12bx 
Working Wonders with the Living Room. 
Part II. 
A rough plastered wall painted or tint¬ 
ed may have an effective stenciled frieze 
I much prefer an original stenciled bor¬ 
der or frieze to a paper, no matter how 
much money I may have to expend. Sten¬ 
ciling is so easily done that a young girl 
or lad may have the pleasure of helping 
mother or big sister decorate the walls, 
at a trifling expense. 
If none of the foregoing suggestions 
are in line with your ideas, you still have 
access to inexpensive plain materials like 
burlap, grasscloth or denim. I know a 
woman who bought 10 yards of green 
denim and made a wainscoting on the 
side of the living room that was most 
used. This broke the ugly monotony 
of the figured paper and gave her a back¬ 
ground for her pictures, all of which she 
had passepartouted in black. It was an 
easy matter to “hang” the denim with 
thumb tacks, without any reaching. With 
a rule she marked off the space on the 
wall, measuring from the baseboard up. 
With a cover of denim for her couch, a 
half dozen pillows covered likewise, to 
match the background of denim, the 
“cosy” corner was most inviting. The 
couch, by the way, was not a couch at 
all, but just an unpretentious wire cot 
that cost the sum of a dollar. It had a 
comfortable mattress, however, which 
made all the difference in the world. 
This corner alone with a few pictures 
against the plain background and a long 
shelf of books overhead, changed the en¬ 
tire appearance of the room. It was not 
only a pleasure to the eye, but a source 
of comfort and repose to the body. 
The idea might be varied by using buff, 
tan or a sort of peacock blue denim, 
carrying out the same suggestion. Or If 
a little better fabric is desired, there is 
arras cloth which is of coarse weave and 
texture like burlap, only more refined. 1 
once used a green denim exactly as de¬ 
scribed. stenciling a peacock design on 
two of the jnllows, with a pair on the 
portieres, their feathers spread. The 
room received many compliments and it 
was copied by a number of decorators. 
If peacocks are not especially admired, 
and something more conservative is de¬ 
sired. there are lovely floral effects, such 
as the rose and wistaria. A pine tree 
room is restful and beautiful. The sten¬ 
cil may be bought for 10 cents and a tube 
or so of paint (green) will do the rest. 
Use an ordinary paint brush to stipple 
in the colors. 
Then, what about the old blue home- 
spun coverlet? Of course, you are choice 
of it. for we do not see many such these 
days, but it will make the most adorable 
couch cover. A strip of old blue galatea 
or denim or cartridge paper for the wains¬ 
coting with old blue pillows will make 
a charming room. Do not forget to tuck 
away inconspicuously under the cushions 
a couch quilt to be pulled out and used 
by the one who wishes to take a nap 
on a Winter evening. If there is a cheery 
fireplace so much the better, for nothing 
makes a room look so homelike and cosy 
as a great hearth around which the fam¬ 
ily can gather evenings. 
I know a delightful family whose farm 
home is unpretentious and frugal, as each 
member is bending every energy to pay 
of!' the hateful mortgage left by the father 
who died some years ago. They have 
never been able even to plaster the 
house, but I have never seen anything 
homier than the big living room. The boys, 
who are all mechanical, built a beautiful 
cement fireplace at one end of the living 
room as a Christmas gift for the mother 
last year. This was marked off while 
the plaster was still moist to simulate 
bricks. The old andirons mother brought 
from her Southland home found their 
place in the new fireplace. The narrow 
ledge or mautel was filled with mother's 
old china, which was never used,' as 
each piece was an heirloom. A rug woven 
on grandmother’s loom by one of the girls 
in hit-and-miss design was laid before the 
fireplace. Two high-backed settles made 
of a pair of discarded school benches were 
drawn cosily before the fireplace tete-a- 
tete. The backs were, of course, added 
by the home carpenters. The seats were 
padded with tan burlap; cushions of the 
burlap were used to give a workmanlike 
finish to the backs. A pair of old 
rush-bottomed chairs which they found 
THE NEW-VORKER 
jaibiifia 
in the attic were “done over” by the 
girls, and they, too, found their place 
by the settles. The walls of the room 
were stained mission brown. A pair of 
lanterns picked up by Uncle 1 )an in 
some far-off country were suspended from 
the ceilings by ship’s cables—the latter 
also a contribution of the old seafaring 
uncle. It is a beautiful inglonook. L. E. 
Mustard and Mixed Pickles. 
I was very much pleased with the re¬ 
sults of a recipe I saw in The It. N.-Y. 
last year. I cut the recipe out of the 
paper and mislaid it. The following vege¬ 
tables are what I used, but I cannot 
remember the quantity of the different 
things: Cabbage, beans, cauliflower, cu¬ 
cumbers, green tomatoes, white onions, 
mustard, turmeric, brown sugar and vine¬ 
gar, and these ingredients were soaked 
over night in brine. Can you give me 
this recipe? MRS. J. K. 
We think it possible one of the mus¬ 
tard pickles given below is the desired 
recipe; they were given in The It. N.-Y. 
in August, 1913. Beans are not included 
in the ingredients, but many housekeep¬ 
ers add green beans both to mixed and 
mustard pickles. 
Mustard I’ickles.—Two quarts small 
cucumbers, one quart small onions, one 
quart green tomatoes, one large cauli¬ 
flower, six green peppers, quartered. Lay 
in weak brine twenty-four hours, then 
scald in same water and drain. Paste— 
Six tablespoonfuls English mustard, one 
teaspoonful turmeric, one and one-half 
cup of sugar, one small cup of flour, 
two quarts best cider vinegar. Mix dry 
ingredients thoroughly, add vinegar, boll 
a few minutes, pour over pickles and 
bottle. 
Mustard Pickles No. 2.—This differs 
from most recipes for this pickle in ho- 
ing made without green tomatoes. Put 
one-half peck small cucumbers, two quarts 
silver skinned onions and two heads of 
picked cauliflower to soak in water to 
cover and a cupful of salt over night. In 
the morning drain ; mix one dessertspoon¬ 
ful of turmeric powder with three-quart¬ 
ers of a pound of the best mustard ; wet 
with sufficient vinegar to mix without 
lumps. Put three quarts of vinegar 
over the fire, add five cents worth of 
mixed pickling spices, one-half ounce cel¬ 
ery seed, one-half ounce white mustard 
seed, one teaspoonful eaeh of cinnamon 
and cloves, one pound of brown sugar, 
carefully stir in the mustard and turmeric 
paste and let boil up well ; then add 
the mixed pickles, two red peppers chop¬ 
ped with the seeds of same and stir all 
together. After it begins to bubble let 
boil well for five minutes. 
Mustard Pickles No. 3.—Equal quant¬ 
ities of cucumbers, celery, cauliflower and 
small button onions. Cut all in small 
pieces except the onions. Cover with 
strongly salted water for 24 hours; drain, 
put into a jar and pour on hot vinegar 
(not too strong) sufficient to cover. Let 
the pickles stand three days, and then 
drain. To five quarts of the pickles use 
three quarts of eider vinegar, one cup¬ 
ful of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of 
butter. Heat to boiling, then stirring 
constantly (for fear of burning) add one 
cupful of flour, six tablespoonfuls of 
ground mustard and one-half ounce of 
turmeric powder wetted in cold vine¬ 
gar. Stir till smooth, and pour over 
the pickle while hot; stir well. When 
cold cover close. 
Mixed Pickle.—Select 20 small cucum¬ 
bers, not over two inches in length, wash 
and wipe. Slice thinly one pint of small 
white onions, cut two green and one red 
pepper into narrow strips. Soak one 
cauliflower, head downward, in cold water i 
for 20 minutes, then separate into flow- j 
erets and chop one small cabbage, two | 
heads of celery and one quart of small j 
green tomatoes rather fine. Mix the j 
vegetables, adding one-fourth cup of 
grated horseradish. Cover all with a 
strong brine and let stand until the next 
day, then turn into the colander; add 
a weight to the top and let drain for 
two hours. To four quarts of vinegar 
add one-fourth pound of mustard seed, one 
ounce of turmeric powder, one table- 
spoonful each of cloves anil allspice. Heat 
until boiling hot, then add the vegetables 
and cook slowly until tender. Pack m 
glass jars while hot and seal. 
Mountain Ash Preserves. 
I have a mountain ash tree which an¬ 
nually bears a fine lot of berries. They 
are apparently a little apple. The dis¬ 
tribution of seeds and shape of berry 
are the same as an apple. Is the above 
berry or fruit useful for food? I have 
often tasted, and they are mildly tart, 
and it would seem in some way useful. 
E. e. n. 
The mountain ash, Sorbus Aueuparia, 
belongs to the same family as the apple, 
the Itosaceas. The fruit has a pleasant 
tartness, and is entirely wholesome. We 
are told that in Scotland where these 
“red rowans” attain great vigor, the ber¬ 
ries are made into jam or jelly, but have 
no knowledge of the method. We should 
like to hear from anyone who has had 
experience in preserving this fruit. 
Corn Fritters. —One dozen nice ears 
sweet corn; score or cut through the cen¬ 
ter of each kernel, scrape carefully from 
cob (if the corn is getting a little too old 
for boiling I like it best) two heaping 
tablespoons cornstarch, two eggs well 
beaten, salt to taste, a little pepper may 
be added. Stir to a nice batter, drop 
with large spoon on a well-greased grid¬ 
dle. Allow to cook until they may be 
turned nicely; they should be a nice even 
brown. In all recipes I have seen for 
corn fritters they advise using soda or 
baking powder, which certainly spoils the 
flavor of the corn. MRS. e. e. b. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
It. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
AKRON 
Independ< 
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Supply gasoline under pressure thre 
low wire to lamps all over the house, ai 
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Sheds a soft, steady, brilliant, white 1 
of high candle power. Makes the home i 
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Better and cheaper than any other illu¬ 
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Complete line of “Akron" portable and 
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improvements; safe and simple construction; 
IS years of success. 
Agents Wanted 
ill unoccupied territory. Handy demonstra¬ 
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cannot bo beat. Writo for catalog and terms. 
Akron Gas lamp Cg 632 So. Main SI, Akron,0. 
Running water when 
and where you want 
it with FOSTERS 
High Duty Ram. Jj 
Power Specialty 
Co., Ill Trinity i 
Uldgo, New York! 
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Free 
book 
Embroidery Designs 
One of the prettiest centerpieces imagin¬ 
able is No. 337, the flower basket design for 
white embroidery. It is simple iu stitch; 
tlie scallops arc for buttonholing and the 
baskets are outlined, as are the stems of 
leaves and flowers. The leaves are embroid¬ 
ered 1 solid with satin stitch, and so are the 
flowers, except the seed centers, which are 
for French knots. Some may prefer this de¬ 
sign embroidered in color, and if so the bas¬ 
kets and scallops should be in light blue, the 
flowers in shades of old rose and tlie leaves 
and steins in light green. The design is 
stamped on white Irish linen, size 27 inches, 
and the price including mercerized floss, is 
75 cents. When ordering, please specify if 
ror white or color embroidery. 
Vaseline 
PETROLEUM JELLY 
Put up in handy metal capped glass bottles. 
At drug and general stores everywhere. 
Illustrated booklet describing all the"Va«c- 
line” preparations mailed free on request 
CHESEBROUGH MEG.CO. 
(Consolidated) 
CO State Street, New York City 
For rough chapped hands, and 
broken blisters; for piles and 
hemorrhoids; for burns, cuts and 
all irritations of the skin use 
D ON’T let cold weather lock 
you up in one room. A Per¬ 
fection Smokeless Oil Heater 
will bring glowing warmth and 
cheer to every room of the house. 
With the Periection Heater near, 
you can dress in comfort, clean 
in comfort, and live in comfort 
generally. 
STANDARD OIL CO. OF NEW YORK 1 
(Principal Static s) / 
NEW YORK 
BUFFALO 
ALBANY 
BOSTON 
Look for the Tri¬ 
angle Trademark 
In many styles and 
sizes at hardware, 
and general stores 
everywhere. 
Use Your Whole House 
This Winter 
