860 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 7, 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day. 
THE PETRIFIED FERN. 
In a valley, centuries ago, 
Grow a little fern leaf, greqn and slender, 
Veining delicate and fibres tender, 
Waving, when the wind crept down so low; 
Rushes tall and moss and grass grew 
round it, 
Playful sunbeams darted in and found it, 
Drops of dew stole in by night and 
crowned it, 
But no foot of man e’er trod that way— 
Earth was young, and keeping holiday. 
Monster fishes swam the silent main, 
Stately forests waved their giant 
branches, 
Mountains hurled their snowy avalanches, 
Mammoth creatures stalked across the 
plain; 
Nature reveled in grand mysteries, 
But the little fern was not of these, 
Did not number with the hills and trees; 
Only grew and waved, its sweet wild way— 
No one came to note it day by day. 
Earth one time put on a frolic mood, 
Heaved the rocks and changed the 
mighty motion 
Of the deep, strong currents of the 
ocean ; 
Moved the plain and shook the haughty 
. . wood, 
Crushed the little fern in soft, moist 
clay, 
Covered it and hid it safe away; 
Oh! the long, long centuries since that 
day ! 
Oh ! the agony ! Oh ! life’s bitter cost, 
Sinoe that useless little fern was lost! 
Useless? Lost? There came a thoughtful 
man, 
Searching nature’s secrets, far and deep; 
From a fissure in a rocky steep 
lie withdrew a stone, o’er which there ran 
Fairy pencilings, a quaint design, 
Veiuings, leafage, fibres clear and fine, 
And the fern’s life lay in every line ! 
So, I think, God hides some souls away, 
Sweetly to surprise us the last day. 
—Mary Lydia Bollcs Branch. 
* 
Potato puffs make a nice supper dish. 
Eaten with butter, they will be ap¬ 
preciated when meat is not served. Put 
about six boiled potatoes through a 
sieve, or mash them well. Season with 
pepper and salt. With a fork whip well, 
adding gradually half a cup of cream 
and two well-beaten yolks of eggs. Pile 
this mixture in small pattie pans 
(greased) and brown in hot oven. 
* 
Scouring balls are an old-fashioned 
convenience for removing spots from 
woolen garments. One method is to mix 
fuller’s earth and strong suds of white 
castile soap into a paste, mold into balls 
the size of an egg, and put away to dry. 
In using, brush the garment well, 
sponge the soiled places lightly with 
tepid water, and then rub thoroughly 
with the scouring ball. Hang the gar¬ 
ment in a dry place for a day or so, then 
brush off the dry earth and press. An¬ 
other scouring ball is made by mixing 
five ounces of pipe clay, three ounces 
French chalk, and three ounces alcohol. 
This is molded into small balls, and 
dried. It is often very efficacious in re¬ 
moving soil from light fabrics. 
* 
A very handsome new wrap is the 
grenadier cloak, modeled after the long 
capes worn by foreign army officers. It 
is a real circular cloak, falling from the 
neck and shoulders in full folds to with¬ 
in a few inches of the ground; there is 
a close military collar of velvet, with 
piping of contrasting color, and military 
emblems in gold; and a metal chain 
fastening. These cloaks, made for 
evening wear, in a variety of colors, 
cost $35 in broadcloth with satin lining. 
Made of dark blue serge or cloth with 
a flannel interlining to add warmth such 
a cloak would be a very useful and 
smart-looking extra wrap, the military 
collar being finished with gilt buttons. 
It would be found useful for driving, 
and is both comfortable and stylish. 
* 
Farm life in South Africa is not de¬ 
void of thrills, according to an incident 
related by the East Rand Express: 
While in the act of getting a pail of 
water from the river, Mrs. Piet Myburg, 
of Doornkraal, Stetlerville district, es¬ 
pied what she thought a wildcat, of ex¬ 
ceptional si^e, carefully hidden in the 
dense foliage, intensely watching the ap¬ 
proach of a flock of goats. Promptly 
she deserted the pail, procured a bowlder 
of rock, and noiselessly approached the 
hiding place of the monster. Careful 
maneuvers ultimately brought her to the 
spot, where she raised the bowlder above 
her head, and, with tremendous force, 
flung it down. She then called for help, 
and, with the aid of a man, dragged out 
a leopard of abnormal size, killed with 
the one blow. Mrs. Myburg is to be com- 
' plimented on her pluck and presence of 
mind, although it is a matter of con¬ 
jecture whether she would have acted 
similarly had she been aware of the par¬ 
ticular species of cat hidden in the bush. 
* 
A very smart new style in silk waists 
is called the military Directoire. It is 
perfectly plain, with tucks or pleats, 
fastened down the front, the front pleat 
trimmed with a row of large, round 
brass buttons, put close together. On 
each side of the front pleat is a two- 
inch pleated frill of white swiss with 
a lace edge. The sleeves are plain, 
shaped to a close fit below the elbow, 
and tightly fastened with small brass 
buttons. A small frill of swiss fin¬ 
ishes the wrists, and there is a high 
boned stock. Among net waists, the 
favorites this Fall are the coin-spotted 
nets, which have dots from the size of 
a pea to that of a dime on a filet foun¬ 
dation, and the plain heavy fish-nets. 
They come in all colors, to match the 
season’s materials, as well as black and 
white; there is a decided preference for 
a net waist matching the color of the 
suit it is worn with. There are also 
black, white and ecru nets having dots 
of contrasting colors. Another handsome 
material used to make guimpes and 
sleeves is a coarse ecru filet net stamped 
all over with colored flower patterns. 
Last Uses of Light Wools. 
I. 
We read with interest the inquiry and 
response on page 754 as to best ways of 
cleaning white or cream-colored cash- 
mere. The Ithamar sewing-room and 
laundry, are apt to see a good deal of 
making-over and freshening up of worn 
garments, but though results are al¬ 
ways pronounced “worth while” we 
never feel that the “good as new” look 
we aimed at is quite achieved. Cash- 
mere is a weave of cloth which we al¬ 
ways hesitate about putting into the 
washtub, for it seems next to impossible 
ever to again press it free from fine 
wrinkles. Dyed cashmeres, while tak¬ 
ing a good color, are seldom free from 
this fault. Indeed, I recall an especially 
beautiful piece of light blue cashmere 
from which my sister had a pretty 
waist. While it was still in almost per¬ 
fect condition she sent it to the city to 
be dyed black, as she had put on mourn¬ 
ing. Although ripped as to pleats and 
sent to a reliable dye-house, it came 
back rough, coarse looking and worse 
than thrown away. Possibly the heat 
necessary to the dyeing process ruins 
the softness of the wool. Other gowns of 
more stiff and open texture dyed most 
successfully. Indeed I still wear a 
blouse made from one of those dyed 
dresses, and have more than once been 
asked where I found such a pretty hem¬ 
stitched waist. 
Though dyeing is a more trying ordeal, 
I hold much the same prejudices as to 
the washing of cashmeres, and on this 
account should never buy a light-colored 
wool in that weave. Nun’s veiling, serge 
and all sorts of crimped effects in wool 
cloth seem to me the more lasting in¬ 
vestment. Bess has a heavy white serge, 
kilted skirt and coat, which has come 
through the washing process fairly well 
for the second or third time. Of course 
she chooses a day when it will dry 
quickly and gives it her undivided at¬ 
tention, no soaking in the suds, nothing 
else in the tub, no delay about hanging, 
turning and pressing. She follows the 
method given in the excellefit directions 
mentioned, with the exception of the use 
of a wringer. From the last rinsing she 
hangs the garments directly on to the 
line, shaking the cloth free from wrink¬ 
les and allowing the water to drain out. 
It dries smoother that way and the time 
of drying docs not seem to be materially 
lengthened, though it is an excellent 
plan to string two parallel lengths of 
clothes line a few feet apart, securing 
the garments with many pins to both 
lines so that skirt and coat hang open 
to the air and not doubled. Garments 
need frequent turnings when drying to 
prevent drawing out of shape, and to get 
the hems and heavier parts free from 
water as soon as possible. As the single 
thicknesses are sure to dry first we often 
let all become dried and then moisten 
for pressing by rolling all in an old 
sheet wrung out of warm water. It 
may not be well to keep white goods 
damp longer than necessary on account 
of their tendency to become yellow, but 
any other sort of wool garment gets an 
even dampness from an over-night 
sponging in a wet sheet which makes 
the ironing easier and more effective 
than any other method. It has also the 
advantage of bringing one to the work 
in the morning when irons are hot and 
zest keen. If pressed directly from the 
line have plenty of hot flatirons and go 
over the damp hems frequently, allow¬ 
ing the steam and heat to drive out the 
moisture between each application of the 
iron. The thinner ^cloths are better 
handled this way , t perhaps. 
Pet feels that she has a word to say 
as to the middle age and last days of 
white wool blouses. She has the ordin¬ 
ary younger child’s grievance as to out¬ 
grown and shrunken-up garments, yet 
cheerfully accepts them and dreams of 
the wonders “mother’s washing,” or a 
10-cent package of dye are to work. But 
even careful washing in the cleanest of 
suds and prompt and thorough rinsings 
will not keep the prettiest of nun’s veil¬ 
ing waists from turning at last into a 
dull whitish yellow which is not cream- 
colored or anything but passee and un¬ 
wearable. It would seem as if such a 
blouse might be given a dip in pale blue 
dye and come forth fresh and becoming. 
But not so. Though you do not recog¬ 
nize it, perhaps, that cloth is yellow, and 
as everyone should know who has ever 
dabbled in water colors or oil tubes, yel¬ 
low and blue make green. Your blouse 
may call itself blue, but there will be so 
much of green to its blueness that both 
the wearer’s complexion and sense of 
color will cry out, “Throw that waist in 
the ragbag!” R. ithamar. 
ties the boy or girl who knows 
The fastest, safest, strongest, ever invented. 
A Roy’s sled—the only one Girls can properly 
control. Steers easily around others without 
dragging the feet—runs away from them all- 
runs farthest. Easiest to pull up hill. 
Saves its cost in shoes the first Winter-pre¬ 
vents wet feet, colds and Doctor’s bills. Builtto 
last of special steel and second growth white ash, 
handsomely finished. Insist on a Flexible Flyer. 
Look for the new Flexible Flyer Racer- 
long, low, narrow, speedy, moderate priced. 
Send for Free Cardboard Model {showing just hoiv 
it steers) and colored Christmas booklet ■with prices. 
S. L. ALLEN 4 CO., Boj 1101-H Philadelphia, Pa. 
Patentees and Sole Manufacturers——. 
Don’t Throw it 
They mend all leaks in all utensils— tin 
brass, copper, gran iteware. hot water bags 
etc. No solder, cement or rivet. Anyone 
can uso them; fit any surf ace; two mi 11 ion 
in use. Send for sample pkg. 10c. Complete 
pkg assorted sizes, 25cpostpaid. Agents wanted. 
Collette Mfg. Co., Box 1 0-B, Amsterdam, N. Y. 
PUNCH THE WIND BALL 
FUN AND HEALTH CIVINC EXERC1S3 
FOR FOLKS OF EVERY ACE. 
Our Pocket Punching Bag is made of 
tough resilient rubber. Inflate it to 
a diameter of 12 inches, insert clastic 
return cord and Punch. Amusing and 
beneficial. Fine for children. Send 25c. 
Stamps or coin for one and receive our 
catalog No. 86 of 1000 novelties FREE. 
THE NEW YOKE NEWS COMPANY, 
Dept. 8, 16 Warren Street, New York. 
The Range That 
“HAS NO EQUAL” 
—That’s what “Sterling Range” users say. 
Compare the “STERLING RANGE” point 
by point with any other range, and you’ll 
find in every case it has big advantages. 
No other range manufactured in the whole 
world can duplicate the many exclusive 
features of the 
AN 
In all it has twenty unique and distinct 
improvements in range construction. 
Remember our $iooo challenge for any other 
range to “Bake a Barrel of Flour with only 
One Hod of Coal.” Positive proof that the 
STERLING RANGE “Has No Equal.” 
Write for free booklet telling 
all about this wonderful 
range. 
SILL STOVE WORKS 
Rochester, N. Y. 
Don’t Buy a Stove or Range Until Yo u F irst See 
How Much 
You Save 
By Getting 
A Kalanvazog 
Direct to You" 
TRADE Mark RE GilSTER E D 
Y OU want to make every cent you spend this year, count for quality and 
economy. 
If you need a stove or range, don’t buy until you get our factory prices. 
I promise you that I will save you 55, $6 or 510 on our smallest stoves, and as 
high as 518, 520 and even 530 on our largest. And I promise you that you cannot 
get anywhere at any price, a better stove or range than the Kalamazoo. 
Just let me quote you prices. Take our catalogue and compare the Kalamazoo 
quality and prices, with the best line of stoves and ranges you can find sold at 
retail. That will tell the story. You can see for yourself. You want to save money 
and you want to get high quality. Why not investigate our plan, then? Why not 
let me show you the difference between manufacturers' prices and retail prices 
on stoves or ranges? 
We sell to you, direct from the factory, at actual factory prices, 
360 
Days Approval Test— w ^? g y hl the 
I promise, In black and white, to refund your money—every cent 
of It—If you do not find your purchase in every way exactly as 
represented. 
Remember, every Kalamazoo is of the highest possible grade, 
made of the best materials and in the best manner. You deal 
directly with the manufacturers—a company that has a larger num¬ 
ber of individual customers than any other stove company in exis¬ 
tence. We have sold thousands of stoves and ranges to 
readers of this journal, and no doubt can refer you to near 
neighbors who have saved money by buying a Kalamazoo. 
Many customers write that they have saved enough on a single Kalamazoo to 
pay for a whole season’s fuel. You can save enough to buy a new suit, a new 
dress, an article of furniture, or perhaps to pay your taxes. Is it not to your 
interest to get our prices? 
Send Postal for Catalogue No. 114 ■ 
describing more than 300 Bizes and styles of Coal and Wood Ranges, 
Coal and Wood Heaters, Hotel Ranges, Base Burners, Laundry 
Stoves, Etc. 
I know that If you get our prices—and see our quality you will not 
even think of buying any other make. Let me show you how much you 
can save. 
William Thompson, Vice-Pres. & Gen. Mgr. 
KALAMAZOO STOVE CO., Mfrs. Kalamazoo, Mich. 
