1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Waifs and Strays. 
Part I. 
It had been a very hot day, but a 
shower had laid the dust, and now teams 
were seen emerging from the various 
lanes into the turnpike, all going down 
to meet the train from New York. 
In the wide porch of Farmer Morris’s 
old homestead stood his daughter Milli- 
cent. The occupants of the passing 
wagons nodded to her as they went by. 
Her own team waited under the maples 
near, but Millicent seemed in no hurry 
to go. She was thinking; thought was 
twisted in the coils of her soft, brown 
hair, expressed in the grave lines of her 
usually laughing face and in the deep, 
gray eyes, that at present were watch¬ 
ing the footpath across the meadows 
that led to the Calder farm. Millicent 
Morris, Martha Graves, Will Ellis and 
Adam Calder, children of neighboring 
farmers, had grown up together, a 
happy, inseparable band. When there 
had been childish differences between 
them, it had always been Martha and 
Will on one side, and Millicent and 
Adam on the other; and she had grown 
up to feel that he belonged to her. Of 
course he belonged to her; it would be 
absurd to think of his marrying any¬ 
one else, and yet—'he had kept away 
from her so much of late she could not 
understand it. Martha had just lefc her; 
Will Ellis and she were to be married in 
September, and she was naturally full 
of happiness. But to pretty Millicent, 
as she stood watching the path along 
which no one came, life seemed at pres¬ 
ent rather disappointing. Well! She 
might as well go to the station, too. 
***** 
Around a newly-emptied ashcan in 
one of the dirtiest streets on the extreme 
west side of the City three ragged 
urchins were gathered, peering eagerly 
down into its depth, and all talking ex¬ 
citedly. “I want it! It’s mine! Turn 
up, Jenny! Turn up!” These were the 
continuous exclamations of the smallest 
of the three, as she reached her grimy 
hands down into the grimier depths. 
From the abyss, in answer to the call 
for “Jenny” came a faint, sickly mew, 
unnoticed, or laughed at by the loungers 
about the sidewalks and doors of the 
tenements. There seemed no help for 
the kitten, until by the combined efforts 
of its three friends pulling together on 
one side the can tipped over and chil¬ 
dren and can rolled together into the 
gutter. From its depths crawled the 
skeleton of a kitten, draggled and weak, 
but not without spirit. No sooner did 
it appear than a big rough boy (who 
had thrown it into the can) seized it and 
was aibout to put it high up on the lamp- 
post out of its owner’s reach, when the 
kitten, squirming around, planted all of 
its foreclaws in his hand, just as little 
three-year-old Kit, learned already in 
modes of warfare current in the vicinity, 
set her sharp little teeth in the ealf of 
his leg. The sudden and severe attack 
made him drop the kitten. Kit seized 
it, and hugging it in an overdose em¬ 
brace, exclaimed: “I yubs it! I yubs 
it!” and pressed its dirty little face to 
her own dirty face rapturously. 
The big boy was not really bad; he 
was only having fun in his own way, 
and so he did not strike Kit, or kick the 
cat, as he might have done unmolested; 
he just ruboed his leg ruefully, used 
•strong language, and threatened what 
he would do. Then, stirred to anger by 
the laugh of those around him, he of¬ 
fered to fight anyone who laughed again. 
Some one did laugh, a ring was formed, 
and a fight seemed imminent; but just 
then came a new diversion. A murmur 
was heard on the outside of the crowd, 
a quiet-looking lady was coming up the 
street, and from mouth to mouth and all 
along the block was heard the exclama¬ 
tion: “The country! The country! The 
kids are going to the country!” The 
fight was off. Kit was forgotten. The 
lady was one of the agents of the great 
Fresh Air Charity, and had come to col¬ 
lect a party that was to leave the City 
that day. They came out from the tene¬ 
ments all along the block by twos and 
threes, and in squads; there was great 
running to and fro, a general stir 
throughout the neighborhood; every 
one caire out to see them off. 
They were ready at last, 60 in all. 
The lady had pinned on the last of the 
blue badges by which they were to be 
recognized, when she became conscious 
of a small, ragged figure which followed 
her about, and a very earnest voice 
which said, as it had been persistently 
saying: “Kit’ll go, too! Kit wants to 
go! Gimme a wibbon?” “You want to 
go, baby? I should love to take you,” 
said the lady. “Where is your mother? 
Why didn’t she speak to me before?” 
“She ain’t got no mother; her mother’s 
dead. She just stays around and no one 
takes care of her; please let her go.” It 
was the big, rough boy, who spoke for 
her now, and Kit sidled up to him in 
entire confidence and said in the most 
amiable manner, as though granting a 
favor: “Kit’ll go.” 
A few questions to the women about 
brought out Kit’s history. Her parents 
were poor but decent folk; her father 
had been killed in a railroad accident 
while seeking employment a year before. 
Sorrow and hard work had been too 
much for the mother, who was a delicate 
woman, and she had died two months 
ago, leaving Kit to the neighbors. They 
were all ready to feed her and give her 
sleeping room, and so she had gone from 
one to another as she chose, she and 
her kitten. But there was no one whose 
duty it was to clean and clothe and 
mother her, and “the Island” would at 
last be her place. The party was full, 
but the agent decided to take her. Some 
farmer might have pity on the little 
waif. She would be responsible for Kit’s 
safe return, at any rate. Safe return! 
As though anyone would ever ask if Kit 
were safe or not! So the baby tramp 
and her pet were badged with the blue 
ribbon and went with the party. 
***** 
The station at C-was an unusually 
busy place this afternoon, farm wagons 
were drawn up under the trees all along 
the road; wagons from nearby farms 
and from away back in the country. 
The Fresh Air children from New York 
were to come by this train; and the 
farmers who had agreed to take them 
each for a visit to their own homes 
awaited them. Amid a crowd of men at 
one end of the platform stood Adam, a 
great, sun-browned, blue-eyed giant. 
Milly’s love for him was returned in 
overflowing measure, but with its 
growth a shrinking diffidence had taken 
possession of him, until now he was 
almost afraid to meet the questioning of 
her gray eyes. He loved her more than 
he could express; he had tried to tell 
her once, but had made such a wretched 
blunder of it! He had managed to say 
something which had offended her when 
he was trying his utmost to show his 
devotion; and now he could never do it 
again, though his whole being cried out 
with desire for her love and companion¬ 
ship. He was thinking all this as he 
leaned against a post of the platform, 
and paying little attention to anything 
but the movements of Millicent, as she 
went in and out among the groups of 
people. What was happening mean¬ 
while was this. The train came up, 
stopped, and from it poured a troop of 
children—“Fresh Airs,”61 in all. A lady 
handed the station-master a list, reen¬ 
tered the train, and it moved on to the 
next station to leave more children. 
Then the agent called out from the list 
by twos the names of the children and 
the name of the farmer pledged to take 
them. Two by two they entered the 
wagons and were driven away to the 
houses that were to shelter them for a 
season. There remained on the platform 
one unclaimed infant, a little blue-eyed 
scrap; her toes protruding from her 
shoes, her ragged hat hanging down be¬ 
tween her shoulders, a forlorn-looking 
kitten held tightly in her arms—Kit, 
homeless, friendless, in the midst of 
strangers. If no one had compassion on 
her she was to stay until the following 
day with the station agent, when the 
lady on her return trip would pick her 
up.—New York Tribune. 
Rural Recipes. 
A SIMPLE PUDDING, A DELICATE CAKE, 
AND SOME FRUGAL DINNER DISHES. 
Gooseberry charlotte is a very nice 
dessert, making a pleasant change from 
puddings and pies. Stew a pint of ripe 
or nearly ripe gooseberries for 10 min¬ 
utes very slowly, not to break them. Cut 
six or eight slices of stale plain cake; 
line the bottom of your pudding dish 
with mem; put next a layer of the 
gooseberries sprinkled thickly with 
sugar; more cake, more berries, and so 
on until the dish is full. Cover closely 
and steam in a moderate oven 20 or 25 
minutes. You will find the juice of the 
berries sufficient moisture. Serve hot 
with a good pudding sauce. 
Golden nuggets are made by a new 
recipe, given by tne Chicago Record. 
Two eggs, one cupful of sugai*, half a 
cupful of butter, half a cupful of sweet 
milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking pow¬ 
der, add enough flour to form a soft 
dough. Take a small piece of dough, 
flour it and roll with your hands ais large 
as your finger; cut off in four-inch 
lengths and put closely in buttered pans. 
Bake quickly. Tee with gold icing. The 
gold icing is mad'e by beating up the 
yolks of two eggs, one cupful of sugar, 
and one teaspoonful of lemon juice. 
Escalloped asparagus is delicious, and 
will be found a nice dish to serve in 
place of meat with the family suppei\ 
Boil one bunch of asparagus in salted 
water until tender. Boil three eggs hard, 
and chop them. Use a cupful of grated 
cheese. Arrange asparagus, eggs and 
cheese in alternate layers in buttered 
baking dish, having asparagus the top 
layer. Make a pint of milk gravy, sea¬ 
soned with half a teaspoonful of salt, 
half a saltspooniful of pepper, and pour 
gradually into the pan that it may soak 
through to the bottom, cover the top 
with bread crumbs and a light sprinkle 
of cheese; bake until a light brown. 
A piece of tough steak may be made 
into a very nice stew by carefully fol¬ 
lowing this recipe, which is one of Mrs. 
Rorer’s: Brown a tablespoonful of sugar 
in the kettle and add a sliced onion; 
when brown cool and add for each pound 
of beef cut in small bits a tablespoonfui 
of flour and one of butter or suet. Add 
a pint of boiling water, stir well and add 
the bits of meat. Put in half of a bay 
leaf or a pinch of celery seed. Cook 
very slowly for an hour. Just before 
serving add a teaspoonful of salt. The 
meat will be tender, the flavor excellent. 
The browned sugar, or caramel, as cooks 
call it, does not give a perceptibly 
sweet flavor, but it gives a different 
taste, and makes the gravy a rich brown. 
Flank steak, as ordinarily cooked by 
those who buy it for economy’s sake, and 
fry or broil it hastily, is not very appe¬ 
tizing, but when nicely cooked it is not 
only nice, but also very nutritious. It 
is excellent rolled as follows: Spread a 
steak weighing about 2 y 2 pounds with a 
dressing composed of iy 2 cupful bread 
crumbs—dip the crusts previously in 
boiling water that they may easily crum¬ 
ble—one medium-sized onion, two table¬ 
spoon fulis canned tomato, one beaten 
egg, one tablespoonful butter, one tea¬ 
spoonful salt, one-quarter teaspoonful 
pepper. Stir egg with bread, add the 
onion sliced, tomato, butter and season¬ 
ing. After spreading roll snugly and tie 
with pieces of string. Lay three slices 
Of salt pork on top, place in dripping 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs.Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
471 
pan with one-half cupful water. Roast 
slowly one hour. May be eaten hot with 
gravy, or cold. 
Here is an excellent mode of cook¬ 
ing corned beef, which gives a savory 
flavor: Choose a piece of brisket of 
corned beef weighing four to five pounds 
and about three times as long as wide; 
wash, season with a small half-teaspoon- 
ful of pepper, then roll it up and tie very 
tight. Put the beef in a kettle with cold 
water to cover, and let slowly come to a 
boil, then pour it off and replace with 
more cold water to cover; add half a 
cupful of vinegar, a small onion, peeled, 
in which is inserted six cloves, half a 
red pepper, a blade of mace and a stalk 
of celery. Beil gently, allowing half an 
hour to each pound. Serve hot. If the 
meat is preferred cold, it should be al¬ 
lowed to cool in the brot'h in which it 
was cooked. 
B.*B. 
prices to wonder at 
100 pieces 45-cent silk warp 
mousselines 25c. 
—both light and dark—beautiful 
effects. 
35-cent mercerized (silk finish) 
Foulardines 20c. 
—polka dots,—old blue, navy 
blue, red, helio, black and white— 
handsome as silk. 
10,000 yards fine and pretty 
organdies 10 c. 
5,000 yards of the best and 
prettiest American Dimities ever 
at the money 10c. 
Large lot of figured Black 
mohairs, 43 to 48 inches wide-5oc. 
— figures lustrous as silk—dressy 
for skirts or gowns. 
The proof is in the goods and 
prices—get samples. 
BOGGS & BUHL, 
Department C, 
ALLEGHENY, PA, 
THE 
JOSEPHINE 
CURES 
CHILLS and FEVER, 
Malaria and that Tired Feeling. NEVER 
FAILS. Price, 80 cents of druggists, or $1.50 
for larger bottle, prepaid to any address in the 
United States, by express. Address 
THE JOSEPHINE COMPANY, 
Salisbury Mills, Orange Co., N. Y. 
COE’S 
ECZEMA CURE, W1 at druggists. 25c, 
size of us. Coe Chem. Co., Cleveland, O. 
The World's Standard. 
All jewelers sell Elgin Watches In cases to suit 
every taste. An Elgin watch always has the word 
“Elgin” engraved on the works -fuily guaranteed 
Our new booklet about watches is ready to send 
everyone who desires it—free 
Elgin National Watch Co., Elgin, III. 
Brass Band 
Instruments, Drams, Uniforms, 
Jk Supp le*. Write for catalog, 445 
illustrations, FKKK; it gives in¬ 
formation for musicians and new 
bands. LYON & HEALY, 
80 Adams 84., CHICAGO. 
1 
At Shelburne Farms, Vt., 
Dr. W. Seward Webb has used thousands of gallons of 
Cabot’s Creosote Shingle Stains 
on buildings and fences, lnsteud of paint. Not merely 
because they are cheaper, but because they arc also 
better. Samples of all colors and Illustrated cata¬ 
logue sent free on request. 
SAMUEL CABOT. 81 Kilby St., Boston, Mass. 
WATCH AND CHAIN FOR ONE DAY’S WORK. 
~Lpgo <*vwv» lanx Baa 
Boys and Girls can get a Nickel-Plated 
Watch, also a Chain ana Charm for selling 
IX doz. Packages of Bluine at 10 cents each. 
Send rour full address by return mall and 
we will forward the Blaine, post-paid, and 
■■ a large Premium List. No money required. 
BLUINE CO. Box 500 Concord junction. Mass. 
