The Editor will gladly answer queries pertaining to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. 
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A Candle Lamp 
NEW candle lamp that seems to have 
been evolved from a combination of 
a lantern and the old-fashioned candlestick 
with a windshield, is a novelty that is de¬ 
cidedly practical and will no doubt prove 
useful. The frame is of dull burnished 
copper with a cylindrical glass shield ex¬ 
tending from top to bottom. Perforations 
in the base and also in the top give free 
circulation of air, while the candle is so 
thoroughly protected by the shield, that it 
burns with a steady dame. 
A substantial handle not only adds to 
the appearance of the lamp, but makes it 
particularly easy to carry about. It is 
quite suitable for indoor or outdoor use, 
and for country houses with neither gas 
nor electricity it is especially serviceable, 
as it not only gives a low, steady light for 
the hall or veranda, but is readily moved 
about from place to place, and besides see¬ 
ing that candles are always available it is 
no trouble to keep in order. 
Finishing Floors at Slight Cost. 
N country houses when cleaning in the 
fall, preparatory to comfortable liv¬ 
ing in the winter, if one would take the 
trouble to dnish the door for rugs 
(which can readily be made from the 
carpets) the appearance of the home 
would be greatly improved as well as the 
labor of keeping clean lessened. 
First dll the cracks, if large, with pieces 
of wood, or if they are not wide enough 
for that, dll with pieces of newspaper torn 
to bits and mixed with a paste made of 
dour and water. Then apply a dat, 
ground, color and when dry, put on a 
coat of walnut varnish. If there is much 
walking to be done in certain places, it 
will pay after letting the varnish dry, to 
put on a coat of shellac, or elastic dnish. 
This gives a splendid looking door, one 
that wears well and costs little. A dnish 
of this kind for two feet and a half around 
the baseboard of a room works wonders 
in the cleanliness and appearance. Be 
sure to let the ground color dry for at 
least twelve hours before applying the 
walnut varnish. It then gives the color of a 
hardwood door, neither too dark nor too 
light, and can stand nearly as much wear. 
Protection Against Ice in Gutters 
OMETIMES much damage is done by 
leaks in the roof, when the gutters 
freeze in winter. I visited a house where 
such an emergency was provided for by 
a hot water pipe leading to the gutters. 
Whenever a sudden freeze followed a day 
or two of warm weather which melted the 
snow on the roof, the hot water was 
turned into the gutters and speedily 
cleared them of ice. I believe this device 
was invented by the owner of the house, 
but it is not patented and anybody is free 
to adopt it. 
Laying Matting 
O lay straw matting is a difficult thing 
to do, as the cheaper grades are like¬ 
ly to get wrinkled and to wear in ridges. 
When you put the matting down, get it 
as smooth as possible; then with a pail of 
hot water, to which a cupful of common 
salt has been added, mop and wash the 
/ 
A combination candle lamp and lantern in 
brass offers a various service both indoors 
and out 
matting as if it were dirty. Use the salt 
water freely, renewing often enough to 
keep it hot. Wash with the grain of the 
matting, and leave it quite damp. The 
salt toughens the straw and prevents it 
from breaking. 
The Desirable Medicine Cabinet 
HE sanitary value of a metal medicine 
cabinet is beyond question. No ab¬ 
sorbent material comes into contact with 
spilled medicine-—the metal may easily be 
cleaned with soap and water, and dried im¬ 
mediately. And metal does not swell, 
warp, shrink, crack nor sag, as wood is 
apt to do. 
These cabinets are most satisfactory 
when set into a recess in the wall, but may 
also be attached to the wall-face with 
screws. In purchasing it is well to pro¬ 
cure the model with moveable shelves, to 
accommodate bottles of different sizes. 
And the good housekeeper will find that 
glass shelves are obviously most desirable. 
The cabinets are all made with bevelled 
mirror on the door. Some of them have 
the inside corners rounded, with no place 
for dirt to accumulate. The cabinet is at¬ 
tached to the recess without injury to 
marble or tile-work, and without showing 
the holding screws. 
Small Water Pitchers for the Guest 
Room 
ITTLE pitchers which are of use in 
the guest room come in various 
pretty designs in pink, green, blue and 
yellow. I have one for each guest room, 
pink for the pink room, blue for the blue 
room, and so on. They stand on a table in 
the upper hall, and when we retire for the 
night a large pitcher of ice-water is car¬ 
ried upstairs, each small pitcher filled, and 
put in its respective room. Each pitcher 
holds just two glasses of water which, 
unless one spends a very wakeful night, 
is quite sufficient for one’s needs. 
These pitchers are made of a very good 
quality of china, smooth and thin and for 
a wonder they can be purchased at the 
ten-cent store. The shapes are most con¬ 
venient — the opening is large enough to 
admit the whole hand in washing, so that 
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