854 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
December 20 
[ Woman and Home \ 
From Day to Day. 
JES’ ’FORE CHRISTMAS. 
Father calls me William, sister calls me 
Will, 
Mother calls me Willie—but the fellers call 
me Bill. 
Mighty glad I ain’t a girl—ruther be a boy 
Without them sashes, curls an’ things 
that’s worn by Fauntleroy! 
Love to chawnk green apples an' go swim- 
min’ in the lake— 
Hate to take the castor-ile they give f'r 
belly-ache! 
Most all the time the hull year roun’ there 
ain’t no flies on me. 
But jes’ ’fore Christmas I’m as good as I 
kin be. 
Got a yaller dog named Sport—sick ’im on 
the cat; 
Fust thing she knows she doesn’t know 
where she is at! 
Got a clipper sled, an' when us boys go 
out to slide 
’Long comes the grocery cart an’ we all 
hook a ride! 
But, sometimes, when the grocery man is 
worrited and cross. 
He reached at me with his whip, and lar¬ 
rups up his hoss. 
An’ then I laff an’ holler: “Oh, you never 
teched me!’’ 
But jes’ ’fore Christmas I’m as good as I 
can be. 
For Christmas, with its lots an’ lots of 
candies, cakes an’ toys, 
Was made, they say, for proper kids, an’ 
not for naughty boys; 
So, wash yer face, an’ brush yer hair, an’ 
mind yer p’s an’ q’s. 
And don’t bust out yer pantaloons, and 
don’t wear out your shoes; 
Say “Yessum” to the ladies, an’ “Yessur’’ 
to the men, 
An’ when they’s company don’t pass yer 
plate for pie again; 
But thinkin’ of the things yer’d like to see 
upon that tree, 
Jest ’fore Christmas, be as good as yer kin 
be. —Eugene Field. 
* 
In some households, the ability to 
make high-grade pancakes merely se¬ 
cures an invitation to keep on cooking 
them while the rest of the family sits 
down and enjoys a good breakfast. 
* 
Soiled velvet may be washed with 
warm water and soap, quickly rinsed 
and when nearly dry pressed under a 
muslin cloth. If the pressing is done 
evenly the result is panne velvet, which 
forms a handsome trimming. With vel¬ 
vet treated in this way a pretty stock 
may be made from odd bits of millinery 
trimming. 
* 
A household convenience noted 
among holiday gifts is a leather-covered 
box bearing the inscription “It’s Here.” 
On opening the lid we find numerous 
divisions forming small compartments. 
Within are all sorts of little conveni¬ 
ences that the most careful housekeeper 
is liable to displace just when most 
needed; string, rubber bands, shipping 
tags, indelible pencils, household labels, 
sticking plaster, letter clips, erasers and 
a variety of other articles that seem to 
illustrate the innate depravity of inani¬ 
mate things by disappearing complete¬ 
ly. We may not all feel inclined to buy 
a morocco-bound and gilt-inscribed box 
of this character, but it would not be 
difficult to put a hinged lid upon a neat 
wooden box (18 inches long, eight inches 
wide and eight inches deep is a conveni¬ 
ent size), divide it into compartments, 
finish with paint or stain, and stock 
with such useful things as suggest them¬ 
selves. The household labels referred 
to come separately in books costing 25 
cents each, the labels being in perfor¬ 
ated sheets like postage stamps; they 
are ready gummed, some bearing print¬ 
ed titles, such as soda, alum, borax, 
cloves, etc., others blank. The blank 
labels save much time when putting up 
jelly or preserves, or storing dried 
herbs; it is much easier to be system¬ 
atic when all appliances are at hand. 
Christmas means gift-making or gift¬ 
receiving to most people—sometimes it 
is to be feared it means nothing more, 
though the costliest gift is as nothing 
unless it is actuated by the Christmas 
spirt. We often find that the warm¬ 
est affection and the keenest self- 
denial go with some little gift that 
would he worthless in the eyes of 
the prosperous, to whom this season 
brings nothing save the desire for great¬ 
er luxury. Think of all the homemade 
toys that some one has been putting to¬ 
gether the past few weeks, after the 
children were in bed—the canton flan¬ 
nel elephants and button-eyed rabbits; 
the pink-cheeked dolls, arrayed in bits 
of Sister’s graduation gown—emblems 
of a sincere affection that needs no 
shopful of foreign toys to prove its be¬ 
ing. By the time we get through caring 
for such things ourselves we begin to 
enjoy giving them to others, and it is 
safe to say that a gift should never be 
made if the giving is not as great a 
pleasure as the receiving. Presents of¬ 
fered for value received should only 
pass between those who regard gratitude 
as nothing more than a lively sense of 
favors yet to come. When Christmas 
means a levying of tribute rather than 
a generous sharing of our best with 
others it has lost all its power and in¬ 
fluence, and we must search anew for 
the spirit whose first fruits are good 
will toward men. 
The Rural Patterns. 
Shirt waists made with under-arm 
gores are specially desirable for stout 
figures. They admit of snugger fit than 
any other sort and can be made to re¬ 
duce apparent size, as each additional 
seam means an additional vertical line 
and vertical lines tend to give a slender 
effect. The model shown suits all waist- 
ing materials, but as shown is made of 
embroidered henrietta in sage green 
stitched with black silk. The foundation 
lining fits smoothly and snugly and 
closes at the front separately from the 
outside. The waist consists of fronts, 
back and under-arm gores, and is 
bloused slightly at the front but drawn 
down smoothly at the back. The sleeves 
are in regulation style with straight 
cuffs that, close at the’ back. The neck 
is finished with a stock collar. At the 
waist is a belt with postillion at the 
back. The quantity of material re¬ 
quired for the medium size is four yards 
21 inches wide, 3% yards 27 inches wide, 
three yards 32 inches wide or 2*4 yards 
44 inches wide. The pattern No. 4264 
is cut in sizes for a 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 and 
46-inch bust measure; price 10 cents. 
The pretty walking skirt illustrated 
is cut in five gores and is lengthened at 
sides and back by a circular flounce 
joined to its lower edge. The lower edge 
of each side and back gore is cut out to 
form pointed straps that extend over 
the flounce. The fullness at the back is 
laid in inverted pleats that are stitched 
flat for a few inches below the waist 
line. The upper edge can be finished 
with the belt or cut in din outline and 
either faced or bound. The quantity of 
material required for the medium size 
is GV 2 yards 27 inches wide, 4 x / 2 yards 
44 inches wide or 3 y 2 yards 52 inches 
4265 Walking- Skirt, 
22 to SO Waist. 
wide. The pattern No. 4265 is cut in 
sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30-inch 
waist measure; price 10 cents. 
Turkeys; Joe’s and Mine. 
Joe had been talking a long time 
about raising turkeys, and one day after 
Christmas he came in and asked me 
what I supposed he had got now. As 
he had just come from the city all sorts 
of thoughts came into my mind, and 
visions of a new set of china we had 
been talking of buying, a black silk 
dress, and numerous other things I 
should like, danced before my eyes. But 
before 1 really had time to collect my 
ideas into guessing order he, Yankee- 
like, answered his own question. 
“Turkeys, Maria,” says he. “I went 
into the city market to see about selling 
a calf and Mason asked me if I didn’t 
want to buy a turkey. No, says I, quick 
as could be, for I remembered how that 
14-pound Thanksgiving turkey lasted; 
and how we had it cold, and warmed 
over with dressing and gravy, and tur¬ 
key soups without number. Although it 
was good every way we both felt as if 
we had had enough turkey to last a 
year, and more too. I wa’n’t really sure 
whether we had got to the last of it yet 
or whether you might bring on another 
soup most any day. 
“ Just come and see them,’ says he; 
so not bein’ in any particular hurry I 
followed him out to the back door and 
there in a coop he had a dozen live tur¬ 
keys. Said he bought a lot to kill off 
over the holidays, and had so many left 
which he’d sell reasonable. Thinks I, 
now’s your chance to begin turkey rais¬ 
in’, so I nicked out two nice hen tur¬ 
keys, and they’re out in the buggy. 
Come out and see them, Maria, while I 
fix up the old shed at the end of the 
In each pound package of 
Lion Coffee 
from now until Christmas will 
be found a free game, amusing 
and instructive—50 different 
kinds. 
Get Lion Coffee and a Free Game 
at Your Grocers. 
360 DAYS AP ??§? AL 
Send for Free Catalogue No. 114. 
KALAMAZOO STOVE GO. 
Manufacturers, 
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN. 
iRCHESTRA 
O l 
Instruments, Violins, Banjos, 
CU1TARS,MANDOLINS, 
etc., made by Lyon 4 Healy are the 
standard of excellence. Very low 
priced styles as well as high grades 
such as the “Washburn.” Ask your I 
local music dealer for them, and if 
he doesn’t keep them write to us for | 
“Dept. G” Catalog, illustrated, 
mailed/rcc. It tells how to judge 
quality and gives full particulars. 
If you are wise you will secure an 
instrument wifh a mathematically correct finger 
board and a full rich tone, one that will give 
| satisfaction for a lifetime. 
LYON & HEALY, 19 East Adams St./Chicago. 
World’s Largest Mu-io House “Sells Every thing Known in Musio" 
An Easy Way to Make Money. 
I have made $560.00 in 80 days selling Dish 
washers. I did my housework at the same time. 
I defn't canvass. People come or send for the 
Dish-washers. I handle the Mound City Dish¬ 
washer. It is the best on the market. It is lovely 
to sell. It washes and dries the dishes perfectly 
in two minutes. Every lady who sees it wants 
one. I will devote all my future time to the busi¬ 
ness and expect to clear f4,000.00 this year. Any 
intelligent person can do as well as I have done. 
Write for particulars to the Mound City Dish- 
Washer Co., St. Louis, Mo. Mrs. W. B. 
Eft bias 
3U THIS 
Guaranteed 
STEEL 
RANGE 
Retail Rriee *50 
REE CATALOGUE 
Send for St, Learn why our 
prices are lowest in U. S. 218 
kinds and sizes of Ranges, 
Heating and Cook Stoves. 
$10 Onk Heater, $5.25 
$15 Cook Stove,. $7.05 
$88 Steel Range, 16.50 
We have what you want. Goods 
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CONSUMERS C’G’E & MFG.C0. 
232 8. DesplalnesSt., Chicago, III* 
The Jas. Boss Stiffened 
Gold Watch Case is made of 
two layers of Solid Gold with 
a layer of Stiffening Metal between 
welded and rolled together into one solid 
sheet of metal. The Jas. Boss Case in u 
Solid Gold Case for all practical purposes. 
The Stiffening Metal simply adds 
strength and durability. The Boss Case 
is guaranteed for 25 years by the largest 
watch case makers in the world, who have 
been making it for a full half century. 
Every Boss Case has the Keystone trade¬ 
mark stamped inside. Ask any dealer to 
show you one. Write us for a booklet 
telling the whole story. 
The Keystone Watch Case Company, Philadelphia. 
By this mark Wfr you know them 
T; 
