1905. 
V. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Charity Sweetheart’s Letters. 
Once more “school keeps,” and the boys 
have put on their second best suits, 
strapped their books over their shoulders, 
and marched off to it. The house is very 
quiet, for Minty is still a semi-invalid, 
and we miss the cheery whistling, the 
little anecdotes they tell, and the track of 
muddy boots over the floor. Bless the 
boys, big and little; it would be a dark 
world if they were always at “school,” 
for they are the light of home, with all 
their little faults! We know that Cleve¬ 
land is. fitful and grasping, that Grant with 
all his generous impulses is quick-tem¬ 
pered, and that Sherman is selfish, but 
none of us is qualified to “cast the first 
stone,” and I often think when impatient 
of the faults of those dear to me of the 
pleading lines: 
So many little faults we find. 
We see them; for not blind 
Is love. We see them, but if you and I 
Perhaps remember them some by and by, 
They will not be 
Faults then, grave faults to you and me, 
But just odd ways—mistakes, or even less—- 
Remembrances to bless. 
These thoughts should make us tolerant 
of the failings of the young, who have 
yet to learn life’s lessons in the hard 
school of experience. 
I have been making a little pocket 
money lately from homemade candies, and 
find it both pleasant and profitable employ¬ 
ment. The nearest st^re took it at first; 
then I sent it in to town, telling the 
grocer that my motto was excellent.'' in 
quality and moderation in price. He 
laughed, and bought all the stock I had 
with me, then wrote to me for more. 
“Make the kinds that grown-up people 
like,” he said; “peanut brittle, chocolate 
chips, maple creams, and such kinds as 
taste good and are desirable.” Candy is a 
thing that does not improve with age, and 
requires to be “sold out” every fortnight at 
least. Since then I have been kept busy, 
and will give here the recipes for the two 
varieties that sold best. 
Maple Creams. Take half as much 
water as maple sugar, cook without stir¬ 
ring/and when almost done put in a small 
piece of butter. When it begins to harden, 
which is known by dropping a little into 
cold water, take it from the stove and stir 
rapidly until it becomes waxen. Pour out 
on a buttered tin, and when partly cooled 
mark off into squares with a sharp knife. 
Peanut Brittle.—This candy is easily 
made, and a great favorite, but if you 
set your little nephews to shell the peanuts 
it is apt to prove expensive. Always al¬ 
low for some being eaten. In my first ex¬ 
perience it seemed a time-saver to set the 
boys to shelling the nuts, but after one 
or two trials I found it cheaper to do the 
work myself after they went to bed, to 
save my pocket and their digestion. Half 
a pound of white sugar, half a pound of 
peanuts, shelled and chopped. Put the 
sugar into an iron pan without water, and 
stir over the fire until dissolved; add the 
peanuts, and turn into a well buttered tin. 
It can be cut into squares, and in making 
requires quickness and attention to every 
detail, but should be brittle and dry 
enough when touched not to soil the fin¬ 
gers. It must be made in these small 
quantities. It was pleasant work arrang¬ 
ing it into plain white boxes of half a 
pound and one pound each, with the name 
of the variety neatly marked, also the 
added attraction “Homemade candy.” 
There is not a fortune in the venture, but 
the profits will help my Winter ward¬ 
robe, and give me the pleasure of giving 
that I could not otherwise obtain. For, 
after all, what is life worth if we spend 
all its hours in working for ourselves, or 
plan only our own recreation? One likes 
the joy of sharing with those who are 
worse off than ourselves; the community 
spirit of brotherhood makes it a delight. 
It is the month of corn at its best, and 
we are canning some of the late large 
sort. It is not difficult if care is taken to 
have the cans full and screw the lids so 
that they will be tight. 1 hen we set the 
bottles in the wash boiler and let them 
steam awhile, giving the lids another twist 
when taking them out. In Winter it is a 
pleasure to be able to say: “This is our 
own corn, put up at home.” Such little 
things add zest to everyday living. 
CHARITY SWEETHEART. 
School Lunches. 
At a recent lecture on domestic economy 
the subject of children’s school lunches 
was discussed. Before this subject was in¬ 
troduced the lecturer had dwelt upon the 
importance, of nourishing food for grow¬ 
ing children, saying that often they failed 
to reach the stature and development in¬ 
tended by nature just for lack of proper 
food. In reply to the question, “What do 
you consider a model school lunch ?” she 
smilingly said, “O, something that is easily 
handled, easily digested and plenty of it. 
Boys do not like to be bothered with 
spoon-food; sandwiches, fruit, hard (and 
long) boiled eggs, cookies and cake, not 
rich, indigestible cake, but plain, home¬ 
made cake made of good, honest mate¬ 
rials. To the girls’ lunches might be add¬ 
ed a dish of custard, pudding or a ball of 
cottage cheese.” 
To this I would add celery and olives. 
Bread and jam is a favorite lunch for one 
child who does not care for butter, so 
each year I put up a goodly array of 
peach, fig, nectarine, prune and blackberry 
jam. Egg and meat sandwiches are rel¬ 
ished, the latter of home-cooked meats. 
I do not approve of the pressed meats 
for sandwiches which come in tin cans. 
Baked beans are good for making sand¬ 
wiches, if well seasoned, not forgetting 
the molasses or brown sugar and a few 
drops of vinegar. Have them soft and 
moist so they will spread well. Cookies 
are a delight to the children and the 
graham and oatmeal cookies with raisins, 
dates or nuts are very nourishing. 
Graham Cookies.—One cup of white 
sugar, one cup of brown sugar, one cup 
of half butter and half lard, one cup of 
sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda, 
graham flour to make a stiff dough and 
roll out in white flour. Chopped nuts 
may be added to the dough, and may be 
made to look attractive by sprinkling with 
sugar and placing a seeded raisin in the 
center of each cooky just before going in 
the oven. 
Date Cookies.—One cup of brown sugar, 
one cup of shortening (butter and meat 
fryings or lard), two-thirds of a cup of 
sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder, two cups of oatmeal and flour to 
roll. Remove pits from one pound of 
dates, add one cup of sugar and one cup 
671 
of water, boil until smooth and thick and 
spread this mixture between two cookies 
and bake. mary s. stelson. 
The Cheerful Face. —The “smile that 
won’t come off” does more good in the 
world than we realize. The man or 
woman who is the possessor of a sunny 
smile goes about the world doing good, 
although he or she may not know it. No 
matter how depressed or disgruntled we 
may be, the sight of one of these cheerful 
people cannot help but make us feel bet¬ 
ter. I know of one man who has an 
•affliction under which most of us would 
become morose and sour, but he always 
has a genial smile and a jolly word for 
everyone, and it is interesting to note how 
the faces of all who meet him change and 
reflect the pleasantness and good humor 
in his. These pleasant people lubricate 
society and lessen the friction between 
irritable and discordant natures. Let us 
all try to cultivate the “smile that won’t 
come off,” but first we must have the 
genial sympathy, the broad-minded charity 
and the good will toward men, from 
which it springs spontaneously. s. b. r. 
Have ye iver noticed how a crab does 
be walkin’ backwards most av th’ time? 
Well, accordin’ to th’ laws av nature, ’twill 
only be a matther av time till they’ll be 
gettin’ heads on th’ other end to be seein’ 
where they’re goin’. ’Tis that makes iv- 
volution. * * * Nature is a wonderful 
thing whin ye come to study it.”—The 
Fugitive Blacksmith. 
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