332 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
which is very soft in texture ; and still another is cache- 
mire craqueU , which looks much like the crackle-ware 
china with which we all are familiar. 
Colored jackets and waistcoats are to be great favor¬ 
ites this season. They are as different in cut as they are 
numerous, but always open over a pleated plastron, usu¬ 
ally of foulard, surah or satin. 
Nearly all dresses, of whatever material, are enriched 
by a panel on the left side, either in velvet or plush, 
Egyptian galoon or embroidery. 
Little misses just in their teens have their dresses made 
from all these varieties of wool goods and even more. 
The range of materials is from fine cashmeres to all the 
rough goods worn by their mothers, beside velveteen and 
corduroy, which are liked for youthful toilets. 
There are also elaborate combinations of silk or satin 
with velvet and plush, for dressy occasions ; but tasteful 
mothers prefer simple white muslin dresses, or costumes 
of white, or light delicate colors in wool goods, for school¬ 
girls who appear at Christmas dinners and small parties. 
A soft, gathered vest of a bright contrasting color is 
greatly liked for misses, worn with an Eton jacket of the 
color of the skirt. This vest has a belt or sash crossing 
it at the waist-line. A belt is finished without ends, but 
a sash may be tied in a bow at the back or at one side. 
Misses wear, principally, long Newmarket cloaks of 
beaver or boucle cloth. They are made to cover the 
dress skirts entirely. But a good many short jackets are 
worn. They have loose diagonal fronts and short fitted 
backs, and are trimmed either with fur and large buttons 
or wide braid and plain buttons. 
The hats are of felt, either high in the crown and close 
in the brim, or like turbans, lower in the crown with the 
brim turned up all around. The trimming on all shapes 
is high in front and is varied by birds, wings and quills. 
Standing linen collars and ruffles are now worn in the 
necks and wrists of misses’ dresses, and even by quite 
small girls. But for street wear we see the white em¬ 
broidered necktie revived, tied in a large bow. Tiny chil¬ 
dren still wear large embroidered collars. Mei.uzina. 
HOUSEKEEPING. 
Christmas Turkey. 
Large turkeys are not apt to be as tender as small ones, 
but it is less trouble to prepare one than two, and surely 
the carving of two is more laborious than one. There 
are two methods of treating a turkey that is past its most 
tender age that will make it quite as acceptable as a 
younger one roasted in the usual manner. One method 
is to steam the turkey an hour and then roast it; but that 
requires a much larger steamer than most families pos¬ 
sess. The other is to sew the fowl up in a clean and 
perfectly sweet piece of old muslin and then roast it in 
the usual manner, basting often. If it does not brown 
sufficiently through the cloth, remove it half an hour be¬ 
fore the turkey is done. When it is served even the legs 
and wings will be tender and juicy, and not dry and hard, 
as is usually the case. It is an improvement to add 
some oysters to the dressing and save the liquor of the 
oysters to put in the gravy. 
Chicken Pie with Oysters. 
Boil the chicken until almost done, it will finish cook¬ 
ing in the pie. Make as much gravy as the size of the 
fowl will warrant, add a half cup of milk and thicken it. 
The quantity of crust will depend on the size of the pie 
you wish to have. One quart of flour will make enough 
for a large pie, and will require three heaping teaspoon¬ 
fuls of baking-powder, one level teaspoonful of salt, and 
three small tablespoonfuls of butter pressed down and 
smoothed level with a knife. The baking-powder and 
salt must be sifted with the flour, and the butter worked 
through with the hand. It will need nearly a pint of 
wetting, all milk or half milk and water; stir it in with a 
spoon and roll the dough out just large enough to fit the 
top of the baking-dish; place the chicken in the dish, 
which must be hot, scatter the raw oysters among the 
pieces of chicken, pour over all enough gravy to fill the 
dish to the depth of one inch and cover it with the crust, 
which must be pressed against the edge so it will adhere. 
A vent for steam can be made in the middle ; bake half 
an hour and serve with remainder of the gravy. 
/ 
Fruit Glace. 
Oranges and grapes are the most readily obtained of 
any fruit at this season, and make a nice variety for the 
New Year’s table if treated in the following manner: 
Boil together one cup of granulated sugar, the same 
quantity of cold water, and the juice of one lemon. Do 
not stir it while boiling. A small granite-iron saucepan 
is best to cook it in, and it is ready for use when a little, 
taken up on a fork, will form a brittle thread if exposed 
to the cold air or dipped in water. While the syrup is 
boiling pare the oranges, divide them into small sections 
and lay them on a dry towel, as there must be no mois¬ 
ture on the outside. Keep the syrup hot by placing it 
over the teakettle or setting it in a basin of boiling 
water. Then take each piece of fruit on a fork or 
skewer, and, dipping it into the syrup, lay it on a but¬ 
tered platter and set in a cool place. 
Boston Brown Bread. 
This favorite loaf is sometimes a mystery to the inex¬ 
perienced housekeeper, and unskillful servants frequently 
fail after being supplied with the plainest directions. It 
is, therefore, a great convenience to be able to purchase a 
mixture so nearly prepared that the most ignorant servant 
can be left to complete and steam it with certain success. 
In using Holmes’ brown bread mixture nothing is re¬ 
quired but the addition of two cups and a half of water 
and a half cup of molasses, so there is no possibility of 
failure. It is also a convenience to any housekeeper to 
purchase all the ingredients in one package. 
Mrs. C. G. Herbert. 
