S22 
the eorai- mew-yorkir. 
ashioning or changing a chair is to make it 
i omfortable—and even the hard, uncompro¬ 
mising “Windsor,” or stiff cane seated chair 
may be changed into eoftly-eushioned nursing 
and sewing chairs, while the ever-accommo¬ 
dating “ barrel chair”—not generally consid¬ 
ered worthy of a position outside the ordinary 
sitting-room cr chamber—is changed into a 
veritable “sleepy hollow,” well worthy of 
admittance among the more pretentious 
group of the parlors. 
A wooden bottom is always necessary where 
springs are desired, and they add so vastly to 
the comfort that they are always desirable. 
An old-fashioned cane-seated chair was 
dealt with as follows ; Saw pieces of half-inch 
board to fit the seat, allowing the sides and 
front to extend beyond the frame about two 
inches, roundiug off the corners slightly and 
shaping it so that the front is broader than 
the back and swells outward from the corners. 
Then procure a set of coiled-wire springs— 
from one to two dozen, according to the size 
of the chair. These arrange in rows, first 
boring gimlet-holes for the accommodation of 
by Jas. Monteith and S. T. Frost. A S. 
Barnes & Co., Publishers, N. Y. City. Price, 
$1.50. 
There are a great many children to whom 
the study of geography is up-hill work, so 
that they go through it much as a parrot does 
her little stock of instinctive lore. But if this 
geography could be given to all such children 
we are confident that they would know the 
difference between descriptive, physical, and 
commercial geography, and enjoy studying 
it. Each country is finely described by the 
best of cuts and handsome maps, clear and dis¬ 
tinctly drawn and colored. As a whole we 
like it much. 
“Paddle and Portage, from Moosehead 
Lake to Aroostook River, Me.” By Thos. 
Sedgwick Steele. Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 
publishers. 
A work having sixty illustrations, and a 
map 20x80 inches, showing the canoe courses 
of Northern Maine. A finely gotten up work 
in every way—paper, type, cuts, and not for¬ 
getting the author, make it a very valuable 
book. _ 
An English" Daisy Miller,” by Virginia W. 
Johnson. Estes & Lauriat, Boston, Mass., 
publishers. A little love story of an English 
girl who visited Italy. The usual flirtations 
and coquettiugs which accompany such a 
character are pleasantly portrayed; as well 
as the adventures and scrapes she found her¬ 
self the heroine of. A nice story for a Sum¬ 
mer day’s reading. 
“Young Folks Robinson Crusoe.” Lee & 
Shepard. Boston, publishers. Price, $1.25. 
This is a book of healthy tone, written by a 
lady, and who better than a lady can write 
for the young ? It is printed on fine paper 
and in clear, bold type, with many of the 
finest wood-cute, describing both the country 
and people. _ 
“ In the Harbor.” By H. W. Longfellow. 
Houghton, Mifiiin & Co., publishers, Boston. 
Price, $1.00. 
A little book comprising the last unpub¬ 
lished poems of this great writer. Who would 
be without them ? 
To mention it right here— 
Was voted by the neighborhood 
To be extremely queer. 
Not that she’d tell a falsehood 
Oh! no; but to a friend 
Straightway she told it over 
This tale that bad no end. 
And so it went, from lip to lip, 
Till it came to Mrs. O. 
She had to tell her husband, 
('Twas right she should you know,) 
And he—well, he put on his hat 
And sauntered "to the store,” 
That place where woman’s name and fame 
Is grossly counted o’er; 
And each man there at supper time 
Told all their wives you know, 
“ Oh! my,” “ why John,” and “can it be,” 
“ Are you sure, ’twas thus and so,” 
Some told their mothers, some their pa, 
Some spread it far and wide, 
Some told their uncles, some their aunts, 
Upon their father’s side, 
And thus it grew, ’till bye and bye 
This cobra headed lie 
Was carefully surrendered 
To the keeping of Miss I. 
And she, God bless her noble heart, 
1 urned on the gossip base— 
“And do you know that words like these 
Can never be effaced? 
Deep in the heart you’ve broken 
By slanders cruel snare, 
They’re buried, and can never fade 
Though washed with tears and prayer. 
There is one who said, “I will repay,” 
Will he forget, think you? 
Or will he measure, each to each. 
Each ones own share that’s due?” 
The moral’s plain, what need of more, 
But, when your neighbors pass, 
Be careful that they do not find 
Your houses made of glass. 
Eva Ames, 
it not ? In two years more we shall have w or 
perhaps more cows and a lot of young calves, 
and after that, how many I can’t tell. The 
more the merrier, so long as we can feed 
them.” And the cows came up and crowded 
around their new owners and sniffed and ex¬ 
amined them, and appeared well pleased and 
satisfied, and licked the outstretched hands 
suffered themselves to be caressed and petted. 
“ How gentle they are,” said Emil}'. 
"Yes, perfectly gentle and kind. They 
come from a place where a whip has never 
been kept or used; where no harsh language 
is used or permitted, and yet where there are 
30 horses, young and old; and where the calves 
will follow a stranger instead of flying from 
him. Every animal is a pet, and one petted 
cow is even permitted to follow its owner, 
sometimes up the steps and into the parlor. 
Such a beautiful, gentle and well trained herd 
I have never seen elsewhere.” 
“ What a comfort to have such cows,” said 
Emily, 
“Everyone might have them if they wished, 
and would use them and train them kindly 
from calfhood, teaching them to love instead 
of to dread their owners. And what a saving 
of trouble it would be for them. But, Emily, 
I’m starving; positively famishing, and the 
way those cows are eating makes me think of 
my own fodder.” 
“Come, then, everything is ready and wait¬ 
ing.” 
"Now, George,” said Emily, as they re¬ 
turned to the house and sat down to lunch, 
Barrel Chair Upholstered.—F ig. 248. 
the wire, which on the under part is bent 
dowm perpendicularly; then taking strong 
bands of unbleached muslin or ticking and 
passing them through the lower coil, with 
large 12-oz. tacks, fasten each one firmly dow n 
on each side; then with cross-pieces passed the 
other way secure in the same manner, as other¬ 
wise the constant working of the springs won Id 
soon displace them and tear out the upholster¬ 
ing. Next take heavy hemp-twine and pass 
it back and forth a dozen times, tymg at each 
crossing to the wire and the bands, then draw¬ 
ing the cords down over the frame and tacking 
firmly to the frame on the outside. Next 
take stout cauvas (we use “gunny-bags”), and 
stretching tightly over the springs, tack closely 
along the frame of the chair. Two such covers 
will be even better than one. 
Now make a long case, four inches in width, 
to extend round the seat of the chair ; stuff 
loosely with moss, cotton, or any similar mate¬ 
rial, and tack round the edge. Upholsterers 
call this a “ stitched edge,” and it should have 
several rows of stitching, in order to bring 
it to a square, flat surface along the upper 
edge, giviog a firm, elastic edge that will not 
easily become misplaced or broken down. 
Hair, moss, sisal or other elastic material is 
next spread evenly over the surface aud cau¬ 
vas tacked over it, then the material is care¬ 
fully cut and arranged, tacked neatly round 
the edge, aud the trimming put on, which 
may consist of a simple narrow furniture 
gimp, a puff of the same material, but of con¬ 
trasting color, or other suitable finish. 
The back is finished in the same manner, 
without the springs, and the stuffed roll— 
which should be fastened round the edge of 
the sides and toi>—must not be fluished with 
the “stitched edge,” but forms a full, rounded 
edge, which, covered with the outside mate- 
MAGAZINES FOR AUGUST 
Atlantic Monthly for August has a very 
fine steel engraving of Ralph Waldo Emer¬ 
son as a frontispiece, which is worth to any 
admirer of his, more than twice the price of 
the magazine per year. A complete account 
of the Birthday Garden Party, to Harriet 
Beecher Stowe, with the poems, speeches and 
letters, that were read on that long to be re¬ 
membered occasion. This number also con¬ 
tains a sketch of travel in Africa, by Chas. 
Dudley Warner; another instalment of 
“ Studies in the South,” a pleasant little story 
“The adventures of a Virginian.” By 
Oliver Thurston. E. Claxton & Co,, Phila¬ 
delphia, publishers. 
This is a story of the Revolutionary War, 
and one can read it with interest even these 
warm Summer days. 
Lady Beauty. By Allan Muir. G. P. 
Putnam’s Sons, publishers. Price 60 cents. 
This is the latest of the Trans-Atlantic Series 
and one of the beBt. It is illustrated, and the 
type is clear and bold. A charming love 
story. _ 
“ Brought to Bay." ByE. R. Roe. Estes 
& Lauriat, Boston, publishers. Price, $1.50. 
The name of the author is sufficient guar¬ 
antee that the book is a readable one. 
The Century for August is at hand, and 
one of the most interesting of the entire year. 
The first article, so beautifully illustrated, 
“ The Borderland of Surrey ” makes one de¬ 
sire to see a spot so picturesque. The article 
on “ The American Museum of Natural His¬ 
tory we hope will be read by every one, 
young and old. “ An aboriginal Pilgrimage;” 
“A Snow storm;" “Some English artists and 
their studies;” “ The Personal history of Gar¬ 
ibaldi;” are the titles of some of the articles 
composing this midsummer holiday number, 
as it is called. 
for fU cnnai 
CONDUCTED BY MISS RAY CLARK. 
HOME-MADE CHAIRS 
In this day, when simple, solid forms in 
furniture are held in highest esteem, it is for¬ 
tunate that many articles of approved style 
can be made at home, and by even a lady ac¬ 
customed (as many are) to handling the saw 
and chisel. 
The most comfortable and harmonious 
Harper’s Magazine for August is a bril¬ 
liant number. It ope’-s with a full page illus¬ 
tration frontispiece, by Abbey—something 
unique—followed by two bright Summer 
articles both splendidly illustrated. “Some 
Western Resorts” and the " The Cruise of the 
Nameless.” There are three strong short 
stories with poems etc., etc. The Editorial 
Department still maintains the old vigor, 
and it is as good a magaziue as it ever was, 
which is the highest praise we have for it. 
Lipfincott’s for August opens with a nicely 
illustrated article, “St. Jerome’s day with the 
Pueblo Indians,” descriptive of a half-re¬ 
ligious, half barbaric festival in New Mexico. 
The remaining articles are light and sum¬ 
mery, suggestive of the mountains and sea¬ 
side. There are three short stories, also the 
usual monthly gossip. 
We have received from Chas. Scribner’s 
Sons the set of J. G. Holland’s works which 
they have just been issuing. Several of them 
have been out of print for some time, and to 
again bring them before the young was a good 
thought. No one can read either of them 
without profit. To the thoughtful, we rec¬ 
ommend Every Day Topics ; or, Lessons in 
Life. And to the poetic, Bitter Sweet and 
Kathrina. While to all, Nicholas Minturn, 
Bay Bath, Titcomb Letters, Miss Gilbert’s 
Career, etc., are full of interest, and to those 
who have never read them we suggest an im¬ 
mediate perused. 
McNally’s System of Geography, for 
Schools, Academies and Seminaries. Revised 
Miss A got up a scandal, 
And told it to Miss B; 
Who casually mentioned it 
To voluble Miss C. 
And she, (her garden has some weeds) 
To kind and social be, 
Related with full many a wink 
The whole to Mr. D. 
Now Mr. D who ne’er was known 
To swerve from what was right, 
Repeated all the shameful tale 
To his beloved that night. 
Miss F—’twill do no harm I’m sure 
Barrel Chair Frame.—Fig. 247. 
apartment we visit is entirely furnished with 
home made articles, and contains various 
cozy chairs, each possessing an individuality 
of its own, and no two alike. 
Now, inasmuch as we have imitated several 
of these comfortable and even elegant pieces 
of furniture, we will describe the method we 
followed,, hoping others may be glad to follow 
our example and become “their own” chair- 
makers. 
The firsthand L most important point in 
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