udies 
toral anti factorial Home Companion. 
A GIRL’S EXPERIENCE IN HOUSE¬ 
KEEPING. 
I have yet to find in the entertaining columns of the 
Floral, a letter from one of its many girl readers, 
narrating her experience in housekeeping. We can 
relate our experience in floriculture, or tell the other 
girls how to make all kinds of fancy work, &c. &c., 
ad lib., but in practical housekeeping, we girls are 
minus quantities. 
Of course there are always exceptions to general 
rules, but still there are lots of girls situated like me, 
' for instance: 
Just graduated from school, having nothing particu¬ 
lar to do, and a mother who would rather work herself 
sick than teach us how to take charge of the domestic 
machinery. So we play croquet, wash the dishes, 
make beds, keep fresh flowers in the vases, sweep, re¬ 
ceive company and flirt a little, “for Satan,” &c., and 
sometimes when it is rainy, we study if we don’t fall 
asleep. 
Now I should like to inquire how we girls can be 
expected to rule our own households when we get 
them ! For of course we expect to come into our king¬ 
doms sooner or later. When I propounded that in¬ 
quiry to my maternal ancestor, she said : “ Oh ! when 
that time comes you’ll learn by experience. These are 
your best days now, I can’t have you tied down to 
housekeeping! ” t 
“ But mamma,” I returned, “ I don’t intend to be tied 
down to it, ever. I’ve a plan which will, I think, do 
away with this everlasting tying process. Now do let 
me keep house for a week; I think I have a little 
common sense, and I should like an opportunity to ex¬ 
ercise the iota in my possession; finally and lastly, 
you need the freedom and rest I’m so anxious to give 
in exchange for your housekeeper’s sceptre.” 
But ma laughed at me, and I ran up stairs in a 
regular huff, and made the beds all humpy in my fit of 
petulance; then happening to think if mother should 
see them, she would point it out as evidence conclusive 
of my unfitness for the position to which I aspired, I 
took the broomstick and penitently smoothed them 
down again. 
Now that you may understand my exact position, I’ll 
inform you that we are neither poor, nor worse yet, 
rich; having but five in the family, we keep no servant, 
preferring to do our own work. 
Mother’s ideas, however, of performing the house¬ 
hold duties, necessarily place the heaviest burdens on 
her shoulders, when they should be equally divided. 
it is so tedious to lounge around the kitchen, after 
the dishes and sweeping are done, to be in readiness to 
beat the eggs or sift the flour (a child’s work,) for the 
cake one is not supposed to be competent to mix. 
But the worst of it was—things are different now—I 
had no time I could really call my own, for if during 
a lull I went in the parlor to pract ice, or up to my room 
to write, I was sure to hear mamma’s tired’ voice come 
winding up the stairway with, “ W-i-n-n-i-e, will 
you pare the potatoes'?” or, “won’t you come down 
and wash the cooking dishes before dinner!” for this 
blessed mother of mine believes in washing dishes as 
soou as dirty. 
So with my consience reproaching me for leaving the 
lower regions at all, I would hasten down, congratu¬ 
lating myself that the call came before I had perched 
Arabella Jane on the edge of the balcony, because her 
lover might grow tired of waiting for her to fall into his 
arms and run away, thus leaving her and myself in an 
awkward position, for Arabella’s lovers were scarce, 
and it would spoil my story to leave out the elope. 
This is the way things stood three weeks ago. 
I have seized the reins of government since, and now 
am chief magistrate of our home phalanx of home 
duties. 
It was a long battle, but I came off with flying col¬ 
ors at last. I’d like to give you all the particulars, 
but the editor would snip them out, for he said not 
more than six pages. Such sights of mistakes as I did 
make at first! But mamma was patient, and always 
near to give advice when I was puzzled; I’ve given 
her credit for Job-like patience. 
The other members of the family have ceased their 
sarcastic remarks on Winnie’s new departure, and by 
the respect they manifest, I think they have decided 
that good can come out of the family good-for-nothiug. 
I made many innovations aud no one rebelled; 
though I did have a short skirmish with mother on the 
subject of washing dishes all the day long. I was 
victorious! 
Girls, do you remember Mrs. Whitney’s book, “We 
Girls ?” It tells of the Holly-birdies who had a fashion 
of washing dishes but once a day. That’s my way 
now, and its just super-splendid! 
After dinner I pack the dishes neatly in two deep 
pans; one will hold the tea things; pour on water, 
and let them sit and soak in the pantry until the next 
morning, when I wash them with the breakfast dishes. 
Things balance better at our house now-a-days. 
Mamma gets the freedom from care she should have 
had long ago, while the responsibilities I have assumed 
do me good, and are not hard to bear, now that they 
are systematized. 
I have certain days for baking, sweeping, &.<%, and 
a bill of fare for every day in the week. Knowing 
just what to get for each meal saves so much time, and 
time saved is oil for the domestic wheels. You’ve no 
idea how much easier they’ll run, unless you’ve applied 
the test. 
Somehow, there is no call to do everything all at 
once, making one flustered or mad as a March hare ! 
Better than all the rest, I have some time I can really 
call my own, and am in no danger of leaving the 
future Arabella Janes in uncomfortable positions on 
balcony edges, while I go down staffs to pare potatoes. 
Mamma is just in from a walk, with her face reflect¬ 
ing the hues of the bright autumn leaves she has 
gathered; one would hardly recognize her as my mother 
of a month ago. The experiment has been successful. 
Winnie Wildwood. 
WASHING DISHES BY RULE. 
What a topic, I bear some one sav, and I don’t know 
but what it is rather an homely one, but I think it one 
very essential item of household work to have the 
dishes washed, ana washed as they should be. 
I presume some housekeepers think it one oi the 
most disagreeable duties they have to perform, and I 
do not wonder, if they do it the way I have heard 
some of them do. Imagine one washing dishes in the 
wash basin; but enough, it may not be so; T should 
hope not. 
But this I do know, that there is not one girl in a 
dozen that “live out,” as they call it, that can or 
rather does wash dishes properly. 
It does seem so strange that people who call them¬ 
selves so neat and very particular, can be content to 
wash their dishes in a- little mess of greasy water; 
how they can do it is more thau I can tell, but they 
do, and I wish you could see how beautifully they are 
streaked, striped and spotted. 
Now, although I do not say that every one’s way is 
wrong, and mine alone is right, I do say, if they would 
follow my advice, they would be sure of having their 
dishes clean and glistening, and I am sure the looks of 
them, to say nothing of cleanliness, will amply repay 
them for their trouble. 
Now, then, in the first place have a good large tin 
dish-pan, one with handles both sides; fill it about half 
full of real warm water, not boiling hot, as I do not 
wish to scald you. Have ready, also, another pan as 
large as the first or smaller as may happen, only have 
it large enough to hold a part at least of the dishes at 
once. Now, have some nice clean soap, and a small 
white towel; wash your teaspoons first, laying them in 
the empty pan, then your tea cups and saucers, not 
merely dipping them in the water, but wash them just 
as though they were dirty; put those in the pan, and 
pour some real hot water, no matter if it is boiling, 
only look out for your fingers; next have a clean soft 
white towel and wipe them as fast as you take them 
out of the hot water; set them one side and wash your 
creamer, and be sure and scald that.and all pitchers 
and dishes that have had milk in them with boiling 
water, not merely hot, but boiling; next wash the 
large spoons and forks, then take the plates and other 
dishes, placing them also in the pan and pouring hot 
water over them the same as the rest. Now the 
knives; wash them nicely, then scour them bright with 
Bristol brick, or even sifted coal ashes, rinsing them 
thoroughly, then wipe dry. Of course all glassware 
should be worked first, and never on any account pile 
cups, saucers, plates and knives and forks all in 
together, as I have seen people do. 
Some may think this is making “ Much ado about 
nothing,” but let them be tormented as I have been 
with poor help, unclean dishes, and all that sort of 
bother, and they would try as hard as I have to make 
each daughter of the Emerald Isle, be she Biddy or 
Katie, to wash dishes by rule, if she does not know 
enough to wash them properly without. 
Now, although I presume my precious epistle to 
the heathen will have to be consigned to the waste 
basket, yet I have had my say, and relieved my mind 
on the dish question. 
Bristol, R. I. Mrs. B. T. Munroe. 
Sweet Pickle of Apples. —Take three pounds of 
sugar, three quarts of vinegar (not very strong), ten 
pounds of sweet apples; pare, quarter and core the 
apples, put sugar and vinegar together, boil and skim 
it, then take half the syrup out into another vessel, 
put so many of the apples into your preserving pan as 
will boil conveniently, and boil until tender; then 
skim those out and add more apples and syrup, till all 
are done. Spice with whole cloves and nutmeg. Keep 
in a cool dry place. 
Sweet Potato Corn. Biscuit.— Three large potatoes 
boiled and mashed into a pint of meal, one tablespoon¬ 
ful of lard, one of sugar, one egg, and salt to taste. 
Bake in pone or as plain biscuit. They are a delight¬ 
ful dish. 
Minute Sponge Cake. —Beat three eggs two min¬ 
utes ; add one and a-half cups of sugar, beat two 
minutes; one cup of flour and one teaspoonful of cream 
of tartar, beat one minute; add half a cup of cold 
water with half a teaspoonful of soda and a spoonful 
of extract of lemon, beat one minute; add one cup of 
flour, beat one minute. 
