186 
He $4«iIie!S littoral iSWitiet an3 fceiorral Home Sonijraoiom 
JtaittW Bouhuir* 
MY AFTERNOON OUT. 
One autumn it was my good fortune to attend a fair 
in a neighboring town. I speak of it as my good for¬ 
tune, because the fair, entertaining in itself, was the 
stopping-stone to one of the most genial afternoons I 
ever spent; and my retrospective thoughts of it are so 
agreeable, I feel constrained to share them with the 
readers of the Cabinet. 
While looking through the department especially 
devoted to fancy work and the fine arts, I noticed sev¬ 
eral articles of utility and beauty, with premium cards 
attached, which had the same number upon them; 
and cousin Ellen, with whom I was staying during 
the fair, remarked they were made by Mrs. Ferris, a 
lady who by her efficient aid to fairs, her handiwork, 
and general agreeableness, was one of the institutions 
of the place. 
“When we get home, I want you to tell me more 
about her,” I said. So, when we returned in the even¬ 
ing, weary with sight-seeing, to her cozy parlor, and 
with lamp lighted, curtains drawn, the little round 
table with toast and tea for two, before the cheerful, 
rollicking, hickory fire in the open grate, I proceeded 
to ply her with questions of Mrs. Ferris and her at¬ 
tributes. 
“Of course they are rich, to begin with,” I queried. 
“ In everything but money,” replied cousin Ellen; 
“they own the house they live in, a very small one by 
the way, and with that, exception have not a dollar in 
the world, only as they earn it hy their industry. The 
father who is lame is an esteemed teacher of music; the 
eldest daughter assists him in that capacity; the 
mother’s sewing-machine is seldom idle during the day, 
and the other members of the family, a girl of twelve 
and a boy of ten, go to school.” 
“And what time do they have for fancy-work?” I 
exclaimed. 
“In the winter evenings, when many families are 
sighing over the monotony and dreariness of home, 
this little household, rich in contentment, rich in love 
for each other, rich in good health, which is due in a 
great measure to their placid manner of living at peace 
with themselves and the world, make time pass with 
flying feet.” 
“How I wish I could see them,” I soliloquized. 
“Nothing easier, ma-chere,” quoth Cousin Ellen; 
“they are intimate friends of mine, and all things 
favoring, you and I will appoint ourselves a committee 
of two, and pay them a visit to-morrow afternoon.” 
We went; kind hands rein >ved our wrappings, and 
in ten minutes I was perfectly at home with a family 
that twenty hours before I had not known was in exis¬ 
tence; and, by their kind hospitality, and genius for 
entertaining, I found that home with its sweet asso¬ 
ciations, its loving harmonies, had not rendered them 
selfish and indifferent to the claims of society. 
The dwelling had hut two rooms, parlor and kitchen, 
on the first floor; they were roomy and comfortable, 
and the parlor left nothing to be desired in the way of 
luxury, although there was not an expensive article in 
it, unless the old-time piano could be so styled; scarce¬ 
ly an article but was homemade, yet I wish I could 
convey to your minds what a bower of beauty it was. 
There was such a cheerful glow in the room, I felt 
that Sol must be recreant to his duty in some other 
quarter of the town, and was concentrating his beams 
on this little abode; hut upon investigation, found, 
though doing his duty by one on the windows, the 
credit was not due him alone, but he and the rose- 
colored walls assisted each other, as good friends 
should, to make beauty cheap and within the reach of 
all. The room was tinged a lovely pink; it was done 
by simply mixing Venetian red in the lime, and apply¬ 
ing as whitewash, and with paper-hordering of green 
leaves, it was sweet and cheery, easily renewed, and 
lighted up so beautifully in the evening. 
The first article that attracted my attention in the 
room, was an old gentleman leaning on his cane, and 
quietly gazing down at the homemade carpet; what 
was my surprise on going closer to find he was com¬ 
posed entirely of corn-stalks, his hair was the silk of 
the corn, his pants and vest of the inner husks, and of 
a pale straw color, while his hat, coat and shoes were 
the outer husks, and many shades darker. A nicely 
trimmed corn-stalk was his cane, and although well- 
stalked, he was not corned, but was as respectable 
looking an old gentleman as William Penn, whom 
he closely resembled. 
On one side of the room stood a what-not, so pure, 
so white, so beautiful, I thought of course it was 
marble, but found on inspection it was not, hut was 
still at a loss, and when the magic word, rag, was 
whispered, was more puzzled than before. It was a 
rag what-not without doubt, and they kindly gave me 
such a minute description of its manufacture, that I 
resolved to come right home and do likewise. 
The father had made a skeleton of a what-not with 
four shelves, in imitation of a bought one; they were 
made of boards an inch deep, to allow the edges to be 
ornamented; old white muslin was stifly starched and 
ironed, and tacked smoothly over the shelves; raw 
cotton was wrapped round the uprights, a layer of 
muslin put, over it and tied about an inch, apart all 
the way down to give it a grooved appearance; little 
rosettes made of bias scraps of muslin, in imitation of 
roses; and rose leaves, made of three layers of muslin 
pasted together, cut out while damp, the edges pinked 
with the scissors, and moulded in a tin leaf mould, 
such as are used for wax and leather leaves, laid in a 
warm place to dry and stiffen; the roses were tacked 
on the corners of the edges of the shelves, and the 
leaves ran both ways and met in the middle. When 
all was done a coat of plaster of Paris mixed in weak 
white glue water (allowed to cool of course), was ap¬ 
plied with a new paint brush, and it was a beautiful 
piece of furniture. Only a little of the wash must be 
mixed at a time, for it hardens quickly; if one coat is 
not satisfactory, add another; if soiled in the course of 
time, all that is necessary is to give it another coat 
of plaster. 
Picture frames were made in the same way, and 
were particularly lovely on chromos and paintings 
on glass with a black back-ground. I wish I had space 
to tell you how to paint these oriental paintings, and 
also of the many other beautiful things I saw there; 
but must pass on to the crowning glory of the room, 
the centre-table. 
It was a family piece, in the construction of which 
all had assisted, and for lyhicli at various times large 
sums had been offered by those who had more money 
than ingenuity; but the history of too many happy 
evenings, cozy chats, earnest conferences and merry 
suggestions were associated with it, and all offers were 
politely declined. 
It was in shape an octagon ; the top was glass, cut 
in different forms, and set in gilt sash; under the glass 
were minerals and precious stones of almost every kind, 
the work of the father, a devoted mineralogist who in 
a long lifetime had collected and arranged them 
where he could enjoy them and allow others the same 
pleasure; they were grouped in bouquets, cottages and 
other fancy designs/and I groaned in spirit that I had 
no more time to bestow upon it. 
The other part of the table was the work of the rest 
of the family. About twelve inches down was, as it 
were, another top, divided into compartments, and run¬ 
ning back nearly to the centre of the table ; being an 
octagon there was eight of them; two of each were de¬ 
signed by the mother and the children. 
One compartment represented Kane’s Arctic Ex¬ 
pedition ; the little figures were made of dough, rolled 
thin, and moulded over china dolls, taking care to oil 
the models so the moulds would slip off without break¬ 
ing ; when dry and hardened, they were painled; real 
hair was put on under their tiny fur caps ; snow and 
ice was perfectly represented by cotton, chrystalized 
with alum—of course they could have dressed the 
bought dolls to suit the scene, but their idea w as to 
have it homemade; it was a scene natural enough to 
make one’s teeth chatter. 
Then came The Night Before Christmas, with 
which all we mothers at least are familiar ; the dear 
little chubby faces asleep on their pillows, the plethoric 
stockings hanging hy the chimney-piece, all things in 
statu quo for the awakening. 
The escape of Mary, Queen of Scots, from Loch- 
leven, came next; the hoary old castle was made of gray 
sandpaper; ivy festooned it, gray moss tufted it, moat 
and draw-bridge, soft greensward, and the latticed win¬ 
dow of my lady’s bower all were there, and from dun¬ 
geon to turret, it was every inch a castle; the scene 
was taken when the hapless Queen and her attend¬ 
ants, all in rich attire, were taking supper in front of 
the castle, and her loyal page abstracts the keyrfrom 
the jailor. 
The next was a Friends’ Meeting, at which I did 
not feel the least a stranger; but here the good people 
wei-e not made of dough; but, for a change, their 
heads were hickory nuts, with the features penciled on, 
and dressed in their drab silk gowms, immaculate ker¬ 
chiefs and caps, and tiny silk bonnets; the men, with 
then- cute little broadbrims, all sitting in solemn si¬ 
lence, and with the unpainted benches, railings and 
partitions, were the very embodiment of serenity and 
repose. 
The next was an English May Day; the dear little 
dough people, dressed so gayly, and dancing so mer¬ 
rily—oh! around the may-pole, which was garlanded 
with ribbons and flowers; not an item was missing; 
but foliage and flowers, green trees and silver broolc, 
made it a cheery and lovely scene. 
Then came Penn’s Treaty, and it was beautiful as 
any; the scarlet blankets, bead embroidered robes, and 
feathers of the Indians, contrasted charmingly with the 
sober garb of the noble Friend, w-'hile the sombre woods 
in the background threw them out in bold relief, and 
seemed bearing witness to the solemn compact. 
The next v r as a Fairy Grotto, the loveliest, coolest 
place I ever saw; it refreshes me even now to think 
of it, the soft green moss, the glittering stalactites 
(alumina) depending from the roof, the dainty fairies, 
the mystic circle, fairy-land all over. 
Last, though not least, was Gilpin’s Rocks, a wild, 
romantic, and lovely scene; seemingly huge masses 
of rock thrown together in picturesque confusion; 
trees grew among them, luxuriant wild vines with 
lovely crimson berries ran over them, gray moss tufted 
them, a stream of water here rolled placidly, then 
dashed over huge rocks and formed a deep cascade; 
it seemed the very realm of solitude, save where three 
giant rocks thrown together formed a cave, before 
which sat an aged hermit, whose beard, reaching to his 
waist, was white as snow. 
The lower part of the table represented the Sea 
Shore; isinglass made a shallow, but not to be mis¬ 
taken ocean; the beach was sand and shells, while the 
little bathers in fancy costumes made a gay and ani¬ 
mated scene. 
I must not forget to tell you of the bay-window con¬ 
structed by themselves, green with vines, and gay with 
plants in bloom, nor of the red-hird in its homemade 
cage of hoopskirt wire, wound with colored zephyr, 
that was suspended in it. We staid to tea, and the 
plain but exquisitely prepared meal was all that one 
could expect from a family whose lives were so un¬ 
pretending and lovely. Aunt Leisurely. 
