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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 - . ■ : : •;: ■ XXX::: '■ < ‘ ■■ ■ * iw j&iii Wtefc i|KR§sSS&-> -, '%'- 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.