33o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 4 
From Day to Day. 
This is somebody’s birthday. 
Just as sure as fate; 
Some little boy is six years old, 
Some little girl Is eight. 
Some little boy Is three to-day. 
Some little girl thirteen. 
Some little twins are exactly two— 
Two apiece, I mean. 
Some one Is eating his birthday cake 
And laughing over the plums; 
Some one Is counting her birthday dolls 
On all her fingers and thumbs. 
Some one is bouncing his birthday ball 
Or winding her birthday watch. 
Some one is not too wise or tall 
For birthday butter-scotch. 
Think of the beautiful birthday books. 
Think of the birthday cheer. 
Think of the birthday happiness 
Every day in the year! 
Every day In the year, my dear, 
Every day we’re alive. 
Some happy child is one or two 
Or three or four or five. 
—Youth’s Companion. 
* 
The deep drawers often provided in a 
closet to hold household linen, are diffi¬ 
cult to move when filled, and in place 
of this a convenient closet has deep 
shelves, fitted with covers which let 
down. The covers seen on some book 
shelves, which roll up and down like 
spring blinds, would be suited for this. 
* 
Popping corn seems a very easy pro¬ 
cess, but tnere is a right and a wrong 
way of doing it. To get the best results, 
pour over it enough cold water thor¬ 
oughly to wet it, allowing this, of 
course, to drain away; then shake it on 
the top of the stove long enough to be 
thoroughly heated before it is moved to 
a warmer place. The steam of the wet¬ 
ting softens the shell, and when corn 
begins to pop all bursts open at once, 
leaving no hard core. 
* 
Some small boys are so perpetually in 
mischief that what is left of their con¬ 
science may accuse them unnecessarily, 
like that of the small William described 
below: 
“Now, boys,’’ said the patient Sunday 
school teacher, “surely some one of you 
can tell me who carried off the gates of 
Gaza. Speak up, William.” 
“I never touched ’em!” said the indignant 
William, with a suspicion of tears in his 
youthful voice. “I don’t see why folks 
always think when things get carried off 
that I’ve had something to do with it!” 
« 
Exceeding flounciness is one of the 
characteristics of the thin Summer 
dresses seen in the large stores, some of 
them having from three to five fiounces. 
They are preferably fiare or ripple fioun¬ 
ces, but in many cases additional full¬ 
ness is given to them by shirring or 
pleats. Where pleats are used, they are 
often put in clusters at each seam of 
the skirt. Rather an odd style was an 
inverted box pleat at the center front 
and center back of a graduated flare 
flounce, and no other pleats, the ma¬ 
terial being a heavy linen. 
*■ 
Innumerable small buttons are seen 
among the dress trimmings, and some 
of them have little danglers or tags 
hanging from them, giving them a very 
dressed-up appearance. They are used 
extensively on silk waists in gilt, and 
in black or white silk. Sometimes both 
black and white buttons are used on the 
same waist; for example, a gown of 
figured foulard, black and red upon a 
white gown, had a vest trimmed with 
white silk buttons, while upon the edges 
of the foulard were rows of black but¬ 
tons. Combinations of black and white, 
or black, white and red, are very fash¬ 
ionable, though the early Spring saw the 
usual outbreak of pale gray, which we 
pee every year. Many women seem to 
feel that their earliest Spring coscume 
must preferably be delicate gray or dove 
color, no matter whether it is becoming 
or not, and such gowns looked strangely 
unseasonable during the boisterous 
wind and rain that brought March wea- 
tfier into the first half of April. 
* 
In discussing the desirability of mov¬ 
ing from the city to take up life on a 
farm The R. N.-Y. has often referred to 
the fact that restlessness on the farm 
chiefly results from feminine dissat's- 
faction with farm life. In other words, 
farm life is largely what the women 
make it. This fact makes the agricul¬ 
tural college the best place for giving 
3684-Work Gown. 
32 to 40 in. bust. 
higher education to ambitious farm 
girls, as well as boys, and we may look 
for great results from the system. Any 
education that makes a girl grow away 
from the farm, when there is every 
probability that she must always make 
her home upon one, is a grave mistake. 
The domestic-science course at an agri¬ 
cultural college must elevate the stu¬ 
dent’s appreciation of everyday things, 
while bringing her in closer sympathy 
with the life on the farm. 
* 
For a consistently republican country 
we are just a little given to unnecessary 
titles. The Hope Farm man tells us 
that in a certain small southern town 
he visited, after modestly disclaiming 
any right to be addressed as colonel, 
professor or doctor, the entire popula¬ 
tion united in calling him judge, and he 
was obliged to live up to the dignity of 
this distinction during his visit. He 
says that his claim to this distinction 
rested upon the fact that he acted as 
umpire in a baseball game, to the entire 
satisfaction of both teams. The follow¬ 
ing item from Leslie's Weekly illustrates 
this title-giving custom: 
“Second Couain Philenda’s youngest 
daughter, Mary Ella, is married,” Farmer 
Hornbeak annnounced upon his return from 
the village. “Niece Theodosia stopped me 
as I was drivin’ along an’ told me to let 
you know that she’d just got a letter from 
Okonk, where Philenda’s folks live, sayin’ 
that Mary Ella was married week before 
last to Professor—er—er—Somebody—I don’t 
exactly recall what the name was.” 
“A professor?” returned Mrs. Hornbeak, 
in pleased tone. “I guess, then, that she’s 
made a good match of It an’ got a man of 
education an’ social standin’, if so be that 
he’s a professor. I’m real glad ’tis so, too.” 
“Wa-al, I don’t know,” said the old man, 
shrewdly. “That depends a good deal, 
’cordin’ to my way of thinkln’, on what 
variety of the species he belongs to, so to 
say. Theodosia didn’t tell me, an’ I forgot 
to ask, whether he is a dancin’ master, a 
corn doctor, a piano tuner, a prize fighter, 
a hoss physician, a layer-on-of-hands, a 
balloonatic, a seventh son of a seventh son, 
a sword swallower, a phrenologist, a 
bicycle rider, a magician or an elastic-skin 
man.” _ 
The Rural Patterus. 
A comfortable working gown need not 
necessarily be an unbecoming one, and 
the design illustrated will recommend 
itself to those who wish to look neat and 
trim while at their nousehold tasks. 
Preferably it is made of washable stuff, 
such as percale, in order that it may be 
laundered and made fresh at need; but 
flannelette is entirely suitable when 
greater warmth is required, as is any in¬ 
expensive lightweight woolen material. 
With the gown should be worn the sim¬ 
plest of neckties and belts. The waist 
is in spencer style, and differs from a 
shirt waist in extending to the waist 
line only. The back fits smoothly across 
the shoulders and is drawn down at the 
waist. The fronts are gathered at the 
neck and again at the waist line, and 
the entire lower edge of the waist is at¬ 
tached to the upper edge of the belt. 
The sleeves are in bishop style and are 
finished with pointed cuff bands that lap 
over at the seam and hook invisibly into 
place. At the neck is a shapely stand¬ 
ing collar. The waist is closed at the 
front with buttons and buttonholes. The 
skirt is cut in five gores and falls only 
to the floor. It fits smoothly across the 
front and about the hips, and is arranged 
in gathers at the back. The placket is 
made at the left front seam, where it 
closes invisibly, and the upper edge of 
the skirt is attached to the lower edge 
of the belt, the left half of the front gore 
being attached to the extra portion and 
hooked over into place. To cut this 
gown for a woman of medium size 7% 
yards of material 27 inches wide, seven 
yards 32 inches wide, or six yards 44 
inches wide, will be required. The pat¬ 
tern No. 3684 is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 
36, 38, 40 and 42-inch bust measure. 
Price 10 cents from this office. 
Eton jackets are unquestionably the 
favorites this Spring. The jaunty little 
model shown includes all the latest fea- 
3794 Eton Jacket, 
32 to 4 2 in. bust- 
tures, and can either be made with the 
vest and kaiser collar or without either, 
in the mess-coat style, as preferred. The 
original is of broadcloth in a shade of 
castor, with the vest white, closed with 
cut steel buttons, the collar white over¬ 
laid with appliquS in black, and makes 
part of a costume; but the same design 
is suited to all suiting materials, wool 
and linen, and to the general wrap. For 
the latter use, it is preferably black 
cloth, cheviot, taffeta or peau de soie, 
with the vest of embroidery or some 
such tone as castor, pastel, tan or gray. 
Made without the vest and collar it is 
simply stitched and worn plain, or 
with the addition of a collar of batiste 
or Russian lace, and becomes a most 
satisfactory light wrap for wear over 
all gowns. The back is seamless and 
absolutely smooth. The fronts are fitted 
with single darts and joined to the back 
by means of under-arm gores that are 
well shaped and aid in producing the 
perfect fit. The narrow vest is joined 
to the fronts at the darts, and the col¬ 
lar is attached to the neck and back and 
sides, flaring as it reaches the front. 
The sleeves are two-seamed and flare 
becomingly over the hands. To cut this 
jacket for a woman of medium size 2% 
yards of material 21 inches wide, two 
yards 32 inches wide, yard 44 inches 
wide, or 1% yard 60 inches wide will be 
required, with % yard in any width for 
vest and collar facings. The pattern. 
No. 3794 is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 
38, 40 and 42-inch bust measure. Price 
lo cents from this office. 
Preparing Codfish. 
When a codfish or a fraction of one is 
brought into the house it is a saving of 
time and patience to pick it up at once; 
that is, remove the bones and skin, and 
store it in empty fruit cans or a jar, then 
it is ready to use at a moment’s notice 
and there is no drying up hard, as is 
always the case when it is simply hung 
up. Dry bread may be broken up tol¬ 
erably fine and the same amount of 
shredded codfish added to it, the whole 
covered with water; butter and pepper 
may be added, and as it comes to a boil 
an egg stirred in briskly makes an 
agreeable addition. 
Another simple form of picked codfish 
is thus prepared: To a teacupful of cod¬ 
fish picked up and freshened add two 
teacupfuls of sweet milk, and set on the 
stove in a porcelain or other suitable 
dish. Take two tablespoonfuls of butter 
and rub into it about as much flour, and 
when the milk comes to a boil thicken 
with it, and stir well. One boil com¬ 
pletes it. AUNT RACHEL. 
The world loves a true and noble wo¬ 
man more than the greatest beauty that 
ever lived or the most brilliant intel¬ 
lect. Within the memory of every one 
there are noble, womanly lives, which 
have been dearer and better to us than 
the most brilliant women of history.— 
A. S. Atkinson. 
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