an artist in the family (and a voice says “ Most 
people have nowadays”) it is easy to make up 
cheap gifts by the aid of a little taste. Christ¬ 
mas cards, hand-painted with an appropriate 
motto, give pleasure to the worker and bring 
out many pretty sentiments. Penny fans 
can be covered with scraps of satin or silk 
from the piece bag, and gaily painted—the 
larger size making good hand-screens. A 
plant in bloom is an acceptable gift to one who 
loves plants and does not possess many blos¬ 
soms, white a tastefully arranged assortment of 
Autumn leaves is sure to find favor. Gentle¬ 
men are always pleased with knitted suspen¬ 
ders and slippers. They are things that are 
sure to be needed for they are always wear¬ 
ing out. 
A frieud who had spent the Summer at the 
seaside was busy making up splint baskets, 
and filling them with the treasures she had 
collected from sea and shore. “Every-day 
House” has had a side view of the home taken, 
and is making it a Christmas card to give to 
a few friends. This is always an acceptable 
gift, especially to the absent. For children 
cheap boxes can bo bought and covered with 
some bright goods, afterward tilling them 
with good candy, or if for a little girl, a stock 
of gay spools and some needles will be better 
appreciated. People in the country can often 
give their city friends pleasure at Christmas 
time by a gift of souiething their friends 
have to purchase at high prices, i remember 
one year when I did not feel inclined to go to 
the city, or spend much money, we gathered 
the various lycopodiums in the woods, some 
Bitter Sweet and a few wild everlast ings, with 
here and there an acorn or a lichen. These 
were made into w rout he, anchors, crosses, and, 
with a pretty Christmas card attached, were 
well received, and valued more than if we 
had bought some tritliug gift with money. 
A pretty basket lined with moss and filled 
with rosy apples sent to a city friend is sure 
to find favor. Tn the hall of ono house I saw 
a bag made of tine lace used for holding a 
clothes-brush. It was a gift of last Christ¬ 
mas, as was also a knitted skirt aud slippers 
iu a pretty box sent to un invalid lady. Sets 
of dinner cards hand-painted are very pretty, 
as are some of the mats for finger glasses done 
iu charming Kate Greenaway figures. Where 
there is a fret sawyer, what pretty things 
can be made hi brackets and picture frames, 
and I know a family of boys who with a 
turning lathe mude a set of croquet mallets 
aud balls that were valued highly as a Christ¬ 
mas gift. And in your gifts do not forget 
the pool”—to children who have not much 
pleasure or riches the present of u last year’s 
toy will carry with it a message of “good 
will.” 
finding or general gossip, but we were old 
school-mates and confidential friends, and 
sometimes expressed our thoughts in strong 
language. 
The butter placed upon the tea table was 
white, frothy stuff; quite unworthy the name, 
and I had never seen anything better on Mrs. 
Long’s table when of her own manufacture. 
But there came a time when to me, at least, 
the mystery of that “ miserable butter ” was 
solved, and I have no doubt a like fault is the 
cause of hundreds of pounds of the miserable 
stuff that not only finds its way to the table 
at home, hut is thrown upon the market as 
well. Several weeks later I had occasion to 
call on Mrs. Long, and was invited to take a 
seat in the kitchen, which was as clean and 
airy as need be, until she could put the cream 
in the chum, that Helen might do the churn¬ 
ing before going to school. While we were 
talking I was taking observations, or, as our 
old Professor used to say, “ taking field 
notes,” for I like to learn modes and manners 
of doing work. 
“ Have you done one churning this morn¬ 
ing*” I inquired, as I saw the lady turning 
very sour buttermilk from the old-fashioned, 
wooden churn. 
“ Ob, no!” said she, laughing at the idea. 
“ I seldom have occasion to use the churn 
ofteuer than once a week, unless we have a 
run of company, and get out of butter. We 
have but one cow and, of course, do not have 
large quantities of cream on hand at any 
time.” 
The conversation soon turned upon other 
subjects, but I continued to take notes men¬ 
tally. The cream that had been nearly or 
quite a week collecting was put iuto that 
sour buttermilk churn, the sour dasher and 
soiled, musty cover were soon adjusted, 
and the work of bringing the butter was ready 
for Helen, while her mother and myself ad¬ 
journed to the coni, pleasaut sitting-room, 
where order and neatness reigned, in some¬ 
thing less than half ail hour Helen called her 
mother to take up the butter; and I arose to 
take ray departure. But people in farming 
districts are seldom formal, and when Mrs. 
L. offered to go walking with me If I would 
wait till she could take the butter out of the 
churn and salt it, I could not well refuse, so 
we returned to the kitchen and I seated my¬ 
self near the door that opened into the gar¬ 
den. 
“ What desperate weather to make butter,” 
said Mrs. Long, “ the cream doesn’t more 
than half separate, and the little butter that 
does come, is very soft. I shall be glad if the 
weather ever does get cooler, then we can 
make more butter with less labor; but by that 
time I suppose the butter will be bitter with 
the herbs the cows get by the side of the 
fences. ” 
I did not tell my friend that the reason why 
she made poor butter and but little of it, was 
because she did not skim the milk as soon as 
it was sour; or that she ought to wash and 
scald her churning utensils immediately after 
using them. Even the butter bowl, contain¬ 
ing the last batch of butter, bad stood for sev¬ 
eral days in the cellar, and this was also used 
without washing, aud it was damp aud musty 
as I very well knew; but the new butter was 
put into it and salted and put back in the cel¬ 
lar before a quarter of the buttermilk had 
been worked out. To me there was no longer 
any wonder that poor butter was the rule and 
not the exception in that dining-room. 
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When ice is required at night for a sick 
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scarce and care must be taken to prevent its 
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Never wear a good woolen dress into the 
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apron. 
No flannel that has not been carefully 
washed and is not perfectly soft aud fleecy 
should ever touch the skin of an infant. 
We never had any patience with a mother 
or nurse who would stick pins carelessly into 
her dress, collar or ribbon thereby inflicting 
painful wounds on her innocent victim. Not 
a pin excepting a safety pin should be used 
about a child, and when buttons will perform 
the office of pins they should be made to do 
so. 
To mothers, aunties or sistere who do up 
the school luncheon for the youngsters ; pray 
make it as attractive in appearance as 
possible. There is truly nothing very invit¬ 
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butter and a cookie, all rolled iu a piece of 
coarse brown paper, washed down by a drink 
from the cup that “goes the rounds.” Such 
a lunch will often impair the appetite of a 
fastidious or delicate child and ho will go 
without rather than eat it. A little care iu 
the cutting of the bread ; the doing up of the 
cookies or crullers in tissue or white paper ; 
the sauce or custard put into a pretty cup 
and all wrapped in a clean white napkin 
within a bright tin pail, or, better still, a 
pretty lunch basket, will by the pleasure it 
gives the child, well repay the extra care 
and thought. 
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Fernwood Butter. 
We received from Fernwood Farm, Caze- 
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from imported Guernsey cows. The butter 
is formed into little bricks, three-aud-a-half 
inches long, two-und-a-quarter wide, not 
quite two inches thick and known as “Fern 
Leaf Print.” Accompanying the butter was 
the statement: “ Made on hay aud uncolored.” 
It is of a true, golden color, and, as to quality, 
it seems to us perfect in all respects. 
2,000 Periodicals at wholesale rates. 
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MAY MAPLE. 
“What miserable butter Mrs. Long does 
make!” was the exclamation of Mrs. Gray, us 
we wended our way homeward oue Summer 
evening from the house of our mutual friend. 
“ I have often wondered why it was, for in 
most things Mrs. L-is as tidy about her 
work as are the generality of housewives.” 
Now, Mrs. Gray was not given to fault¬ 
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