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For Woman’s Work.
MY BOY’S PROMISE.
'• When I’m a man, mamma," and two chubbv
hunds
Tenderly smoothed back my hair from my brow.
Then wiped from my eyes the streaming tears,
“ You’ll not labor as you do now.
I shall be strong then and toil for us both,
Now please do not weep any more, mamma dear”
And I raised my sorrow bowed head as he spoke,
For his baby-words brought mv widowed heart,
cheer.
And all through that day and the days to come,
1 sang at my work and forgot my tears,
For 1 still heard the echo ; “ When I'm a man,”
And 1 patiently waited the coming years.
True, ’tis many years since he left me alone,
In far away lands his fortune to seek.
And oft I am told of his full-grown form,
And oft of his wealth, I can hear them speak.
They tell of his elegant home o'er the sea.
Os his loved wife and daughters in fair robes
arrayed.
And one grown so bold, once whispered to me;
“ Perhaps ha’s forgotten the promise he made!”
But I heed naught they say, as I’m still toiling on,
Though feeble and old now, I do all I < an,
And hope comes to banish my unbidden tears
For I know he'll take care of me, “ When he’sa
man.”
Sylvia Silverthorne.
Muscatine. lowa.
For Woman’s Work.
MRS. GREY’S NEW BONNET.
MRS. F. M. HOWARD.
“ Eben, you don't s’pose now you could
afford me a new bonnet?”
The words came from the lips of a farm
er’s wife as she stood before a small mir
ror, tying on a bonnet which had evident
ly seen long service.
She knew her husband better than to
expect a harsh refusal, still her request had
been made hesitatingly.
“ I wish’t I could Dully, I do ra’ly,” re
plied Eben Grey kindly, •• but you see how
’tis yourself, wife; the crop aintnothin' like
what we expected, and we’ve sold about all
the stock we orter.”
“ I know it, Eben, I know it, and I know
I ought not to be hankerin’ alter finery,
but this old bonnet is so shabby, 1 can’t
help being ashamed on’t.” And she gave
one siring a petulant pull, and tried to
straighten a loop ot the laded ribbon, which
would persist in flopping over in a most
disconsolate way.
* You’re a good wife. Dolly.” said Eben
Grey, looking at her with tender, regretful
eyes, as she stood before the glass, *■ and if
I had my way, 1 would dress you up in
silksand satins, and you should have a new
bonnet every season if you wanted it; but
you had’nt ought to have married a poor
man, Dolly. If you had taken Horace
Langstafl, now
“ Eben,” the wife turned from the glass
and looked at him reproachfully. •• I’d
rather wear old bonnets all the days of my
life.”
“Good morning, Mr. Grey; going to
town?” said a strange vice at the door,
and turning quickly they saw standing
there, Mr. Smith, a new neighbor who had
recently bought a farm in the vicinity and
was reputed wealthy.
He was a largeand powerfully built man,
finely dressed, and seemed to be a person
of considerable culture.
“Yes, sir,” replied Eben, who was a
small man, and appeared still more so in
contrast with his tall neighbor. Me’n
Dolly had a little business in town ; want
to ride ?”
“ Well, yes, if it would’nt be crowding,”
replied Mr. Smith. “My colt turned up
lame this morning, and I thought if it
would’nt be tresspasing on hospitality—”
“Not at all. Nut at all Sir,” said Eben,
cordially. His small body contained a
large heart, that delighted in doinga neigh
borly kindness; “ fortunately Dolly’ssize
runs to height and not breadth, and the
wagon seat is wide,” and he looked at Dol
ly’s tall figure with smiling pride.
“All right then,” replied Mr. Smith.
“ I’ll go out and help you hitch up, if Mrs.
Grey is ready,” with a courtly bow; be had
been considerable of a ladies’man, and had
not forgotten the art of making himself
agreeable to the ladies.
The ride to town was a very pleasant
one. Mr. Smith showed himself to be a
man of culture and refinement, as well as a
reader and traveller; and the Greys were
delighted with their companion.
“ Is’nt he nice?” whispered Dolly, as
Eben helped her out in front of a millinery
store in town, where a large display ot
bonnets and hats hung temptingly in the
window.
“ Hav’nt met as entertaining a fellow in
years,” was Eben's reply, and as he spoke,
he looked longingly at the temptations in
the window; it really hurt him to be ob
liged to refuse his wife any reasonable
request, and the contrast between her
shabby straw and these tasteful specimens
nf millinery art, was really striking.
“ I’m awful sorry,Dolly,” he said with a
nod toward the window.
“Never mind, Eben,” replied the wife,
resolutely looking away from it, “ it’ll come
sometime.”
When the wagon was loaded up for the
return trip, there was a large sack ot meal
it> the back part, several packages of vari
ous sizes stowed under the seat, and Eben
drove around to the drugstore after Mr.
Smith.
He was evidently in high spirits, his face
somewhat flushed, and JJolly noticed a
strong smell of cloves and cardamom seeds
as he climbed over the wheel.
“ Now my. friend,” he said, in a lofty,
patronizing tone, “ let me drive home; you
kindly drove out for us, let me return the
favor.”
“The horses are skittish beasts, and are
not used to any driving but mine,” said
Eben, as he somewhat reluctantly relin
quished the lines to his new acquaintance.
“ Don’t let them get the advantage of
you.”
“ That’s all right, my friend,” replied
Mr. Smith, with a grand wave of his band.
“ pardon me. if 1 seem to boast, but I have
driven horses, yes sir, horses," emphasiz
ing the words, as if he wished to indicate a
vast difference between the animals which
were now dancing along wiih their ears
pricked up in recognition of the strange
hand on the reins, and the steeds which he
had been accustomed to.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Mr.
Grey’s experience in the use and effects of
spirits had been very limited ; he had never
used the stuff in his family, except in one
solitary instance of snake bite, and then
the effects were equally divided in his mind
between the snake and the bottle, so that
he did not at first suspect what it was that
had changed the agreeable Mr. Smith so
unpleasantly.
'Ah - .
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Dolly began to get alarmed; for the horses
were going at an unusual pace, and
Mr Smith drew the long whip from its
socket with a flourish. "Oh, don’t whip
them,” she cried in terror, “they have
never been whipped, and they won’t bear
it.”
“Madam,” and Mr. Smith turned his
eyes(which were now blazing with excite
ment) sternly upon her frightened face,
‘•discipline is what the beasts need; by a
proper use of the whip, they could easily
make their mile in 2.40,” and he gave the
whip a savage crack in the air, making the
young horses bound and swerve at the un
expected sound.
“But my dear sir, we dont want to go
on a 2.40,” said Mr. Grey, in mildly persua
sive tones. He had realized by this time
what the trouble was, and the prospect of
a ten mile drive with a drunken man with
such unruly propensities, was far from
agreeable.
“I tell you we do,” roared Mr. Smith,
repeating his antics with the whip. The
horses were upon the run now, and the
bag of meal in the back of the wagon was
bobbing about with the violent motion ot
the vehicle, and finally attracted the atten
tion of the driver. He was really a fine
horseman, and, placing the whip back in
the socket, he succeeded in calming the
frightened horses and gravely said, to
Dolly’s great relief, “Mr. Grey, if you’ll
hold the reins a moment, I’ll go back and
pit' ll that drunken fellow out, who has
climbed into the back of your wagon.”
Eben only too gladly took the lines into
his hands again, while Mr. Smith climbed
over the seat and manfully struggled to
throw out the sack of meal, which his be
fuddled fancy had distuited intoadrunk-
OUR CONTRIBUTORS— Mrs. F. M. Howard.
en man: he was too far gone to succeed
however, and Dolly managed to hide the
whip while he was stumbling back to his
seat.
“Mr. Grey,” he said solemnly, as he 1
swayed heavily over on his neighbor’s !
shoulder, “there’s something the matter.
I d’no what ’tis, ’pon my word I don’t,
but my head feels all tipsy-topsy, dickery
dockery as ’twere, and if you’ll just let me
kick that dashboard three times, just as
hard as I can kick, I shall be all right.”
and he straightened himself up to demolish
the dashboard.
Though Mr. Grey’s experience with
drunken men had been so limited, he was
fortunately blessed with a large share ol
common sense and firmness, and he succeed
ed in turning the man’s erratic fancy in
another direction before the scheme was
carried out. Happily his ambition to
drive bad collapsed also and he was fast
reaching a maudlin state, but he again
insisted on getting over and wrestling with
the sack of meal. “Mr. Grey.” he said
brokenly, as he clambered back again, “it’s
too bad for that fellow to impose on you
and steal a ride that way, but he’s heavier
than I’m. I can’t get him out.”
“Never mind, never mind,” said Mr.
Grey soothingly’ “poor fellow; he’s tired,
doubtless, and hasn't any money; l«t him
ride.” and Dolly in spite of her fright,
could not help smiling at the oddity of the
affair.
“You’re a good fellow Grey, now that’s
so,” replied Mr. Smith, nearly lurching
over on the wheel; and then with a grand
effort recovering himself and throwing ■
one stalwart arm around Mr. Gre' ’s neck,
“I’ll lick any man that says you aint, and if
I didn’t feel so wibblv, wobbly, like, I’d
drive those horses home for you.”
They were nearing a large farm-house
and Dolly devoutly hoped there would be
no one at the windows to see them with
their strange passenger, when he sudden
ly braced up again saying, “Now, Mr. Grey,
as I told you, I don’t feel well, and if you’ll
let me yell three times, just as hard as I
can yell, 1 shall be aUriyht. I’m sureon’t.”
“Oh no, Mr. Smith,” exclaimed Dolly
in horror of the threatened performance.
“Please don’t.”
“Maybe you think I can’t holler,”he re
plied sarcastically, seeming to resent her
remark as an impertinent interference. '
and raising his voice be gave vent to a
succ> ssion of whoops which would have '
done credW to an Apache, and with such
effect that three beads appeared at the ,
window and a big mastiff came bounding
oui, barking as if he meant to swallow
them all.
The horses started off again on a gal-j
lop, and with one hand clutching Mr. I
Smith, who since his last effort had collaps
ed into a very nabbly state indeed, and
guiding the frightened horses with the |
other, Mr. Grey’s ride had become an un- j
expectedly busy one. As the horses became I
quiet once more, he was forced to give tie I
reins to Dolly, while he gave his whole I
attention to the cultured Mr. Smith who
was now resting bis whole brawny weight I
on Mr. Grey’s shoulder, as he indulged in
a nap.
“The horrid creature,” said Dolly indig
nantly, “if he had half the sense of that
respectable sack of meal he has been bela
boring, he might be thankful.”
“i think we will demand a certificate of
character, the next time we take in a stran
ger to ride with us,” said Eben, looking at
his neighbor with aversion.
Dolly was only too glad to reach home
with out serious accident. Here the hired
man took her place and helped Eben to get
his new acquaintance home.
His advent and condition seemed to ex
citenosurprise, but the pain-shamed faces
of his wife and daughters betrayed the
fact that it was far from being a pleasant
state of affairs.
The next morning Mr. Smith made his
appearance at the farmhouse in a very
humble frame of mind, his fine face wear
ing the sheepish look of one who knows
that he has made a fool of himself, and it
must be confessed that Mr. Grey had not
yet recovered,from his disgust sufficiently
to treat him with his accustomed cordiality.
Mr. Smith could not look Dolly in the
face, but after a long conversation, in which
Mr. Grey fully expressed his views on
temperance, he insisted on leaving a ten
dollar bill with Eben for his wife as a
peace-offering.
“She won’t take it,” said Mr. Grey posi
tively.
“She must!” returned Mr. Smith quite as
positively. "If it hadn’t been for your
kindness and patience 1 should have broken
my blamed neck, and served me right.
Any other man would have pitched me out
head first, and have gone on; the fright I
must have given your wife is worth twice
ten dollars and she’s fairly earned it.”
And away he went, leaving the bill on
Eben’s knee.
Dolly, after much argument, was led to
see the poetic justice of accepting the offer
ing, evidently so sincerely tendered, and
the next time she went to town, she had
the pleasure of selecting one of the finest
of the pretty bonnets in the millint rs’ win
dow, though it is probably needless to men
tion that the lively Mr. Smith was not a
passenger in their conveyance at that or
any subsequent time.
HOW TO PAINT UPON SILK
AND SATIN.
Painting on silk or satin is done in two
ways—one in which the colors used are
simple water colors, and the effect obtained
dependent upon the softness of the shading
and the beauty of the design ; and the sec
ond. where body color is freely used, and
the effect attained with washes and
coloring. For the first kind of painting,
after the silk has been stretched, sized and
the out-line put on it, use the very best
water-colors and put in all thesliadows ot the
design with neutral tint, to which a little
of the color of the flower or leaf has been
added, then lay on a wash wf each of the
chief colors, and soften these into the shad
ows with the deeper tints of the fli wers.
Make the highest lights by mixing Chinese
white with the color, and deepen and bring
up the darkest shadows. In copying nat
ural flowers, be careful that no hard and
dark edges are given to leaves or petals,
and always look for and paint the bright
light that is to be found near a shadow,
particularly where curves are made, and
also be careful to show the underlight that
will be found where leaf curves over and
the under part of it is in shade. Most of
the beautiful French fans are painted in
this way, as the colors so applied will not
cracker split. Put a little sugar into the
water used, add a small quantity of gum
water to any color that will nut dry—never
use gamboge—a drop of eau-de-cologne to
colors that are too dry, and a little ox-gall
to bring up their brilliant tints; but in
using the latter, if too much is put on, the
opposite effect will be the result, as it will
deaden not improve the shades. Only
paint with plain water-colors upon light
silks, such as bunches of violets upon pinky
creams, earnations of various shades upon
lemonsand citrons. Gloire-de-Difun roses,
or Austrian briars, upon yellow, whites,
creams, pale pink flowers upon eau-de-Nil.
If gilding is to be added to any part of the
picture, paint that part first over with cad
mium, and then gild with the bestcake, gold
or shell gold, no other kinds being good
enough.
Body-color painting is used chiefly for
furniture decoration, and for any coloring
that is wanted of a bold and eflective char
acter without much work. After the silk
has been stretched and sized, and the de
sign drawn, paint over the whole of the
design if upon a dark silk—with a wash of
Chinese while. Take the Chinese white and
mix it with water in which a little gum
has been put. Lay the wash on quite
smoothly, and when it is dry, should the
white at all peel, put on a fresh coat, to
which more gum has been added. When
the white is quite dry—it should be suffi
ciently opaque not to show the silk
through, and yet not so thick as to rise
above the silk—paint over it. For faded
leaves, and leaves painted grey color and
in shadow, lay over the white and a sim
ple light red, Pane’s grey, madder brown,
or olive lake tint, according to their shade,
mixing them with Chinese white, and put
ting them all over the suriace of the leaf in
one continuous shade.