HOUSEHOLD
AFFAIRS
uimeh
FOR THE MOTHER.
Knickers are to be worn again by
girls this season and agahi with tue
full skirts they take tlie place ot a
petticoat. They are sometimes made
of the materials of the frock, but are
generally of flannel or silk. When
made of a material that Is not washable
they are fitted with an adjustable lin
ing of thin cotton material, if not worn
over the ordinary knit underwear.
The latest school coat ends a few
Inches above the knees, which Is long
enough for warmth and not too long
for comfort in walking. It Is cut in
circular form, flares gradually from
neck to hem, and the sleeves are am
ple. The frock Is generally confined
loosely with a stitched belt.
Flannel waists are worn more than
for a long time, and the new flannel
comes in. beautiful pale colors, with
hair line stripes, small checks or a
small Persian design, and also plain.
It washes like cotton and Is Just the
thing for wnlsts of bretellc frocks
There Is a variety of shapes in lire
telles, but the simplest and most pop
ular is quite narrow at the waist. Is
buttoned to the skirt band, and grad
ually widens to about four or five
inches over the shoulder. Philadel
phia Inquirer.
ADMIRE AMERICAN FASHIONS.
In spite of the fact that many Amor
lean young women go to Paris to set
their trousseaux. Princess Cecelia, who
on Kaiser Wllhelm's death will probab
ly become Empress of Germany, be
cause of her approaching marriage to
the Crown Trlnce, Is ordering a large
part of her outfit in America. She Is
said to be one of the best dressed vo
mer, if. Gorman.-, and, whereas, Teu
tonic belles until recently have not
teen noted for style, they have made
uch progress since the century's end
that the compliment js not an empty
one.
Princess Cecelia is especla.ly choice
In regard to her footwear. She has
much smaller feet than those of the
' average German woman, ;.nd insists
on a glove fit for her shoes. Every
boot, shoe ar.d slipper fo? her trous
seau is being made In tin United
States, a firm having sent a special
representative there to take the meas
ure of her foot.
The Princess Is also Irving .1 her
summer shirtwaists made here, and
has ordered most of her hats from, a
New York firm. She is said to greatly
admire the dressy stylos of the Amer
ican women, and especially approvc.1
f the manner in which our women
wear their clothes. Newark Advertis
er. 3L READING CORNER.
Another effective arrangement Is to
turn an angle in a room with the as
sistance of the piano into an lnvitlnj
reading corner. When converting a
corner of this kind Into a cozy nook
the position of tl e piano from the
musician's standpoint should be taken
Into consideration. No matter how ar
tistic the setting, no detail in a room
can be1 a success unless it adequately
fulfills the purpose for which it Is in
tended, and the reading corner is no
exception.
To place a couch or settee with Irs
back against a piano is altogether
wrong. The piano may make an at
tractive screen if properly manipulat
ed and form an excellent background
for a seat, but the performer's advan
tage point is lost. Then another ob
jection is that when playing or sing
ing is going on a couch placed against
the back of a piano must necessarily
be left vacant, for it is hardly an un
mixed pleasure to listen to music with
the drum of one's ear against the pi
ano. So the Ideal way to put up a corner
of this character is to draw a well
filled bookcase quite close to the back
of the piano, with a luxurious loung
ing chair placed near it In a position
where the light from the window may
reach the reader. Bridgeport Tele
gram. WOMEN FLORISTS.
Women florists! Why not? Yes, In
deed, why should not women try their
hand and artlstlcnllty at this business
as well as men, and it seems rather
strange that it has not been tried long
ago. ' It has now become quite a fad
to employ women decorators, and they
have proven to be a great benefit in
this kind of work. There is great pos
sibility of them overstepping the
bounds of popularity and making the
male portion feel rather out of place.
At a recent wedding the decorations
were most superb,, and the hostess took
great delight in making known the
fact that a woman decorated. She also
added that "as many times as I have
had the house decorated, it has never
looked so beautiful as now." The
work may not be exactly genteel, and
yet It is equally as much to as many
other occupations. Women should
know how to tie effective bows on
bouquets and such like,' and many little
touches might be added which prac
tical man would not think of. - Bridal
bouquets and all of the flowers pertain
ing to the nuptial mass must needs be
effective and artistic, and aa has been
aaid time again, only women are capa
ble of obtaining the effects which are
quite; necessary for this occasion. . In
view) of the fact that thermal por
tion ijf tbe population hart' ouOerUlen
almost every branch of the wage-earning
proposition It Is not surprising that
they should readily take to this part
of It.
CRINOLINE NOT RETURNING.
Although the women of fashion have
received several severe and uncalled
for shocks regarding the return of
crinoline, the verdict lias proved false,
for which they should be duly thank
ful. Hut In Its stead there are all sorts
of clever substitutes, which, while they
certainly do give a most graceful out
line to the silhouette, are very far re
moved from the grotesinieness of the
much-dreaded crinoline. Some women
of daring have appeared on several oc
casions gowned In garments ' which
looked suspiciously as though they
were very much 'crinolined," but auy
further than a few damiols who are
seeking for novelty nothing has been
done. There Is a certain class of
women who have been trying to lead
the fusklej Instead of being a follower,
but the end Is always Inevitable, and
they never get beyoud making them
selves ridiculous, conspicuous and the
cause for nincli comment. It Is true
that gowns are not as flimsy as they
might be, but Dame Fashion has
brought the change about in her most
tactful manner, and It is not felt to
any great exteut. There Is a really
delightful latitude In styles of this
sort, and women who have heretofore
found It ditllcult to dress becomingly,
have at last found n vast variety to
select from. A noticeable fact is that
crepe de chines have an Increasing
vogue, and it Is no wonder. They
make up beautifully and allow of the
greatest scope for trimming nnd using
original nnd novel desigus. Washing
ton Times.
THE NEW GLOVES.
"A pair of gloves for every gown and
half a dozen extra pairs in neutral
tones," Is this season's motto for the
up-to-date woman. For every fabric
woven in this season's fashionable
tints glovcniakers have dyed a kid to
match. Sometimes the shopper fim'.s
herself bewildered, as In the case ot
a mixed fabric, where the gloves come
to match both the background and the
figure. For instance, a new French
button suiting shows a parrot-green
silk dot on a dull brown ground, and
the gloveniaker offers both the brown
aud the green tint In kid. As a rule,
the well-dressed woman selects the
more quiet color, leaving the vivid
tones, such as green, orange, rose or
sapphire blue to her sister who likes
startling effects. However, with the
new, striking tints, such as burnt to
mato, onion brown and the peculiar
amethyst shadings, the self-tone gloves
must be employed, as no other coloring
seems to tone well with the suiting. ,
There seems to be no hard and fast
rule in the matter of length for street
gloves. American manufacturers are
offering both one nnd two button
gloves, and from Taris cime quantities
ot the three button length. The one
button glove can be worn only when
the dress and coat sleeve are very
long. Neither Foster books nor clasps
appear on the smartest gloves, and
large pearl buttons are used Instead.
The athletic girl clings to natural
toned chamois for ear'.y fall wear with
her Jersey or golf vest, tnd later will
employ the heavy,, knit gloves, which
this season will come lr. all the popular
tones for suits and Jerseys. The
tailored maid is now wearing goat
skin or mocha, but iter favorite winter
glove wilt be the reindeer kid- She
does not permit the top ot her glove
to turn back, as her brother still does,
but she buttons It snugly around her
wrist.
In the evening gloves the sixteen
button length has almost supplanted
the thirty-two button mousquetaire,
partly because elbow sleeves are in
favor, and partly because Dame Fash
Ion has decreed that fcr a short space
hotn-on tlip short, miffed sleeve of
Jeweled epaulet effect and the end of
a glove, a tempting glimpse 01 maroie
whlte or dimpling piuk flesh may be
seen this winter.
The white gloves for evening wear
have a rival In pale evening shades to
match the glittering silks and delicate
diaphanous weaves. Tale yellow will
h much worn with white, as well as
yellow evening gowns, and a new
white evening glove snows a lining 01
,i.ii.iito silk to match tne frock, and
even the depeer shades, such as Amer-
ton r.Miiitv red. burnt orange ana gay
plaids. These gloves are presumably
rnr thpntro wear, and -..'HI do away
with the muff, a source ot annoyance
in th nlnvhnnae. For evening wear
black glace has entirelr supplanted the
more supple suede, which is rather un
fortunate for the woman wun large
hnmla or stout arms, and very few
white suede gloves are being sold.
Tha woman whose hands perspire
ahmild avoid the nale-tlnted evening
gloves and cling to white, as the deli
cate colorings fade In the nanus or
even the most expert cleaners. Wash
ington Star.
Vomn Mot Countid.
Mere woman Is not counted as a
personal entity In the census ot Slam,
but the Queen appears In bloomers and
a fancy blouse at public receptions.
Electric street cars, controlled by
Danes, run at a fast pace over an 11.
rail route la and about Bangkok.
TO DRIVE AWAY ANTS.
Sprigs of wlntergreen or ground Ivy
will drive away red ants. Branches
ot wormwood wilt serve the same pur
pose for black ants. The Insects may
be kept out of sugar barrels by draw
ing a wide chalk mark arsuud the top
near the edge.
MARKING INK ON LINEN.
Remove marking Ink from linen
thusi. Paint the mark with a solution
of cyanide of potassium, applied with
a camel's hair brush. As soon as the
Ink disappears the linen should be
rinsed In cold water und then washed
In the ordinary way. .
TARNISH ON SILVERWARE.
To prevent nrtlcles of silverware
from tarnishing warm them when well
cleaned nnd paint them over with a
thin solution of collodion In alcohol,
using a wide, soft brush for the pur
pose. Articles so treated must bl
wiped only with dry cloths,
THE TABLECLOTH.
Never leave the white cloth on be
tween meals. It does not look well,
and, besides, Its freshness soon be
comes marred with constant use. It
should be folded carefully In the vlr
ginal creases after each meal aud laid
away In a drawer. This will be found
an economy after a little trial.
A NOVEL TAPERWEIGnT.
Take five walnuts, make a hole in the
end of each and dig out as much meat
as possible. With a tapo needle push
a narrow ribbon through each one of
the shells, connecting them together,
nnd fill them with melted lead poured
through the holes In the end, nnd tie
the ribbon ends In a bow. Connecti
cut Farmer.
VARNISHED FURNITURE.
Spots on varnished furniture nre
readily removed by being rublted with
essenco of peppermint or spirits of
camphor and afterward with linseed
or olive oil. Rub the oil In well with
a piece of flannel and then take a
oiean piece and rub again. Furniture
which has become quite shabby looks
like new after this process.
CLEANING ART SHADES.
Before being washed, colored coun
terpanes and art muslin shades should
be soaked for fifteen minutes In cold
water, to which add one cupful of salt
to each bucket, using Just sufficient to
cover them; then wring tight and wash
in the usual manner. Treated In this
way. they will retain their usunl
brightness till worn out, says Woman's
Life. To Insure complete success, tbo
articles should be soaked In like man
ner previous to the first three wash
ln;s. DARNING STOCKINGS.
Darning stockings is never a very
welcome task, and too often In the case
where there Is a large family the task
seems almost endless. ,Tlie following
method will insure less darning, be
cause the darns being more secure will
last longer: Before beginning to darn
a hole tack a piece of coarse net lightly
to the stocking over the hole, then darn
over the net and be sure to also darn
well into the stockings as well to keep
the darn firm. The net makes such a
good foundation that the work is more
quickly done, and the result is a much
smoother and neater darn than one
done In the old way. Washington Star.
Cream Tie Mix one-balf cup of su
par with two cups of thin crenin and
the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs.
Line a plate with rich paste and set in
the oven until half baked. Draw to
the front of the oven, pour in the cream
and finish baking. By this method
the crnst will not soak and the filling
will not be ovorlooked.
White Citron Cake Cream one-halt
cup of butter, add one cup of sugar
and beat well. Now add gradually
three-quarters cup of milk alternately
with two cups of flour sifted with four
level teaspoons of baklng'powder. Now
fold in carefully the stiffly beaten
whites of four eggs nod one-half cup
ot citron shaved fine nnd dredged with
flour. Bake In a sheet and cover with
a boiled icing.
Popcorn Balls or Bricks To one
cupful of brown sugar add a heaping
teaspoonful of butter and three table
spoonfuls of water: boil until It ropes
or hardens when dropped into cold
water. While the sirup is boiling hot
pour It over two quarts of popped corn,
from which ail round gralu hare been
removed. Stir with a spoon until It it
cool enough to be molded into shape
with butter to facilitate work.
Pickled Mushrooms Wash thorough
ly, and. If of convenient size, put whole
into glass Jars. Set these onto the rick
of a steam-kettle (with a cloth on the
rack beneath the cans). Put In warm
water to cover the rack and let steam
fifteen minutes. Have ready enough
vinegar scalded, with pepper-corns,
cloves, mustard seed, celery seed, bay
leaves and chill peppers, to till the Jars.
Pour this Into the Jars. Adjust the
rubbers and covers, and let cook five or
six minutes, then screw down the cov
ers and set aside. A tablespoouful of
mixed spice will be enough for quart
Jar.
tA
New York City. Simple waists with
vest effects are among the latest and
most attractive of the season and will
be greatly worn both with the ever
BLOUSB WAIST.
useful odd skirt and as parts of com
plete gowns. This one shows admir
able lines and Is adapted to many
materials, but In the case of the orig-
. LHE DEJIQN
lnal Is made of onion brown cliiTTon
taffeta with vest and trimming of ecru
lace and is worn with a belt and tie
of silk In a slightly darker shade. The
sleeves ore the new "leg o' mutton"
ones that are full and draped above
the elbows and which give the broad
shoulder line.
The waist is made with a fitted lin
ing, which Is optional, fronts, back and
vest. The backs are tucked to form
box pleats that give tapering lines to
the figure, the fronts to form full
length pleats at their edges and to
yoke depth from the shoulders, the
vest being arranged between the two
former and the closing made Invisibly
beneath the edge of the left front".
The sleeves are cut In one piece each,
arranged over fitted linings that serve
to hold the fullness In place.
The quantity of material required for
the medium size Is four and a quarter
yards twenty-one inches ' wide, three
and a half yards twenty-seven inches
wide or two and one-eighth yards
forty-four Inches wide with one and
one-eighth yards of all-over lace for
vest and collar.
ParacIlM Flumea.
If ostrich feathers ever threatened
to give way to paradise plumes, some
thing has happened to turn the tide
Ja Pal Blue. ,
The simplest and prettiest of pale
blue chiffon gowns has a shirred skirt
trimmed with three wide tucks. The
waist is low and baa a double round
bertha collar or revers of pale blue
chiffon velvet edged with frills ot blue
chiffon. Where the collar' meets Is a
cluster of shaded blue and white chif
fon rosebuds with long stems and enda.
The satin bodice girdle la very high
and pointed and fastened on the aide
wltk rosette of chiffon.
thn other way. The vogue of the os
trich feather was very firmly impressed
at the horse show. The huuilsoiiiest
hats there were loaded with ostrich
plumes in every lovely color and shade
or color. Light blue und light pink
seemed to have the preference. These
colors were not as a rule pastel tones,
but the good, old-fashioned, clear tones
sky-blue, buby bine und rose pink.
Nlnc-Oure.l Walking 8Vlrt InTerlcil.
Walking skirts that provide generous
fullness und flare yet are snug over the
hips make the latest and most graceful
shown. The model Illustrated Is ad
mirable In every way and means com
fort to the wearer ns well as style.
As shown It Is made of tan-colored
cravenette stitched with cortlcelll silk
and trim mod with fibre braid, but all
suiting and skirting materials are ap
propriate and simple stitching can be
used as a stitching In place of the braid
when preferred.
The skirt Is cut In nine gores with
extensions at all front and side seams
that form the tuck pleats, and can be
stitched above the pleats, as illustrat
ed, or finished with bauds of braid.
The fullness at the back Is laid In In
verted pleuts that are stitched to match
the seams and the tipper edge can be
finished with the belt or cut on dip
outline and underfaced or bound as
may be preferred.
BY HflT MflNTON.
The quantity of material required for
the medium size Is eleven and one
quarter yards twenty-seven Inches
wide, six and a quarter yards forty
four inches wide or five yards fifty
two Inches wide when material has
figure or nap; eight and a quarter
yards twenty-seven, five and a quarter
yards forty-four or four and a half
MSB OOBED WALKIN0 4KLBT.
yards fifty-two Inches wide when ma
terial has neither figure nor nap, with
eight yards of braid to trim as illus
trated. With Rlllfenlnr.
When the Paris models began to
come In it was seen that nearly all the
new petticoats and drop skirts had
some stiffening set in at the bead ot
the dust ruffle, while In a few It as
cended to the height ot 1 the knee.
Then some bright mind thought of put
ting in the petticoat a circular ruffle
of very lrght-welght haircloth, and so
the puisle was most satisfactorily
solved by the lily haircloth flounce, ai
It 14 called. .
JOUR.GIBLS
WHEN LITTLE BROTHER'S SORRY.
When little brother's lorry,
At first he pouta t while,
Anil then about hi dimpled mouth
There grows a tiny (mile,
lie lonki nl sinter aidewiae,
' And creeping very near,
lie offers her his rocking horse.
The toy he huldi muat dear!
But staler 'mikes her flaxen head.
"Why, then," he cries, "my kite!
Jly knife My euudy lion?
(I've only had one bite!)
Yon won't have any tovi at all?
t Why, then I'll give you this!
Became, rou nee, I'm lorry.
So, sinter, take a kiaa!
iHup""!-., " Feriittld, iu Youth's Com-
THE SWINGING RING.
On days when It Is too stormy or ton
slushy to be comfortable out ot doon
there Is generuly n strongly expressed
wish voiced by the younger members
of the family that "there wns some
thing to do." The old games do not
STARTING THE HWINOIXO IHNCI,
always suit, and most ot thein require
too mnuy players. Let us solve the
problem.
Here is a pastime that Is real fun.
for it depends on skill. It is fun even
when played alone, for you can always
try to bent your owu best previous
score, and every time you try it you
become just so much more expert. It
is for girls os well as boys, so a brother
nnd sister can spend u jrlly afternoon
at it without ellheY wanting to see any
friends, who are pretty sure not to
come in on a very bad day.
You need two nails, a string and a
ring of some kind, about six inches in
diameter. If you have no old curtain
ring or something else of that sort,
you can easily make a ring that will
serve your purpose perfectly well by
getting a thin piece of board, marking a
circle seven Inches In diameter on Its
surface, and inside ot that auothei
circle six Inches In diameter. Now
drive a nail In the ceiling, if there is
no book for a lamp or a chandelier al
ready there, nnd another nail in the
wall with Its head pointing upward at
an angle of about 45 degrees. Suspend
your ring from the nail in the ceiling
by a string just long enough to allow
the ring to swing its centre over the
nnii In the side wall nnd haug there.
Now you are ready to hegjn.
Stand by the nail in the side of the
wall with your right hand holding the
ring close to the nail. Now push Hie
ring nway from yon. trying to make
It swing back and hook over fh.e rine.
There! Of course you didn't i'.o It!
The ring came back and struck the
nail, but did not catch on it. In order
to catch on the projecting nail the ring
must swing in a circle. If yon do It
once out of your first ten trials yon are
lucky. It requires a very nice sense
of distance, a careful eye nnd a lisht
touch to do it just right. Not so easy
as It sepms. is it?
It takes a lot of practice to score
three out of five trys. Get your brother
to try it with you. nnd he will be as
tonished to lind he is no better at this
than you are. In fact, girls are best at
this game, and. strange as It may
seem, their judgment of distance more
accurate.
Try a game of fifty points, with
"Innings" of ten points each.
6"f course the winner is the one who
ring the nail the most times out of
the fifty trials. New York Mail and
Express.
THE GOLDEN SPIDER.
A gilded tyrant, with velvetry black
markings, is the huge golden spider,
sitting In her house woven of silken
meshes. Her weaving, too, is marvel
ously strong, nnd the six guy ropes
that support her swinging habitation
some five feet long. And what may
Madame Spider be watching for? Ah.
a gay green grass hopper, that, with
more athletic action than wisdom,
springs right into the very midst of
Madame Spider's net. And she has
been on rbe alert for Jnst such a vic
tim. The web swings to and fro with
such violence that one would expect
It to be torn to shreds. But no. before
the stupid grasshopper can possibly
kick himself loose, and, notwithstand
ing bla struggles bare torn a large
rent la tht web. he finds himself ta-
AND B0T3
cased In a silken shroud, deftly wot
en by bis enemy, and In this he swlugt
helplessly. ' Then Madame Spider
conies down her zigzag stairway aud
sizes up her catch; may he gives hi in a
little nipping bite, and then leaves hi in
to his fate, until such times as she
wishes to serve hliu up for the family
dinner.
There are many of these' great gold
en spiders In thickets. All of them
look sleek and well fed. There is an
American spider which haunts ever
green trees and catches its prey by
means ot n lasso. The web of this
spider Is triangular In form, consist
ing of four longitudinal lines and a
large number of cross fibres connect
ing them. Two corners of the trian
gle are attached to twigs, but the other
corner, which terminates In a single
thread. Is held by the spider, perching
on a neighboring twig. When a fly
strikes the web tin? spider loosens his
hold nnd the elastic threads instantly
entangle the victim.
If you anchor n pole In a body of
wnter, leaving the pole above the sur
face, and put a spider upon It, he will
exhibit a marvelous intelligence ' by
his plans of escape. At first he will
spin a web several Inches long and
hang to one end, while he allows the
other to float off in the wind In the
hope that It will strike some object.
Of course, this plan proves a failure.
He waits till the wind shifts, perhaps,
and then sends another silken bridge
floating off In another direction. An
other failure is followed by several
other similar attempts until all points
of the compafs have been tried.
neither the resources nor the reason
ing powers of the spider nre exhaust
ed. He climbs to the top of the pole
and energetically goes to work to. con
struct a silken balloon.
He has no hot air with which to In
flate It, but be bus the power of milk
ing It buoyant. When he gets his
balloon finished lie does not go off
upon the mere supposition that It will
carry' him. as men often do. but he
fastens It to a guy rope. He then gets
Into his. aerial vehicle while It is fast
and tests It to see whether its dimen
sions are capable or bearing him away,
He sometimes finds that be bad made
It too small, in which case he hauls it
down, takes it nil apart and constructs
it on a larger and btter plan. A spid
er has'beeii seen to make three differ
ent balloons before be became satis
fied with his experiment. Then be
will get in. snap his guy rope and sail
away to land as gracefully uud as su
premely Independent of bis surround
lues ns rouid well b? Inmgined.
The diving bell Is considered to be
a great Invention, yet lonjc before man
thought of his diving IwII the water
spider had hers, in which she reared
her numerous family. There are sev
eral remarkable tilings about this nest.
One of them is the m.-.uner In which it
Is made.
In that business-like manner which
characterizes all spiders, she boldly
plunges into the w.v.er and walks dowa
the stem of a pond weed. When she
has selected a suitable position for her
silken palace she flexes a number of
strong lines In nil directions for an
chorage. Then In the midst of these
she constructs a beautiful web. some
what in the shape of a thimble, but
not quite 50 large. It Is full of ware.-,
and therefore not like a diving bell.
How Is the water to be got out aud
replaced with air?
The true explanation Is wonderful.
She carries the whole of the air re
quired from the rurfaee. Her body
and legs are- covered with grayish
Lair; she plunges quickly into the wa
ter. The movement is so rapid that
the air has not time to escape from
her hairy coat, and she goes down
surrounded by globules of hair. When
across1 the threshold of ber own home
siie carefully dislodges this air by rub
bing herself with her legs. The liber
ated bubbles immediately rise to the
roof of her house and there remain.
In this way she nt length fills the
whole bell and takes up her position
in It. always head downward. Here
she passes the winter, keeping snug
and quiet uutil the warm days of
sluing Invite her to the surface in
quest of flies and other small insects.
Lipplncott's Magazine.
Death of an Exit.
Miss Eliza Bayne died in the Lyon
Connty. Kansas, poorhouse the other
day. She came to America more than
forty years ago from France. She was
highly educated and intelligent. Her
destination was Kansas City, where a
half-brother bad lived and died, and
she was in quest of certain moneys
which she bad intrusted to the half
brother's care. During the fifteen
years Miss Bayne lived in Emporia she
kept about her person a silk French
flag in which she desired to be buried
and in which she was buried. After
her death $30 were found sewed in the
seam of ber dress. The poor old soul
bad been hoarding the money tor year
in order that she might not be buried
as a pauper. New York News.
AD Japaaaa Ara Oordoaora.
Japan is a nation ot gardeners.
Every man. woman and child is pas
sionately fond ot Cowers. Gardening
la rtliflou.