192 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
or wardrobe, and gives an odor far more delicate and 
agreeable than any sachet powder one can buy. Make 
an inner case of cambric three inches long and two 
wide, in which place the perfume between two 
pieces of cotton batting. Cover the whole with a case 
of silk or satin with a tiny bit of embroidery or paint¬ 
ing on it, and trim the edge with lace or fringe. These 
are a nice addition to the usual Christmas gifts, and 
when daintily made are far more elegant and desirable 
than the conventional card. 
The Orientals compound delicious confections of Rose 
leaves, and if you wish to know what a toothsome and 
aesthetic flavor they have, chop them with three or four 
times their bulk of white sugar and press them down in 
a pot. Cover closely, and in three months it will be 
ripe. It makes a fine flavoring for light cakes, and by 
mixing a few spoonfuls with a little milk, allowing it 
to stand an hour and then straining it, you will have a 
PROVIDENTIAL 
“Now, chil’en, de circus am cornin’ to-day, and I’s 
gwine down to de cawner of Fourf Street and Lawrence 
Avenue to see de percession; den I’s ’vited to dinnah 
wid Miss Cassy Tousaint, an’ after dinnah we’s gwine 
to de show; an’ I wants you to stay to home, George 
Abraham and Marfy Washington, an’ tend Chawles 
Sumner till I gits back ; reckon dat’ ’ll be ’bout fo’ 
o’clock.” 
As the colored lady, who claimed the aristocratic name 
of Mrs. Virginia Fairfax, made this announcement, she 
lifted the lid of a large pine-box that served her family 
in the double capacity of chest and dining-table, and 
taking from its depths a blue Japanese silk dress, which 
had not seen the light before since last “’Mancipation 
Day,” she proceeded to array herself therein. As she 
drew it on directly over the faded wrapper which she 
wore this was the work of but a moment, and she then 
began to dress her hair by unwrapping pieces of white 
twine from numberless pigtails ; these pigtails were to 
be drawn back and hidden under a chignon of glossy, 
straight hair taken out of the chest with the best dress. 
Great was the consternation that immediately fell 
upon the children addressed. Charles Sumner, being 
but two years old, probably did not comprehend the 
situation; but seeing Martha Washington’s lip go up 
and her tears come down, while she dug her fist furi¬ 
ously into her left eye, he felt moved, through sympa¬ 
thy, to lift up his voice in lamentation ; and Charles 
Sumner had a strong voice. George Abraham alone 
controlled himself sufficiently to expostulate with his 
mother. 
‘ ‘ I wants to go, mammy ; me’n Marfy bof wants to 
go ; we’s done gone talked ’bout gwine eber sin’ da 
put de picters up. We wants to see the elefunt an’ 
de ’potamus, and Dan’l in de lions’ den.” This last was 
George Abraham’s actual idea of one of the scenes de¬ 
picted on the billboards, but its introduction here was a 
bit of shrewdness on his part, for Mrs. Fairfax was a 
leader in class-meeting, a recognized authority in ex¬ 
pounding the Scripture, and she had daily impressed 
upon her children all the most picturesque of the Bible 
seasoning for ice-cream much nicer than any Rose¬ 
water that can be bought. 
For perfuming the linen closet nothing can be nicer 
than Lavendar and Rose leaves dried together. This 
was a favorite perfume in those good old times when 
an ample store of household linen was at once the am¬ 
bition and delight of every housewife, and each girl as 
soon as she could twirl the tiny flax-wheel or manipu¬ 
late the flying-spindle began to lay by a store of snowy 
cloth as the nucleus of that trousseau which she expected 
at some time to have to provide. 
“And every garment’s gentle stir was breathing 
Rose and Lavendar,” when, robed in their Sunday best, 
matron and maid with demure face and step entered the 
high, square pews of the old meeting-house to joininthe 
worship of that Being who created the Rose and Lily in 
all their loveliness, as well as the seed-bearing shrubs 
and trees on which the lives of so many depend. 
Annie Marie. 
GINGERBREAD. 
stories ; of these the story of Daniel had always seemed 
to be her prime favorite ; but the allusion to it on a cir¬ 
cus day utterly failed to move her. 
“I dosen’t want no argyfying wid my own fles’ and 
blood, and I won’t hab it; heah dat! ” returned she, 
with all the dignity she could command while holding 
her mouth full of hair pins and menacing George Abra¬ 
ham with the hairbrush, and she added, as she skew¬ 
ered the pins into her chignon: “I don’t want to be 
boddered with a parcel o’ young uns when I’s ’vited out 
to dinnah, and I won’t hab time to brung yo’ home after 
de percession. So you set right down dar on dat paint- 
keg, George Abraham, and hoi’ yo’ tongue. And Marfy 
Washin’ton, yo’ straighten up dat face, and stop dat 
young un’s bawlin.” 
Then the doting mother, having finished her toi¬ 
let, took her departure, after mounting on top of the 
chignon an enormous hat which was trimmed with wide 
white lace falling over the brim in a manner suggestive 
of the old fashioned bed-valance. It was the largest 
hat, with the deepest curtain, which Mrs. Fairfax, in 
pursuit of style, had been able to find in the city, and 
it cost her a burning insult later in the day, when a de¬ 
praved white boy peered under it and inquired “which 
one of the side shows was a-showin’ in that tent? ” 
After she had gone Martha Washington cried silently, 
Charles Sumner cried vociferously, and George Abra¬ 
ham sat upon the paint-keg, twisted his great toe 
around in a knot-hole in the floor, and reflected. Fi¬ 
nally he announced the result of his meditations. 
“ I’s gwine any way.” 
“We’s can’t; Charles Sumner can’t walk so fer,’ an’ 
he’s too big to tote,” said Martha Washington, with a 
face more hopeful than her words, and she lifted the 
corner of her ragged apron to dry her tears. 
“Don’t mean you,” answered her brother, impa¬ 
tiently, “cos you’s got to stop home an’ take keer ob 
him.” 
Martha dropped her apron and began to cry afresh. 
“I’ll tell mammy, an’ she’ll lick ye,” she wailed. “She 
done say yo’ gotter stay wid me.” 
