THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
627 
to entertain, should so tire herself as to be 
glad when a guest departs. Let the welcome 
bo sincere, the fare good and simple, and ad¬ 
mit. your friends to the home circle—the in¬ 
ner and charmed life that is your very own. 
Banish sham; use toot to save yourself as 
much as possible, and reserve your strength 
to enjoy the society of jour guests. Rest 
assured if any friend seeks your society, the 
“ life to them is more than meat,” and guide 
yourself accordingly. 
CHATS WITH OUR GIRLS, WHO EX¬ 
PECT TO BE HOUSEKEEPERS. 
MAY MAPLK, 
“Such a treasure 1” I mentally exclaimed, 
as twelve-year-old Ida cleared away the sup¬ 
per dishes, after having prepared a nice repast 
for a number of guests who had unexpectedly 
arrived at the farm-house, soon after the de¬ 
parture of her mother for the village. The 
appointments of the table had been as perfect 
as though her mother's guiding hand had di¬ 
rected the filling and placing of every dish; 
the spoons were at haDd, and the uapkitis 
were not forgotten. After the meal, each arti¬ 
cle was returned to its accustomed niche; the 
dining room floor was carefully brushed, and 
then the large kitchen apron, which had pro¬ 
tected her pretty pink dress, was hung in the 
closet, and she was ready to sit down and enjoy 
being the lady of the house until her mother’s 
return. 
The visitors found hera very intelligent host¬ 
ess for one of her years. She w as a close ob¬ 
server, and then her parents had always talked 
with her as they did with grown people. She 
knew nothing, from experience, of childish 
babble. She answered questions in regard to 
farm products, orchard, or garden, in a satis¬ 
factory manner; and as she had almost the 
entire care of the poultry, she had learned a 
good deal about the various wavs of feeding 
them for profit; also of the diseases attacking 
her feathered pets. Her father was a well-to- 
do, practical farmer, and Ida was often oue of 
his assistants, and her fund of farming knowl¬ 
edge was a matter of surprise to those guests 
who were bringlug up their daughters within 
the four square walls of the school room from 
year’s end to year’s end. 
Something like three years ago, a young 
lady was visiting at the house of a friend, and 
as her father was a horticulturist, several 
questions were asked in regard to the various 
fruits, and the mode of cultivating, picking 
and marketing them. To each and every 
question her answer was, “I d-o n’t know ” 
Tniuk you her stupidity gained her friends? 
Would she make an interesting companion? 
Her indifference to what was going on out-of- 
doors was typical of her manuer of working 
about the house. And in the course of events 
“slattern" was written in flaming characters, 
not only upon uer person but upon everything 
with which she came in contact. 
I think I bearsomeof you inquire: “Did she 
get married?” I am sorry to say, the old pro¬ 
verb “There’s never a Jack without a Gill,” 
came true iu her case; of course, she married, 
aud I wish that every one of “our Rural 
girls” could step into her home, and behold 
the discomfort and misery that one slatternly 
ignorant girl can bring to a single hearth¬ 
stone. I’m very sure each one would say, 
“I’ll learn how to do well whatsoever my 
bauds find to do whether it be indoors or out, 
that I may be an intelligent companion, and 
be able to teach others how to be useful, in 
their day and generaiion.” 
RAMBLINGS. 
In answer to M. B. McL., in the Rural of 
Aug 28, I can only say that the “drinking 
boat” is a boat-shaped cup, the bow of it being 
long and nearly closed over for the fluid to 
run through into baby's mouth. Mine was 
purchased nearly 20 years ago at a city crock¬ 
ery store, ami cost 85 cents. It is of plain 
white china. 
Well, the Summer is well nigh ended, and 
soon the bright flowers will give way to 
Autumn's many-tinted leaves, and then to the 
bleak winds and snows of Winter. 
My “Rural Treasures’’ have well repaid my 
care, aud though l lost many of them, I have 
some rare beauties left; but the Seeds do not , 
seem to ripen well, and of some varieties I am 
very anxious to save a supply for next season. 
Soon I must care for my winter supply of 
house plants, and hope they will bloom as well 
as last, season. 
In my bay window I placed a small table, 
on which was a soap box filled with earth from 
the woods, aud planted with geraniums, 
fuchsias, and several other varieties of flowers, 
among them a small seedling petunia. I tack¬ 
ed shelf oil cloth around the box, and it was 
quite a pretty jardiniere, for the plants grew 
quite sturdily, and were as healthy as if out 
of doors. All bloomed well, but the petunia 
was a lovely sight. It grew nearly four feet 
high, and had 18 branches, and from Decem¬ 
ber till May was covered with large, pale 
lavender flowers, which perfumed the whole 
room. It elicited much admiration from all 
who saw it. In another window I had a large 
heliotrope, which btooined continuously. The 
year before I planted a bit of German or Par¬ 
lor Ivy in a small hasket, in Domes nil’s Fer¬ 
tilized Moss. Ii grew rapidly, having very 
large leaves; it soon reached the top of the 
window, and began to bud. I never before 
knew it bad a flower, but iu a short time it 
was covered with large bunches of feathery, 
yellow flowers, with a bitter-sweet perfume. 
It was very lovely. aunt em. 
USEFUL HINTS. 
If you are troubled with flies, fix up a little 
shelf, just outside the door where they are 
thickest, aud put n dish of fly-poison on it, 
aud they will drop down before entering the 
house, aud save the sickening litter there. 
They will dodge in. in search of drink, every 
time the screen door® are opened, unless you 
provide it for them outside, Polsouing (lies is 
a very disagreeable business; but it is often 
only the choice of evils. They are the nui- 
saueo of the hot months, and must be dealt 
with some way. 
Would it not t>e well, some leisure afternoon, 
to persuade the boys to (ill up those treacher¬ 
ous holes in the dooryard, where the posts that 
supported the clothes-line were taken out or 
where the gate was, and which arc now partly 
covered with long grass? They are liable to 
give you a sprained ankle if you should acei- 
deutally step into oue of them, not remember¬ 
ing that they are there. “A stitch in time 
saves nine.” 
Nothing is more refreshing in a very hot 
day, to u weary woman, than a good, cool 
drink of lemonade. It is healthful, too. Why, 
then, not have a supply of lemons ready for 
ironing day? After you have tried the bever¬ 
age oue season, you will never do without it 
again. 
To wash a red damask table-cloth needs a 
careful hand not to fade it A large handful 
of salt should be thrown into weak, hot suds, 
and the cloth should be speedily rubbed out 
and scalded u few minutes, then run through 
a wringer and starched with bought, not flour, 
starch. This keeps it from soiling as easily as 
it would without this precaution. If not dried 
out-of door® in the shade, it should be brought, 
in as soon as it is dry, or the suu will help to 
fade it. With careful washing, these table¬ 
cloths are very pretty, as well as a grout con¬ 
venience ; but nothing can be more eusily 
ruined by careless wushiug than these bigh- 
culored things. aunt Rachel. 
A FELON CURE. 
Allow me to add my mite for the benefit 
of those who may suffer from that terrible 
scourge, a felou. It is a painless remedy that 
will effect a perfect cure in 34 hours, us I have 
had reason to prove within the last few days. 
A lady came here, who hud been suffering over 
two weeks with a felon on the end of her 
middle finger. I saturated a bit of grated 
wild turnip, the size of a bean, with spirits of 
turpentine, and applied it to the affected 
part. It relieved the pain at once. In 18 
hours there was a hole to the bone, and the 
felon was destroyed. I removed the turnip, 
dressed the wound with a healing salve, and 
the finger is now well Having myself nearly 
lost a finger with a felon, I appreciate this 
remedy, and would benefit others. 
MRS. MYRA L. PARSONS. 
DOMESTIC RECIPE8. 
FOR NAUSEA. 
One of the best remedies for this distressing 
sickness is Horsford’s Acid Phosphate. Put 
about 80 drops into a glass of cold water, add 
a little sugar, and let the patient take a tea- 
spoonful every nine or ten minutes until 
relieved. In cases of obstinate nausea, apply 
a mustard plaster to the pit of the stomach, 
continuing the Acid Phosphate. Mustard 
mixed with the white of an egg will prevent 
it from blistering the skin, or a few drops of 
sweet oil, rubbed lightly over the surface of 
the plaster, will have the same effect. 
MRS. K. PRINK. 
CORN MEAL MUFFINS. 
Two cups of Indian meal, one cup of flour, 
three eggs beaten very light, three cups of 
milk, two tablespoonfuls of molted butter, a 
tablespoonful of white sugar, two large tea¬ 
spoonfuls of baking powder. Mix quickly, 
beating all of the ingredients thoroughly to¬ 
gether, and pour into hot, greased gem pans, 
and bake in a quick oven. mrs. c. 
Ilorsford’s Acid Phosphate 
An a Kefriwerant Drink in Fevers. 
Dr. C. II. S. Davis, Meriden, Conn., says: 
“l have used it as a pleasant and cooling drink 
in fevers, and have been very much pleased 
with it.’’-— Ado. 
“THE BEST OF ITS GLASS.” 
So Say All Progressive Farmers 
and Rural People. 
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WITH ITS 
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FOR 1885, FROM HOW UNTIL JiNUlRF 1.1856. FOR 
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the sender will be entitled to the First Prize, the sender of the next largest club 
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34 PARK ROW, N. Y. 
