fM£ AURAL HfW-YOftKlB. 
CONDUCTED BY MISS RAY CLARK. 
DISCONTENT. 
BY MATES. 
In the pleasant, autumn weather, 
When the golden fruit we gather. 
Oft I think that I would rather 
See the winter come. 
Hear the piercing North wind roaring 
Through the tree tops bare and brown, 
Than this ceaseless rustle, rustle 
Of„the sere leaves falling round. 
But when comes the winter dreary; 
Though the hearth lire biases cheery, 
And the evening guests are merry 
As in years gone, by, 
Fain I’d see the Spring buds bursting 
On the tree-tops bare and brown, 
Aught but this continuous sifting 
Of the white llake falling down. 
When with ley fetters broken, 
Though by human words unspoken 
Spring comes, fitting sign and token 
Of the Resurrection Morn; 
Then I saw O Summer hasten 
With thy gorgeous sunset hues, 
And thy genial warmt h and sunshine, 
And thy gently failing dews. 
But when Summer's thunder crashes, 
And the fiery lightning Hashes, 
And the wild-wave iieroely dashes 
On the rock-bound coast. 
Then I long again for Autumn, 
Autumn with Its burdened sheaves, 
Autumn with Its golden fruitage, 
And the falling of the leaves. 
SCRAP BAG CLUB. 
ARTICLE II. 
“ Oh ! what a lovely hood I” exclaimed the 
‘ Club,” iu one voice, as they were divesting 
themselves of a comfortable supply of wraps, 
for the day outside Mrs. Lane’s pleasant sit¬ 
ting room, was almost too cold to be exhilar¬ 
ating unless well bundled up. The hood 
which had called forth such unanimous ad¬ 
miration, was of snowy white Shetland 
wool ornamented with several bows of cameo 
pink satin ribbou, and was, as its owner 
Norma said, “the easiest thing made imag¬ 
inable.” You first make a foundation of com¬ 
mon yarn or Germantown wool, in plain, 
double crochet stitch, crocheting the skirt 
and all of the hood, iu the same manner, the 
shape and size desired, then take Shetland • 
wool crochet in loose chain ten or twelve 
stitches and loop in the foundation, continu¬ 
ing in like ma nner looping the chain in every 
stitch of the foundation till it is completely 
covered. The effect is very pretty, and for 
sleigh riding, and the like, no head covering 
is so appropriate or comfortable as a hood. 
When the members were finally dismantled 
and settled, M rs. Lane said, “ suppose we de¬ 
vote to-day’s meeting to the subject of lam¬ 
brequins.” “Just the thing exactly!” cried 
half a dozen voices at once. “Let us first 
then, discuss that bracket lambrequin over 
the piano, shall we not ?” asked Mary Rardon. 
“ Oh, that is soon done” replied Mrs. Lane. 
“ Clara ;> ade that in an hour or so one day. 
She bought a yard or more of five cent calico 
with those birds and owl stamped on it, but 
the plain part of the calico, around the figures 
looked so coarse and cheap; that she cut the 
owl out sitting as he does on the branch, 
hunted out of some piece bag about the bouse, 
the bit of blue delaine, pasted the owl on the 
cloth with gum tragacanth, then cut out the 
two birds and stuck them on in like manner, 
arranging thorn in the threatening, teasing 
attitude you see. Of course, if the larubre 
quin were placed where it would be closely 
inspecteiit would be better done in applique, 
that is the figures put on with button hole 
stitch around the edges to hide the margins, 
but where the work is to be beyond close ob¬ 
servation the applique is oifiy superfluous and 
time may be thereby saved for something 
else. The greatest difficulty Clara had, was in 
finishing the edge without calling on her 
pocket book. However the piece bag was 
again consulted, aud a strip, about three inch¬ 
es wide, of buff Java canvas found. This was 
raveled out into fringe, the edge of the lam¬ 
brequin turned under, the fringe sewed on, 
and a row of feather stitch in gold floss worked 
around the edge, to serve as a heading and 
finish for the fringe.” 
“Do you know what I saw new to me in 
New York in the way of mantel lambrequins?” 
said Mary Rardon, who had just returned 
from a visit to that metropolitan city. “ No !” 
exclaimed a chorus of voices please tell us for 
the benefit of the “Club.” “Well; they were 
called scarfs, and consisted of two pieces, of 
any material desired, as felt, satin etc., though 
satin, and that usually black, seems to be the 
prime favorite and justly too, as itoftener has 
more elegant effect. The two pieces are some 
six, eight, or ten inches wide, and hang say 
bout half way down the hight of the mantel. 
One of the pieces is placed on each end of the 
shelf and are usually held in place by a pair of 
large vases or statuettes. 
Of course much artistic skill and taste are 
displayed on these scarfs, and the designs are 
various and beautiful. A t present, golden-rod, 
and sun flowers are considered the most es¬ 
thetic flowers one can use, and hence they are 
very popular. Golden rod is worked in what 
is known as raised Kensington, the stitches be¬ 
ing worked iu, and cut, giving the tufted 
velvety effect natural to the flower.” 
“Nellie Lane has a lovely new lambrequin 
of Macrame lace” said Mrs Carter. Yes, an¬ 
swered Nellie and it didn’t cost me any thing 
hardty, either: which I know you will be 
glad to hear, since it is a lamentable fact that 
none of our pocket-books are any too plethoric. 
The secret is I made it out of seine cord, such 
as fisherman use to make their nets, instead of 
the real Macramd cord. The Macram6 cord 
is a dollar a pound, and of most patterns one 
pound will make a yard of lace. Now sixty 
cents worth of the seine cord made enough 
lace for ray mantel, and 1 don’t think many 
persons will ever notice the difference be¬ 
tween the cotton and linen cord; even if they 
do notice the difference, 1 don’t think they 
can say but that made of the seine cord is very 
nearly, if not quite, as pretty as that made 
of the Macrame.” “ Do you think MacramG 
lace hard to make Nellie ?” asked Mrs. Carter. 
It is not bard or tedious, but then it’s not just 
exactly as easy as a writer that I was reading 
the other day, made out. After giving, what 
I suppose she considered, most explicit direc¬ 
tions, which, had I known nothing about it 
I could not have understood at all), closed by 
saying it was just as easy as “ rolling a ball.” 
Some use a sand bag to work over, others a 
covered board, while those who have plenty 
of money furnish themselves with a desk, 
which costs three dollars, expressly made for 
the purpose. There are a great many sizes of 
the seine cord; I used the medium. I ran a 
cardinal ribbon through the heading of my 
lace to give it tone and coloring, though I 
think it is equally pretty without.” “Do 
you know ladies,” interrupted Mrs. Martin’s 
care for-your-family voice, “that it is almost 
supper time.” “Ohl” “ Why 1” “Indeed 1” 
“ Is it possible !” But why multiply exclama 
tious, the motion for adjournment was unan¬ 
imous. R. K. M. 
- +-++ - 
“THAT PAIR OF SHOES.” 
c. V. S. 
1 
That old pair of shoes—there they stand, 
dilapidated but crank. Four years ago they 
cost me nine dollars—now they are hardly 
worth nine cents. But why do I feel thus sad 
and lonely at parting with them ? Let us re¬ 
view their life since they came into my posses¬ 
sion, and learn if it is Lecause I paid too high 
a price at the time of buying. They were taut 
and trim, and the feet that wore them looked 
smart aud felt comfortable. They attended 
church, operas, theatres, and lectures, and de¬ 
tracted naught from “sights and sounds.” 
They caused no aches or groans in traveling, 
though many a mile was walked over and 
more rode over by carriage or car. 
They went hither and yon, through the 
streets of our own salt city; found their way 
into stores and market places, and visited 
hospitals and cemeteries. They waited on the 
sick, as well as tripped lightly to sounds of 
sweet music. They encased our feet, protect¬ 
ing them from inclement weather when w r e 
wended our way from art galleries to art stu¬ 
dios, from “openings” of merchant princes 
to printing offices in the great metropolis. 
They' were present when we viewed the famous 
obelisk, rode on the Elevated railway and tra¬ 
versed the East River bridge. They went with 
us to the Quaker City, to Baltimore, and to 
Washington. They accompanied us to the 
Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian 
Institute, and whithersoever we went, but no 
murmur or break came from them. They 
shone like polished mirrors, and kept their 
form so graceful that we were proud of them, 
and the feet within were exultant over their 
ease and comfort. Another journey they 
stood us—a westward one that took us along 
by Lake Erie, that croised the bridge where 
occurred the Ashtabula disaster. 
We walked, we rode, we drove through the 
beautiful city of Cleveland, and our ever- 
1 faithful pair of shoes bore us company. We 
journeyed home, resumed our sketching of 
wild flowers, attended our “ Readings,” and 
helped at our house duties; still, the endeared 
old shoes were our daily friends. They had 
retained all their buttons, had not broken nor 
once given away; but the constant wear had 
made them look somewhat rusty—in fact, a 
little shabby. 
We sent for a box of blacking; none of your 
liquid shoe-polish, but a box of old fashioned, 
genuine blacking. We polished them up to 
their pristine beauty. We said “ shine,” and 
“shine’’they did. Once more we felt easy 
and wore them abroad, but we had occasion- 
ally to give them a new “shine,” and now 
signs of decay are becoming so apparent that 
the dilapidated old things will have to be cre¬ 
mated sooner or later; although, truth to tell, 
we feel like taking them up tenderly and with 
care most lovingly, fit them for burial, not¬ 
withstanding the pert, crank air of those old 
“nine dollar shoes.” 
-- 
■INCONSISTENCIES. 
What strange contradictions, there are in 
the speech and actions of humanity. For 
example bow often we see a sharp tongued 
keen eyed woman with a great faculty for 
business who will keep a flower stand full of 
fresh looking plants and who will exhibit some¬ 
thing of a miser’s greed in procuring new 
varieties, and yet her lovely pets never seem 
to soften the asperity of her disposition. Her 
plants when in bloom seem to have a timid 
look as if they were afraid of being scolded 
for their beauty, nor do they seem to jdeld 
her the pure pleasure they give to less thorough 
going housekeepers. The same thing is visible 
in her children; to have them clean and above 
I 
reproach as to dress and deportment is the end 
and aim with her. 
She would consider the time wasted that 
was spent in enjoying their little original 
ways and cute sayings. While there is busi¬ 
ness to be done about the house everything 
else must be sacrificed to that. Comfort is 
for the shiftless and she would not enjoy any¬ 
thing unless it w as iu au uncomfortable way. 
Why does not the culture of flowers reGne 
aud make beautiful the lives of those who 
cultivate them and why does not neatness 
and order in the outer life lead to correspond¬ 
ing qualities in the heart. Let those who 
understand, explain these inconsistencies. 
Elkhorn, Wis. B. c. D. 
-» » » 
SOMETHING FOR FATHERS TO READ. 
“ I have no time to devote to my children,” 
says the business man, with a sigh; Lr he 
really feels the privation of their society keen¬ 
ly. But the excuse is an insufficient one; he 
should make time—let other things go; for no 
duty is more important than that he owes bis 
offspring. Parents should never fail te give 
the child such sympathy in its little matters of 
life as will produce iu its confiding mind that 
trust and faith which is a necessary element 
in parental influence. Filial affection is a 
great safeguard against evil influence, as well 
as a great civilizer to its possessor. Do not 
forget, too, that the childish mind in process 
of development absolutely needs the cheerful 
and'happy influences which are produced by 
amusements, as sure as the plant needs sun 
and light for its proper growth. And who can 
be better persons to afford recreation than 
both parents ? Too frequently does the stately 
father, filled with the cares and responsibili¬ 
ties of life, forget that his little one is yearn¬ 
ing for that familiar love which induces a game 
of romp between them. The father’s entrance 
after the day’s labor should be a cause fur re¬ 
joicing, and the signal for a merry game 
which would benefit him as well as the little 
ones. 
AN ORIENTAL BEAUTY. 
Mme. Yoshida, the wife of the Japanese 
minister, is the most daintily pretty creature 
that any picture on a paper can give an idea 
of. No taller than a child of ten, she has all 
the charms and graces in miniature, and her 
perfect little Japanese beauty is always offset 
by the most perfect toilets. French taste and 
fingers dress her nfter the most appro red 
manner, and from her own country she brings 
stuffs, brocades and embroideries unattainable 
and unnameable in our dry goods trade. The 
perfect oval of her face, with its clear cream 
complexion and half-opened black eyes, is sur¬ 
mounted by masses of blue-black hair that 
gives her a strongly dignified and stately mien. 
Perched on the edges of one of the superb 
ebony and brocade chairs of her long draw¬ 
ing-room, with her tiny slippers not touching 
the floor, she is one of the most charming little 
figures to be seen, and Washington will miss 
one of its prettiest pets when the diminutive 
lady has gone. 
Domestic Ctonomij 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE 
CONCERNING HOUSE FURBISHING 
AND CLEANING. 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
In putting a house in order, I find that it 
simplifies matters to follow the plan of a 
“ division of labor. ” One reason why a gen¬ 
eral house cleaning is such a tax upon the 
mistress of the house, is because of the multi¬ 
tude of petty details it involves, the answering 
of the question, mentally at least, what is 
to be done with this and that, to distinguish 
between what is rubbish and what is not. To 
begin, have as many closets cleared out, and 
cleaned out as you can comfortably “ put to 
rights ” in one day. A serving maid or a 
scrub woman, can do the cleaning but only 
yourself can put the things back in the closets, 
and discard what seems to be rubbish. What 
to do with the rubbish is always a question 
which I think is best answered by putting it 
in boxes or barrels which may be deposited in 
the attic. For future convenience it is well to 
add to the boxes labels which give a list of 
the articles iu them. Some very methodical 
housekeepers put down iu a note book where 
things are put, aud so free their minds from 
the burden of trying to remember everything. 
There are some nice things to be said about 
cleaning house so that the “men folks’’will 
not be annoyed, etc., cleaning one room at a 
time and the like of that. It is a plan I 
usually adopt, but I am aware that it entails 
much extra work. For instance, if you have 
a man to shake carpets or to do whitewash¬ 
ing, it is economy to have all the carpets 
shaken at one time, and to have the white¬ 
washing done as quickly as possible; so, in 
cleaning woodwork and windows, the work 
advances more expeditiously by having all 
the windows cleaned, aud then all the wood¬ 
work, and all the stoves blackened and polished 
in the same day. 
To improve the appearance of furniture, 
after it is washed clean iu clear warm water 
and quite dry, rub the wood well with a flan¬ 
nel rag moistened with sweet oil. Use the oil 
sparingly, and rub until the oil is all absorbed, 
else it will catch and hold dust. If you do 
the work well, you will be delighted at the 
improved condition of vour furniture. 
Wiuaow shades that have become shabby, 
may be turned top-side-down to advantage. 
Draw out the nails that hold them to the 
rollers, cut off the hem through which the 
slat at the bottom rims, trim the sides slightly, 
and tack the worn end to tlje roller, fold a 
hem iu the good end, and baste in the slat. 
Add the tassel if you like. Shades so rejuvena¬ 
ted look almost as well as new. 
People who do without ca rpets that are 
nailed to the floor, are spared a very great 
deal of hard work in house cleaning. To take 
up the carpet, get it out-of-doors, beaten, 
mended if need be, turned and down again, 
is always a heavy task. If a room is entirely 
square, the turning of a carpet is a very 
simple thing, but if there are “notches" to 
be fitted considerable work is involved. On 
ground floors that are not well enough laid to 
keep out the air beueath, a carpet is of service 
as a padding; but for up stairs rooms there 
is no good excuse for a nailed carpet, while in 
sleeping rooms, where everything “stuffy” 
and dust-retaining should be avoided, they 
cannot be otherwise than unwholesome. A 
good carpet is al vays expensive, and yet there 
are thousands of people who never feel able to 
pay twenty dollars for a fine engraving for 
the wall of a loom, but will pay twice or 
thrice as much for something to walk over 
with thick soled boots and often muddy ones 
at that. Then, too, the toil so many over¬ 
worked women put into the rag carpet 1 But 
probably, it is a waste of words to expatiate 
upon the article, as it is an idol to which the 
people in this bountiful land are fondly 
wedded. But when the house-cleaning comes, 
and the carpets loaded with dust are rolled 
out for a beating, it sometimes happens that 
a housewife is brave enough to feel that when 
a room is cleaned it seems very sweet and 
clean without a carpet, and if she felt a little 
more bravery, she would keep it off the floor, 
at least during the Summer. If the floor is 
nice and unpainted, and she feels like trying 
the experiment, I would advise her to rub the 
floor over once a week with crude kerosene 
oil, it is very cheap. First, let the daughter 
try her bedroom floor. If a border is liked, 
mark off a margin all around the room next 
the foot board, and with the oil mix a little 
Indian red, or burnt sienna. The smell of the 
oil soon evaporates, and it is no more work to 
wipe up the floor with oil than with a damp 
cloth. After a few weeks, the floor will begin 
to assume a look of real finish which will 
please the cultivated eye far better than the 
finest carpet. A rug, factory or home made, 
spread before the bed, small ones before the 
wash-stand and dressing bureau, furuish the 
floor beautifully. Pieces of carpet that have 
firmness and body make good rugs, 
I imagine that a good many people have 
carpets to deaden sound—it somehow hurts 
their ears to hear the clatter of feet up-stairs 
and down-stairs. An honest step ought always 
to be a good sound to bear, and if children are 
aecustjined to bare floors they will learn to 
move about with more care than when they 
tumble aud stumble over padded oues. 
If one cannot afford to buy real rugs, very 
handsome ones can be made of Brussels or 
velvet carpeting, by sewing a few widths 
together, and putting a border all around. 
