ora 
l ftaEiiiei an3 Pictorial Home ^aiRpanloii. 
91 
lilue. The carpets were rag, but very pretty, and 
corresponded in color. The lambrequins ot the 
larger room were curtain lace looped up with ferns and 
autumn leaves. Window cornices of plain pine, 
ornamented with oak leaves and acorns, the leaves 
cut from heavy brown paper, stained black-walnut, 
and varnished. Fine veinings of gilt paper were 
added, and they were a very good imitation of walnut 
and gilt carvings. From the lower edge of the cor¬ 
nice drooped over the lace a short, pointed lambre¬ 
quin of scarlet embroidered in applique. Long lace 
curtains and lambrequin of turquoise blue, embroi¬ 
dered also in applique, draped the one window of the 
smaller room, designed as a parlor. My window garden 
filled the east window. A plain box three feet four 
inches long, and eighteen inches wide, and nine 
inches deep was covered smoothly with white-marbled 
oil-cloth drawn tightly over the edges and tacked on 
the inside. Flat mouldings one and three-quarter 
inches wide and oue-lialf inch thick were also cov¬ 
ered, and fastened on with small screws from the 
inside, in such a manner as to form two panels on 
the front and one on each end. These panels are 
ornamented with decalcomanie having fine veinings 
of gilt. The box is filled with pots of plants, each 
space between filled with moss, and a fine, delicate, 
moss-like greenhouse fern planted in the soil around 
the edge of each pot. This forms a carpet of living- 
green drooping over the edges of the pots, and is 
beautiful to behold. A shelf on the window-sill, level 
with the top of the box, and another resting on brack¬ 
ets half way up, support other plants in pots painted 
gray, ornamented in different ways with decalco¬ 
manie, tiny autumn leaves, and fern fronds. From 
the front edge of this upper shelf droops a border of 
pressed ferns, headed with a vine of tiny autumn 
leaves and sprays of green French Moss. Madeira 
Vine, Smilax, and German Ivy ramble over the lace 
lambrequins and wreathe the cornice above, and 
two small hanging-baskets of pink coral, filled the one 
with gray Sedum, the other with the delicate fern 
before mentioned, depend from the under side of the 
shelf. A large hanging-basket of moss filled with 
Othonna Grassifolia is suspended from the ceiling- 
above, whose long, graceful tendrils droop downward 
to meet the stately Calla below. The south window 
is also filled with plants at the sill, and a group of 
hanging-baskets above, and has side brackets hold¬ 
ing pots of English and German Ivy. I have not 
space to describe my plants, nor many of the adorn¬ 
ments of these lower rooms. The wooden chairs I 
transformed into black-walnut ones, polished and 
cushioned with gray and scarlet striped rep, fastened 
around the edges with ornamental tacks. A beauti¬ 
ful wreath of tiny autumn leaves, fern fronds, and 
sprays of green French Moss is fastened in the centre 
of the ceiling, in the smaller room, and from its cen¬ 
tre depends a handsome basket of crystal beads, fill¬ 
ed with ferns and grasses. One corner is filled with 
a three-shelf hanging whatnot holding a collection 
of sea-shells and branches of coral. Beneath it a 
quartet-stand holds a beautiful gray moss cross, 
wreathed with tiny autumn leaves, fern fronds, and 
sprays of French Moss. The lambrequins of this 
whatnot are turquoise blue embroidered with white 
Water-Lilies and buds. There are pictures and other 
ornaments that I have not space to mention ; but a 
beautiful floral design I will at some future time de¬ 
scribe. I am well pleased with my petite castle, and, 
what is better, my “ John ” is proud of my work. 
Jennie. 
HOME ITEMS. 
Housekeeping is an art, and, to be enjoyed, must 
be considered in that light j w.c should all the time be 
trying to improve in all its departments, whether 
they be useful or ornamental. All housekeepers, in 
the common walks of life especially, ought to try and 
be in love with their work, for it drives the dulness out 
of our tasks; and “ what we do for love we surely 
shall do well.” 
When -washing up the dishes let us try and see 
how we can make the glasses sparkle by wiping 
them with dry towels free from lint; have all the 
earthenware wiped from hot water, and their sweet¬ 
ness will repay you. I remember of trying to clean 
new ironware by scouring with soap and sand; it 
was an unsatisfactory piece of business, and had to 
be repeated. Since then some one told me to grease 
new ironware with fresh grease, set it on the stove 
and heat quite hot, then wash with soap and water. 
I have had occasion since to try this method, and 
found that it was indeed the way. 
Tea-kettles sometimes trouble one by rusting; this 
can be prevented by putting an oyster shell in the 
bottom of the kettle ; it also prevents it from crack¬ 
ing in case the water boils away; a piece of pumice- 
stone is nice to use round the sink to clean ironware 
that has been cooked in; this with a dish-cloth knit 
out of twine will be found a great help to remove 
anything that sticks to dishes. 
Being my own maid, my kitchen has to be made 
pleasant; here I keep my plants, and it is a good 
place, for the steam and heat agree with them ; two 
deep, sunny basement windows make one of the 
best of places for them. In one I have an old tin 
foot-tub painted green; this is filled with Ivy, Ma¬ 
deira, and Nasturtium vines, also Oxalis; the vines 
are trained over the window, and nearly do away 
with the need of a curtain; Fuchsias, Heliotropes, 
Geraniums, Pinks, Boses, Cactus, Ipomcea, Corn 
Plant, and Calla serve to fill my hanging-baskets and 
windows full; these two windows are my pets, and 
they please my eye when my hands are employed. 
I can empty almost all of my refuse water on them, 
and find it is beneficial. I never have spoilt one 
meal by being so near them when cooking. 
We are great lovers of soup, and for that we get a 
shank, say one weighing about twelve pounds ; have 
it sawed in three pieces; take the two last cuts, put 
them on, give them a good boiling in sufficient water 
to cover ; when tender, or nearly so, skim off some of 
the grease, salt and pepper, and for three quarts of 
liquor add one turnip and four or five potatoes, two 
onions cut in dice; the onions should be put in first, 
next put in half a cup of rice, then your potatoes 
and turnip, also a small carrot cut in two or three 
pieces; just before taking from the stove, dust in 
some summer savory and it will be found an agree¬ 
able dish. 
The other piece of shank I put on and boil until 
quite tender, then take out and mince it up, season 
to taste, put it in a long cake-tin, turn some of the 
grease that rises on the water where it was boiled ; 
when cool it will slice off, and is good and cheap. 
For my dinner to-day I had fried oysters, and as 
it was my ironing day 1 did not feel as though I had 
the time to spare to fry them one by one, so I took 
three eggs, broke and beat them, put in a little salt 
and pepper, rolled five butter-crackers fine, added 
these; I had put the oysters to drain previously, so 
now I stirred them all together and fried them by the 
spoonful in good hot fat (we had one quart ol oys¬ 
ters) ; if anything, we found them superior to the 
former way. For pie we had dried apples and 
prunes; pick them both over and put them to soak 
over night separately; in the morning cook them. 
The apples cook best in a covered dish so as not to 
stir them; when both are done put them together 
carefully, so as not to break them to pieces; sweeten 
to taste, adding a little butter. They are good. I 
could give you many more recipes of my own, but 
guess that these will do for the present. Let us bear 
in mind that such home labor is not lost; the Mas¬ 
ter has put this for my task, and by his help I intend 
to improve. II. 
Clove-Apples. —Select apples of perfect shape, 
and sound; fill them with cloves to exclude the air, 
and, if they are not disturbed by some lover of cloves, 
they will remain good for years. A friend once told 
me, with tears in her eyes, that herself and husband 
having been reduced to extreme poverty by long- 
continued illness, she could think of nothing she 
could make for his Christmas present but a clove- 
apple, which she gave him with the following lines: 
“ This apple of clove I give, with much love, 
To him whom my husband I call; 
May its pleasant breath be like a sweet memory 
To hallow the gift, though ’tis small. 
While moons wax and wane still ’twill fragrant re¬ 
main, 
A durable gift it will be ; 
At least ’twill be thought to be better than naught 
While I cry, Merry Christmas to thee!” 
I thought her lines very touching. Since then 
“ fortune has smiled upon them,” but they never 
forgot the clove-apple. The raisins you may eat, 
but dip the steins into melted sealing-wax, both red 
and black; dip others into white wax, and finish 
your bouquet by trailing damp grasses lightly through 
flour to make them look snowy—but not doughy, oh ! 
no; dip lightly and shake lightly. Let it be neat, 
but as odd as possible, for it is called the liap-hazard 
bouquet. 
Bread Pudding. —Take stale bread; scald it; 
one-lialf cup of sour milk, I egg, 1 cup of sugar, 1 
cup of shortening, one-half pound of raisins, one- 
half pound of currants, cream-tartar, and soda. Bake 
well; eat with brandy sauce. 
Stale Bread Fritters. —Soak 1 large bowlful of 
dry bread, then squeeze it out dry ; add to it 2 eggs, 
1 coffee cup of sour milk, 1 teaspoonful of baking 
soda, one-half cup of flour. Salt to taste; fry in 
hot lard. 
