762 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 9 
From Day to Day. 
THE BAD BOY’S BRAVERY. 
I ain’t afraid of lickin’s 
And I ain’t afraid to stay 
Away from school sometimes 
When no one says I may; 
I ain’t afraid to jump 
On cars that’s runnin’ fast, 
I ain’t afraid of horses, 
And I bet you that I dast 
Throw pebbles at the grocery boy 
When he goes drivin’ past; 
I ain’t afraid of Grandma 
And I ain’t afraid of Pa; 
I ain’t afraid of nothing 
A body ever saw. 
And once I shot a pistol 
And nearly hit the mark— 
But I wish folks needn’t ever 
Go to bed up where it’s dark. 
—Chicago Record-Herald. 
Every girl ought to be taught to pick 
her companions, but not necessarily to 
pick them to pieces. 
« 
The most thoroughly adequate sweep¬ 
ing cap we have seen was made in the 
shape of an apron, 12 inches wide and 
24 inches long, put into a band without 
gathers. The band, which ends in short 
strings, is passed around the forehead, 
and tied at the back of the neck. This 
cap protects the head thoroughly, does 
not disarrange the hair, and can be 
washed and ironed as easily as a duster. 
It is not so picturesque as a coquettish 
mob cap with a frill, but it does the 
work expected of it far better. 
• 
One of our friends who believes in a 
place for everything, has a number of 
racks made to store window screens dur¬ 
ing the Winter. The racks are made of 
inch strips, each one being large enough 
to contain the screens from one room, 
slipped in on edge. Each rack is marked 
with the name of the room to which it 
belongs, so, when the screens are needed 
again, there is no hunt through a care¬ 
less pile to find the one wanted. The 
racks take up little room in the attic, 
and there is no risk of screens being 
warped or knocked around. 
« 
We have heard of an unusuai number 
of cases this Fall where serious trouble 
has resulted from ivy poisoning, and it 
sees a matter where a little nature study 
is urgently needed. Poison ivy (botani¬ 
cal ly, Rhus radicans) is also known as 
poison oak; three-leaved ivy, mercury 
or markry, markweed and pickry. It is 
not a true ivy, but forms a fringe of 
aerial roots, which holds it to its sup¬ 
port, as the true ivy does. Though 
usually climbing or trailing, it some¬ 
times grows in shrub form. Its leaves 
are variable in shape, often like box 
elder, but grow three in a cluster, a 
peculiarity which at once distinguishes 
it from the innocent five-fingered Vir¬ 
ginia creeper. It has waxy white berries 
that often remain on the plant all Win¬ 
ter. The poison is an oil, insoluble in 
water; therefore, it can only be washed 
otf the skin with alcohol. Witch hazel 
is a good remedy for ivy poisoning, and 
one usually at hand, but the best appli¬ 
cation is an alcoholic solution of sugar 
of lead. The alcohol should not be too 
strong (50 to 75 per cent); to this pow¬ 
dered sugar of lead is added until no 
more will easily dissolve. This is 
rubbed well into the affected skin, and 
repeated as necessary. This lead solu¬ 
tion is very poisonous if taken internal¬ 
ly. As a means of destroying the poison 
ivy, concentrated suiphuric acid is rec¬ 
ommended, a half teaspoonful being ap¬ 
plied to the roots every few weeks dur¬ 
ing the growing season. The acid must 
be handled carefully, as it is highly cor¬ 
rosive. Wood overgrown with poison 
ivy should never be used as fuel, as the 
fumes from it often cause a painful af¬ 
fection of the eyes. This malignant 
plant takes on such brilliant tints in the 
Autumn that people often pluck the 
gorgeous leaves for ornaments, to repent 
bitterly at leisure, though some are im¬ 
mune against it. 
A READER asks how to clean light-col¬ 
ored gloves with dry powder. We al¬ 
ways clean light gloves with benzine, but 
the following dry cleaning is recom¬ 
mended: First rub with clean fiannel 
and cream of tartar. Leave for an hour. 
3954 Home Gown. 
32 to 42 Bust. 
then rub with fuller’s earth and pow¬ 
dered alum in equal parts. Next day 
brush with a clean, soft brush, and finish 
by rubbing with dry oatmeal to which a 
little whiting has been added, following 
with a dry cloth for a final rub. This is 
a good way to clean white kid slippers. 
Benzine gives a satisfactory method of 
cleansing light kid, and if che articles 
are hung in an airy place for several 
hours afterward the odor passes away. 
It must always be remembered, how¬ 
ever, that the benzine is highly inflam¬ 
mable and explosive. It should be used 
by daylight only, and kept away from 
the vicinity of any fire. A high-grade 
benzine should be used only, as there 
appears to be danger of ignition from 
friction with a poor quality. Chloro¬ 
form is also used to clean gloves. 
« 
One often meets with people who 
proudly declare that they never change 
their minds, apparently under the im¬ 
pression that an unchanging adherence 
to a wrong idea is more commendable 
than an occasional variation towards a 
right one. The fact is that such people 
resemble the lobster in the “Water 
Babies,” who preferred to lose his claw 
rather than let go, after once taking 
hold. Few people are so wise that they 
never need to change their minds. Down 
near Salem, Mass., are two old-maid sis¬ 
ters of the name of Witherspoon, who 
quarreled over the seats they should oc¬ 
cupy at the funeral of their mother. The 
elder claimed the privilege of sitting 
next to the coffin. The younger assent¬ 
ed, but when thd service began took her 
chair around to the other side, so that 
she sat next to the coffin, also, and, as it 
happened, on the right side. The elder, 
indignant at being outwittea in such a 
manner, vowed that she would never 
speak to her sister again, and has been 
stubborn enough to hold her tongue. 
Living near Newburyport, Mass., are two 
sisters who, in 1879, quarreled over the 
best method of preserving tomatoes. 
They separated in anger, both refused 
to apologize, and, although they live in 
the same town, they have never made 
up or spoken to each other since. Their 
husbands and families are friendly, and 
visit back and forth daily. Such people 
as these would certainly do well to 
change their minds for another and a 
better one. 
The Rural Patterns. 
The pretty home gown shown is maae 
of turquoise blue challie with black fig¬ 
ures, the front and undersleeves being 
of plain blue Sapho satin; the revers 
of black velvet and the edging of fancy 
galloon, in which threads of gold ai*e 
woven; but many equally satisfactory 
materials might be suggested. Cash- 
mere, albatross, princess crepe, nun’s 
veiling and French flannel are all fash¬ 
ionable, while soft silk always makes a 
handsome gown. The back is fitted with 
a center seam, side-backs and under¬ 
arm gores, that curve to the figure and 
give a princess effect. The full front is 
tucked to yoke depth, then falls free, its 
edges being attached under the fronts 
proper, which are turned back to form 
revers. Beneath is a snugly fitted body 
hning that extends slightly below the 
waist line. The fancy sleeves are ar¬ 
ranged over fitted linings and are curved 
at the lower edge, where they fall over 
soft puffs. At the front is a velvet rib¬ 
bon that is attached at the under-arm 
seams, brought around to the front and 
bowed. To cut this gown for a woman 
of medium size 13 yards of material 21 
inches wide, Ij. yards 27 inches wide, or 
7 yards 44 inches wide will be required, 
with 21/4 yards 21 inches wide for full 
front and undersleeves and % yard of 
velvet to trim as illustrated. The pat¬ 
tern, 3954, is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 
38, 40 and 42 inch bust measure; price, 
10 cents, from this office. 
The graceful walking skirt shown in¬ 
cludes some of the newest features. The 
back is cut with the new ripple that 
falls in graceful folds from a few inches 
below tne belt, and the flounce means 
both flare and freedom. The original is 
made of homespun in mixed shades of 
brown and tan, but all checks, cheviots 
and skirting materials are appropriate. 
The skirt is cut in five gores, the side 
gores being narrow, and is without full¬ 
ness at the belt. The flounce is gradu¬ 
ated in width, and is seamed to the 
lower edge. At the right side is placed 
a patch pocket with tiirn-nver flap. To 
cut this skirt for a woman of medium 
size 6% yards of material 27 inches wide. 
3D1G Walking Skirt. 
22 to 30 waist. 
3% yards 44 inches wide, or 3% yards 
50 inches wide will be required. The 
pattern, 3916, is cut in sizes for a 22, 24, 
26, 28 and 30-inch waist measurement; 
price, 10 cents. 
Preaching and prayer are good for 
those who can attend upon them, but 
they will never by themselves convince 
the world. It is action and example, a 
life fully lived out, that has power over 
mankind.—William H. Fremantle. 
Great men are the fire-pillars in this 
dark pilgrimage of mankind; they stand 
as heavenly signs, everlasting witnesses 
of what has been, prophetic tokens of 
what may still be, the revealed, em¬ 
bodied possibilities of human nature.— 
Thomas Carlyle. 
A Photographic Competition. 
prizes for pictures of household 
.SUR.TKCTS. 
As announced three weeks ago, the 
Woman and Home Department offers the 
following prizes for the best pictures 
illustrating domestic subjects: 
First Prize, $7.00 
Second Prize, $5.00 
Third Prize, .$3.00 
The subject should illustrate, prefer¬ 
ably, some idea of convenience, comfort, 
or saving of labor, but domestic epi¬ 
sodes which form effective pictures will 
be considered. We desire photographs 
that show something, but that will also 
make attractive pictures. The prize 
winners will be asked to furnish de¬ 
scriptive notes to accompany the illus¬ 
trations. The competition will be open 
until December 1. In addition to the 
prize-winners, other pictures which, 
though failing to receive a prize, are still 
considered worthy of use in illustrating, 
will be paid for upon use at our regular 
rates. Address all matter relating to 
this to the Woman and Home Depart¬ 
ment of The R. N.-Y. 
A Trek to the South. 
Part II. 
Passing through Keeseville, we finally 
reached a lovely place, beside a dear 
little lake, where we staid over nignt. 
The people were as good and kind to us 
as they could be. We were off early, and 
then, on our way, had breakfast. At 
noon we reached a pine grove, nice and 
dry, and I went to a cottage, made some 
tea, and we had a real good lunch. While 
I was fixing the tea, I talked to the 
woman, and found out that she was 48 
years old, and had had 16 children. 1 
asked her when she was married, and 
she said, ‘When I was 18.” I remarked: 
“Well, that did not give you much 
time for fun beforehand.” 
She was mopping the floor, and she 
gave the mop a fling, with: 
“Well, I’m sure I have not had much 
fun since! ’ 
The horses are well, and Gray felt so 
good that she wanted to roll with her 
harness on. We shall not run any risks, 
and, till it is warm and dry, will not 
camp out nights. There are ways and 
places of stopping so that it will not be 
too expensive for our pocketbooks, and 
we are getting on nicely and having a 
good time. You remember who it was 
that said, “It does not do to be too 
proud; one ought to accept things?” I 
am going to try this Summer and see 
how that works. 
Fred has his first soldering job. Where 
we are staying the tea kettle and coffee 
pot had given out. Fred is glad to fix 
them. We are putting up here till Mon¬ 
day. The people are French, and are 
very nice. We find that we cannot go 
very fast, but we will get there in time, 
all the same. 
CONSUMPTION 
Right food—right medicine 
—right time—these three 
things are of the utmost impor¬ 
tance to the consumptive. 
Right food and right medicine 
—these are contained in Scott’s 
Emulsion of pure cod-liver oil. 
Right time is at first sign of 
disease. Right time is now. 
Scott’s Emulsion always 
helps, often cures. Ordinary 
food helps feed. Eresh air 
helps cure. Scott’s Emulsion 
does both. Begin early. 
We’ll send you a little to try, if j'ou like. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, 409 Pearl street. New York. 
