1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
55 
MUSH AND MILK. 
S the cold, bracing air of winter comes 
upon us and our appetites become 
the largest part of us, then is the time 
when we look forward to our luxurious 
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, 
which should surpass all others during the 
year. But what shall we have for supper 
during these cold days? 
The farmer and the boys coming in after 
the “ chores” must have something warm, 
and shall we set before them bread, butter, 
meat, potatoes, ’crout, pie and coffee which 
generally form the supper of the majority 
of farmers? Common sense says “ No.” 
This is the m£nu for breakfast and dinner, 
and shall it still be used for supper ? 
Even a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving and 
Christmas will not counteract the distaste 
of its sameness. 
But there is a luxury that is within reach 
of all farmers, a luxury that is cheap though 
so seldom served, and this is mush and 
milk. What could be better for supper than 
this, as the tired, cold and hungry men and 
boys—and girls, too—who have been doing 
up the evening’s work come trooping into 
the house? A good bowl of mush and milk 
is something that both cheers and pleases 
the appetite. 
Few people serve this for supper; they 
say : “ It is too plain and our folks won’t 
eat it.” Well, I have eaten supper at the 
homes of just such people, and they have 
served mush and milk at my request, 
and, like them, I don’t like mush and 
milk—the way they serve it. Not one 
woman in ten knows how to serve this 
delicacy properly. She who desires to 
do so must cook the mush thoroughly and 
have it salted enough so that it won’t 
taste raw and flat. Then she must learn 
how to go into the milk-house and skim the 
milk, or, rather, how not to skim it; for in 
this lies the success of the supper. Blue 
milk and mush were no more intended for 
one another than was clear water intended 
for a sauce for pudding. No one will eat 
and relish mush with blue milk. 
In the morning strain a jar of the best 
cow’s milk by itself and set it in a trough 
of water so that it will cool, without the 
cream becoming hardened or dry on it. 
Then at supper time stir the cream in and 
serve with well-cooked mush; and if the 
family do not vote it the best supper they 
have ever eaten, why then I miss my guess. 
There isn’t a family within h radius of five 
miles of our place whose members eat 
mush and milk. When we have work 
hands we of course cook something else for 
them, but we do not have to do this often, 
as they soon learn to relish the mush and 
milk as well as we do. 
We often have company for supper be¬ 
cause they want good mush and milk, and 
they say ours is the best they have ever 
eaten: but our whole success depends on 
good rich milk and well-cooked mush. 
FARMER’S GIRL. 
OYER ANXIOUS CARE. 
HERE are a few people who slip 
through life apparently without any 
cares; they enjoy the good things of this 
world without any of the wearing anxiety 
that falls to the lot of most mortals, and 
drop away from their places without being 
especially missed, because they were simply 
ornamental, not useful. They have eaten 
the food prepared by some one else and 
worn the clothes made by other hands, and 
the world, if no worse for their having 
been in it, is surely no better. 
But to most of us with the opening of 
our eyes each day at dawn, or long before, 
when we light the lamp to get breakfast 
ready comes the thought: “ What shall 
we eat; what shall we drink, and where¬ 
withal shall we be clothed?” And this is 
the thought that occupies all our waking 
hours, often extending long into the night 
when care keeps sleep from our over¬ 
wrought brains or weary bodies. It is care 
that stamps untimely wrinkles on the 
brow ; that whitens the hair prematurely ; 
that fades the eye that should be bright 
Please mention The R. N.-Y. to our adver¬ 
tisers. 
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla, 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
with youth and hope. Often it is over¬ 
anxious care, not the desire to do the duty 
nearest us, and leave the issue with Him 
who will direct our every step if we will 
but trust in Him; but a foolish ambition 
to stand high in human regard, an anxiety 
that we may be the most noted house¬ 
keepers, that our children shall be the 
cleverest and the most neatly dressed. We 
would be just as comfortable in a garment 
plainly made, and such garments would 
save hours of care and labor; and yet we 
fill our lives with needless worry and work 
in order to appear as stylish as our neigh¬ 
bors. How many women have broken down 
their health in the effort to appear as well 
in society as those who have far more 
wealth, and have made up for the lack of 
means by labor which has robbed them of 
hours of needed rest every night 1 Every 
year hundreds of women are hurried to 
their graves through such causes, who, if 
they had been content to live comfortably, 
instead of taxing every nerve to make their 
resources keep pace with their ambitions, 
might have lived long and useful lives; 
and yet the steady tramp, tramp, tramp of 
Time goes on, and wives and mothers are 
yearly sacrificed on the altar of this house¬ 
hold demon, carking, needless care. 
B. H. G. 
SOME CHEAP AND NUTRITIOUS 
SOUPS. 
HOSE people—and they are not a few— 
who think the mission of soups is sim¬ 
ply to fill them, like the Congressman, 
“chockfull,” and that this is about all they 
amount to, have only to try a soup of dried 
peas, or beans, made about as thick as 
good cream, to change their minds at once 
and for ever. They will find that after 
such a soup to begin with, they cannot eat 
a very heavy meal, and as these soups are 
cheap, they help to solve the problem of 
cheap living that is vexing so many care¬ 
takers of scant family purses. 
Split Pea Soup.— Soak one pint of split 
peas over night; in the morning, drain off 
the water, and add three quarts of fresh 
water, and boil until the peas can be rub¬ 
bed through a coarse sieve or a vegetable 
press. If the water boils away too fast, 
add more, so that the soup, when done, 
will be about like cream for thickness. The 
seasonings for the plainest form of this 
soup are pepper, salt and butter only; but 
the flavor may be varied by using a bit of 
onion or celery seed, or both, or by adding 
canned tomatoes or tomato catsup, in 
quantity to suit the taste. 
Baked Bean Soup.— Soak the beans 
over-night and add water the same as for 
the pea soup above. Simmer in a moderate 
oven several hours, or until very 
soft, adding more water if necessary. 
When the beans are soft rub them 
through a sieve, add salt, pepper and 
butter, and a tablespoonful of soaked 
tapioca. Cook half-an hour longer, and 
add a little cream. These soups may be 
prevented from settling by adding a little 
moistened corn starch or flour before re¬ 
moving from the fire. 
Savory Soup.— Chop until quite fine one 
turnip, one-fourth of a small cabbage, two 
or three sprigs each of parsley and thyme, 
and a tiny onion; cover these with cold 
water and bring to a boil. Drain off this 
water and add two quarts of cold water, 
one tablespoonful of salt, and whatever 
bones you may have on hand. Simmer for 
two hours, then remove the bones, add a 
large spoonful of butter, and thicken with 
a little flour, if liked. A slice of stale 
bread boiled for the last few moments with 
the soup gives a decided change of flavor. 
Cream Celery Soup.— This soup may 
be made expensive, or not, according to the 
amount of cream used. It calls for soup 
stock which may be made—as it is in its 
best estate—from lean beef; or it may be 
made from a soup bone proper, or from 
such odds and ends as one may have left 
from roast and the like. Let me tell you a 
secret: A plain gravy which is not oily, 
may be thinned and made to answer as 
stock for every-day use. It is not so nice, 
of course; but we cannot keep our cheap 
every-day dinners up to “company” grade 
always. Use four good stalks of celery, 
one quart of stock, two small onions, herb 
seasonings, if you have them or like them 
(a bay leaf is good), and one tablespoonful 
ot flour. Boil the stock with celery, onions 
and a bay leaf, and thicken with flour. 
Add as much cream as your conscience will 
let you—the recipe calls for a pint—and 
remove from the fire at once, lest it curdle. 
Strain or remove the vegetables before 
serving. myra v. norys. 
A CHAPTER ON GOSSIP. 
* 4 T WENT with Jennie B. to-day to call 
X on Mrs. Leighton, Fred.” 
“ Did you ?” (the husband’s face fell a 
little) “ and did you stay long ?” he asked. 
“N o-o, not longer than was required by 
the usual etiquette of calls, I think. Why ? 
Did you have any objection to my going ? 
You remember we had talked it over when 
the Leightons first came into our street, 
and I do not think you have mentioned the 
matter since.” 
“ N-o, I do not think I have” (stirring 
reflectively the coffee his wife handed 
across the breakfast table) “and, Lizzie, I 
may be a little severe, but Mrs. Leighton 
comes often on shopping errands to the 
store, and during her long stays it seems 
to me I hear more of town gossip than I 
hear during the entire day before or after 
her call. She is accompanied usually by a 
lady friend, and they continue the conver¬ 
sation they have been carrying on in the 
street—always gossip, gossip. Other cus¬ 
tomers come in; then the conversation 
turns on them, or if they are strangers, 
Mrs. L. questions the waiting clerk, mak¬ 
ing her after comments in a seemingly 
careless, child-like way, but a way which I 
would not like my wife to have at all,” and 
Mr. Lee vigorously stirred his coffee and 
swallowed it at a gulp, adding, “ and I do 
hope you said nothing while there that 
Mrs. L. could in any possible way construe 
in a different sense—and repeat it after 
her own interpretation.” 
His wife laughed merrily. “ Why, Fred, 
I scarcely got a chance to put in a word 
edgewise , I never heard the like. You 
would have thought Mrs. L. an old resi¬ 
dent in Riverstown by the way she handled 
relationships, discussed family affairs and 
in fact, gave her opinion (it seemed to me) 
on the whole town. At last I began to 
wonder what she would say about me; and 
the very thought of being criticised in that 
way so upset me that I scarcely dared to 
speak during the rest of my call there. I 
am sure I do not know what Mrs. L. could 
have thought of me.” 
“And I am very sure I don’t care, Lizzie. 
Such women l I sincerely hope you will be 
out when Mrs. L. returns your call 1” 
“ I dread the ordeal more than I can tell 
you, Fred,” replied his wife. 
EMILY II. STEEDMAN. 
English Plum Pudding.— Half a pound 
of flour, one-half pound of suet (fine), one- 
half pound of raisins (stoned), one half 
pound of currants, three eggs, one ounce of 
candied orange peel (fine), a small piece of 
butter, a little spice, one-half pound of 
sugar, one-half pound of bread crumbs. 
Add milk enough to mix. Butter a basin, 
put the pudding in, and tie in a floured 
cloth, and boil at least six hours. T. II. D. 
One cent will mail this paper to 
your friend in any part of the United 
States, Canada or Mexico, after 
you have read it and written your 
name on the corner. 
|Ui£mliin?0U0 
In writing to advertisers please always 
mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
Many Clergymen, 
Singers, actors, and public speakers use 
Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral. It is the favorite 
remedy for hoarseness and all affections of 
the vocal organs, throat, and lungs. As an 
anodyne and expectorant, the effects of 
this preparation are promptly realized. 
“Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral has done me gre^t 
good. It is a splendid remedy for all dis¬ 
eases of the throat and lungs, and I have 
much pleasure in testifying to its merits.”— 
(Rev.) C. N. Nichols, No. Tisbury, Mass. 
“In my profession of an auctioneer, any 
affection of the voice or throat is a serious 
matter, but, at each attack, I have been re¬ 
lieved by a few doses of Ayer’s Cherry 
Pectoral. This remedy, with ordinary care, 
has worked such a magical effect that I have 
suffered very little inconvenience. I have 
also used it in my family, with very excel¬ 
lent results, in coughs, colds, &c.”-Wm. II. 
Quartly, Minlaton, So. Australia. 
Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral, 
PREPARED BY 
DR. J. C. AYER & CO., Dowell, Mass. 
Sold by all Druggists. Price $1; six bottles, $5. 
IP YOU 
Malaria or Piles, Sick Headache, Costive 
Dowels, Dumb Ague, Sour Stomach and 
Belching; if your food does not assimilate 
and you have no appetite. 
Tuffs Pills 
will cure these troubles. Price, 25 cents. 
GOLD MEDAL, PARIS, lC7o. 
W. BAKER & CO.’S 
Breakfast Cocoa 
from which the excess of oil 
has been removed, 
Js absolutely pure and 
it is soluble, 
No Chemicals 
are used in its preparation. It 
has more than three times the 
strength of Cocoa mixed with 
Starch, Arrowroot or Sugar, 
and is therefore far more eco- 
I nomicul, costing less than one 
centacup. It is delicious, nour- 
I ishing, strengthening, EASILY 
digested, and admirably adapted for invalids 
as well ns for persons in health. 
Sold by Grocers everywhere. 
W. BAKER & CO., Dorchester, Mass. 
YOU MAY BELIEVE I N 
FREE TRADE 
If so you will be pleased to know 
The tariff on seeds has not increased, 
But you must admit that 
PROTECTION 
To the interests of Farm and Garden 
Demands the use of GOOD SEEDS. 
If you want the Best write for 
Burpee's Farm Annual 1891 
With honest descriptions and illustrations. 
Rare Novelties in Vegetables and Flowers. 
W.ATLEE BURPEE&CO. 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
BECAU6E THEY ARE 
THE BEST. 
D. M. Ferry & Co’s 
Illustrated, Descriptive and Priced 
Seed Annual; 
For 1891 will be mailed FREE 
I to all applicants, and to last season’sj 
i customers. It is better than ever. l 
Every person using Garden, 
Flower or Field Seeds, 
should send for it. Address 
D. M. FERRY 4. CO. 
DETROIT, MICH, 
i Largest Seedsmen in the world I 
My Annual PRICED CATALOGUE is now ready 
and mailed free to all applicants. It contains all 
the leading and most popular sorts of 
VEGETABLE, FARM, 
AND 
FLOWER SEEDS, 
Besides all the desirable novelties of last season, and 
nearly everything else in my line of business. 
ALFRED BKIDGEMAN, 
R7 TCwst. 1ft*h Street. New York OPv. 
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