602 
April 18, 
T H K RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day 
THE ROBIN. 
In the tall elm tree sat the robin bright, 
Through the rainy April day, 
And lie caroled clear with a pure delight 
Jn the face of the sky so gray. 
And the silver rain through the blossoms 
dropped. 
And fell on the robin's coat, 
And his brave red breast, but he never 
stopped 
Piping his cheerful note. 
For, oh, the fields were green and glad, 
And the blissful life that stirred 
In the earth’s wide breast was full and 
warm 
In the heart of the little bird, 
The rain-cloud lifted, the sunset light 
Streamed wide over valley and hill ; 
As the plains of heaven the land grew 
bright 
And the warm south wind was still. 
Then loud and clear called the happy 
bird, 
And rapturously he sang. 
Till wood and meadow and riverside 
With jubilant echoes rang. 
But the sun dropped down in the great 
west. 
And he hushed his song at last; 
All nature softly sank to rest. 
And the April day had passed. 
—Celia Tliaxter. 
* 
IIeee is a puzzling question that is 
offered to readers. A correspondent in 
New York State asks: 
Can you tell me where I can get what, 
were known years ago as “California 
Bees”? They resembled small pieces of 
dough, which upon being placed in a can 
of sweetened water started working or 
fermenting. They would sink to the 
bottom, bubbles would gather on them, 
they would rise to the surface, discharge 
the bubbles, then sink and repeat the 
process. This liquid after a time would 
sour and was used as a substitute for 
vinegar in pickling. 
These “California Bees,” of course, 
started a ferment in the sweetened water. 
Ordinary yeast could be used in similar 
fashion. 
* 
Any woman who is interested in home 
millinery should be sure to add milliners’ 
pliers to her outfit. It is surprisingly 
easy to bond a wire just right with the 
bandy little pliers, whether for stiffening 
a bow, edging a brim or supporting a 
ruche. When stiffening an upstanding 
halo of maline to trim the crown of a 
hat, it is a good plan to bend the wire 
into a series of square-cornered battle¬ 
ments, like the “walls of Troy” pattern, 
each battlement about three inches wide, 
and as high as the trimming requires. 
The wire can then be brought a little 
closer together at bottom than top, so as 
to give a slight flare. It can be fitted 
better than where there is . separate top 
and bottom wire, joined by upright pieces 
and is simple to make with the millin¬ 
ers’ pliers. 
* 
The notion counter of a big depart- 
’ ment store is very instructive in the 
novelties it displays, which always re¬ 
flect changes in fashion. In the days 
when every woman wore a high tight 
stock collar, boned to the last degree of 
endurance, collar foundations were prom¬ 
inently displayed, but they are now 
placed in the background. Collar sup¬ 
ports of various inconspicuous kinds are 
plentiful, because transparent guimpes 
require them, but the jewel’ neck trim¬ 
mings are cut low in front, with some 
sort of stand-up collar at the back, which 
calls for invisible wiring. Ruche sup¬ 
ports for the Medici pleatings are of fine 
wire, while for the flaring Gladstone 
collars one can buy fine wire by the 
spool; this is run along the hem of the 
collar. Among the newer fastenings, in 
additional to several new ideas in hooks, 
there are snap fasteners already attached 
to tape, which may bo bought by the 
yard. If we wish to use pipings or cov¬ 
ered cording for dress trimming, the no¬ 
tion counter offers cable cord, in several 
sizes, which may he bought by the yard 
or by the pound. It is soft and flexible, 
and when covered with silk it is used in 
both millinery and dress trimmings. 
Among minor conveniences at the notion 
counter are the skirt gauges, for measur¬ 
ing the length when hanging a skirt; 
I hey cost from 25 cents up. We have 
often noticed what a scant array of 
dressmaking conveniences some women 
possess, in spite of doing all the family 
sewing, and how much effort they have 
to waste, for the lack of some trifling 
aid. It is not only the lack of great con¬ 
veniences such as running water, or ade¬ 
quate heating, that impair efficiency and 
add to labor, but also the small things 
that make work “handy,” and thus re¬ 
duce effort. 
The Rural Patterns. 
When ordering patterns always give 
number of pattern and measurement de¬ 
sired. 
8158 Child’s dress, 0 to 10 years. With 
square or round neck, long or short 
sleeves, with or without bloomers. 8000 
Girl’s dress, 10 to 14 years. With long 
or short sleeves. 8148 Girl’s dress, 8 t<> 
14 years. With straight skirt that can 
be plaited or gathered, blouse that can be 
left loose or cut off and drawn up at the 
waist line, with low or high shield, long 
or three-quarter sleeves, sailor or square 
collar. 3138 Boy’s overalls, 4 to 8 years. 
8159 Boy’s Russian suit, 4 to 8 years. 
With square or sailor collar, long or 
short sleeves, high or low shield. 
8172 Coat in kimono style, 34 to 40 
bust. 8197 Eton coat with vestee, 34 to 
42 bust. 7985 Semi-princesse dress for 
misses and small women, 10 and 18 years. 
8191 Draped two-piece skirt for misses 
and small women, 10 and 18 years. 8123 
Three-piece skirt, 22 to 32 waist. Price 
of each pattern 10 cents. 
Diet for Diabetics. 
Having in the family a diabetic pa¬ 
tient, the subject of cooking minus the 
starch and sugar elements comes home to 
me. In general, doctors agree on funda¬ 
mentals, but on certain points they dif¬ 
fer. Oatmeal and all oat products are 
taboo by the average physician, but our 
family doctor feeds rolled oats in every 
imaginable form—gruel, porridge, bread. 
He cured a bad and chronic case while 
feeding the patient every day oatmeal in 
some guise. Again, doctors in general 
forbid tea and coffee, while some hospitals 
allow both. The printed list of edibles 
permits milk only after being peptonized, 
while some doctors give it raw or cooked 
in every possible way; others think it 
matters not how it is served, while still 
another class advise trying it each way 
and deciding which method suits the 
individual case. It is safest to gain 
the family doctor’s opinion in every in¬ 
stance, then adhere to his advice, pinning 
perfect faith to his precepts. Diet is 
the strong factor in this trouble, usually 
only a tonic being added 
If oatmeal is forbidden, then one is I 
narrowed to gluten for bread, and one’s 
ingenuity is taxed to vary its forms. 
When made with milk, and served hot 
the buns are delicious, hut the cold 
raised yeast-bread is rather lean. When 
cut in slices it is made more palatable 
if chopped nuts are added. Make a 
sponge of the flour scalded with hot milk 
(new and sweet), and a cup or cake of 
yeast added after sponge cools some¬ 
what. After this is light, mix like any 
raised bread with more flour and warm 
milk. If one hasn’t the milk, use warm 
water and a little lard or butter. The 
biscuits made of sweet milk and baking 
powder, with salt, and shortening, may 
be mixed hard and cut out like biscuits, 
or dropped into gem pans with a spoon. 
Stirred up with buttermilk and soda, 
adding a well-beaten egg, improves their 
flavor. Nut meats may be added, like¬ 
wise, to the rolls. Cakes of all kinds may 
be made by using saccharin, no sugar. 
Some hospitals forbid cocoa or choco¬ 
late, while others do not. Almond bread 
or cakes, made of one part almond flour 
and one part gluten, are allowable and a 
welcome change, as are bran muffins, 
made one part bran to three parts glu¬ 
ten flour. Meats of all kinds are per¬ 
mitted, but if the gravies are to be thick¬ 
ened, it must be done with one of these 
three flours, as wheaten flour is banished 
altogether. Our physician said that white 
raised, sliced bread, toasted through and 
through, is less injurious than white 
flour in any form, although it is not to 
be served even thus. 
Lemons, sour apples and sour oranges ' 
are given, and as sauce is almost imper¬ 
ative in so narrow a bill of fare, it be¬ 
hooves the patient to serve apples in a 
different way every time. They may 
be baked without flavoring, stewed, 
canned or preserved with either the or¬ 
ange or lemon juice anJ grated rind to 
give piquancy, or better still, may be 
peeled, cored, and sliced, covered with 
water, and cooked in the oven till a dark 
red. Sweetening in all instances is con¬ 
fined to saccharin, which is not so ex¬ 
pensive when one becomes accustomed to 
the need of so small an amount. With 
practice one becomes expert in its use, 
cvfm manufacturing pies and puddings, 
and using gluten for the crust. As eggs 
and milk may be taken indiscriminately, 
lemon, orange, cream, and custard pies J 
are within easy reach. Even crackers 
may be made of pie crust and kept in¬ 
definitely for soups, stews, and chowders. 
As the vegetable list is so limited, it | 
is wise to can a fresh supply for Winter 
use, for the general health calls for this 
help, and the wide array of fish and 
meats (all buc liver) is more palatable 
so supplemented. Greens galore are ad¬ 
vised, dandelions, cresses, radishes, cel¬ 
ery, oyster plant, asparagus, mushrooms, 
tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lettuce, 
kale, ehickory, beet-tops, spinach, string 
beans, olives, and all of these taken as j 
green vegetables, or pickled. Oil and 
vinegar come in handy with many of 
these. The patient whose one standby 
in tl.e vegetable line has been the trusty 
potato will be challenged for some vege¬ 
table to take its place. 
Walnuts, almonds, filberts, pecans. 
Brazil nuts, and cocoanuts may be eaten 
and these chopped make good in sauces 
and cakes where fruit would be utilized. 
Peanuts and chestnuts are taboo. Shell¬ 
fish, indeed, fish of all kinds in every 
imaginable form are allowable. Dia¬ 
betes is a middle-age disease; the old and 
the young being seldom attacked by it, 
and frequently runs on for years, kept 
in check and often cured by careful diet¬ 
ing with seldom a fatality. 
L. L. TROTT. 
Mrs. Shiftless —“I’m ashamed to 
have you catch me reading when 
I ought to he washing my blank¬ 
ets. But I sent Mary to the vil¬ 
lage for some soap that wouldn’t 
shrink wool, and the storekeeper 
wrapped it up in this newspaper 
that has such an interesting story 
in it. I just couldn’t resist a look 
at it for a minute.” 
Anty Drudge — “Well, the store¬ 
keeper knew his business. He 
sent you Fels-Naptha Soap. Now 
if you’ll spare me a few minutes 
I’ll show you how to use it in luke¬ 
warm water. You can get through 
in no time, and then you can fin¬ 
ish your story with an easy mind. 
Fels-Naptha is grand for all 
kinds of woolens, it makes them 
as soft and downy as when new.” 
Fels-Naptha will 
get your clothes 
on the line in a 
couple of hours 
after breakfast, 
and you can start 
ironing Monday 
afternoon, feeling 
rested and re¬ 
freshed. That will 
make your Tues¬ 
day’s work easier, 
too. 
Fels-Naptha 
Soap works best 
in lukewarm 
water, and little 
rubbing is neces- 
sary. Your 
blankets will be 
soft and white. 
Buy Fels-Naptha by the box or 
carton. The easy directions on the 
Red and Green Wrapper should be 
followed. 
F«1b A Co., Philadelphia. 
FELS-NAPTHA 
