378 
May 25 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
From Day to Day. 
THE WESTERN BOY’S LAMENT. 
I wish’t I lived away down East, 
Where codfish salts the sea, 
And where the folks have pumpkin pie 
And apple-sass for tea. 
Us boys who’se livin’ here out West 
Don’t get more’n half a show; 
We don’t have nothin’ else to do 
But Just to sort of grow. 
Oh, if I was d bird I’d fly 
A million miles away. 
To where they feed their boys 
On pork and beans three times a day: 
To where the place they call the Hub 
Gives out its shining spokes. 
And where the folks—so Father says— 
Is mostly women folks. 
—Eugene Field’s “Sharps and Flats.” 
* 
Chamei-eon serge is one of the new 
materials; it is a close weave in change¬ 
able colors—blue and green, leaf green 
and violet, or brown and red. Taffeta 
straps are used to trim these serges. We 
also see a revival of calico this year; not 
sleazy cottons in ugly patterns, but crisp 
French and English prints, in a variety 
of beautiful colors. They have the 
smooth glazed surface of chintz, and 
many of them have handsome borders, 
as they had 15 or 20 years ago. The bor¬ 
ders form a very pretty and effective 
trimming, more suitable to the material 
than lace or embroidery. 
* 
A MAN recently caused a sensation in 
a Brooklyn street car by his ingenious 
baby carrier. He had an umbrella in one 
hand and a satchel in the other, while, 
dangling in front, apparently without 
any human support, was a contented 
baby. Closer investigation showed that 
the child was resting on a wicker seat 
closely resembling the top of a vegetable 
basket. To this two steel hoops were 
securely clamped, holding the child in, 
while a leather strap fastened to these 
hoops passed around the father’s neck. 
It was the general opinion of those who 
saw the device that the Brooklyn man 
could give points to an Indian squaw on 
the best way to carry a papoose. 
* 
SoY beans are said to be one of the 
best muscle-producing foods grown, con¬ 
taining a large proportion of protein. 
The Japanese eat little meat, but the 
Soy bean forms a large portion of their 
diet, and to this is ascribed their energy 
and endurance, which forms a strong 
contrast to the comparative indolence of 
the rice eaters. The North Carolina Ex¬ 
periment Station gives the following di¬ 
rections for preparing Soy beans: Soak 
the beans, until the skin rubs off, and 
stir until the skins rise to the surface. 
Boil the beans, with or without bacon, 
until soft; then season with salt, pepper 
and butter, and serve. The beans make 
an excellent substitute for meat, as far 
as nutritive value is concerned. 
« 
Each season we decide that, before 
another housecleaning time comes 
around, we will have all our implements 
and materials for the work on hand, and 
in good condition. One trifle, needed all 
the year round, but especially at clean¬ 
ing time, is a broom cover of canton 
flannel—several, rather, that they may 
be washed as necessary. They are very 
useful for dusting walls and ceilings. 
Make a bag large enough to lit over the 
broom, using the soft nap for the out¬ 
side; run a tape in the hem, by which it 
is drawn closely on the broom. Another 
good idea is to have a soap rack that 
may be hung on the edge of a pail; it 
saves soap, and also does away with the 
risk of falling on a slippery streak or 
bit of soap. These racks are sold in the 
large stores, or may be adapted from 
something else by a handy man. A 
small piece of oilcloth on which to stand 
the bucket when needful is another trifle 
that adds to one’s comfort. 
HanIBKerchief stock collars are 
among Spring accessories, some being 
made apparently of white hemstitched 
handkerchiefs with embroidered corners, 
others with colored borders. The stock 
is covered with folds of the material; 
two little corners furnish turnover 
points, and the other corners are twist¬ 
ed into a four-in-hand knot in front. 
With colored borders, one of the newest 
models has about one-quarter of the 
handkerchief falling like a cape in the 
back, from the top of the stock, while 
two ends are brought forward to tie in 
a knot in front. Their style depends 
entirely upon the way in which they are 
made; it must be owned that they rather 
suggest an old-fashioned sore throat on 
the part of the wearer. 
* 
The advice offered by the elder 3Ir. 
Weller concerning widows was appar¬ 
ently no new thing, for in the State 
archives of South Carolina is a time- 
stained document addressed to the Col¬ 
onial Governor, and bearing the date of 
1733. It is signed by 16 young women, 
and reads as follows: 
We, the humble petitioners, are at pres¬ 
ent in a very melancholy condition of 
mind considering how all the bachelors are 
blindly captured by widows and we are 
the maids are provided for, or else to pay, 
each of them a fine for satisfaction of in¬ 
vading on liberties and likewise a fine to 
be levied on all bachelors as shall be mar¬ 
ried to widows, 'rhe great disadvantage it 
is to us maids is that the widows by their 
forward carriage do snap up the young 
men and have the vanity to think their 
piqu6 or linen skirts to wear with shirt 
waists, ’rhe skirt is cut in five gores. 
The wide ones, at each side, are fitted 
with short hip darts, and the fullness at 
the back is laid in an inverted pleat. ’lo 
cut this skirt for a woman of medium 
size 11 yards of material 21 inches wide, 
8% yards 32 inches wide, 5% yards 44 
inches wide, 5^,4 yards 50 inches wide 
will be required. The pattern No. 3723 
is cut in sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 
32-inch waist measure; price 10 cents. 
3723 Five-Gb'red Skirt 
22 to 32 In. Waist. 
merits beyond ours, which is a great im¬ 
position to us who ought to have the 
preference. This is humbly recommended 
lo your excellency’s consideration and we 
hope you will permit no further Insults. 
These dissatisfied maidens apparently 
considered that if the widow was not 
burned on her husband’s funeral pyre, 
after the Hindu custom, she should at 
least be well roasted. 
The Rural Patterus. 
Tucked and pleated flounces are shar¬ 
ing popular favor with the gored style, 
and the skirt shown is well suited for 
girls’ wear, ’fhe skirt is cut in five gores 
and is laid in an inverted pleat at the 
back. The upper portion fits smoothly 
and snugly, but the shaping provides a 
graceful flare below the knees. As 
Out-of-Doors. 
She knew that she ought to go out for 
the fresh air every day. She read a great 
deal about the necessity of exercise out 
of doors, and she believed in it theoretic¬ 
ally. In practice, however, there were 
many days when she hardly stepped out 
of the house. There would be a bit of 
work that she wished to finish, or the 
weather was disagreeable. She lived on 
a farm, so there was no marketing to 
take her out. One Winter two things 
combined to make her get more air. She 
had two diaries given her at Christmas, 
and the horse went lame. She always 
kept a diary, but this year, as both those 
given her were very nice ones, she de¬ 
cided to keep both of them. One was to 
contain observations on nature. After a 
week or so she found that if she noted 
down only the things seen from the 
house windows her nature diary would 
contain little besides weather. So she 
felt the necessity of going out every day 
to get material. She did not go far, but 
she always found something of interest, 
if nothing more than the actions of a 
flock of snowbirds. 
The other factor—the horse—was the 
cause of her taking an unusual amount 
of walking exercise. She lived more 
shown the flounce arranged in groups 
of tucks is applied over the lower edge than a mile from the post office, and she 
and makes a becoming and fashionable liked to hear from it often 
3807 Misses’ Five-Gored Skirt, 
10 to 16 years. 
thereby neglected. In consequence of this 
our request is that your excellency will, 
for the future, order that no widow will 
presume to marry any young man until 
finish, but the skirt can be left plain 
when desired, as it is cut full length and 
extends beneath the flounce. To cut this 
skirt for a miss of 14 years of age 6% 
yards of material 22 inches wide, 6% 
yards 27 inches wide, 6% yards 32 inches 
wide or 3% yards 44 inches wide will be 
required. The pattern No. 3807 is cut 
in sizes for misses of 10, 12, 14 and 16 
years of age; price 10 cents. 
The woman’s skirt with circular 
flounces is of advantage when making 
over fabrics which may have to be 
pieced, since the flounces would hide 
any joins. It is a very graceful shape, 
and is specially commendable for duck. 
She had not 
supposed that she could walk so far, but 
she found it a benefit and a pleasure. 
Her conclusions at the end of the Win¬ 
ter were as follows: “Every woman 
ought to spend at least a half hour out 
of doors every day of her life, and espe¬ 
cially during the Winter. If she cannot 
force herself to do it, knowing that she 
ought to, and that it will make her feel 
better, she should go to work and invent 
something to take her out, and to give 
her an interest in out-of-door life.” 
K. s. 
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R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
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This is the Smallest 
WlCKtE55 n^eOllSTOVE 
