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TSfi SOtragfe&N WOKLt>, MarOH 16,1882.
11
MRS. TON SAWYER’S PARTY.
Mr*. Tom Sawyer’* cheery little face was
unmistakably clouded, as she went about
her work, one bright morning.
In order to explain to you the cause of
this unusual occurrence, I shall have to say,
first of all, that there never was n more
thoroughly aristocratic little town than that
of Ashton was, and is now, for aught I know
to the contrary. They were aristocratic
people, the Ashtonltes, had aristocratic
homes, attended aristocratic churches, and
lost, but not least in poor little Mrs. Tom's
eyes this self-same morning, they had very
aristocratic tea parties.
“What had that to do with her?” youask.
Well, somehow, partly in virtue of her
good family, but mostly, I must confess, on
account of her sweet sunshiny ways, and
good true sense, Mrs. Tom, though her hus
band was a mechanic, was admitted even in
to the charmod circle of aristocratic Ashton.
Mrs. Tom herself wondered how she came
there, as did everybody else, but there she
was, and no one, not even the most fastidi
ous, had any desire to put her out.
But it proved something of a trial to her
after all, and this morning the thorns were
very sharp. You must know she found her
self, ns the expression is, indebted to nearly
every one of her friends, not financially, but
socially.
“Nothing very terrible about that,” you
say; but that is because you know nothing
about Ashton tea parties.
No one was invited until just tea time,
when all were expected to appear robed in
their very best. The table was loaded with
dainties of all sorts and descriptions. After
an evening’of high bred small-talk and gos
sip, if ever such be high-bred, the company
adjourned, each lady present vowing to sur
pass the hostess on some future occasion.
Such were Ashton tea parties. Do you
wonder that Mrs. Tom sighed ?
She went, broom in hand, and opened the
parlor door. It is a cozy, cheery room; look
ed “just like herself,” her husband said.
But the carpet was only an ingrain, and the
furniture very plain. Sire shut the door and
went ou into the dining room. That carpet
was very much worn and thin in spots.
“But I enjoy eating in it enough sight
v!>ser then in Mrs. George Parker’s elegant
one, for hers fairly chills me, and this warms
me up, it looks so homely,” said the incor
rigible Tom, who preferred his own cozy
home to any one’s splendor.
•Mrs. Tom went back to her sweeping, with
a look of indecision on her face, and it rest
ed there all the time she was dusting and
putting to rights.
“I’ll do it,” she exclaimed all at once, as
she put the last book back, and pushed Tom's
chair into the corner.
“I’irdo it. I’ve accepted tiieir hospitality,
and I'll offer them mine. They know I can
not do as they do, so they won’t, expect it,
and I won’t spoil it all by tryingtodo some
thing I can’t. I’ll make as nice u tea. party
as I know how my way, but I’ll keep it my
way."
So it came to pass that afternoon Mrs. Tom
went around among her friends, inviting
them to take tea with her the next day.
“And I would like to have you come early
and spend the afternoon," site said to every
one.
Then she went homo and commenced pre
parations. The house was put in apple-pie
order. For tea, she would have biscuits and
butter, (and Mrs.' Tom could make biscuits
wortii eating,) cold meat, preserves, and two
kinds of cake. She hesitated over the cake
a little. She did hate to seem poor or stingy;
but she kept firm.
“I can’t afford any more, and I don't be
lieve in thinking your company comes for
the cake."
There was'no little wonderment and sur
prise over Mrs. Tom’s invitations; some even
felt a little sorry for her lest she had not
fully realized what she was undertaking.
But one and all made up their minds to go,
and help along if need be.
Mrs. Tom met them at Ihe door with a
bright smile of welcome, took them up Into
her own room to lay aside their things, then
down into the cheery little parlor, which
never looked cheerier and prettier than to
day. It was not grand or Impressive, but
you felt its bright homeliness the minute
you entered.
Such an afternoon! Not one of them could
remember one like it. Mrs. Tom was every
where, sometimes with a merry jest, some
times a kindly inquiry, now with an inter
esting curioilty and its story, another time
with some question that led to an Interest
ing discussion. They forgot to gossip or
criticise; they had no time to; it was crowd
ed out with better things. Somehow a kind
ly feeling crept over them, and they showed
the best of themselves far more in this cozy
little home, than in their accustomed splend
or.
When Mrs. Tom excused herself, as the
clock struck six, to look after supper, they
looked from one to another in astonishment.
Where had the afternoon gone to?
“I don’t know what you’ve done,” said
Mrs. Parker, as she bade her hostess good
night, “but 1 feel as I used to say when a
child, ’gooder’ than I did when I came."
“We shall all be glad to come again,” said
Mrs. Weston, the lady of Ashton, whose
husband was worth over a million.
“And all I did Tom, was just to try and
get the best out of everybody.”
“If every one would do that, the millen
nium would come in less than no time, little
woman,” responded Tom with a fond smile.
"Most of us usually do onr best to keep the
worst in sight.”
“Oh dear, and we might help each other
so much I" sighed Mrs. Tom.
“What did she do, any way?” asked one,
as they discussed the strange party.
“She didn’t do anything,” answered Mrs.
Parker, promptly.
“She was just real and true. I never felt
so ashamed in ray life as when I thought of
all the ponies I had given, and every one of
them spreads. But I’ve spread all I am go
ing to,” she added with a laugh. “Here
after, when I invite yon to my house, I
want you to understand it’s because I think
we can do each other good some way, not
because I’ve a new carpet to exhibit, or a
new kind of cake to treat you to.’’—[K. K.
in Kcnnebeck Journal.
§onie Quit 's.
Honse-Claanlnir.
It is customary for the “lords of creation”
to revile the almost universal practice among
housekeepers of a semi-annual house-clean
ing, and yet we know that these sume “lords’,
enjoy a clean house just us much as we do.
But, they say, why can’t you keep the house
so clean all the time that these periodical
disturbances will never be necessary. If
they would try it for a little while, I think
the result would be a thorough appreciation
of the need of house-cleaning and an ac
knowledgement of its immense value.
Few of us ever think of furnishing our
houses with a view to their being easily
cleaned.
Our floors are covered with heavy carpets,
which, of necessity, become filled with dust
and nothing short of taking up the carpet
and giving it a thorough beating can remove
this; then our furniture, much of it seems
to be constructed upon the principle of mak
ing them convenient dust collectors, and
many large pieces of furniture, as bookcases,
wardrobes, sideboards, etc., which cannot bo
moved without great trouble, furnish innu
merable nooks and corners behind and un
derneath them where dust can be concealed,
and yet ready to be stirred by a breath of
air and float through our rooms. J ust the
mere walking of a person acrossa floor where
a carpet has lain all winter will set in motion
a million of these particles and'they are con
stantly being inhaled into our lungs. Many
sensible people are discarding carpets
which covfr the whole floor, and using
rugs instead instead which may be taken
up and shaken every day. Walls and
ceilings absorb dampness and noisome va
pors and their frequent cleansing, painting
or papering are essential to the health of the
household.
Papering and painting are best done in
cool weather, especially the latter, for wood
absorbs much more of the oil of paint in
warm weather. In cold weather the oil har
dens on the outside, making a coat
which will protect the weod. In repapering
a wall, always insist upon having all the old
paper removed before putting on the new.
After all has been torn off-that is loose,
damiten the walls with warm water and the
rest may be removed quite easily. Then fill
any cracks there may bo in the wall with
plaster of paris. Only a little of this should
be mixed at once as it sets very quick. To
such os hang their own paper let me say that
the paste is best made by wetting the flour
first with cold water and then pouring in
boiling water, stirring constantly until it
thickens. The paste does not need to boil
and should be quite thin when it is done. A
half ounce of borax added to every quart of
paste improves it. A whitewash brush is
the best to apply the paste to the paper with.
It should be applied quickly and with as lit
tle rubbing as possible and the paper should
be hung as soon as it ia pasted. It is quite a
difficult task for amateurs in the art, to hang
paper nicely, but it may be done.
In cleaning houses only one room should
be undertaken at a time, and that finished
and put in order before another is com
menced, and if you find you are getting too
tired, stop and rest a day. Planning
goes a great ways toward lightening work.
Every morning let a reasonable day’s work
be planned, and when that is accomplished
stop. Don’t think because you have finish
ed the settled task long before nightthat you
must keep hunting up something else to do,
unless you want to have, when yoijrhouse is
all cleaned, only a tired-out, peniaps sick
woman to enjoy it.
It is a good plan to begin the house-clean
ing early enough to finish it and get the
spring sewing done before hot weather conies
as then one should have no more work to do
than is absolutely necessary, and be able to
spend as much of the time ns possible in the
open air. Let each child have a flower-bed;
teach them to lovo the beauties of nature
and to see the hand of the Divine Father in
all the beautiful world around them.
The Kitchen.
It Is hardly to be wondered at that house
keepers sometimes become discouraged and
ready to declare that they hate housework,
or that girls are ready to employ their time
anywhere else sooner than in the kitchen,
when we enter these same kitchens and find
them so inconvenient that they ore but a
miserable apology for what they ought to
be.
The kitchen ought to be large enough to
admit of the necessary work to be carried on
there comfortably; it ought to be well light
ed and yet shaded from the burning rays of
the sun. The floor should be painted^either
of a uniform tint, orby staining every alter-
ternatc board light and dark. This is done
by painting every alternate bourd with um
ber, (which may be procured already mixed
with oil) and leaving each alternate board
the natural color of the wood, giving them
simply a dressing of oil.
Steps, and often needless steps are what
tire housekeepers und wear them out when
they ought,to be in their prime. It rcully
seems os if some of our houses were built in
a way to make justas many steps ns possible
instead of saving them. The pantry is often
separated from the kitchen by the dining
room and there being, not even a closet in
the kitchen, all the cooking utensils are at
least twenty feet from the cookstove.
The pantry should open out of both
kitchen and dining room, and in every
kitchen there ought to he a small closet neur
the cookstove for holdings few plates, bowls,
cups, knives, forks and spoons. There should
be also, space in the cupboard for salt, pep
per, spices, sugar, molasses and vinegar; and
room in the bottom of the closet for pots,
pans, skillets, etc. How many steps such
an arrangement would savu a housekeeper in
one day to say nothing of the number saved
in a month or a year.
There should always be a pump in the
kitchen, then u few feet of rubber hose will
enable one to fill the reservoir on the cook
stove, or the rinsing tub on washing day,
without stepping from the pump or lifting a
bucket of water. There urc many other con
veniences which any woman can contrive to
save steps in the kitchen, and, dear husbands,
let me just whisper a word in your ear. It
' will pay you to spend some thought and labor
upon this same subject. Try it and see if
yonr wives and daughters are not enough
brighter and happier to repay you. They
will not be “tired to death” all the time, but
can do the work so much easier that they
will be fresh and bright, and with time to
practice up the long neglected music or to
read the last new book with you in the even
ing.
THE WORK RANKET.
A very pretty and substantial card re
ceiver can be made by the following direc
tion: Take a common tin pic plate and
paint it black with asphultum paint. After
it is dry ornament with gilt puper and scrap
book pictures, then put two coats of trans
parent varnish overall.
The way to use a Chinese fan as a wall
decoration, is to spread it open and tack it
on the wull, put two or three card photo
graphs between the sticks. The fan makes
a pretty background and a serviceable frame.
The “Art Amateur” gives the following
directions for ebonizing white wood: Get
one quart of strong vinegar, one half pound
extract of logwood, two ounces of green
copperas, one half ounce of China blue, one
half ounce of nutgall. Place in an iron pot
and boil till well dissolved. When cool it is
ready for use. Take a handful of iron fll-
ings and immerse them in strong vinegar for
several days, then measure off one half pint
and add to the above mixture.
A mantel valance may be easily deco
rated by cutting the edge in scallops with a
medallion in the center of each, and rays
filling up the intermediate space. The de
sign is executed in coarse silk, caught down
by thin silk, and the ground may be either
linen or woolen.
Italian Apron.—The fashionable Italian
apron is easily made. Take a handsome,
heavily fringed towel, with deep and bright
border; turn one edge down over the other,
so that the front is nearly all ornamental
work, and put a cord and tassel around the
top, or a band of ribbon, only joining the
apron to the band for about a quarter of a
yard, and buttoning the towel or apron at
the buck where the sides drop down. Take
a towel and fold one end down over another
and you’ll readily catch the idea.
A table cover of green or red cloth may
have a border made out of odds and ends of
cloth, silk or velvet. Cut out card board in
the shape of small hearts, cover these with
the scraps, first tacking them on the card
and then button-holing them all round with
yellow embroidery silk. When several va
rious colored ones are prepared, arrange
them ou the cloth near the edge, tack them
on and make a chain stitch of the yellow
silk from ench up to a point, as if each were
hanging by a string. Last of ail, sow on
a bow of narrow ribbon of the same shade
as the embroidery silk, and thus you have a
bunch of little hearts hanging from a bow.
These bunches in different colors, in groups
at equal distances, have a very pretty, quaint
effect. Any color may be used for the chain
stitching and the ribbon.
When raveling out a fringe on mats or ti
dies made of java or honeycomb canvas,
save the threads; you can use them for
feather-stitching bands for trimming. Gray
linen makes very pretty aprons trimmed
with bands feather-stitched with red.
Douiile-faced Canton flannel Is the best
cheap material that can be used for curtains
or portieres. They should be trimmed with
bands of some contrasting color and sus
pended from a pole by rings so ns to be
drawn aside nt pleasure.
Fretty Run.—Gather together all the old
pieces of silks and ribbons that you can lay
your hands upon, the brighter the colors the
better. Cut them into strips about one-
half inch in width and sew them together
as you would car|>et rags. It does not mat
ter how the colors come, the more decidedly
mixed the brighter the effect. Then knit
them ou large needles as you would a hose
suspender, of the width and length which
you require for the rug, and line it with
some stiffiuatcrial so that it will lie straight.
Make a border of crimson or dark blue felt.
This may be from an eighth to a quarter of
a yard wide and pinked upon the edges. If
one 1ms not silks, pretty colored wool goodb
in plain colors, would be quite effective.
Stained Floors.—Soft wood floors treated
in the following manner have given general
satisfaction: Mix about equal parts of raw
and burnt umber with turpentine and ja
pan, adding a little boiled linseed oil to pre
vent its drying too rapidly; have the floor
perfectly clean and free of grease spots, as
they prevent the stain from drying, apply
the preparation with a well-worn paint
brush, rubbing it across the grain. In a few
minutes, say ten, take a woolen rag and rub
off all surplus color, rubbing this time with
the grain. When dry, apply a coat of boiled
oil. This may be repeated twice a year-
spring and fall, which is often enough under
ordinary circumstances. The stain may bo
varied by using more or lesss of either color.
If a dark rich color is desired, add burnt
siena. With these three colors almost any
shade from oak to black walnut or mahogany
may be produced.—[N. Y. Tribune.
The Oleander.—All parts of the oleander
are deadly. A very small quantity of the
leaves has been known.to kill a horse. The
flowers have produced death in those per
sons who have carelessly picked and ate
them. The branches, divested of their bark
and used as skewers, have poisoned the meat
roasted on them, and killed seven out of
twelve people who partook of it.
Opium and Childhood.—A few weeks ago
a man in the State of New York, went five
miles in haste for a doctor.
Says the latter, "On my arrival I found a
babe, eight months old, lying In the arms of
Its almost frantic mother, pale, comatose,
bathed'in perspiration, with a slow, feeble
pulse, and pupils contracted to the size of a
very small pin-head.