Hemes ra&fei 
X ill® Nitronl 
A FAMILY CONFAB. 
HREE parts of a whole family meet every year at 
the holiday season and get more enjoyment 
than out of a day or so at any other time. But the 
time for most fun to three of them is when children 
and husbands, separately or together, go off some¬ 
where and leave them alone to exchange opinions on 
things past, present and future. 
Mother and Jo were interrupted by Bess coming in 
aud asking mother how she cooked the cranberries, as 
th°y were extra nice. “ Well, I did manage them a 
little differently,” she sa ; d, “ but used just the same 
proportions: two cupfuls of sugar and one of water 
to each quart of the berries, but I put the sugar and 
water on first and boiled long enough for frosting (until 
it haired), then added the berries, and left them covered 
on the back of the range for half an hour, occasionally 
giving the saucepan a shake if they seemed not to 
burst fast enough.” 
“Thanks, that’s something learned already. They’re 
such a beautiful color.” 
Several topics had been discussed when Jo asked 
mother’s opinion about Bess taking a course in the 
C. L S. C. 
“I don’t know ; she ought to be the best judge, but 
it looks to me as though she would be undertaking too 
much for all-around satisfaction ; the children need a 
good deal of attention, as do the house and chickens, 
and, in a few years, the children will be able to do 
their own reading and darning, besides helping much 
more with the house. Then, I think, would be the 
best time.” 
At this Bess looked sadly disappointed, and Jo 
smiled hopelessly. 
“ Well, there is truth in your view, mother, although 
Bess didn’t study it that way. We know that only a 
certain amount can be accomplished each day, and if 
too much is attempted, there is loss somewhere; but,” 
with a mischievous smile, “ I know the reading would 
be done.” 
“ What of that,” said mother gayly, “ if it had to be 
done at the expense of some nearer duty ? ” “Nearer?” 
from Bess. 
Mother:. “ Yes, I mean it; sometimes it is best to 
subordinate, ‘ How much can I read this year ? ’ to 
‘ How can I fill my own little niche in this world 
best ? ’ ” 
“Mother’s a born lecturer,” says Jo, “but never 
mind, Bess, wait awhile—anywhere from 20 to 60 
years ; you’ve plenty of time yet.” 
“ Cold comfort, that,” was Bess’s rueful reply. 
Nothing troubled mother more than to thwart pet 
plans, and she astonished them with : “ Well, if you 
girls couldn’t marry better men, you might have mar¬ 
ried richer.” 
“So?’’said Jo, “and if that was reversed, woe’s 
me long ere this.” 
“ Indeed, I wouldn’t exchange one of my John’s 
good qualities for all the wealth of the States.” said 
Bess. 
“ But how about his bad ones ? ” put in Jo. 
“ I don’t know them.” 
“ You girls are unlike in some ways, but John and 
Dan are exact opposites. John is quiet, works hard 
and says little while his praise just settles down, down 
and in ; and Dan would just as soon proclaim his 
wife’s goodness from the market-place ; ’tis his free 
way. And he is just as happy when she rides beside 
him to a sale, to clerk while he sells, as if they were 
off to church. But, Jo, 1 wish you could get him to 
make a little more money and hold on better to what 
he makes ; the children are no longer babies, and as 
they grow, so do their needs.” 
“Yes. ma, but you haven’t mentioned all his good 
qualities, and he has one that just towers over John’s 
and father's too : If there’s anything I hate it is to 
mend men’s old trousers, and he always patches his 
own.” This proved a laughable revelation. 
Presently mother said : “ I always think of Bess and 
John as slow but sure.” 
“And of Dan and me as slow but not sure?” 
laughed Jo ; “ but don’t worry ; we’ll be in on time at 
the end. Just wait ’till I get my new machine on the 
market.” 
“What is it?’’asked mother, looking a little offended 
at being kept out of a secret. 
“You may look surprised ; if I can only get promise 
of grist, our fortune is made. Everybody’s husband 
has one fault—some more than that—and I propose 
to invent a mill, if engagements enough are made, 
through which it will be needful to put them only 
once, and they will come out just to suit you.” 
“Good!” exclaimed mother, laughing heartily as 
she spoke “ put Dan through first.” 
“ Why, no, I thought to try father first.” 
“No, thanks! he’ll do very well.” The fun had 
reached such a height that our cheeks were aching 
from laughter. 
“ Well, I’m sorry you ladies won’t give me a little 
home trade so that I could get my mill introduced 
soon ; as a gentleman who is a model-maker says, ‘This 
is certainly woman’s century,’ and I may have less 
show in the next. But if I don’t get more encourage¬ 
ment, the world shall never see my device ” 
CHATTERBOX. 
SMALL SAVINGS IN BREAD. 
HE price of flour and the labor of making bread 
render it too costly an article for careless 
wasting; nor will it do to ease our consciences by 
feeding broken pieces to the chickens, for that is not 
the best use to which it can be put. There is no need 
of throwing away a particle, if it is carefully managed. 
In small families the ornamental bread board and 
knife should form part of the table furnishings, and 
slices should be cut as each person desires. Where 
many are to be served, this “ cut as you go ” method 
would entail too much labor during the meal, but care 
in judging of the amount needed will greatly reduce 
the quantity of dry pieces. 
A dish of hot milk toast adds comfort to a winter 
supper, at which all the other dishes are cold. If the 
remnants of bread are too small to toast over the fire 
in regulation style, cut them into pieces an inch or 
more square and brown them in a quick oven. They 
may then be buttered and wet with milk very slightly 
salted. 
In one family stale pieces are cut into oblongs one 
inch wide and two long, and browned in the oven. 
These are relished by the children, and are eaten dry 
instead of crackers. 
Tiny cubes of bread browned in the oven or fried in 
very hot fat are called crofltons, and are delicious 
served with soup. They are perhaps more palatable 
when fried, but are more wholesome prepared ac¬ 
cording to the first method. The unsightly bits that 
still remain should be reduced to crumbs. Dry them 
thoroughly in a cool oven, browning as little as pos¬ 
sible; then roll and sift them, keeping the fine and 
coarse in separate boxes. There should be very few 
coarse ones, and they may be used in puddings; the 
fine ones only are suitable for frying, and for this 
purpose they are invaluable. 
Oysters, croquettes and fish should always be dipped 
in beaten egg and then rolled in crumbs, and fried in 
deep fat. The albumen of the egg hardens on contact 
with the hot fat, a fine brown crust is thus formed, and 
the interior of the article thus escapes being grease- 
soaked. 
This deep fat frying seems like a tremendous under¬ 
taking to the ordinary housekeeper, but once tried 
will never be abandoned. It is economical also, as the 
food does not absorb the fat, and it can be strained 
and used a number of times. 
The fat should be deep enough to completely sub¬ 
merge the articles to be fried, and must vary in tem¬ 
perature to suit different foods. The heat at which 
doughnuts are cooked is sufficiently high for slices of 
fish and anything requiring from five to ten minutes. 
Oysters and croquettes, which cook in a minute or a 
minute and a half, require greater heat. The fat may 
be tested by dropping in a piece of stale bread. It 
should brown while you count 30. A wire frying 
basket is a great convenience, and can be bought for 
30 cents. Of course, great care must be exercised in 
frying that the food is as free as possible from par¬ 
ticles of water, and that the fat is not hot enough to 
burn. That used for fish must be kept in a separate 
vessel. The following recipes for the use of dried 
crumbs are tested and in fr. quent use in a family of 
eight: 
Dressing for Meat or Fish.-— One and one half cup 
of crumbs soaked in one cup of hot milk. One table¬ 
spoonful of butter. One teaspoonful of salt. One 
quarter teaspoonful of pepper. One onion minced. 
A pinch of thyme leaves. Two beaten eggs added 
last. 
Bread Crumb Souffle. —To one quart of boiling 
milk add one cupful of crumbs. The yolks of four 
eggs Four tablespoonfuls of sugar. One half tea¬ 
spoonful of salt. One teaspoonful of vanilla. Cook 
for three minutes. Take from the fire and cool. Then 
add the stiffly-beaten whites of four eggs. Pour into 
a buttered pan and bake one half hour in a moderate 
oven. Serve with a good liquid sauce. 
Bread Fritters. —One cupful of crumbs soaked for 
an hour in one pint of milk. Two eggs, the whites to 
be stiffly beaten and added last. One- ful of 
dried currants. One-half teaspoonful each of cinna¬ 
mon, cloves and allspice. One cupful of flour sifted 
with one level teaspoonful of salt and one of baking 
powder Fry in hot fat and drain on paper. Serve 
with sugar or liquid sauce 
Suet Pudihno. —One cupful of crumbs soaked in 1% 
cupful of milk One-half cupful of suet chopped fine. 
One-balf cupful of molasses. Two eggs, whites beaten 
stiffly, and added last. One-half teaspoonful each of 
cloves, cinnamon and allspice. One level teaspoonful 
of salt. One cupful of dried currants. One cupful of 
flour sifted twice with one half teaspoonful of soda. 
ALICE A. SMITH. 
WHOLESALE JELLY MAKING. 
HE manufacture of apple jelly is a rather import¬ 
ant industry in some sections and it may be of 
interest to some of our readers co learn how it is done. 
Mr. C. L. Bigelow, of Ontario Co. ,N Y., made a very 
superior article of jelly when he was in the business 
and it is his process I will describe. The apples were 
ground in the same way as for cider, the pomace being 
thrown, almost in a spray, through a chest five feet or 
more deep, which was filled with the fumes of burn¬ 
ing sulphur. This sulphurizing not only killed all 
germs of fermentation, but prevented disco'oring of 
the pulp by oxydization. The sulphurized juice passed 
at once into the evaporating pan, where it was care¬ 
fully skimmed as soon as the heat threw the impuri¬ 
ties to the surface. The juice was boiled rapidly until 
of the proper consistency, then cooled as fast as 
possible. So much importance is attached to rapid 
cooling that when large vessels are to be filled a depth 
of only three or four inches is poured in at a time and 
this is allowed to cool before the next layer is added. 
It may be surprising to some to know that many of 
the cheap jellies of commerce have a basis of apple 
jelly adulterated with plenty of cheap gelatine and 
flavored with fruit juice or other flavorings. Jelly 
made from the pure juices of fruit, even though that 
fruit be as cheap and plentiful as are apples, cannot 
be made to compete in the markets with these adul¬ 
terated jellies. Possibly one consumer in one hundred 
will distinguish between the inferior and the better 
article, but popular taste needs a deal of educating 
before it will pay a double price for pure jelly and 
that is what must be done if the manufacturer is to re¬ 
ceive anything for his time and trouble, s. A. little. 
Easy Starching’.—I just want to review that starching 
business a little, for I think my way better, and less 
difficult, than any I have yet found ; because of its 
being less complicated. Get the “ Elastic Starch ” ; 
that is the best that 1 have tried. Follow the directions, 
with two exceptions : Never boil the starch for any¬ 
thing. I might explain why, but space will not per¬ 
mit. Never starch on the right side; if you can't get 
along any other way roll the garments in a thin cloth. 
If you want things stiff, dip them, dip them ! I shake 
out heavy garments and let them dry out somewhat. 
Follow these directions and you will save time, 
trouble and starch, to say nothing of the dirty, 
sticky muss of boiled starch, handling the clothes far 
less, etc. If you have starch left after you are done, 
let it settle; turn off the water, put it back in the 
paper and it will do for use next time. MRS. peter. 
One cent will carry this paper to your friend in 
any part of North America after you have written 
your name on the corner to show whom it is from. 
Ask your doctor what happens to cod- 
liver oil when it gets inside of you. 
He will say it is shaken and broken up 
into tiny drops, becomes an emulsion ; 
there are other changes, but this is the 
first. 
He will tell you also that it is economy 
to take the oil broken up, as it is in 
Scott’s Emulsion, rather than burden 
yourself with this work. You skip the 
taste too. 
Let us send you an interesting book 
on careful living ; free. 
Scott & Bownb, Chemists, 132 South 5th Avenue, New York 
Your druggist keeps Scott’s Emulsion of cod-llver oil—all druggists 
everywhere do. SI 
