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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, JPLY 1,1882,
11
ter looms in the doorway. He takes in the
matter at a glance and frowns darkly at Jim
and me.
As soon as Hr. and Mrs. Spalding, who
closely follow Joslah, have entered the room,
Nelly to my surprise walks quickly up to
her father and takes his hand. “ Father,"
said she with a tremulous yet decisive tone,
"you know the message you brought me
from Mr. Blagden this morning? Give him
my answer now. Tell him that I am going
to marry Dr. Brooke.”
Now, it is my opinion that, had the dis
carded Josiah at this moment held his
tongue, he might got both Mr. and Mrs.
Spalding to speak a word for him with Nelly.
But os it was he destroyed his own case at a
blow.
“ Message from me ?—and this is my an
swer!” he said in angry voice. "Why, I
care nowt—nowt," 'he repeated bitterly,
“about the matter. I guess it was the lass’s
father and mother that wanted to, marry
Josiah Blagden’s money—perhaps they
wanted some of It for themselves.”
The rudeness and vulgarity which marked
the man came out unmistakably as he said
these words; and taking his sister’s arm in
his and casting a look of vindictive scorn at
the doctor and myself, he walked out at the
door with an ungainly strut which was
meant for dignity; and we saw the great
Josiah no more.
Mrs. Spalding was especially cutup by the
parting ding of Josiah, as it wus she who
had maneuvered the matter thus far. Mr.
Spalding on the other hand, hurst into a
jovial laugh, and taking his daughter’s hand,
placed it in that of the doctor.
After all had left the studio but Mr. Spald
ing, the latter asked me to tell him in plain
terms how I lmd brought this about—for he
had no doubt I was at the bottom of it. I
uncovered tiic picture, which Mr. Spalding-
simple, easy-minded gentleman that he
was—scrutinized with his double eye-gloss,
remarking to me that he did not quite un
derstand it all, but that it was wonderfully
clever, and that Josidh’s “ weskit was as like
as life.”
In six weeks thereafter I officiated os "best
man” at Jim’s marriage. As the organist
pealed fortli the jubilant struins of Men
delssohn, after the vicar’s benediction had
been given, and Nelly, radiant and beautiful,
passed down the uisle on her husband’sarm,
I could not help rejoicing in the success of
whut is now “No. 329—A Wedding March,"
though the faces in the picture as exhibited
are slightly disguised, and Mr. Josiab’s vest
has been shorn of certain of its distinctive
peculiarities.
That is the romance which, as I told you
at the out set, hungs round the picture
which in the Academy catalogue wus 'num
bered “329—A Wedding March.”—Chain
kers'a Journal.
Besatliyinc oar Home*.
BY KBV. A. J. BATTLE, D. D.
There are two ways of beautifying homes,
viz: House decoration, and the embellish
ment of grounds.
The first includes the architectural design
and finish of dwelling houses, and the ex
tra adornments of the apartments.
To have an attractive dwelling, great
wealth is not necessary. Many an inex
pensive cottage has been erected which
might be truly called ugem of beauty. Ex-
cessive adornment is never admirable. Tuw-
drlness is not beauty. Neither are ricli and
costly tracery and trappings essential to good
taste. But while wealth is not necessary,
architectural taste and skill are very impor
tant. Hence, the construction of a dwelling
should not be left to unskilled and inexpe
rienced humls. In planning a simple, cheap
dwelling, utility, comfort and economy ure
to be tlrst considered, but every effort should
be made to beautify it in harmony with
these qualities. A more expensive and im
posing structure will admit of rich and more
elaborate ornamentation, but this should
never degenerate into vulgar iinery.
But the beauty of a home is inexpressibly
enhanced by decorations apart from the
architecture; such as chaste or elegant fur
niture, in keeping with the character of the
house; paintings and engravings upon the
walls; dowers and greenery in the rooms,
windows, halls and verandas. A person of
small means, but correct taste, can lend an
Inexpressible charm to a plain dwelling by
the proper arrangement of flowers, plants
and vines. There is something in these or
naments furnished by nature which adapts
them peculiarly to house decoration. There
is little danger of overdoing this kind of or
namentation, as there is in purely artidcial
adornments. Be it ever so humble, a home
with dowers is always attractive, and I never
enter a cottage in which vines are trailed
over the porch, and plants are growing in
the windows, and fresh dowers blooming in
the simple vases, without realizing their
cheery induence and bright ministry, and
a conscious reinforcement of hope, spirit
and energy. It is a better remedy for the
blues than any exhilarating drug or liquor,
and leaves no sting behind. And while the
abode of the laborer is enlivened and sweet
ened by dowers, they add a peerless glory to
to the mansion of a Vanderbilt or the palace
of a Victoria.
Paintings, engravings and other works of
the due and decorative arts ure important
additions to the attractiveness of a home.
Here some degree of critical taste is needed.
There is nothing in whicli a pure and culti
vated sensibility is more shocked than in
the daubs, which, under the name of paint
ing and drawing, discredit the walls of many
pretty houses. That is false pride or igno
rant vanity which prompts a fond parent
to keep on perpetual exhibition in his par
lor the work of his daughters done at school,
in which every principle of form, coloring
perspective, expression and finish are cari
catured. Many of these flaming efforts of
fledglings in art, with their impossible
clouds, foliage and atmosphere, should be
consigned to the limbo of waste matter, the
garret or the flames. No better are many of
the oil pictures, and chromos that are sold
in the market. Now, every one is not ex
pected to be a connoisseur, and very few are
even tolerable critics in art; but before se
lecting pictures for the walls, certainly
some one of fair taste may be found
whose opinion might be obtained. But it
is better to lmvc bare walls, or simple floral
decorations, than to disfigure a pretty room
with tawdry pictures.
But there is nothing whicli gives so ex
quisite and permanent an attractiveness to
a home as theembellishmeutof the grounds.
Whether they cover ucres, or only a few
square feet, the grounds should be beuuti-
fled in a style commensurate with the ability
of the owner. A small plat, fronting or
surrounding a neat cottage, may be so laid
out into walks und beds, with grass and
shrubbery, as to give u surprising beuuty
to the scene. Where the grounds are ex
tensive and the surface varied, and the pro
prietor wealthy, all the effects of beautiful
and picturesque scenery may lie achieved
by the skill of the landscape gardener. A
residence in the country may, without preut
expense, be made charming with the sim
ple features of natural groups of forest
trees, smooth lawns and winding walks of
gravel. If expense bo no object, the artist
in gardening may lay out a park, with ave
nues and groups of trees, drives winding
over undulating surfaces or running "into
abrupt glens, or by a sylvan luke, or with
verdant lawns adorned with blooming
bowers and sparkling fountains and choice
statuary, thus forming a paradise of
beauty.”
Landscape gardening is, in some respect,
a modern urt. Like all other arts it should
be the expression of the beautiful, or its
modification, the picturesque. The highest
expression of the beautiful is not to be seen
in stiff, artificial, mathematical forms, nor
in a slavish imitation of nature. But witli
nature os the type, the hand of the artist
should give expression to the spirit of
beauty dwelling in the soul—an ideal ex
cellence more rclincd than any single man
ifestation in the natural world. That ar
rangement of the features of an artistic
landscape, in which the drives, walks, plats
and groupings of trees und shrubs is a refined
and harmonious idealization of nature, is
greatly to be preferred to the rigid artificial
method in which the walks, beds and ave
nues are disposed in regular figures or math
ematical diagrams, and even the trees clip
ped in geometrical forms.
Attractive Homo*.
There is a money value to an attractive
home, to say nothing of its influence in
molding the minds of those who are fortu
nate enough to be possessors of them. The
faculty of making a desolate and worn out
place a really attractive one is an art pos
sessed by few. It may be called tact, for
such this natural faculty seems to be.
We have seen old farms so transformed by
the re-building of crooked fences, a little
uuderdrainage here and there, the buildings
repaired, painted or whitewashed, trees
properly planted about the house, that it
would seem that hundreds of dollars bad
been expended, whereas the amount for la
bor and material would barely exceed the
cost of two or three acres of land.
Every attraction in the way of shade and
fruit trees, a neat and grassy lawn, neat fences
of whatever kind, and rows of shade trees
along the roadside, pays. Aside from thls t
to every true man or woman it is an endless
source of satisfaction to be the possessor of
an attractive home. The man of wealth, or
the one in moderate circumstances, who
beautifies his home in the manner Indicated,
is in reality a public benefactor. It is neither
very costly or expensive to beautify the
home. Where there is a will, a way will
soon be provided. Nor should it be forgot
ten that It is a duty we owe to the rising
generation, that our homes be made more
beautiful, home-like and attractive by every
means within our power.
HOUSEHOLD RECIPES.
Euo Fie.—Prepare pan as for chicken pie.
Boil eggs bard; slice very thin and place a
layer over bottom of pan ; sprinkle a little
salt and pepper on it. Roll some dough
thin; cut into narrow strips long enough to
reach aross the pan, and place a layer of
these across one way, and then the other.
Add more eggs, pepper and salt, and an
other layer of dumplings, and so on until
the pan is full as desired. Fill half full of
sweet milk, but if it is not convenient, use
warm water. Put in a lump of butter
twice the size of an egg; but if water has
been used instead of milk, more butter is
required. Chop a little parsley very fine
and sprinkle over all. Finish with a crust,
leaving hole in top, and bake in a slow oven.
If desired, a few slices of fresh meat can be
mixed with the eggs which will not take as
much butter.
Home-made California Beer Seed.—Stir
syrup into a vessel of water until it is very
sweet, and leave in a wurm place until it
sours well; then pour off the water or beer,
being careful to leave about a cupful in the
bottom; to which add more - sweetened
water and leave to sour, pouring off as be
fore. Continue this for at least three or four
weeks, when the seed will appear in the bot
tom and grow rapidly, soon tilling the ves
sel.
Coffee Jelly.—One pint of sugar, one of
strong coffee, a pint and a half of boiling
water, half pint of cold water and a box of
gelatine. Soak the gelatine two hours 111
the cold wnter. Pour the boiling water on
it, and when it is dissolved, add the sugar
and coffee. Strain, turn into moulds and
set away to harden.
Economy in the Kitchen.—Cold meat or
bread should never be wasted, for there are
plenty of wuys in which they can be used.
Stale lightbrend, biscuits, muffins or waflles,
if put in a pan covered with water and left
to soak the over night, can be made into nice
baiter-cakes, by the addition of an egg, a
little flour and baking powder. Cold bread
of any kind if dipped into water and set in
the oven fora short while, will be as good
as fresh. If a cake fails to rise, it can be
mnde into u nice custard or pudding by
soaking it in some milk and adding an egg,
und if too thin, a little flour. Cold meat
can be made into puddings, by chopping it
very flue, and stirring it into batter witb
some milk, parsley, )>epper and salt, and if
desired a little onion.
Powder for the Face.—Five cents worth
of bay rum, live cents wortli of magnesia
snow-flake, five cents wortli of bergamot, live
cents worth of oil of lemon; mix in a pint
bottle and till up with rain water; perfectly
harmless and splendid.
Cream Slaw.—One gallon cabbage cut
very line, pint vinegar, pint sour cream,
lmlf cup sugar, teaspoon flour, two eggs, and
a piece of butter the size of a walnut; put
the viuogur, sugar and hutter in a sauce-pan
and let boil; stir eggs, cream and flour pre
viously mixed, into the vinegar, boil thor
oughly and throw over the cabbage previ
ously sprinkled with one tablespoon salt,
ono of black pepper and one of mustard.
FASHION FANCIES.
Cream lace is preferred.
Flat waves are the rage in Paris.
Small curls should rest flat on the head.
The tennis upron forms a simple over
dress.
False hair is still worn though deftly con
cealed.
Lace takes the lead this season as a trim
ming.
The Rhona mantelet of China crape is a
simple style of outdoor wrap.
Sateen dresses with painted flowers are
coming in fashion.
The Roman shoe is made of Suede kid,
tho toe being ornamented with a small steel
buckle. The stocking worn with them
should be almond colored.
FOR THE LADIES.
BY athalia jaiou.
The fashions for this month include many
beautiful and tasty designs. For evening,
feather tips arranged in the hair and upon
the corsage, fastened in place by dainty pins
or brooches, are worn with full-dress toilets.
Panniers and pointed boddlces dispute the
majority with trimmed skirts and habit
basques, the latter, either of the same ma
terial as the dress skirt, or otherwise distinct,
though frequently showing some link of
connection in color.
Pink is a color that promises to rage this
season in every grade of dress goods. There
are so many shades of this popular line that
every taste can be suited, although there are
many tints cool and exquisite, that are far
more to be desired, than the deep colors,
that are becoming to neither pale blonde nor
rosy brunette. A stylish laurel-pink toilet
made simply of fine French organdie, has
the skirt covered with rutiles, the lower
edges of each being cut in scallops, and
bound; and underneath these scallops is set
a tiny frill of Valenciennes lace about an
inch and a half deep. Along-pointed bodice
of the shirred muslin, terminates in front in
a bow and ends of pink ribbon; and front
each side of this point, falls a pannier-like
drapery edged with Valenciennes, und drawn
away in loose upright folds, ending in puffs
beneath the point in the back.
Jetted lace, net, tulle and grenadine will
be much worn for full-dress occasions. Col
ors of fashionable walking dresses continue
to be very dark and unobtrusive.
A dark-red parasol for general wear, a
white one for dress, and a black one for use
are the popular choice.
HINTS.
A neat and tasty housekee|>er, is indeed to
be admired. There are dozens of ways in
which to save work and to keep things III
order. It is quite as easy to put anything
away after it has been used, as it is to throw
it aside to be attended to at some other time.
If the habit is cultivated, even in small
children, of folding up and taking care of
things, it will grow upon them so that after
wards, it will seem bothersome to do other
wise. Dresses, ties, collars, etc., should never
be thrown on a chair to be put away to-mor
row, but each article, not to be worn on the
following morning, should be carefully tuck
ed into its place before retiring, thus your
room will be left in order, and it will be very
little trouble to clean it up the next morn
ing.
When preparing a meal, many people
allow a very untidy habit to take possession
of them. On using a pan, plate or dish, them
put it to one side to be washed after the
meal is finished, thus making a great deal
of unnecessary work as well as attracting
flies. It is much cosier to wash them at
once, and put them away so that when the
time conies to put things in order there will
be very little work to be done.
A satisfactory piece of economy is to take
tlie pretty striped or dotted socks of the
father and cut them over in little socks for
baby. It often happens that the sock is worn
past mending at the heel only, leaving the
rest available, und if care is taken to make
the seams small and smooth, the little stock
ings will be a success.
If you wish to remove grease from paper,
scrape finely some pipe clay, and complete
ly cover the spot to be cleaned. Then pass
a hot iron over it for a few seconds, and
with a perfectly clean piece of Indian rub
ber, rub off the clay. In most cases, one
application will he sufficient, but if not, re
peat it.
A husband or brother will feel much more
contented at home, if, on going into bis bed
chamber, he sees on all sides little articles
made by his wife or his sister—such as wall-
pockets, cushions, mats, comb and brusli
cases, etc., etc.
It is a wise plan to keep a cup of alum
water always convenient, so that sudden
cuts or bruises can be bound up in a cloth
wet in It. If treated thus they will heal
quickly.
Neat and handsome mats can be made by
cutting a stiff piece of woolen goods into
the shape desired and crocheting an edge or
border, of any fancy colored yarn.
A very convenient little pouch to hold
the spool and trimming when crocheting,
can be made of three oval shaped pieces of
card board, covered and lined neatly witn
bright wonted or silk, and whipped together
leaving one seam open. It can only be
opened by pressing on the ends. It must
be larger directly in the center, than any
where else.