FROM DAY TO DAY. 
In making fruit jellies, one should bear 
in mind that over-ripe fruit is much less 
likely to stiffen than that barely ripe. 
This is because the substance known to 
chemists as pectose or vegetable jelly, is 
more freely present in unripe than in 
fully ripe fruit. This often explains the 
failure of jelly to “jell”, when every 
care has been taken. 
* 
Among odd pieces of china which form 
pretty little gifts, are condensed-milk 
jars. These are bottomless jars just 
large enough for the can to slip into, 
having a rim to hold it at the bottom. 
The jar has a little stand, and a close- 
fitting lid. Such a jar, in pretty Li¬ 
moges or Carlsbad china, is a useful addi¬ 
tion to a breakfast table where con¬ 
densed milk takes the place of cream 
in the morning coffee. 
* 
At this season of the year, we have 
especial reason to look carefully to our 
drinking water, and the use of a filter 
is a wise precaution, even if not a neces¬ 
sity. It does not follow that, because 
the water from the well is clear and 
sparkling, filtering is unnecessary. Most 
city housewives have a little filter 
screwed to the faucet, which may be 
cleansed by reversing and allowing the 
water to wash out the accumulated dirt. 
Even a bit of fine muslin used as a 
strainer will remove many impurities. 
After living in some place where one is 
compelled to boil and filter every drop 
of drinking water, a housekeeper grows 
suspicious of any variation in appear¬ 
ance or flavor. Daring a season like the 
present, when the saturated ground is 
likely to carry a great deal of surface 
drainage into an ordinarily unpolluted 
well, there is greater necessity for care 
than usual. Many malarial ailments 
may be due to this cause. The deposit 
of dirt on the bottom of a kettle or 
saucepan in which water has been boiled 
soon warns us of the necessity for fre¬ 
quent cleansing of these vessels. 
* 
One of the recent features of a great 
department store was a so-called pure- 
food show which, though intended pri¬ 
marily as an advertising feature, pos¬ 
sessed plenty of interest to others be¬ 
sides prospective buyers. One of the 
notable features of all these food shows 
is the great variety in cereal foods, 
which are put up in forms to tempt every 
appetite. Some of these preparations, 
prepared for dyspeptics, are described 
as pre-digested, and form nourishing 
food for invalids, though few of them 
appeal very strongly to persons of robust 
health. “Cereal coffee” is another 
preparation that appears under a variety 
of names, and recalls the hard times 30 
years ago, when many a careful house¬ 
wife browned wheat kernels for the 
family “coffee.” Probably the inex¬ 
pensive bran coffee described recently 
by a correspondent of The R. N.-Y. is 
very similar to these grocers’ prepara¬ 
tions. Another thing always to be noted 
at a food show is the long list of prep¬ 
arations for making puddings and des¬ 
serts. One of these noted was a form of 
tapioca which requires no soaking; it 
can be made into a pudding as quickly 
as farina. There is a great increase in 
the forms of gelatine, and these make 
most dainty desserts, especially useful 
to a housekeeper who must make deli¬ 
cate summer dishes without the use of 
ice. Junket tablets, doubtless a prepara¬ 
tion of rennet, were shown, with dishes 
of prettily colored junket, which looked 
much more fanciful than the bowls of 
white curds and whey on which we used 
to thrive as children. The increased 
demand for desserts of this class cer¬ 
tainly suggests that we are being gradu¬ 
ally emancipated from the pie habit. 
A TWENTY-DOLLAR WARDROBE. 
UST what a girl needs to look “ nice” 
during a summer visit depends 
largely on her ideas. In old-fashioned 
stories, when the country girl went to 
visit her more pretentious relatives, she 
wore a neat but serviceable gingham 
frock for traveling, with a dark French 
merino for best. Nowadays the ubiquit¬ 
ous shirt waist puts every one on an 
equality, and the mail-list of the city 
stores puts town and country at an 
equal advantage in shopping. Clothes 
were never cheaper, and it is surprising 
how much one may buy for a small 
amount. Let us see how much, in the 
way of a summer wardrobe, may be ob¬ 
tained for a $20 bill, using New York 
prices as a basis. 
Supposing that the purchaser of the 
wardrobe is supplied with underwear, 
the first requisite will be a serge outing 
suit, skirt and coat, for general wear. A 
neat suit in navy blue, the skirt lined 
with percaline, the coat with silk, may 
be bought now for $6. The jacket should 
be one of the new blazer shapes, in pre¬ 
ference to an Eton, for though the latter 
are much worn, few of the ready-made 
Eton jackets fit in the back, and the re¬ 
sult is most unbecoming. An extra 
skirt of white duck, which has been 
shrunk before making up, will cost $1.98 
or, if desired, a skirt of Russian crash 
may be substituted for this. Two shirt 
waists, one of white dimity at $1 25, and 
one of colored dimity or Madras at $1, 
with a check taffeta waist at $3.75, will 
complete this part of the outfit. Any 
one of the three waists may be worn 
with either skirt, and though it sounds 
incongruous to wear a silk waist with a 
duck skirt, this combination is very 
often seen. Taffetas in checks from one- 
eighth to one-half inch square seem to 
be in greater favor than changeable 
silks, preference being given to one 
color combined with white. Cornflower 
blue and white, lilac and white or apple 
green and white are specially favored. 
The best general-purpose summer hat 
is, of course, a sailor ; it is becoming to 
most faces, and is not likely to become 
draggled during boating and driving 
excursions, like more pretentious head- 
gear. A pretty hat of Panama straw 
in the natural color costs $1.35. It will 
have a black band, fastening at the left 
side in a loop with long ends, which lie 
flat on the brim, coming to the edge. A 
piece of bright plaid or striped ribbon 
for a second hat-band, to be used when 
change is desired, will cost 20 cents. Of 
course, a belt is needed ; a neat imita¬ 
tion seal leather in dark brown or black 
will cost 50 cents, or a green or red 
smoothokid, with nickel harness-buckle, 
will cost the same. A fancy metal belt, 
or one with a very elaborate buckle, is 
a distinct mistake in a limited wardrobe, 
and a cheaply-elaborate belt is always 
ugly and in bad taste. 
We shall suppose that the purchaser 
of this wardrobe has general-purpose 
shoes, but she may spend $1.50 on a pair 
of Oxford ties of tan, to wear with her 
duck skirt. Her gloves will be white 
washing chamois, at 60 cents. These 
are the most comfortable of all summer 
gloves, the thick, soft skin absorbing all 
perspiration, and they are easily washed 
with any fine white soap. 
These absolute essentials—cloth suit, 
duck skirt, three waists, hat with extra 
band, belt, gloves and shoes—amount to 
$18.13. So, if the purchaser has ability 
enough to make a simple frock herself, 
she may expend $1.20 for 12 yards of 
figured dimity, making it into a gored 
skirt with two small ruffles arcund the 
bottom; and a round waist having 
tight sleeves with a small puff and 
ruffled caps at the top, and a Russian 
blouse front, with a ruffle down the side 
hem. A white taffeta waist ribbon to 
wear with this gown will cost 60 cents ; 
it is passed twice around the waist, and 
then tied in front, a little to the left 
side, in a long bow twisted into a verti¬ 
cal position. This brings the cost of 
the whole wardrobe up to $19 93, a very 
moderate amount when we consider the 
changes which may be made. 
This summer, a great many of the 
dimity or batiste skirts and waists are 
worn over a colored lining, which gives 
a very pretty effect. Of course, this lin¬ 
ing is not always silk. A favorite color 
for this purpose is a vivid cerise or deep 
rose. The skirt lining is always made 
separate, like a petticoat, and though 
the waist fits better when made over 
the lining, it is convenient to have it in 
the form of a slip bodice which may be 
removed at will. Made up over a silk 
slip, and trimmed freely with lace, a 
simple muslin gown is often quite as 
expensive as a handsome cloth one. 
A PIE CUPBOARD.. 
HERE space is restricted in the 
pantry, a convenient pie cupboard 
is made after the style of a milk-rack 
or small book-case, the shelves being 
about four inches apart. Any light ma¬ 
terial may be used ; that found in box 
lids will be quite suitable. The uprights 
should be six inches wide, and just short 
enough to fit between the shelves of the 
pantry or cupboard where pies are usu¬ 
ally kept. The shelves should be wide 
enough to hold the pie securely, and 
long enough to accommodate the largest 
pies. Two nails at each end will hold 
the shelves, and sufficient space should 
be left between them to allow room for 
pies to be slipped in and out without 
crushing the covering. Such a rack can 
be set in a box or basket, and will fill 
the long-felt want for carrying pies to 
picnics. A little pie cupboard of this 
shape is frequently seen in restaurants, 
the front being inclosed by a door of 
wire netting. meg. 
HOUSEHOLD NOTES. 
juice of its own. Cut it in small bits, 
wash it, cover with plenty of sugar, put 
on the saucepan lid, set on the back of 
the stove till the juices are extracted, 
and cook till done without stirring. 
A clever woman of my acquaint¬ 
ance, 'being straitened for closet room, 
screwed hooks at a proper height across 
the back of the high headboard of each 
bed. Another friend, when I admired 
her large, black fur rug (which showed 
to advantage on a light carpet), laugh¬ 
ingly informed me that ’twas the car¬ 
riage robe which she had folded the 
proper width and pressed into service 
for the summer, also thinking to elude 
the ravages of the moth. Still another 
told me the use she made of orange peel 
which has proved very satisfactory ; 
while fresh grate the yellow from the 
rind. Used for flavoring mince pies, it 
is delicious ; we like it, also, in pud¬ 
dings, cake and boiled icing. 
sweet fern. 
A SHOE-BUTTON HOLDER. 
QUAINT little shoe-button holder 
recently noted will relieve one from 
the necessity of hunting here, there, and 
everywhere for means of repair when¬ 
ever one of these exasperating buttons 
flies off. The foundation is a common 
clay pipe. About one inch of the stem 
is broken off, and the pipe is then stuck 
into a large spool of black linen thread, 
the stem being wound with several 
thicknesses of muslin. A face is drawn 
upon the bowl of the pipe, the little 
projection on the bottom doing duty for 
a nose. The features may be merely 
drawn with pen and ink, or colored 
with water colors. A large old-fashioned 
cap of white muslin is fastened upon 
the head, tied under the chin with 
broad strings. A full bright colored 
skirt is gathered around the waist, 
hiding the spool of thread, and a scarlet 
cross-over shawl is draped around her 
shoulders. A white apron finishes the 
toilet. A large needle apparently 
fastens her shawl and she carries slung 
from her waist a bag of shoe buttons. 
Thread and buttons to go with tan or 
bronze shoes will prove particularly 
useful during the summer, because they 
always seem more difficult to find than 
the black ones. 
'-piN is the best receptacle for bread ; 
JL it is light to handle, and easily 
kept sweet. A tin boiler with a cover is 
what we use. Don’t forget to grease the 
top crust of bread and biscuits when 
taken from the oven ; it softens it very 
much. 
Don’t imagine that a cream whip is 
necessary for making whipped cream ; 
nothing could be more satisfactory than 
the ordinary egg beater, and a bowl of 
suitable size and shape. Whipped cream 
is used in place of a meringue on any¬ 
thing cold ; heat melts it. 
The best furniture polish it has ever 
been my good fortune to use is the 
simplest—merely equal parts of kerosene 
and sweet oil. Apply a trifle with a 
flannel rag and plenty of elbow grease. 
Bake the crusts for lemon pie before 
filling them ; add the jelly made a little 
stiffer than if to be baked, spread the 
whites on top, and set on the floor of a 
moderate oven till nicely browned. 
Crusts for lemon or cream pies may be 
made to advantage at a previous baking ; 
then it is little trouble to fill them. 
I never knew the luxury of a dust 
cloth that was always comparatively 
clean until I provided myself with 
several cheese-cloth ones, neatly hem¬ 
med, and regularly put the soiled ones in 
the weekly washing. 
Don’t peel pie plant, and don’t cook it 
in water for sauce; it has plenty of 
As an application for small abrasions 
of the skin, rose water and glycerine, 
with the addition of a few drops of car¬ 
bolic acid, will be found very useful. 
This acid is an excellent antiseptic, and 
properly diluted, aids the healing of 
any abraded surface. 
Pickling Shallots —A. S., Illinois, 
asks for a recipe for pickling shallots 
in the English manner. The treatment 
is just the same as for small onions. 
The shallots are skinned, scalded with 
boiling brine, and allowed to stand in 
this for 24 hours The brine is then 
drained off, and hot vinegar, spiced to 
taste, is poured over the shallots in 
quantity sufficient to cover them. Store 
away in jars, like pickled onions. The 
shallots, when pickled, are very firm and 
crisp. They may, also, be used in place 
of button onions in chow-chow and 
piccalilli. 
HALL’S 
Vegetable Sicilian 
HAIR RENEWER 
Beautifies and restores Gray 
Hair to its original colof and 
vitality; prevents baldness; 
cures itching and dandruff. 
A fine hair dressing. 
It. P. Hall & Co., Props., Nashua, N. H. 
Sold by all Druggists. 
