534 
August 2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
[ Woman and Home ] 
From Day to Day. 
HER BONNET. 
When meeting bells began to toll, 
And pious folk began to pass, 
She deftly tied her bonnet on— 
The little, sober, meeting lass— 
All in her neat, white curtained room, 
Before her tiny looking glass. 
So, nicely round her lady cheeks 
She smoothed her bands of glossy hair, 
And innocently wondered if 
Her bonnet did not make- her fair; 
Then sternly chid her foolish heart 
Eor harboring such fancies there. 
So, square she tied the satin strings. 
And set the bows beneath her chin; 
Then smiled to see how sweet she looked; 
Then thought her vanity a sin— 
And she must put such thoughts away 
Before the sermon should begin. 
But. sitting ’neath the preached word, 
Demurely, in her father's pew, 
She thought about her bonnet still— 
Yes. all the parson’s sermon through— 
About its pretty bows and buds, 
Much better than the text she knew. 
Yet, sitting there with peaceful face, 
The reflex of her simple soul, 
She looked to be a very saint— 
And maybe was one on the whole— 
Only that her pretty bonnet 
Kept away the aureole. 
—Credit Lost. 
* 
A button sewn on too tightly, espe¬ 
cially on children’s clothes, is very like¬ 
ly to wear the thread through and break 
off. It is a good plan, when sewing on a 
button, to make the stitches sufficiently 
loose so that you can form a “neck” by 
twisting a few strands of thread around 
it, before fastening off. The inventor 
of tape-strung buttons on children’s un¬ 
derwear was a great benefactor to wom¬ 
ankind; such buttons are easy to 
fasten, and bound to stay on. 
* 
HAT-wearing horses no longer attract 
comment in the city under ordinary cir¬ 
cumstances, but an animal seen on 
Broadway recently was the cause of 
many smiles. It was a tall and solemn 
horse, wearing the customary straw 
hat; twisted around it was a long green 
veil, which had probably blown from a 
passing car. Women wearing green 
veils (that is to say, about 50 per cent 
of the feminine population) looked at 
the horse sideways, and then hurried 
on their way. 
* 
Gincerade is a nice Summer drink, 
which will make a refreshing variation 
from iced tea with meals. Materials re¬ 
quired are one quart of cold water, one 
scant cupful of sugar, one-fourth ounce 
good weight white ginger root, two- 
thirds cupful of orange juice, juice of 
one lemon. Put water and sugar on to 
boil. When it boils add ginger root 
broken into small bits, and boil 20 min¬ 
utes. Remove from stove and add fruit 
juice. Strain and cool. Serve with pow¬ 
dered ice in each glass. 
* 
The Russian-cut hair now so fashion¬ 
able for small girls excited some deri¬ 
sion at first, because it suggested the 
use of an ax, rather than more conserva¬ 
tive hair-cutting implements, but now 
we have grown accustomed to it we can 
recognize its utility. It is very comfort¬ 
able, and being cut even all around 
there is no trouble with ragged locks 
when it is allowed to grow again. It is 
a great mistake to have a girl’s hair 
shingled like a boy’s, because nothing 
can be done with it, when it is growing 
again. With the Russian cut it is even 
at any length, and there is always 
enough to part on one side and tie over 
with a ribbon. Many a plain-featured 
child acquires a picturesque air that is 
very attractive when the hair is treated 
in this way, although the irreverent de¬ 
clare that the fashionable hair-cut is the 
work of the artist who docks horses’ 
tails. 
Those among us who have reached or 
passed middle age, can look back to the 
time when it was the duty of every lit¬ 
tle girl to take care of her complexion 
during Summer. Sunbonnets were con¬ 
stantly worn, and freckles or tan stern¬ 
ly discouraged. We were not looked 
after quite so carefully as the juvenile 
Dolly Madison, who according to legend, 
was sent to school with her sunbonnet 
securely sewed on, to prevent exposure 
of the peachy complexion shadowed by 
it, but present-day freedom was unheard 
of. Nowadays the little girls in villages 
and suburban districts romp about hat¬ 
less, with bare arms and neck, nor is 
there any thought of the contrast of the 
brown skin with white frocks. Prevail¬ 
ing fashions really do grow more sen¬ 
sible in many respects, despite the opin¬ 
ion of some good people to the contrary. 
* 
We meet with many people who com¬ 
ment on the self-will of others like Mrs. 
Tarbell in the following note from the 
Youth’s Companion: 
“I don’t enjoy visiting with folks that 
want their own way all the time, and I 
won’t stay, not when I find it out,” said 
Mrs. Tarbell to her sister. Miss Porter. 
“I suppose that’s why you’ve come home 
from Amabel’s,” said Miss Porter, with a 
faint smile. She had been enjoying a rest¬ 
ful week, and it had seemed all too short. 
“Yes, that’s the very reason!” said Mrs. 
Tarbell, with considerable heat. "Ama¬ 
bel’s got the notion that her sugar-bowl 
looks better sitting at her left on the 
table, and the first day I was there 1 put 
it at the right, and she moved it back! 
“ ’Why don’t you have it sit at your 
right?’ I asked her one day, and she just 
smiled and said she’d got used to it at the 
left. I moved it three times a day all the 
week I was there, and last off it got me 
so provoked and nerved up I just packed 
my bag and came home. 
“If her mother’d realized what a Head¬ 
strong will Amabel had, she*never would 
have let it go as a child. But I’m too 
easy-going to cope with her, and being 
only a cousin and all, I’ve just left her to 
her own devices. But. it’s an awful pity!” 
The Rural Patterns. 
The pleated walking skirt is a very 
popular model. The skirt is cut in seven 
gores with a forward-turning pleat at 
each seam and in the center of each side 
gore. The pleats are laid flat over the 
seams and are stitched to flounce depth. 
The fullness at the back is laid in in- 
4146 Seven Gored Walking Skirt 
22 to 30 Waist. 
verted pleats which are pressed flat and 
meet over the seam. To cut this skirt 
for a woman of medium size eight yards 
of material 27 inches wide, 5% yards 44 
inches wide, or 3% yards 52 inches wide 
will be required. The pattern No. 4146 
is cut in sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30- 
inch waist measure; price 10 cents. 
The child’s Gibson coat is suited for 
duck, piqud or linen, as well as woolen 
fabrics. The coat is fitted by means of 
shoulder and under-arm seams, the 
pleated portions which give the “Gib¬ 
son” effect, being applied over the foun¬ 
dation. .Above the waist they are 
stitched a short distance from the edges, 
but below the belt are seamed to the 
coat beneath the fold of the pleats. The 
sleeves are in bishop style with turn¬ 
over cuffs and at the neck is a turn¬ 
over collar. The coat as shown closes 
at the center front beneath the outer 
portion, which is hooked over invisibly 
at the left shoulder, and beneath the 
left pleat, but by lapping left side over 
right and closing at right shoulder and 
pleat becomes suited to boys. To cut 
this coat for a child eight years of age 
five yards 27 inches wide, three yards 44 
inches wide or 2% yards 54 inches wide 
4129 Childs “Gibson” Coat, 
4 to 12 yrs. 
will be required. The pattern No. 4129 
is cut in sizes for girls of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 
12 years of age; price 10 cents. 
Women Exhibitors at Agri¬ 
cultural Fairs. 
For me there is little of interest or 
value in the women’s exhibit at the 
county fair. The exhibits of the homely 
necessaries of life are so far outnum¬ 
bered by useless or over-fine fancy work, 
doubtful pictures and quilts, crazy and 
otherwise, which have been shown so 
many times that they ought to be hon¬ 
orably retired, that I do not see how 
anybody is going to be interested by 
them. The most instruction I can get 
out of them is to watch the throngs of 
women and listen to the comments on 
the various articles. There is always a 
jam around the needlework exhibit and 
picture department, while the domestic 
science division is nearly empty. Most 
women if they do go through cast a cur¬ 
sory glance at the bread, cookies, canned 
fruit and such things; some noses are 
slightly elevated, some look scornful, 
and some say right out: “I could do 
better than that myself,” but nearly all 
unite in getting away as soon as pos¬ 
sible. Query! Does the average wo¬ 
man see so much of such things at home 
that she does not care to have to look 
at them when away from the kitchen? 
The farmers’ wives of my acquaint¬ 
ance do not seem to care to exhibit their 
handiwork at the fair, but leave it to 
the city women to fill the various de¬ 
partments. I do not know why this is 
so, or if it is true of other places. In 
going through the art department it is 
tiresome to see patchy pictures wearing 
the blue ribbon, while others of a fair 
degree of merit are unnoticed. Look 
at the premium list and you see that 
Lawyer So-and-so’s, or Dr. What’s-his- 
name’s wife has won first premium— 
prestige against capacity. By putting 
the administration of this department 
into the hands of practical women who 
have the true interest of womankind at 
heart, who can and dare see merit where 
it exists, who have no axes of tneir own 
to grind, then rouse up the country wo¬ 
men to bring in their work for exhibi¬ 
tion—if you can—and there will be de¬ 
cided improvement in the women’s ex¬ 
hibits at the fair. linda w. m’neil. 
Michigan. 
The Household Congress. 
Crust Coffee. —Brown the bread 
carefully in the oven or toast rack; it 
needs to be much more browned thau 
common toast. Fill a bowl with the 
bread and cover with boiling water, 
drain off and add more water if there is 
not enough, as the bread absorbs a great 
deal of it, and the virtue of it is in hav¬ 
ing it strong. This with the addition of 
milk and sugar is a valuable drink after 
severe attacks of bowel trouble. With¬ 
out the milk it is refreshing to one suf¬ 
fering from feverish cold. 
AUNT RACHEL. 
Spiced Beef. —This makes a desirable 
cold dish for luncheon or tea, or for 
Sunday dinner in Summer. Select a 
piece of the flank, trim off the coarse 
skin, lay it flat on the table, and, with 
a knife, spread over it the following 
mixture: One teaspoonful ground mus¬ 
tard, one teaspoonful celery salt, half 
teaspoonful black pepper, pinch of red 
pepper, mixed to a smooth paste with 
vinegar. Then roll up the meat like a 
jelly cake, the spice inside, tie it up, tie 
it in a cloth like a pudding. Put it 
into boiling water, and let it boil 2% 
hours. When cooked lift the kettle off 
the stove, and allow the water to cool 
before removing the meat. Do not take 
the cloth off until cold, then slice the 
meat for serving. s. M. T. 
A Kitchen Stool. —In every kitchen 
there should be at least one high light 
stool. Seated on such a stool, the arms 
raised to a level of the work table or 
sink, the fatigue of ironing, washing and 
wiping dishes, and preparing vegetables 
is greatly lessened. Try it, you house¬ 
keepers who have been taugnt that it is 
“lazy” to do housework when seated; 
see if the bread is not molded easier and 
the cookies rolled out and cut quicker. 
The tired feet and knees, being relieved 
of their burden, will rest awhile. Care 
should be taken that the stool is high 
enough so the person using it can drop 
on it without straining the muscles of 
the back, as when taking a low seat or 
rising from it. Such stools are not ex¬ 
pensive, and sometimes one can buy one 
partly worn and laid aside from use in 
a store or office, which will cost little. 
EVANGEL. 
OU Mfe&r &WolIcA 
a J dLCio; — " -^ 
you should have a Jas. Boss Stiffened GoldCase In order 
to protect the works and lessen the cost of repairs. The 
Boss Case is made of two layers of solid gold with a layer of 
stiffening metal between. It is better than a solid gold case 
because it is stronger and so close-fitting as to keep out gas, 
smoke, dust and dampness. 
Stiffened 
GOLD 
JAS. BOSS 
Watch Cases 
are recognized us the standard the world over, and 
sold as such by ull Jewelers. The Boss is the only 
stiffened case in use long enough to prove by actual 
wear that they will outlast the 25-year guarantee. 
There Is none “just as good.” Tho Keystone trade¬ 
mark here shown is stamped in each Boss case gLt)- 
Consult the jeweler. Write us for booklet. 
THE KEYSTONE WATCH CASE CO., Philadelphia. 
