6i4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 6 
l Woman and Home j 
From Day to Day. 
THE WELL’S SECRET. 
I knew it all my boyhood; in a lonesome 
valley meadow, 
Like a dryad’s mirror hidden by the 
wood’s dim arches near; 
Its eye flashed back the sunshine, and grew 
dark and sad with shadow; 
And I loved its truthful depths where 
every pebble lay so clear. 
I scooped my hand and drank it, and 
watched the sensate quiver 
Of the dimpling rings of silver as the 
beads of crystal fell, 
I pressed the richer grasses from its little 
trickling river, 
Till at last I knew, as friends know, 
every secret of the well. 
But one day I stood beside it on a sudden, 
unexpected, 
When the sun had crossed the valley and 
a shadow hid the place; 
And 1 looked in the dark water—saw my 
pallid cheek reflected— 
And beside it, looking upward, met an 
evil reptile face; 
as much for pickled tripe, cut into 
strings, and suggesting bath toweling 
soaked in vinegar. Is it not extravagant 
to buy such supplies at a delicatessen 
store? That depends on the purchaser. 
Where the family consists of two or 
three persons only, a housekeeper can¬ 
not boil a large piece of ham, or a whole 
tongue, or do other cooking on an ex¬ 
tensive scale, nor has she storage facili¬ 
ties in ordinary city accommodations. 
Furthermore, there are many women in 
the city who do what is known as “light 
housekeeping” while engaged in daily 
business, in preference to boarding, and 
their limited time compels them to buy 
much ready-cooked food. There are, 
however, too many women, both poor 
and well-to-do, who have not this ex¬ 
cuse, who are very liberal patrons of the 
delicatessen dealers, and such buying 
easily becomes extravagant. 
Looking upward, furtive, startled at the 
silent, swift intrusion; 
Then it darted toward the grasses, and 1 
saw not where it fled; 
But I knew its eyes were on me, and the 
old-time sweet illusion 
Of the pure and perfect symbol I had 
cherished there was dead. 
And since then—oh, why the burden?— 
when joyous faces greet me, 
With their eyes of limpid innocence, and 
words devoid of art, 
I cannot trust their seeming, but must ask 
what eyes would meet me 
Could 1 look in sudden silence at the 
secrets of the heart! 
John Boyle O Reilly. 
* 
A pleasing change is made in scram¬ 
bled eggs by stirring in a little potted 
meat or finely chopped parsley just be¬ 
fore serving, and then sprinkling over 
the top some hot browned bread 
crumbs. 
* 
Tiny safety pins are now made for the 
purpose of fastening in dress shields. 
The side opposite the pin is curved to 
prevent puckering when laid against a 
seam. It is so necessary to wash these 
shields frequently that the pin saves 
much time usually expended in picking 
out stitches and putting them in again. 
* 
One of the products noted at a recent 
food show was “prepared pie crust,” put 
up in neat paper cartons, which only 
needs mixing qp with cola water and 
rolling out to make a suitable enclosure 
for any desired pie timber, it may be an 
old-fashioned view, but we feel sorry 
for a woman who has to buy her pie 
crust ready mixed. The quantity of 
ready-to-serve food now offered makes 
one wonder whether city housekeepers 
are expected to do any cooking at ail. 
The delicatessen counter at a big depart¬ 
ment store is in the nature of a revela¬ 
tion. There are small rouna pies of 
mutton or pork for five cents each; they 
are about four inches across and 1(£ 
inch deep, girdled by a ring of stiff 
paper, like a charlotte russe; larger 
chicken pies 10 cents each and oyster 
patties five cents. These can be quickly 
heated; the pie crust is light and flaky, 
and they are beautifully browned. 
Ready-cooked fish cakes, which may be 
warmed in tomato sauce (bought by the 
can or bottle) cost three cents each. 
There are piles of soft-shelled crabs, 
fried a delicate brown, and other cooked 
fish; lobster and chicken salad covered 
with rich mayonnaise, and plain potato 
salad. The cold cooked meats take some 
elaborate forms, and therfe is great va¬ 
riety among imported sausages, some 
selling for 50 cents or more a pound. 
These are dry smoked sausages that are 
cut into thin slices and used as relishes. 
Head cheese and pressed or jellied beef 
look most inviting, but we cannot say 
The Rural Patterns 
“Slot seams” make a feature of the 
latest skirts, and promise to gain in fa¬ 
vor both this season and next. Many of 
the advance models show them both in 
skirts and jackets and all indications 
point to an extended vogue. The skirt 
illustrated is cut m seven gores and is 
laid in inverted pleats, at each seam and 
in the center of each front and side 
gore, that are stitched to flounce depth 
at tuck width from their edges and so 
form the “slot seams” which conceal all 
seams and whose fullness provides the 
graceful flare at the lower portion. The 
back is stitched flat in habit style, the 
pleats providing fullness where they fall 
free. To cut this skirt in the medium 
size 10 y 2 yards of material 21 inches 
wide, 9(4 yards 27 inches wide, or 5(4 
yards 44 inches wide will be required. 
The pattern No. 4197 is cut in sizes for 
a 22, 24; 26, 28 and 30-inch waist mea¬ 
sure; price 10 cents from this office. 
Shirt waists with deep overlapping 
pleats that are stitched with one or 
more rows to form tucks at the edges 
of the pleats are much in style and are 
exceedingly effective. In the example 
shown the lining is cut with fronts and 
back only and is fitted by means of 
shoulder and under-arm seams and sin¬ 
gle bust darts. The waist is laid in deep 
pleats at front and back that can be 
stitched one-fourth of an inch from each 
4197 “Slot Seam” Skirt, 
22 to 30 waist. 
edge to give an effect of tucks or left 
plain as preferred. The sleeves are in 
the new bishop style, small at the shoul¬ 
der and forming big soft puffs above the 
cuffs. The cuffs are straight and nar¬ 
row and are buttoned over at the inside 
seams. To cut this waist in the medium 
size 4(4 yards of material 21 inches 
wide, 3% yards 27 inches wide, 2% 
yards 32 inches wide or 2% yards 44 
inches wide will be required. The pat¬ 
tern No. 4195 is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 
36, 38 and 40-inch bust measure; price 
10 cents from this office. 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use“Mrs.Wins- 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
The Household Congress, 
Ventilating a Bedroom. —If your 
bedroom is hot when going to bed open 
one window at the top and another at 
the bottom. The air near the ceiling 
will go out at the window opened at top, 
and will draw in the cooler air at lower 
opening, creating a circulation. If there 
is only one window in the room open 
part at top and part at bottom, h. w. 
Illinois. 
Cooking Potatoes. —It is such a sim¬ 
ple thing to do that it seems as though 
everyone ought to know how to do it, 
but they don’t. Of course there is a 
difference in potatoes, but a good potato 
may be spoiled in the cooking, and 
proper cooking will improve a poor one. 
If they are to be simply boiled and 
served whole, the potatoes should be 
32 to 4-0 bust 
carefully pared. Use a sharp knife and 
take off a thin peeling. Dull knives are 
oftentimes the cause of thick, wasteful 
parings. Soak the potatoes some little 
time in plenty of cold water. The older 
they are the longer they need soaking. 
Half an hour before mealtime pour off 
the cold water and put them on to cook 
in boiling water—enough entirely to 
cover them. After 15 minutes put in a 
handful of salt. The instant they are 
tender when tried with a sharp fork, 
pour away the water and return the ket¬ 
tle to the stove. As they steam up, shake 
Kettle gently, tossing potatoes around; 
when dry and mealy on outside, serve, 
if they are to be mashed, cook in the 
same way, turn them out into a dish, 
and pass them through a vegetable press 
or potato ricer, into the kettle in which 
they were cooked. Add salt, butter, 
milk, and pepper if it is liked. Return 
the kettle to the fire and stir the mash¬ 
ed potato with a spoon till it is thor¬ 
oughly mixed and becomes white and 
light. This, is very different from the 
heavy, dark-colored, lumpy mass often 
served as mashed potatoes. Baking po¬ 
tatoes is a more delicate operation than 
boiling them, as they ought to be served 
the instant they are done. Scrub them 
carefully, and allow 40 minutes in a very 
hot oven for baking medium-sized ones. 
When done, thrust a fork into them and 
give it a quick twist, so as to break open 
the skin and allow the steam to escape. 
Potatoes are nice sliced raw, seasoned 
with onion, butter, salt and pepper, and 
baked in a pudding-dish, with milk and 
a little flour thickening. Three hours 
in a medium oven is the time required. 
SUSAN BROWN ROBBINS. 
There’s a right 
ch i m n ey for every 
lamp, and my 
name is on it. 
Macbeth. 
% 
If you’ll send your address, I’ll send you 
the Index to Lamps and their Chimneys, to 
tell you what number to get for your lamp. 
Macbeth, Pittsburgh. 
A FREE FAIR TRIAL. 
Thirty days for it. Iliteli to it, drive 
and test it, compare it with others. If 
you do not find it the best bargain you 
nave ever seen, ship it back to us. It 
costs you nothing. That’s the way we sell 
SPLIT HICKORY VEHICLES. 
Remember the wood is hickory, and it’s split, not sawed. It 
does not go across the grain. You can’t break it. Free cata 
logue tells our story. Write for it. 
OHIO CARRIAGE MFG. CO., Station 39, CINCINNATI, 0. 
Before Buying a New Harness 
Send 4c. postage lor Illustrated Catalogue; full 
desciiption and prices single and 
double Oak Lent her Harness direct 
to consumer at Wholesale Prices and 
Save Money. Address 
KINO HARNESS CO., 
CIO Church St., Onego, N. Y 
STEEL ROOFING 
FREIGHT CHARGES PAID BY US 
Strictly new, pcr.*^.,, .... - 
Steel 8 heets, 2 feet wide. 6 leet long. Tho 
best ltooflne. Siding or e'eiling you con use. 
No experience necessary to lay it. An 
ordinary hammer or hatchet the only 
tools you need. We furnish nails tree 
and paint roofing two sides. Comes 
either flat, corrugated or “V” crimped. 
Delivered free of all ohar^es to all points 
in the U. S.. east of the Mississippi River 
and North of the Ohio River 
AT $2.25 PER SQUARE 
Prices to other points on application. A square means 100 
square feet. Write for free Catalogue No. 57 
CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING CO., W. 35th and Iron Sts., Chicago 
" The groves were God's first temples.'' 
SEPTEMBER 
IN THE 
ADIRONDACKS 
No finer place in September can 
be found than the Adirondacks. 
The air is cool and bracing, the 
fishing fine, the scenery beauti¬ 
ful, and they can he reached in a 
night from Boston, New York or 
Niagara Falls. All parts of the 
Adirondacks are reached by the 
NEW YORK CENTRAL LINES 
A copy of No 20 of the “Four-Track 
Series" “The Adirondacks and How to 
Reach Them, • will h i s nt free on receipt 
< f a two-cent stamp by G'-orge H. Daniels. 
G ;neral Passenger Ag nt New York Centr: 1 
Railroad, Grand Central Station, New Yoik. 
Next Door 
to the Sun 
The timekeeping quali¬ 
ties of the Elgin Watch 
are perfect—next door 
to the sun. 
is the 
Watch Word 
the world around, for 
——-accuracy and durability. 
Every Elgin Watch has the word ELGIN engraved on the works. 
Sold by every jeweler in the land. Guaranteed by the world’s 
greatest watch works. Send for illustrated art booklet—free. 
Elgin National Watch Company, Elgin, Illinois. 
