  out  they  came  in  full  force.  If  they  were 
put  back  into  the  mother  hive,  and  a  queen  trap  was 
adjusted,  they  would  hang  in  clusters,  and  seem  to 
sulk  for  a  week  or  more  instead  of  going  to  work. 
The  consequence  is  that  only  a  small  quantity  of  comb 
honey  has  been  harvested,  and  that  of  second  quality. 
One  of  our  bee  keepers  who  has  about  40  swarms, 
says  she  will  kill  half  of  hers,  and  take  out  the  honey 
from  the  brood  chambers.  When  I  found  my  bees 
were  not  willing  to  work  in  the  supers,  I  began  ex¬ 
tracting.  One  swarm  came  out  the  very  last  of  July, 
and  the  last  of  August  I  took  60  pounds  of  extracted 
honey  and  25  of  comb  honey,  leaving  the  lower  story 
intact.  Another  swarm  came  out  August  1,  and  the 
18tli  day  I  extracted  from  the  upper  story  only,  nearly 
30  pounds.  This  goes  to  show  that  the  bees  are  more 
willing  to  build  large  than  small  combs ;  for  there 
were  other  swarms  even  stronger  than  these,  that 
have  failed  to  put  half  the  quantity  into  the  section 
boxes  during  the  same  time  with  exactly  the  same 
chances. 
I  think  that  the  exceedingly  hot  weather  through 
July  was  the  cause  of  much  of  the  swarming,  and  one 
cause  of  the  small  yield  of  honey  was  the  frequent 
rains  which  washed  the  nectar  from  flowers.  Then 
the  forest  fires  of  last  year,  here  in  Manistee  County, 
Mich.,  devastated  large  areas  of  basswood  timber,  and 
that  would  lessen  the  honey  crop  in  this  region  by 
many  hundred  pounds. 
Queen  traps  are  a  great  convenience,  and  are  also  a 
nuisance  ;  for  they  cause  the  bees  to  lose  much  of  the 
pollen  they  have  worked  so  faithfully  to  gather  ;  and 
when  the  young  bees  come  out  for  their  first  lessons 
on  the  wing,  the  drones  in  their  efforts  to  come  out 
with  their  mates,  fill  the  trap  so  that  there  is  no  place 
for  the  workers  to  get  in  with  their  loads,  and  perforce 
they  cluster  on  the  outside  of  the  hive,  and  thus  much 
valuable  time  is  lost.  may  maple. 
Heartsease. 
“  And  as  proud  as  all  of  them 
Bound  In  one,  the  garden's  gem, 
Heartsease,  like  a  gallant  bold, 
In  his  coat  of  purple  and  gold.” 
HIS  is  an  old-fashioned  name  for  the  flower  which 
we  call  the  pansy,  and  belongs  more  particu¬ 
larly  to  the  wild  type — the  Viola  tricolor.  Perhaps 
those  who  first  called  it  so,  forgot  their  cares  and 
worries,  their  disappointments  and  failures,  while 
watching  its  bright  blossoms ;  and  so  they  named  it 
heartsease.  The  poet  Herrick  says  of  it : 
“  I  11  leave  thee,  and  to  pansies  come, 
Comfort  you’ll  afford  me  some. 
You  can  ease  my  heart,  and  do 
What  love  could  ne’er  be  brought  unto.” 
The  pansy  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  cultivated  flowers 
and  its  source  is  difficult  to  trace.  Darwin  confessed 
himself  unable  to  do  do  so,  and  gave  up  the  attempt 
as  “  too  difficult  for  any  but  a  professional  botanist.” 
It  is  usually  considered  merely  a  cultivated  variety  of 
Viola  tricolor,  but  it  is  thought  by  some  to  be  the  re¬ 
sult  of  hybridization  between  that  and  other  species. 
The  changes  from  the  wild  type  might,  however,  be 
due  to  long-continued  cultivation  and  selection.  The 
pansy  as  it  is  now  known  is  purely  an  artificial  pro¬ 
duction  and  has  of  late  years  been  greatly  improved, 
as  any  one  who  remembers  the  “Johnny -jump-ups”  of 
the  old-fashioned  gardens  of  25  or  30  years  ago,  will 
readily  recall. 
The  English  name  pansy  is  a  corruption  of  the 
French  pensees,  thoughts.  Shakespeare  makes  Ophelia 
say,  “There  is  pansies,  that’s  for  thoughts.”  Among 
the  Germans  it  is  sometimes  called  das  stlefmutterchen, 
little  stepmother,  while,  in  the  speech  “  understanded 
of  the  people,”  as  Carlyle  says,  it  has  been  known  as 
Herb  Trinity,  Three  Faces  under  a  Hood,  Flower  of 
dove.  Love  in  Idleness,  and  others. 
Pansies  are  easily  grown  from  seed,  which  comes  up 
about  10  days  after  sowing.  For  early  spring  bloom¬ 
ing,  sow  in  August  or  early  autumn,  transplant  seed¬ 
lings  into  cold-frames,  and  mulch  lightly  during  the 
winter  months.  Uncover  in  March  or  last  of  February, 
and  put  on  the  glass.  Plants  treated  in  this  way  will 
be  ready  to  plant  out  as  soon  os  the  weather  permits. 
If  they  are  kept  growing  all  winter,  they  will  bloom 
freely,  but  will  not  make  such  good  plants  for  spring 
bedding.  If  the  seedlings  were  merely  planted  in  a 
sheltered  corner  of  the  garden  in  the  early  autumn, 
they  will  live  all  winter  fresh  and  green  under  the 
snow,  and  make  strong,  healthy  plants  for  spring 
planting.  If  the  winter  is  very  severe,  a  little  straw 
or  leaves  will  give  them  all  the  protection  needed. 
Pansies  like  a  cool,  damp  situation,  and  the  beds 
should  not  be  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
in  order  that  they  may  retain  the  moisture. 
ANNA  J.  BARCLAY. 
Old  Style  Methods  in  Modern  Kitchens. 
PERHAPS  none  of  us  can  enjoy  the  elaborate 
menus  served  to  the  millionaires,  or  be  a  favored 
guest  at  the  State  dinners  of  our  President,  but  in  a 
modest  way  we  can  serve  our  own  dainties. 
Our  fore-fathers  and  mothers  were  content  with 
meat  and  corn  pone  for  their  daily  subsistence;  for 
variation  they  made  a  pumpkin  or  crackling  pone. 
Their  fruit  was  preserved  by  drying  or  else  was  cooked 
down  in  molasses  until  thick  enough  to  cut  with  a 
knife.  This  satisfied  them,  for  in  their  day  they  were 
clearing  land  and  leading  hardy,  independent  lives  in 
a  semi-wilderness. 
If,  as  some  writers  say,  “  every  generation  becomes 
weaker  and  wiser,”  we  have  need  of  a  change  of  diet. 
The  people  of  the  present  day  cannot  eat  what  their 
forefathers  did.  Our  country  cooks  of  to-day  do  not 
always  understand  this. 
The  cooking  utensils  commonly  consist  of  black  iron 
pots  and  skillets.  Granite-iron  kettles  and  tin  stew 
pans  are  necessities  where  a  nice  dainty  meal  is  de¬ 
sired.  Potatoes  cooked  in  a  granite-iron  kettle  can  be 
mashed  in  the  same  vessel,  and  if  a  little  more  time 
and  muscle  be  expended  on  the  beating  of  them,  they 
will  be  much  more  flaky,  whiter  and  better.  When 
serving,  don’t  take  them  up  in  an  old  cracked  dish  and 
heap  and  smooth  them  until  they  look  like  a  canvas- 
covered  hay-cock,  but  rather  have  them  resemble  the 
jagged  snow-capped  peaks  of  some  mountain. 
Celery,  watercress  and  other  relishes  can  and  should 
be  raised  on  the  farm,  for,  when  placed  on  the  table, 
they  please  both  the  fancy  and  the  appetite. 
Fruit  is  always  acceptable ;  but  who  can  enjoy  it  off 
the  same  plate  from  which  the  meat  has  been  eaten  ? 
Placed  in  a  separate  dish  and  generously  covered  with 
whipped  cream,  what  can  be  nicer  ?  The  thrifty  house¬ 
wife  too  often  dilutes  her  cream,  when  it  cannot  be 
whipped,  and,  if  served  thus,  it  injures  the  fruit  and  de¬ 
stroys  the  pleasing  effect.  Yet  this  same  housewife 
will  denounce  the  groceryman  who  adulterates  her 
groceries. 
To  raise  corn,  a  good  farmer  first  sees  that  his 
ground  is  in  good  order,  and  that  it  contains  sufficient 
bread  and  meat  to  sustain  a  corn  crop.  Then  his  corn 
is  planted;  but  the  food  does  not  stop  here.  It  must 
have  light,  air,  sun,  heat  and  rain  to  keep  up  its  appe¬ 
tite  so  it  can  assimilate  the  bread  and  meat  and  thus 
complete  its  mission;  so  with  the  human  family. 
Bread  and  meat  are  essential  for  a  foundation,  but 
too  often  does  the  busy  housewife  think  they  are  all- 
sufficient.  Again,  the  unthinking  farmer  will  pre¬ 
pare  his  seed  bed  and  plant  his  corn,  when  he  knows 
his  ground  is  destitute  of  bread  and  meat.  He  good- 
naturedly  expects  it  to  grow  and  make  a  good  crop  on 
the  lighter  diet  supplied  by  Nature,  but  it  is  a  miser¬ 
able  failure.  By  this  we  see  that  the  busy  cook  must 
not  go  to  extremes.  The  light  and  the  substantial 
diet  must  be  mixed.  We  cannot  live  and  be  happy  on 
one  continual  fare,  though  it  be  ever  so  substantial  ; 
but  if  mixed  with  a  generous  supply  of  lighter  dishes 
our  appetites  are  toned  up  and  we  can  better  make  use 
of  all  the  substantials. 
Notice  the  blades  of  corn — how  much  brighter,  how 
refreshed  they  appear  after  a  shower.  Then  at  the 
next  meal  place  a  dish  of  cold,  raw,  thinly  chopped 
apples,  thickly  covered  with  white  sugar  and  cream, 
by  the  side  of  the  weary  corn  plower  and  see  if  his 
eyes  won’t  brighten  and  his  shoulders  straighten  up 
as  he  says:  “Why,  wife,  these  are  so  much  nicer  than 
the  hot,  stewed  ones  we  have  had  for  a  week,  I  de¬ 
clare  I  didn’t  think  apples  could  be  so  delicious.”  You 
will  also  notice  that  he  doesn’t  eat  nearly  as  much  but¬ 
ter  when  he  has  cream. 
As  a  variety  our  New  Year’s  dinner  this  year  was 
entirely  cooked  from  recipes  given  in  the  “  White 
House  Cook  Book.”  farmer’s  girl. 
*  *  * 
A  New  Declaration  of  Independence. — W.  C.  T.  U. 
conventions  in  Minnesota  have  adopted  the  following  : 
“Resolved,  That,  inasmuch  as  the  wearing  of 
trained  dresses  is  compulsory  in  the  courts  of  kings, 
it  is  a  fashion  that  may  well  be  set  at  naught  by  the 
women  of  a  republic  ;  and  since  a  style  of  dress  which 
keeps  a  woman  continually  clutching  at  her  garments 
detracts  from  her  dignity  and  moral  influence,  as 
well  as  from  her  freedom  and  comfort,  and,  whereas, 
by  the  wearing  of  trains  our  sisters  are  made  weak, 
we  will  wear  no  trains  while  the  world  stands.”  Shall 
our  Western  sisters  be  braver  or  more  progressive 
than  those  of  the  East  ? 
Cod-liver  oil  is  useful  beyond  any  praise 
it  has  ever  won ;  and  yet  few  are  willing 
to  take  it — the  taste  is  so  vile  and  it  lasts 
so  long.  Some  stomachs  cannot  take  it, 
and  some  are  burdened  with  it. 
Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil  is  not 
offensive  ;  it  is  pleasant  to  some,  espe¬ 
cially  children.  It  is  not  often  a  tax  on 
digestion. 
Scott’s  Emulsion  is  cod-liver  oil  made 
far  more  effectual. 
There  is  a  little  book  on  careful  liv¬ 
ing  ;  sent  free. 
Scott  &  Bowne,  Chemists,  132  South  5th  Avenue,  New  York. 
Your  druggist  keeps  Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-llver  oil— all  druggists 
everywhere  do  $1 
