874 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 28 
Woman and Home ] 
house year after year, scolding her hus¬ 
band severely at bedtime; no doubt she 
was telling him that she was just tireci 
to death, after being on her wings all 
day looking after the children! 
A Handy Dish Closet. 
From Day to Day. 
PA’S AWFUL IGNORANCE. 
Most every day when I’m at school 
The teacher tells us things 
■tbout the birds and animals 
And picsidents and kings, 
And then, at night, when I ast pa 
If what she says is so. 
He reads his paper right aiong 
And says: “Oh, I dunno!” 
One day she told us that the world 
Is round, just like a ball. 
And that there’s nothing down below 
It's standin’ on at all. 
I ast pa if she told the truth. 
He read his paper, though. 
And put his feet up on a chair. 
And said: “Oh, I dunno!’’ 
And once the teacher said the sky 
Ain’t heaven’s floor, and tried 
To make us think no angels walk 
Along the other side. 
And so that night I ast my pa. 
And all he said was: “Oh, 
Don't bo!her n.e about such things, 
I’m busy—I dunno!” 
One time a bigger boy he said 
The doctor didn’t bring 
My little baby sister in 
A box—no such thing! 
That night I ast my pa if what 
That big boy said was so. 
And pa he answered: “Oh, keep still— 
('nnfound it, I dunno!” 
1 used to kind of think somehow 
That my pa knew a lot— 
Rut that was wrong, or if he did 
I guess that he’s forgot. 
Since I’ve got started into school. 
Most every day or so 
I hear about a hundred things 
Pa doesn’t seem to know. 
—Chicago Record-Herald. 
* 
A WRITER in the London Hospital says 
that “for strangers to kiss a baby is a 
piece of abominable impertinence.” 
Careful mothers will agree with this, 
though they may not accept the further 
assertion that this salutation is “an un¬ 
forgivable sanitary sin.” 
* 
Vegetarle parchment paper is now 
prepared especially for household use. 
It toughens when wet, and is airtight; 
hence is very useful to wrap up meat 
or fish. It does not tear like ordinary 
paper, and is excellent to use in the bot¬ 
tom of cake tins when baking. The 
manufacturers highly recommend the 
use of parchment paper as a dishcloth; 
it is tough enough for the purpose, and 
may be burned after using. 
* 
L\ cooking cranberries, which are al¬ 
ways a Winter relish, the sugar should 
never be added until the berries crack 
open; if sweetened before this the fruit 
is tough and hard. Of course this fruit 
must always be cooked in agate, porce¬ 
lain or stoneware; it is too acid for con¬ 
tact with metal. A nice way to serve 
cranberry jelly is to mold in glasses, 
then turn out and cut in slices like 
bread. A round slice of the ruby jelly, 
with a little heap of vfhipped cream up¬ 
on it, makes a very pretty dessert. 
* 
A MERE man suggests that the shape¬ 
less raglans that are so popular for wo¬ 
men’s wear offer an inviting field for 
inexperienced amateur seamstresses. If 
a raglan appears to fit it isn’t a fit, ac¬ 
cording to fashion’s requirements; the 
more “slack” there is at the waist and 
the more dip at the hem the better. The 
raglan is certainly a leveling and demo¬ 
cratic garment; in it all women appear 
upon an equal level of unshapeliness. 
It rages with great violence everywhere, 
but has become so common that it will 
soon lose favor, and by another season 
will be advised only in its proper place; 
that of a useful extra wrap to wear in 
stormy weather, or to cover a gown that 
needs protection. It is, properly, a driv¬ 
ing rather than a walking coat. One of 
the humors of the season is to see a wo¬ 
man trailing through the city streets 
with a raglan which rests an inch or 
two on the ground all round, striving at 
the same time to hold up a long-tailed 
frock which, with the innate depravity 
of such garments, insists on dipping 
down in a series of scallops. There are 
some fashions that cause one to endorse, 
temporarily at least, the opinion of those 
ancient theologians who argued that wo¬ 
man is not to be regarded as a reason¬ 
ing being. 
* 
A READER asks what the cold cream 
used as an emollient for chapped and 
roughened skin is made from. Its prop¬ 
er constituents are oil of sweet almonds, 
white wax, spermaceti and rose water, 
but many of the cheap and highly per¬ 
fumed creams sold contain less innocent 
ingredients. Our formula is: White 
wax and spermaceti, of each one ounce; 
oil of sweet almonds, five ounces; rose 
SECOND-PRIZE PICTURE IN THE PHOTO¬ 
GRAPHIC COMPETITION. 
The accompanying picture illustrates 
a dish closet built over an opening, left 
in the wall between kitchen and dining¬ 
room. It is built on the dining-room 
side. The door on the kitchen side does 
not extend down to the floor, only to 
the lower shelf. The drawers are a 
handy place in which to keep table 
linen, towels, etc. hrs. hugh aiton. 
Best Squash and Pumpkins 
for Pies. 
What varieties of squash and pumpkin 
aio best for pie •making’:' VVIiich have the 
richest and driest flesh? reader. 
The little sugar pumpkin and the 
Hubbard squash are the best for pies. 
I asked one woman what squash she 
liked best, and vShe said “these little 
sugar pumpkins.” When pressed fur¬ 
ther she said if she had to use squash 
she preferred Hubbard. Two others 
that I asked declared in favor of the 
Hubbard. A good squash should be so 
hard-shelled that it has to be chopped 
open with an ax or else dropped on the 
stone doorstep. Then scoop out the 
A CANADIAN DISH CLOSET, Fig. 394, 
Second Prize in Photographic Competition. 
water, iy 2 ounce, in which a pinch of 
borax (2C grains) is dissolved. Shave 
up the wax and spermaceti and with the 
oil, put in a little porcelain kettle over 
a slow heat. (Our mixing vessel is a 
Dundee mamalade pot, put towards the 
back of the stove.) When melted to¬ 
gether remove from the stove and stir 
in the rose water, which may be warmed 
by standing the bottle in a pan of hot 
water. Stir thoroughly together; some 
say beat together with an egg beater, 
but we have never done this. If further 
perfume is desired, add before it thick¬ 
ens. This is not troublesome to make; 
is cheaper than the readymade article, 
and one has confidence in its ingredients. 
* 
Any mother who thinks that the aver¬ 
age boy has a cavernous appetite should 
study the housewifely exertions of a 
small bird with a nest full of hungry 
nurslings. A naturalist who watched a 
wren’s nest last Summer states that 
Mrs. Wren made 110 trips to her nest 
during four hours and a half, and this 
was the bill of fare devoured by her 
three children: Twenty green caterpil¬ 
lars, 16 May flies, 29 unidentified in¬ 
sects, 11 worms, two bugs, 10 grasshop¬ 
pers, seven spiders, and a chrysalis or 
two. We have often heard a wren of 
our acquaintance, who nested near the 
seeds and steam the pieces, shells, 
squash and all, and when tender, dry a 
little in the oven and then scrape out 
the flesh. s. b. r. 
BIGGER BOX 
I SAME PRICE 
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THE MODERN STOVE POLISH 
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Easily Applied, 
Absolutely 
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LIQUID- 
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When you write advertisers mention The 
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“a square deal.” See our guarantee Sth page. 
Faming^ 
Pin-Money 
One woman made $1485 
last year doing easy work 
for The Ladies’ Home 
Journal and The Satur¬ 
day Evening Post. She 
did not have to work nearly 
so hard as some women do 
to earn half that. 
There is no chance about 
it. You are sure of what 
you earn ; and you can get 
a money prize besides. 
XHe Curtis 
PublisKin^ Company 
PbiladelpHia 
STEEL RANGES 
Direct from the Alakers. 
Freight prepaid, priviiege 
of examination. i f you do not 
like it you pay nothing. 
Where we have no agents 
we wiil sell you the best steel 
range in the market at 
who les ale price. 62 
styles to choose from. 
We are theonly manu¬ 
facturers of steel ranges 
selling direetto the con¬ 
sumer at wholesale. 
Catalogue and price list 
free. Send for them 
today. 
DETROIT STEEL RANGE CO., 
8 WlOMAN PLACE, DETROIT. MICH. 
BEFORE BUYING 
A NEW HARNESS alogue glv- 
— Ing full de¬ 
scription and prices of all kinds of single and 
double harness and save 25 per cent. 
King Harness Co. 510 Church St., Owego.N.Y. 
cider Machinery.—Send for catalogue to Boomer & 
Boschert Press Co., 118 West Water St.,Syracuse.N.Y. 
§ M FringeCardf, Love,Tianeparent, 
I M ■ cort A Acquaintance Card*. New Poislea, 
• wfc ■ New Games, Premium ArtloleByfta. Fineet 
Sample Book of Visiting A Hidden Name 
Cards, Biggest Catalogue. Send 3o. stamp 
for^ OHIO CA&D CO., CADIZ, OHIO. 
OC VyV No. 6 Comic or Business Return Bn- 
JLJ AAA velopes, with your name, business and 
address printed In upper left band corner, lOc.; 100 
for 30c., postpaid. Eogan S. Ellis, Loganvilie, O. 
Taught thoroughly and quickly. Positions secured 
Expenses low. Catalogue free. 
Eastern Telegraph School, Box 6, Lebanon, Pa 
SAIV JOSE SCALE. 
And other Insects can be Controlled by Using 
Cood's Caustic Potash Whate- 
Oil Tobacco Soap No. 6. 
Kegs, 60 lbs. ea., 5Hc. lb. H Bbl., about276 lbs., 4e. lb 
Kegs, 100 lbs. ea., bo. lb. Bbls., about 426 lbs., SMo.lb 
Kegs. 170 lbs. ea., lb. 
Large quantities Special Rates. Send for Clrcalers. 
JAMES GOOD, 937 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
BARGAINS IN 
Fruit Packages, 
Berry, Grape, Peach, Crates, 
Tills, Baskets, etc. 
Our mills must dispose of surplus stock. Buy your 
supplies early. 
COLES & COMPANY, 
109 & 111 Warren Street, New York. 
RUBEROID 
■Z'ZXX] 
poultry-houseI 
ROOFING 
As a water-proof covering for Poultry-1 
I Houses, RU BEROID has no equal. Keeps 
the bouses cool during the warm weather, [ 
and warm in Winter, and the chicks dry and | 
I comfortable. The sun cannot melt it. 
THE STANDARD PAINT CO., 
100 William Street, 
NEW YORK. 
