1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
543 
The Spinster’s Portion. 
Probably many noticed the coincidence; 
on page 427 of onr Rural Round Table, 
Opportunity held out a hand ready to 
dispense weekly relays of silver, and on 
page 44G poorly-requited Toil bemoaned 
itself. Not to probe too deeply into those 
privileges of make-believe which are a 
writer’s own little jokes amid much that 
is far from amusing, let us drop personal¬ 
ities and wonder afresh over this vexed 
matter, the lack of connection between 
wage payers and unremunerated toil. 
The question being too big for a 10 
minutes’ handling, narrow it down to the 
cases we all could cite of lonely, narrow- 
lived country spinsters, pinched in purse, 
soul and possibly diet, yet living on and 
on as if there were no better fate possible 
to them. 
Here are two sisters making a little 
home for themselves on an acre of land. 
They raise poultry, do plain sewing when 
it offers, weave carpets, perhaps, try to sell 
the crocheting they do—any way by hook 
—but not by crook—they turn a penny. 
For there are taxes to pay. a little insur¬ 
ance and interest, maybe, the omnipresent 
rainy day always staring them in the face 
with old age menacing on the near hori¬ 
zon. They fall sick and pay perfectly dis¬ 
couraging doctor’s bills; there is never a 
cent but by rigorous self denial for church 
or Christmas. They have a friend, left 
with a farm and the blessed memory of 
having nursed and comforted two old 
parents adown the evening slopes of life. 
This woman—widow or spinster, it is 
all the same—has heavier burdens of 
taxes, interest and insurance. She under¬ 
stands the rotation of crops, the use and 
needs of her home acres. She hires, and 
struggles to realize her purposes; is 
cheated, taken advantage of and reduced 
to almost utter disbelief in the honesty 
or kindness of man. Yet she loves every 
meadow, pasture and wood lot upon her 
farm. She works like a galley slave, 
and all for the outlook of “keeping the 
land in the family.” Yet the nephew who 
will inherit it wastes nothing more than 
pretty speeches upon her, and will very 
likely leave his property to his wife, who 
will in turn hand it on to a second hus¬ 
band’s children. ‘Tis a mutable life, this 
one of inheriting and bequeathing, yet 
these three women are living theirs as if 
they were trees'rooted on cobbly hillsides 
and destined to subsist on rain and dew 
mostly. 
Why do they cling so to their meager 
homes and restricted lives? They are 
past the age for dreaming of a type¬ 
writer’s or “saleslady’s” career. But they 
work early and late, are faithful, capable 
and blessed with what Mrs. Stowe called 
“faculty.”- All over our prosperous 
Union are women with pocketsful of 
money bemoaning their cares, their re¬ 
sponsibilities. their inability to find com¬ 
petent help. Not each one of them has 
the fellow feeling and kindness of heart 
to make it a pleasure to work at her side, 
but neither do our narrow-lived spinsters 
find themselves much pampered in the 
places they cling to. Not all positions 
with families are to be counted as menial. 
One must serve to be sure, but the mother 
must serve, all must serve in some cap¬ 
acity in this world, or be accounted un¬ 
profitable servants when they stand before 
their Judge. 
What gets my lonely spinster for her 
tenacious hold upon her home? Independ¬ 
ence? The independence of having a sur¬ 
plus of well-earned money to spend counts 
up well against that of thinking one can 
alway do as one pleases. It takes money 
along with leisure to do much independ¬ 
ent living. A home? But one room can 
be as truly a home as five, and the com¬ 
forts of a poorly equipped little cottage 
make small show when compared with 
those of a luxurious dwelling which even 
the servants share. 
Yet why argue the case. “When a 
woman will, she will, and when she won’t, 
she won’t.” In this case when she hugs 
the home and “independence” she so 
values it should be recognized that unless 
unusually sweet-natured and content she 
also clasps to her heart a poverty which 
cramps and embitters. A narrow life 
lived only for self turns generous natures 
sour and self-centered ones into fossils. 
Instincts of thrift and careful planning, 
when crowded by necessity, push people 
into attitudes which endanger self re¬ 
spect and kill out generosity and a happy, 
free spirit. We all remember how our 
unselfish friend, Charity Sweetheart, 
blamed herself for grudging her brother, 
not the fine feeling of liberality he en¬ 
joyed in giving away their maple syrup, 
but her own pettiness in counting how 
many hours of toil, how much careful 
attention to details every ounce of the 
syrup had cost. 
One point must not be overlooked. An 
old dog loathes new tricks, his very bones 
cling to the bare hoards of his own fire¬ 
side and quietness withal. After 50 most 
people prefer the ills they have to flying 
into others they know not of. None of 
us must lay down Heaven-imposed bur¬ 
dens in the hope of finding wider useful¬ 
ness and more broadening experiences. 
But there are those who know that a 
choice will some day come. All well 
taken decisions depend upon the ideals 
and ponderings of quiet nights and days 
long before. To know what we want to 
do is to put ourselves into unconscious 
preparation for it. No one is old till 
petrified by habit and dislike of change. 
PRUDENCE PRIMROSE. 
The Rural Patterns. 
Guimpe dresses are always among the 
best liked for young girls and this season 
the skeleton form is a favorite one. Illus¬ 
trated is a charming little frock that shows 
a novelty of the sort combined with a 
guimpe of white lawn and which is suited 
to almost all seasonable materials. The 
dress is made with waist portions and 
skirt, which are joined by a belt, and in¬ 
cludes suspenders over the shoulders 
which are cut out at their centers to allow 
the guimpe to be shown beneath. The 
guimpe itself is a simple one. tucked to 
form a yoke, and includes bishop sleeves, 
and both it and the dress are closed 
invisibly at the center back. The quan¬ 
tity of material required for the medium 
size (10 years) is 4^4 yards 27, 4 yards 
32 or 3)4 yards 44 inches wide with 1% 
yards 36 inches wide for the guimpe. The 
pattern 5043 is cut in sizes for girls of 
6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 years of age; price 10 
cents from this office. 
The skirt. No. 5041, is cut in eight gores 
there being inverted plaits at each seam 
5041 Eight Gored Skirt, 22 to 30 waist. 
with an additional txck at each side, which 
serve to give the box plaited effect. Over 
the seams are applied the pointed straps, 
which extend for a portion of the length 
only, and are held by ornamental buttons. 
The quantity of material required for the 
medium size is 10 yards 27, 6)4 yards 
44 or 5)4 52 inches wide. The pattern 
5041 is cut in sizes for a 22. 24, 26, 28 
and 30 inch waist measure; price 10 cents. 
The Floor Problem. 
It is a puzzling question,—how to treat 
one’s floors. Ingrain carpets are dusty, 
bare floors are cold, borders of bare floor 
with art square in center need constant 
attention to keep the border free from 
dust; matting is pretty and cool for Sum¬ 
mer, but will not stand hard usage. 1 
talked with a housekeeper of a dozen 
years’ experience who had tried all these 
ways, and she said very decidedly that for 
herself the best way was to have a border 
of matting with a large square rug in the 
middle of the room. She likes Axminister 
carpeting best, getting it by the yard witli 
a border to match sewed around the out¬ 
side. The first few times it sweeps very 
hard, but if it is swept in the same direc¬ 
tion every time the nap will become 
stroked that way so that it will sweep 
easily. It wears very well, this lady hav¬ 
ing one that has been in constant usage— 
and very hard usage—for 12 years, and 
looking soft and nice now. Light “wood" 
tints are pretty and will not show dirt as 
do darker colors. The matting for the 
border should be of a fine weave, as it 
wears better than the coarse. It comes in 
many pretty colors and patterns. 
s. B. ROBBINS. 
i 
Cooking Utensils. —It is a good plan 
to keep spiders, kettles and saucepans as 
clean outside as any other dish; it is 
really less trouble in the long run. There 
is no need of getting enamel-ware sauce¬ 
pans and kettles black and smoky. Very 
little time is gained, when wood is burned, 
by setting them into the stove, as things 
will cook nearly as fast on top, and the 
bottom of the dish will get very smoky. 
Then if it is set on a table or shelf it 
will make a mark that will be hard to 
remove. Many times the dishwater is 
cold and greasy by the time the pots and 
kettles are reached, but it is better to take 
fresh water and have it hot and soapy 
and wash these dishes so they may be 
wiped on the dish-towel. If one must set 
kettles into the fire, it is a good plan to 
have certain ones for this purpose and 
never set any others in. s. b. r. 
Every woman is happy with her work 
well laid out before her for some few 
straight-going hours. Her occupation is 
so apt ordinarily to consist chiefly in in¬ 
terruptions.—A. D. T. Whitney. 
WnEN you write advertisers mention The 
U. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal." See guarantee, page S. 
THE 
R1DEAU 
LAKES. 
The Rideau River, lakes and 
canal, a unique region, compara¬ 
tively unknown, but affording the 
most novel experience of any trip 
in America. An inland waterway 
between the St. Lawrence River 
at Kingston and the Ottawa River 
at Ottawa; every mile affords a 
new experience. It is briefly 
described in No. 34 of the “ Four- 
Track Series,” “ To Ottawa, Ont., 
Via the Rideau Lakes and River,” 
issued by the 
NEW YORK CENTRAL 
A copy will be mailed free on receipt of 
a two-cent stamp, by George H. Daniels, 
General Passenger Agent, Grand Central 
Station, New York. 
THE HESSLER 
Best and cheap¬ 
est Rural Mail 
Box on the Mar¬ 
ket Fully ap¬ 
proved by Post¬ 
master General. 
Big profits for 
agents. We want 
an agent inevery 
town. Souvenir 
Buttons free on 
application A 
large, strong box 
Rural Mail box. and a small price. 
H. E. Hessler Go., Factory 8, Syracuse, N.Y. 
27 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE 
Is behind every 
CALDWELL 
TANK AND TOWER 
WE BUILD. 
Onr Tanks are tight and durable. 
Our Towers will stand in any storm. 
Get our references in your section. Also 
our Illustrated catalogue ami price list. 
W. K. CALDWELL CO. 
Louisville, Ky 
THE MARK AND THE MOTTO 
The Recollection of Quality 
Remains Long After 
The Price is Forgotten” 
Trado Mark Registered. 
C.SlMMOYs 
Km 
KulUR 
The difference in worth between a 
good tool and a pooi one is always 
more than the difference in coat. 
Counting tho time wasted in constant 
sharpening and the short life of infer¬ 
ior tools, a poor tool is really more ex¬ 
pensive than a good one. 
Whenever you need a tool of any kind. 
It will pay you to buy the Keen'Kutter 
brand, and have the best. AH kinds of 
tools are made under this name, and every 
kind represents the very highest quality of 
muteriul, workmanship and finish. 
Keen 
mm 
tools have been the standard of America for 30 years 
and are the only complete lino of tools ever to re¬ 
ceive an award at a great exposition—the Keen Kut- 
ter line being awarded the Grand Prize at the St. 
Louis Fair. 
Following are some of the kinds of tools made under the 
Keen Kutter Brand: Axes, Adzes, Hammers, Hatchets,Chisels, 
Screw Drivers, Auger Bits, Files, Planes, Draw Knives, Saws, 
Tool Cabinets, Scythes, Hay Knives, Grass Hooks, Brush Hooks, 
Corn Knives, Trowels, Pruning Shears, Tinners’Snips, Scissors, Eye 
Hoes, Shears, Hair Clippers, Horse Shears, Razors, etc., and knives of 
all kinds. 
If your dealer does not keep Keen Kutter Tools write us 
and learn where to get them. Send for Tool Booklet. 
SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY. 
St. Louis, U. S. A. 
298 Broadway, New York. 
Get it 
from, your 
Druggist, 
STRENGTH-GIVER, 
JAYNE-’S TONIC VERMIFUGE, 
For WOMEN , 
CHILDREN 
and MEN 
