lowered vitality the cold winds of winter 
found a ready victim. 
To-day we read together this lesson: 
“Every day is a fresh beginning, 
Every morn is the world made new; 
You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, 
Here is a beautiful hope for you — 
A hope for me, and a hope for you. 
All the past things are past and over, 
The tasks are done, and the tears are shed; 
Yesterday’s errors, let yesterday cover; 
Yesterday’s wounds, which smarted and bled. 
Are healed with the healing which night has shed. 
Yesterday now is a part of forever, 
Bound up in a sheaf which God holds tight, 
With glad days, and sad days, and bad days, which 
never 
Shall visitus more with theirbloom and their blight, 
Their fullness of sunshine, or sorrowful night.” 
“Ah!” I said, “Susan Coolidge knows that 
we all have our ‘glad days’ and ‘bad days,’ 
too.” 
“Or, rather,” spoke up our Mentor, “we 
have the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde days, and 
some of us have six of the latter to one of the 
former. ” 
The School-girl thought house-cleaning was 
sure to bring out a family of Mr. Hydes, but 
I remarked that there was no need of it; that 
if managed aright the renovating of the home 
from garret to cellar might be full of pleasure, 
the main thing being not to over-work. The 
florist of the family was too busy with the 
Rose Number of the Rural to talk. It was 
pronounced “a gem,” and contains so much 
that is valuable one can only wonder that any 
reader can withstand its fascinations. And 
we may hope that it will cause roses to blos¬ 
som in every door yard where the paper has 
an influence, and so brighten the lives of all 
flower-loving households. 
HOME UPHOLSTERY. 
House cleaning time is generally the sig¬ 
nal for the removal of one or more pieces of 
well-worn and time-honored furniture to the 
lumber-room, that a little ingenuity on the 
part of the ladies of the household might 
transform into useful and pretty articles. 
Take, for instance, some comfortable cane 
rocker, or little splint-bottomed sewing chair, 
so shabby and worn that we hardly think it 
will pay to send it to be re-seated, and so rel¬ 
egate it to kitchen or lumber-room. I have 
just finished upholstering a couple of pieces 
of this kind, and the result is so satisfactory 
that I must give the Rural the benefit of my 
modws operandi. The broken cane was 
joined and held by stout twine, and in one 
case I formed almost the entire seat of this, 
crossed and re-crossed for strength. I then 
cut a paper pattern the exact size of the back 
and seat, but a little larger all around. I 
found an old quilt really past service, and 
from this cut pieces for padding the back and 
seat, using also a roll of cotton batting, and 
sewing it on firmly with a large upholsterer’s 
needle and some twine. Then, taking my pa¬ 
per pattern I cut from the breadth of an old 
blue dress pieces for the back and seat, which 
I fastened on neatly. I had purchased some 
striped crash, which had an dcru ground with 
a wide Roman stripe in it. A piece half a 
yard wide of this and long enough to cross 
the back of the chair transversely was fringed, 
on one edge laid in folds like a shoulder-scarf. 
and stretched across the back, and another was 
laid in like manner over the seat. I had first 
stained the chair an imitation cherry. The 
smaller rocker I painted black with gilt stripes, 
and made the seat and back of Turkey red, 
with a crossed sash of the fringed crash. 
housewife. 
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. 
TIME BY THE FORELOCK. 
“What!” I think I hear you exclaim ‘Christ¬ 
mas presents’ when our thoughts are full of 
house-cleaning?” Exactly—but it was this 
very house-cleaning that led me to think and 
plan for Christmas. Beginning to clean my 
pantries as a verj necessary prelude to the 
general house-cleaning, I turned out every 
box and condensed the contents, thus ridding 
the shelves of much that is not needed. On 
opening the first box, a medley of pieces of 
canvas of different colors met my eye, all 
crowded in in a most unceremonious manner. 
On taking them in hand there came first two 
narrow strips of Java canvas, one of ruby 
the other of drab. Here are the very things 
for the making of two pairs of garters. They 
are about an inch and a half wide and six 
fingers long. This drab piece 1 shall embroider 
with deep blue silk in some conventional pat¬ 
tern lining it with blue satin ribbon and get¬ 
ting some one of the pretty oxidized silver 
buckles that now come for this purpose. Be¬ 
side the ruby, I found an old valence to a 
brush bracket that from long spatterings of 
water had become pass£, but the amber beads 
with which it was embroided were as good as 
ever. With them I shall work a vine on this 
garter, lining it with amber satin and putting 
in a_French.'gilt buckle and so .1 shall .have 
quite a gorgeous present for some one at very 
trifling cost. Now I find a piece of peacock-blue 
canvas which on measuring is a perfect square 
and two inches over, of this strip I have an¬ 
other pair of garters. Lined with the same 
shade of satin and embroided with a lighter 
shade, they will be very unique. Of the 
square I shall allow one and a half inch to 
ravel out for a fringe all around. Above this 
embroider with old gold silk in cross stitch a 
narrow vine and a pretty figure in each corner. 
When this is done and the fringe made, take a 
piece of pasteboard the size of the marble bot¬ 
tom of a lamp, cover with a piece of silesia, 
place in the center of the mat and tack it fast. 
Now fold the corners so that they may show 
the embroidery and take a fold here and there 
—wherever it may seem necessary—placing 
a satin ribbon bow of the shade of the canvas 
to cover the stitches, always remembering to 
have the whole thing present a square when 
finished. 
In the next box I find a spool of knittiug 
silk—dark blue. Of this can be knit a love¬ 
ly purse, buying the rings and tassels to 
finish it with. The addition of a bunch of 
steel beads will add greatly to its beauty. 
Now I come across a neat parcel which, on 
being opened, presents to view some Saxony 
wool and silk to match—these shall go for a 
pair of baby socks—and here is a great tangle 
of double zephyr and Germantown, which 
will furnish sufficient wool for two Zouave 
jackets. Out of the odds and ends of worsted, 
I will knit some afghaus for those dollies of 
Effie’s, Bessie’s and Bertha’s, for their good 
conduct and the general peace of their little 
mother’s—so the children tolu me—depended 
upon their having some nice afghans. A 
piece of momie cloth found in one box will 
be just the thing for a toilet cape. As I like 
the cape without fringe, I will hem it all 
around and then feather-stitch it with car¬ 
mine, sketching a comb and brush tied loosely 
with a simulated ribbon in one corner and a 
haud-glass in the other with fancy hair-pins 
at the back and the initial letters of the per¬ 
son to whom this extremely useful little pres¬ 
ent will be given. These designs are all done 
in outline stitch. Fasten the cape with a bow 
of ribbon, a button and button-hole or a small 
clasp. All of these things I have put in one 
box so that I can get them out when wanted. 
And it is with a real feeling of relief that I 
count them over and think how many things I 
have accomplished for Christmas that is sure 
to come by and bye and also how much I have 
done toward house-cleaning which is here at 
my door. aunt addie. 
♦ • » 
SAUCES AND GRAVIES. 
BROWN SAUCE. 
The foundation of all rich,dark sauces is made 
as follows: Set over the fire a porcelain or 
granite saucepan with a tablespoonful of but¬ 
ter or good dripping. When hot lay in a pound 
of beef and one of veal cut in small pieces, and 
fry, stirring frequently, until they brown,but 
do not allow them to scorch in the least; add 
two quarts of water, a little sliced carrot, and 
onion, four cloves and a bit of mace, simmer 
for three hours and strain. In the saucepan 
heat a tablespoonful of butter and stir in two 
of flour; when it takes on a rich, dark-brown 
color, add the strained stock slowly (which 
must first have been feed from fat), season 
with salt and pepper, and pass through a fine 
wire sieve. It will keep for a week or more 
in winter, but very few families care to take 
the trouble to make an especial stock for 
sauces. The same result can be reached by 
making a brown roux (pronounced with the 
X left off) of butter and flour, made by 
browning the flour in the butter over a slow 
fire and adding a little stock of any kind that 
may be on hand. 
To make a rich, brown gravy, fry two or 
three sliced onions in butter until a nice 
brown; add a slice of brown toasted bread and 
any pieces of meat, bones or trimmings, with 
thyme, parsley, etc. Cover with water and 
stew four or five hours; strain, season with 
salt and pepper, and thicken with a roux as 
you want to use it. 
white sauce. 
Put an ounce of butter into a small saucepan, 
stir in an ounce of flour, season with salt and 
grated nutmeg,and add slowly a pint of white 
soup stock and half a pint of milk or cream, 
both having been brought to the boiling point. 
Finish the seasoning with cayenne and strain. 
White soup stock is made with veal or chicken 
instead of beef. 
TOMATO SAUCE. 
Stow a quart of tomatoes with a sliced onion 
and strain through a sieve, to extract the 
seeds. Make a roux of butter and flour; re¬ 
turn the strained tomatoes to the saucepan, 
and season with cayenne, salt and white pep¬ 
per. This is very nice for veal cutlets, sweet¬ 
breads, croquettes of different kinds, and 
many kinds of fried and filleted fish. 
. Drawn butter sauce is the foundation of 
countless sauces, Put two tablespoonfuls of 
butter into a stewpan, and as soon as it bub¬ 
bles sprinkle in one heaping spoonful of flour. 
Stir until it is well cooked without taking 
color and smooth, then mix in half a pint of 
water, milk or stock and season to taste. The 
addition of chopped pickles, capers or egg 
gives a pickle, caper or egg sauce. 
PALMETTO. 
HERBS. 
In planting your garden this spring do not 
fail (if not already growing) to sow seeds of 
sage, parsley, thyme, summer savory, sweet 
basil, tarragon, coriander and anise. You will 
find these herbs very useful and more economi¬ 
cal than to buy them as needed, and then you 
have them absolutely pure. Gather on a 
clear day, dry in a cool oven, and then, rub¬ 
bing them free from sticks, put through a 
sieve and pack away in wide-mouthed bot¬ 
tles or tin boxes, being sure to label them so 
that you may get them when hurried without 
the trying ordeal of opening a half dozen 
boxes and finding what you want in the very 
last one, as you will be most likely to do. 
_ AUNT ADDIE. 
SUGAR TOFFEE. 
Take one coffee cupful of rich cream (if 
slightly sour it would be just as good, or bet¬ 
ter), one coffee cupful of granulated sugar; 
put into a very clean saucepan, and boil slowly. 
The mixture will first become quite liquid, 
but will afterwards gradually thicken. When 
almost done, pour in one dessertspoonful of 
essence of vanilla; and when the mixture be¬ 
comes very frothy, and leaves the sides of the 
pan clean, pour out as quickly as possible on 
to a flat, buttered dish. It should set at once. 
Cut it into squares. Before it is cold it should 
be quite smooth and of a creamy white; it 
should be “short,” without being at all crisp 
or crumbly. The only difficulty is to know 
the exact moment to take it off the fire; this 
can only be learned by practice. 
LOVER OF TOFFEE. 
TO GIVE A GLOSS TO LINEN. 
Nothing gives gloss and newness to shirt- 
fronts, or any linen,more than a solution of gum 
Arabic put into the starch. Put two ounces 
of white gum-powder into a vessel with a pint 
of boiling water, leave it till morning; then 
pour from it any sediment into a clean bottle, 
keep it corked, and when required for use stir 
a tablespoonful into a pint of starch made in 
the usual way. The great secret in doing up 
collars and shirts is, after having starched 
them, to let them thoroughly dry, then damp 
very well, and let them remain tightly rolled 
in a dry cloth for two or three hours; then 
pull out and smooth carefully, and before ap¬ 
plying the iron, which should be very hot, 
rub the surface of the linen over with a fine 
dry cloth. laundress. 
We always put a few whole cloves and all¬ 
spice into the water in which we boil lamb or 
mutton. 
Use the back breadths of worn-out calico 
frocks for kitchen aprons. 
In cooking spinach and other greens, use 
only water enough to keep from burning; in 
fact, they should be cooked slowly in their 
own juices. 
BROWN’S FRENCH DRESSING, 
The Original. Beware of Imitations. 
AWARDED HIGHEST PRIZE AND ONLY 
All the Ladies 
Who have given Ayer’s Hair Vigor a trial 
are enthusiastic In Its praise. 
Mrs. J. J Burton, of Bangor, Maine, says : 
“ I have been using Ayer’s Ilair Vigor with 
marvelous success. It restores the original 
color to gray hair, promotes a fresh growth, 
and keeps it strong and healthy. As a toilet 
article I have never found its equal.” 
Ayer’s Hair Vigor, 
Prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. 
Sold by Druggists and Perfumers. 
MEDAL, PARIS EXPOSITION, 1878 
Highest Award New Orleans Exposition. 
For The Nervous 
The Debilitated 
The Aged 
URES Nervous Prostration,Nervous Head- 
' ache,Neuralgia, NervousWeakness, 
^Stomach and Liver Diseases, and all 
affections of the Kidneys. 
AS A NERVE TONIC, It Strengthens 
and Quiets the Nerves. 
AS AN ALTERATIVE, It Purifies and 
Enriches the Blood. 
AS A LAXATIVE, It acts mildly, but 
surely, on the Bowels. 
AS A DIURETIC, It Regulates the Kid¬ 
neys and Cures their Diseases. 
Recommended by professional and businessmen. 
Price $i. do. Sold by druggists. Send for circulars. 
WELLS RICHARDSON & CO., Proprietors, 
BURLINGTON. VT. 
GOLy MEDAL, PABIB, 1878. 
BAKER’S 
Warranted absolutely pure 
Cocoa, from which the excess of 
Oil has been removed. It has t h ~ee 
times the strength, of Cocoa mixed 
with Starch, Arrowroot or Sugar, 
and is therefore far more economi- 
c&', costing less than one cent a 
cuj. It is delicious, nourishing, 
strengthening, easily digested, and 
admirably adapted for invalids, a* 
well as for persons in health. 
Sold by Grocers everywhere. 
I. BAKER & CO., Dorchester, Mass. 
If your dealer does not. keeplthe "MACOMBER HAND. 
TORN and BEAN PLANTER,” send $2 and get one. 
Money refunded. If It. does not suit. 
S. M. M ACOMBER, Adams, Vt. 
[tHT H I ' tvo and makomore money workln* for im tlmn 
• •■■I at anything else in the world. Either sex. Costly outfit 
FltEK. Term. yamt. Address, TltUK Si Co.. Augusta. Maine. 
^100 to 4(200 A month can be made 
jpn/V LU working for us. Agents pre¬ 
ferred who can furnish their own horses and give their 
whole time to the business. Spare moments may be 
profitably employed nlso.A few vacancies in towns and 
cities. B. F. Johnson & Co., 1000 Main St., Richmond, Va. 
IF YOU HAVE TAKEN MEDICINES until 
you are discouraged, don’t take any more Send to 
M. A. MOREHOUSE, Wev»rtovvn, N. Y.. for circulars. 
New theory. No medicines No doctor’s bills. Send 
now. You will be deeply Interested. 
QQfl Funny Selections, Scrap Pictures, etc., and nice 
dwU Sample Cards for 2c Hill Pub.Co., Cadiz, Ohio. 
S3 75 STEAm COOKEB 
■ yrr - f-S? FREE ! "©a 
W ewant an active and intelligent man 
or woman to represent us in each town. 
To those who are willing to work we 
promise in rge profits. Cooker and 
Outfit free. Apph/ at once for Terms 
wn.tioTi tsrip # m. it„,h v 
2 PCNTQ for Catalogue of hundreds of useful Arti 
WCil I v cles less than Wholesale Prices. Agts. and 
Dealers sell large Quantities. CHICAGO SCALE CO.. Chicago. 
lUal 
For Information about Lands, Farms, Village 
or City Property in Missouri, Arkansas, or Kansas, ad¬ 
dress, with stamns. SOUTHWEST MOM IT nn<l 
INVESTMENT AGENCY, SPRINGFIELD, MO. 
Box G. Station A. 
NORTH CAROLINA. — A great BARGAIN in 
LAND in a community of Northern Settlers. Address 
“OWNER,” Rural Office. 34 Park Row, New York City. 
II A lj| PA At the rate they have been going the 
■ 1 L8 Sol L^ Public Domains will all be gone in 5 
■ ■ w 111 years. Now is the time to secure as Rich 
■■■■■■■■■ Land as the Sun shines on at $1.25 per 
acre. What better could be left for Children? Where these lands are: how to 
get them, as well as for information about Homes or Employment in all States 
and Territories. Send 10 Cents and receive the beautiful Engravings, a Pictur¬ 
esque Panorama of America Address THE WESTERN WORLD, Chicago, IlL 
FARM FOR SAFE. 
One of the finest and most'highly improved STOCK 
and DAIRY FARMS in Minnesota. BOO Acres, fenced, 
drained, under thorough cultivation. Carries at pre¬ 
sent 200 head Cattle and Horses. New Dwelling 
House. Farm House, well-designed Barns and ^tables, 
etc., in perfect repair. For full particulars apply to 
LEWIS H. STANTON, Morris. Minnesota. 
FOR SALE—Eight Hundred and Forty Acres of 
Land in one tract-forty miles from Petersburg, Vir¬ 
ginia. and 15 miles from R. Road. One half land clear¬ 
ed, balance heavily wooded. Soil adapted to growth 
of wheat, tobacco and corn Fine grazing land and 
most excellent ranges for stock. Well watered—two 
unfailing streams running through the farm and one 
skirting its boundry. Improvements—large dwellings. 
10 rooms, outhouses, and offices, etc . etc. Fruit abun¬ 
dant, location exceedingly healthy, mill and churches 
convenient and society unexceptionable. Dame plen¬ 
tiful—deer, turkey, quail, etc Land to be sold to 
settle up an estate. Maybe bought for one-half its 
value. Address JNO- II. LEWIS. Executor, care 
Dr. .fno. II. Clairborne. Petersburg, 
All Wanting' Farms. 
Good land for Fruit. Grapes. Peaches, Vegetables, 
Poultry, Grain and Tobacco: 30 miles Smith of Phila¬ 
delphia, on a line with Baltimore. Md. Best of Mar¬ 
kets, Mild Climate. Healthy, no Malaria. Wild Land. 
S25 per acre. Town Lots, *150. Easy terms. Also Im¬ 
proved Farms. Prosperous business place. Better 
than the cold Northwest. For circulars, etc., address 
C. &. LANDIS, Proprietor, Vineland, N, J. 
