NRLF 
 
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How to 
 Amus 
 urself 
 
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 BY 
 
 Lina Beard 
 and 
 
 Adelia RBear 
 
 Charles 
 ScribnerV/i 
 
 "1905 ' 
 
\ c \0.5 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1887, 1898, BY 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 SPECIAL NOTI C'E 
 
 The publishers hereby give warning that the 
 unauthorized printing of any portion of the text 
 of this book, and the reproduction of any of the 
 illustrations or diagrams, are expressly forbidden. 
 
PREFACE TO NEW EDITION. 
 
 IN this age of wonderful discoveries and rapid develop- 
 ments, our girls are called upon to keep well up with the 
 times and in touch with life in all its progress. They now 
 enter the regular college, and in addition to the studies, take 
 part in many if not all of the athletic sports of the boys. 
 
 The training of the girls of to-day differs widely from that 
 deemed essential in the time of our grandmothers ; now, 
 weather and occasion permitting, instead of sitting quietly at 
 home with shoulders bent over superfluous fancy work, they 
 don their short skirts and are off on their bicycles to the golf 
 links ; or, dressed in their best gowns, flock to the Girls' Art, 
 Literary, or Current - topics Club. It is to these rational 
 pastimes that we owe the development of our fine, tall Amer- 
 ican girls, whose splendid physiques have never before been 
 equalled. 
 
 The love of out-of-door sports is so great that many urgent 
 requests have come to us for further information on modern 
 recreations, and to meet the wishes of our girl friends all over 
 the country, we have added eight new chapters to the original 
 American Girl's Handy Book. 
 
 The flattering reception of the previous editions of this 
 
 340391 
 
ii Preface to New Edition. 
 
 book by girls of all ages, from little maidens fashioning their 
 " flower dolls," to older girls netting their own lawn-tennis 
 nets, and also by many mothers who have renewed their 
 girlish enthusiasm when following out directions given for 
 numerous diversions, together with the many personal letters 
 we have received from various parts of the country, have 
 persuaded us to believe that this enlarged volume will be 
 welcomed with the same cordiality accorded the first edition. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 " I DO wish some one would write a book like that for 
 girls," is the remark we have frequently heard when a new 
 book of sports for boys has made its appearance ; but it was 
 not until the publication of the " American Boy's Handy 
 Book " that it occurred to us to write a book for the Ameri- 
 can boy's neglected sisters, which should be equally original 
 and practical. 
 
 In the " Girl's Handy Book," which it has been our en- 
 deavor to make peculiarly American, we have sought to intro- 
 duce original and novel ideas, and by their aid to open new 
 avenues of enterprise and enjoyment. 
 
 One of our objects is to impress upon the minds of the 
 girls the fact that they all possess talent and ability to achieve 
 more than they suppose possible, and we would encourage a 
 belief in the truth of the remark said to have been made by 
 a famous Frenchman : " When you Americans undertake any- 
 thing you never stop to ascertain if it be possible, you simply 
 do it." 
 
 We desire also to help awaken the inventive faculty, usually 
 uncultivated in girls, and, by giving detailed methods of new 
 work and amusements, to put them on the road which they 
 can travel and explore alone. 
 
iv Preface. 
 
 We know well the feeling of hopelessness which accompanies 
 vague directions, and, to make our explanations plain and lucid, 
 we have ourselves, with very few exceptions, made all of the 
 articles, played the games, and solved the problems described. 
 
 The materials employed in the construction of the various 
 articles are within easy reach of all, and the outlay, in most 
 cases, little or nothing. 
 
 We scarcely deem it necessary to point out the fact that in 
 supplying healthy, sensible work and amusement for leisure 
 hours, employment is given whose whole tendency is to refine 
 the tastes and ambitions of our American girls. 
 
 A few of our chapters are taken from articles which were 
 written by us for, and published by, the Youth's Companion, 
 St. Nicholas, Harper's Young People, Golden Days, and Wide 
 Awake. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SPRING. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 FIRST OF APRIL 3 
 
 First of April Party, 5 ; Mirror Tableau, 6 j Noah's Ark Peep-show, 8 ; 
 The Supper, 10. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 WILD FLOWERS AND THEIR PRESERVATION 13 
 
 Transplanting Wild Flowers, 14 ; Cut Wild Flowers, 15 ; Sending Flovr- 
 crs by Mail, 15 ; Preserved Flowers, 16 j Pressed Flowers and Leaves, 
 
 1 8 ; Leaves and Ferns for Decoration, 19 ; Color of Flowers Changed, 
 
 19 : Natural Wax Flowers, 20 ; To Freshen Cut Flowers, 20 ; Crystal- 
 lized Flowers, 21 ; How to Preserve the Perfume of Flowers, 21 ; Spring 
 Flowers in Winter, 23 ; The Four-leaved Clover, 23 ; Several Methods 
 of Preserving Flowers, 24. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 THE WALKING CLUB 27 
 
 Rules to be Observed, 31. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 EASTER 33 
 
 Easter Customs in Other Lands, 33 ; Easter Egg Games, 36 ; Easter Egg 
 Dolls, 39 ; Humpty Dumpty, 42 ; Miss Roily-poly, 45 ; Mandolin, 47 ; 
 Maple-wax Easter Eggs, 49 ; Bonbon Box, 49 ; Easter Cards, 50 ; Lit- 
 tle Quakeress, 52. 
 
vi Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MM 
 
 How TO MAKE A LAWN-TENNIS NET 55 
 
 Rules for Lawn-Tennis, 63. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 MAY-DAY 71 
 
 May-day Sports, 72 ; How to Make May-baskets, 74 ; May-day Combat, 
 75 j The May-pole, 77 j May-pole Dance, 79. 
 
 SUMMER. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 MIDSUMMER EVE 83 
 
 The New Fern-leaf Game, 85 j Fortune-telling : The Plaintain Test, 86 j 
 Fortune's Wheel, 88. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 SEA-SIDE COTTAGE DECORATION 91 
 
 Window Decorations, 92 ; Row-boat Book-shelves, 95 ; Crab-net Work- 
 basket, 96 ; Hat-rack, 98 ; Marine Screen, 99 ; Horseshoe -crab Bag, 
 102 ; Sea-urchin Vase and Candlestick, 102 ; How to Dry Starfish and 
 to Polish Shells, 104. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 A. GIRL'S FOURTH OF JULY 105 
 
 Interior Decoration, 107 ; In-door Illumination, 108 ; Out-of-door Decora- 
 tion, 109; Fireworks, in ; Parachute, 112; Thunderbolts, 1 12 j Whirls, 
 and Winged Fancies, 113; Pin-wheels, 114; Bombs, 115; Declaration 
 of Independence, 117 ; Toss, 118 ; Fourth of July Jackstraws, 119 ; Pro- 
 gressive Mining, 119. 
 
Contents. vii 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 YAOX 
 
 PRINTING FROM NATURE'S TYPES 123 
 
 Impression Album, 123 ; Winter Landscape, 127. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 PICNICS, BURGOOS, AND CORN-ROASTS 131 
 
 A Burgoo, 132 ; Burgoo Stew, 133 ; A Corn-roast, 134. 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 BOTANY AS APPLIED TO ART 139 
 
 The Peony Leaf, 140 ; A Bunch of Turnips, 142 ; Plant Cross-section De- 
 signs, 144 ; Flower Sprays, 146 ; Changing the Color, 146 ; Burs, 147 ; 
 The Water- Lily, 148. 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 DOOR-STEP PARTY AND QUIET GAMES FOR HOT WEATHER 151 
 
 Five Minutes' Conversation, 153 ; Blind Man's Singing-school, 155 ; A 
 Game of Noted Men, 155 ; What Will you Take to the Picnic? 156; 
 Assumed Characters, 157 ; Shadow Verbs, 157. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 How TO MAKE A HAMMOCK 159 
 
 Materials, 161 ; Barrel Hammock, 165. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 (For Little GirlO 
 CORN-HUSK AND FLOWER DOLLS ,.. .. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 How TO MAKE A FAN k . 177 
 
 Butterfly Fan, 178 ; Mikado Fan, 180 ; Daisy Fan, 182 ; Cardboard Fan, 
 183- 
 
viii Contents. 
 
 AUTUMN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 PACE 
 
 ALL-HALLOW-EVE 187 
 
 Halloween Parties, 189 ; Melted Lead, 190 j Nutshell Boats, 192 ; < Three 
 Luggies," 193 ; Roasting Nuts, 193 ; Kaling, 194 ; The Magic Mirror, 
 194 ; Three Tin Cups, 195 ; The Ring Cake, 195 ; Bobbing for Apples, 
 196 ; The Ghostly Fire, 197 ; The Fairy's Gifts, 198. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 NATURE'S FALL DECORATIONS AND How TO USE THEM 201 
 
 Fresh Autumn Wild Flowers, 202 ; Buckeye Portiere, 204 ; Panel of Fall 
 Decorations, 205 ; Louis Quinze Screen, 206 ; A Panel of Field Corn, 
 209 ; Ornamental Gourds, 210 ; Gourd-Dippers and Bowls, 211 ; Vases, 
 212 ; Small Decorations, 214; Brackets, 214. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 NUTTING-PARTIES 217 
 
 " Little Brown Squirrel," 218; Rules for Nutting- Parties, 221. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 How TO MAKE A TELEPHONE 224 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 How TO DRAW 229 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 How TO PAINT IN WATER-COLORS .238 
 
 Materials for Water-Color Painting, 238 ; Flowers, 239 ; Landscapes, 241 ; 
 Painting from Notes, 244. 
 
Contents. ix 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 How TO PAINT IN OIL-COLORS 249 
 
 Materials, 249; Mediums, 251; Canvas, 251; The Light, 252; Setting 
 the Palette, 253. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 How TO MODEL IN CLAY AND WAX 257 
 
 Materials, 259 ; How to Manage Clay, 260 ; Hints for Modelling a Head, 
 262 ; How to Model in Wax, 263 ; Modelling- wax, 263. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 How TO MAKE PLASTER CASTS 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 CHINA PAINTING 272 
 
 List of Materials, 272 ; A Monochrome Painting, 278 ; Tinting, 278 ; New 
 Method of Decorating China, 279 ; Tracing, 280 ; Mottled Grounds, 
 281 ; Snow Landscape, 281 ; How to Paint a Head on China, 284 ; How 
 to Paint a Carp, Sea-weed, and Fish-net, on China, 287 ; Foliage on 
 China made with a Sponge, 289 ; Mixing Colors, 289 j Royal Worcester 
 Ware, 290. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 A CHAPTER ON FRAMES 295 
 
 Marine Picture Frame, 296 ; Decorated Frame, 297 ; Frame Covered with 
 Tin-foil, 298 ; Cork Frame, 299. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 THANKSGIVING 302 
 
 Impromptu Burlesque Tableaux, 304 ; Landing of the Pilgrims, 305 ; First 
 Harvest, 307 ; Devastation by the Indians, 308 ; The Revolution, 309 ; 
 Slavery, 310; Rebellion, 310; Peace and Plenty, 310; The Game of 
 the Headless Turkey, 312 ; A Suggestion, 313. 
 
Contents. 
 
 WINTER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AND HOME-MADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS 317 
 
 Julklapp, 319 ; Polish Custom, 320 ; The Bran Pie, 321 j The Blind Man's 
 Stocking, 321 ; Home-made Christmas Gifts, 322. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 AMUSEMENTS AND GAMES FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS 334 
 
 New Game of Bubble Bowling, 335 ; Biographical Nonsense, 339 ; Comic 
 Historic Tableaux, 341 ; Living Christmas Cards, 342. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 NEW YEAR'S AND A LEAP YEAR PARTY 347 
 
 Pantomime of an Enchanted Girl, 348. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 HOME GYMNASIUM 353 
 
 Course of Exercises, 356. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 A DECORATIVE LANGUAGE 364 
 
 The Field and the Points of Heraldry, 366 ; Divisions, 367 ; Colors, 369 ; 
 How to Make a Design in Decorative Language, 371 ; Book-plates, 377 ; 
 Floral Vocabulary, 377. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. . 
 
 A FEW ITEMS ON OLD-FASHIONED NEEDLEWORK, WITH SOME NEW AND 
 ORIGINAL PATTERNS 380 
 
 Plain Sewing, 380 ; Button-holes, 383 ; How to Patch, to Sew on a But- 
 ton, and to Mend a Kid Glove, 386 ; Fancy Stitches, 387 ; Drawn Work, 
 389 ; Applique and Original Designs for Portieres, 391 ; Lace, 393 ; 
 Ribbon Embroideries, 393. 
 
Contents. xi 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 SCRAP-BOOK AND HOME-MADE BOOK-COVERS 395 
 
 Mother Goose Scrap-book, 395 ; Transformation Scrap-book, 398 ; An 
 Album, 400 ; Home-made Book-cover, 401. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 A HEAP OF RUBBISH AND WHAT TO Do WITH IT 403 
 
 The Mirror, 404 ; The Table, 406 ; Lantern, 408 ; A Music Roll, 410 ; 
 Work-basket, 411 ; Key and Button-hook Rack and Paper Weight, 412. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 How TO MAKE ATTRACTIVE BOOTHS AT A FAIR A NEW KIND OF GRAB* 
 
 BAG 413 
 
 The Tables, 413; Flowers for Decorations, 417; The Months, 420; 
 The Five Senses, 421; Walls, 423; Grab-bags, 423 ; The Lady of the 
 Lake, 425 ; Fortune's Wheel, 426 ; Rag-balls, 427. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 WINDOW DECORATION 429 
 
 Oriental Window-shade, 430 ; Ribbon-curtain, 430 ; Drapery of Very 
 Small Scraps, 431 ; Painting Window-panes, 432 ; Painting on Lawn, 
 434 ; To Imitate Stained Glass, 435 ; Windows of Imitation Ground 
 Glass, 436. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 FURNITURE, OLD AND NEW 438 
 
 The Bookcase, 439 ; The Chair, 441 ; The Bedstead, 444 ; A Dressing- 
 table, 444 ; Washstand, 446 ; A Hall Seat, 447 ; Window Seat and 
 Book-shelves, combined, 448. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 SOMETHING ABOUT MANTLE-PIECES AND FIRE-PLACES...,,...,, 451 
 
xii Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 HOME-MADE CANDY 458 
 
 Peanut Candy, Butter Scotch and Molasses Candy, 459 ; Walnut and Fruit 
 Glace*, 460 ; Marshmallow Paste, 460 ; Chocolate Caramels, 461 ; Pop- 
 corn Balls, 462. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY 464 
 
 Valentine Party, 465. 
 
 Additional Suggestions for the Four Seasons. 
 
 SPRING. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 BICYCLING 469 
 
 Correctly and Incorrectly, 471 ; The Choice of a Bicycle, 472 ; Weight 
 and Gear of Bicycle, 474 ; Bicycle Accessories, 474 ; Adjustment of 
 Saddle and Handle-bar Correct Position on the Bicycle, 474 ; Mount- 
 ing, 476 ; Dismounting, 476 ; Riding, 477 ; Going Up Hill, 478 ; Going 
 Down Hill, 479 ; Rules of the Road, 479 ; Care of the Wheel, 480 ; 
 Oiling, 481 ; Something Wrong with Your Bicycle, 482 ; General Rules 
 of Health to be Observed while Riding, 482 ; The Bicycle Costume, 483. 
 
 SUMMER. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 A NEW SEA-SHORE GAME 485 
 
 Tit, Tat, Toe Played with Living Figures, 485 ; Good Beach Needed, 
 487 ; The Sides, 487 ; The Game, 488 ; The Next Move, 490. 
 
Contents. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. PAGH 
 
 SWIMMING 492 
 
 Desirability of Confidence, 492 ; Fresh and Salt Water, 493 ; Of the 
 Various Methods of Keeping Afloat while Learning, 493 ; When a Life- 
 preserver Is Used, 493 ; Movements in Swimming, 494 ; Floating, 
 495 ; Diving, 495 ; Breathing, 497. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 APPLE TARGET-SHOOTING 499 
 
 The Target, 500 ; How Painted, 501 ; The Sticks and Apples, 502 ; How 
 to Score, 502. 
 
 AUTUMN. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 GOLF. ... 504 
 
 Links, 505 ; Hazards, or Bunkers, 505 ; The Holes, 506 ; Teeing-ground, 
 508; Tee, 509; The Green, 509; The Putting-green, 510; Clubs, 
 511 ; Balls, 511 ; Flags, 511 ; The Game, 512 ; Dress, 515 ; Rules for 
 the Game of Golf, 516 ; Glossary of Technical Terms Employed in the 
 Game of Golf, 520. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 PHYSICAL CULTURE 526 
 
 How to Breathe, Stand, Walk, and Sit Correctly, 526 ; Lift Up Your 
 Chest, 526 ; Breathing, 527 ; One Nostril, 527 ; Full Breathing, 528 ; 
 Shoulders Down, 529 ; Breathing-rules, 529 ; Stand Correctly, 530 ; 
 An Habitual Good Carriage, 531 ; Walk Correctly, 532 ; Sit Correctly, 
 534 ; Arise, 535. 
 
 WINTER. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 GIRLS' CLUBS 537 
 
 How to Form a Club, 538 ; The Name and the Constitution, 540 ; How 
 to Organize, 542 ; How to Conduct a Regular Meeting, 542 ; Effective- 
 ness in Speaking, 544 ; How to Make and Treat a Motion, 545. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 LIVELY WATER-FAIRIES 547 
 
 Good Patterns, 550. 
 
The American Girl's 
 Handy Book. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FIRST OF APRIL. 
 
 HIS is the children's own day, and 
 no assumption of dignity on the 
 part of their elders can deter them 
 from exercising the privileges granted 
 to them by acknowledged custom and 
 precedent. 
 
 " April fool! April fool!" cries 
 
 my little nephew, as he dances with delight to see his aunt 
 walk out of the room with a piece of white paper dangling 
 from a hooked pin, attached to her dress. 
 
 " April fool ! April fool ! " shout the children in the street, 
 thus announcing the success of some practical joke. 
 
 "April fool ! " laughs everyone at the table, when some un- 
 fortunate bites into a brown, wholesome-looking cruller, only 
 to find it a delusion and a snare, the coat of a cruller, but the 
 inside of cotton. 
 
 " April fool ! April fool ! " is what even the little sparrows seem 
 
Spring. 
 
 to chirp, as with a " s-w-h-e-r-r " they sweep down from the 
 tree and, frightening away the kitten, take forcible possession of 
 her bone. What does all this mean ? Why is the first day of 
 April called " All-Fools-Day/' and when or where did the 
 custom of the day originate ? Who can tell ? No one seems 
 to know. Even the derivation of the word April does not ap- 
 pear to have been definitely settled, and this saucy month, with 
 ner mischievous tricks and pranks, her surprises and mysteries, 
 fools and puzzles our wisest men. 
 
 Through many centuries the observance of All-Fools-Day 
 has descended to us. In many climes and many countries this 
 day is chosen as the proper time for playing tricks on the un- 
 suspecting. 
 
 " Festum Fatuorum," or " Fools' Holiday," is what it was 
 called in England at the time of the arrival of the early Christians 
 in that country. 
 
 Easily caught like the mackerel, which are plentiful on the 
 French coast in April and are said to be deficient in understand- 
 ing, the April fool in France derives his name from that 
 fish, and is called " Poisson d'Avril" or "April Fish," and 
 again, " Silly Mackerel." From the cuckoo, a bird that does not 
 know enough to build its own nest, the appellation of " gowk " 
 is taken, and is given to the foolish one in Scotland who allows 
 himself to be duped on this day. 
 
 In India at the festival called Huli Festival held on the last 
 day of March, the natives make merry at the expense of their 
 friends, just as we do, and their fool is called " Huli Fool." 
 
 So in the East and in the West, in the North and in the South, 
 in the oldest nation as well as the youngest, is this ridiculous 
 custom observed, and, as if to make it still more ridiculous, no 
 one apparently knows why. 
 
 Now, girls, since this holiday has descended to us from so far 
 back that its origin appears lost in the dim twilight of past ages, 
 
First of April. 
 
 there surely must be some reason for its existence, and that reason 
 may be, that " a little nonsense now and then is relished by the 
 wisest men," and is therefore wholesome as an occasional diet. 
 So why not help to perpetuate it ; not with rude, practical jokes, 
 but with comical surprises, and absurd, but unembarrassing, sit- 
 uations. Much harmless fun can be derived from the privileges 
 of this day, devoted as it is to nonsense, and we introduce the 
 April Fool Party as an excellent means of concentrating the 
 fun, and furnishing plenty of merriment to the young folks who 
 are bent on having a good time. 
 
 First of April Party. 
 
 I remember, when quite a little girl, I was granted the privi- 
 lege of celebrating my birthday, which came on the 1st of April, 
 with a candy-pull, and a few days previous to the event I 
 started joyfully off to invite my friends. The invitations were 
 laughingly given and accepted, and it did not occur to me that I 
 would be suspected of playing a joke, although the party was 
 to be on April-Fools-Day. It seems, however, that my good in- 
 tentions were doubted, and the children were undecided whether 
 to come or not. I had begun to suspect that a joke was to be 
 played on me by their all remaining away, before they finally 
 arrived in a body, having taken the precaution of coming in 
 that way, so that if the party were a hoax they would all be 
 fooled together. 
 
 I relate this incident that warning may be taken from my ex- 
 perience, and that it may be understood how important it is to 
 make the guests invited to your First of April party realize that 
 the invitations are given in good faith, and that your friends 
 are expected to be on hand at the appointed time. 
 
 It is well, in giving a party of this kind, to have the whole 
 programme laid out beforehand, so that everything may go 
 smoothly and nothing be forgotten. 
 
6 Spring. 
 
 The few methods of April fooling given here need not con- 
 stitute the whole entertainment ; the list may be added to by 
 the young hostess, who will, no doubt, have many ideas of her 
 own to carry out. We will head our list with the 
 
 Mirror Tableau. 
 
 This novel tableau is made ready in the following manner : 
 
 In a door-way, or bay-window draped with full curtains, 
 place a large mirror. Instead of having the curtains suspended 
 from the usual pole, it is best to stretch a wire across the space 
 and slip the curtain-rings upon that, as they will slide more 
 readily on the wire ; and when it is time to draw back the dra- 
 pery it should be done quickly. A table placed before the cur- 
 tains will serve as a barricade, keeping the too curious from tak- 
 ing a peep at the hidden mysteries before they are ready to be 
 revealed. 
 
 At the time selected, remove the table, and request all those 
 desiring to see the tableau to arrange themselves in front of the 
 curtain, and to remain perfectly quiet, as any movement will dis- 
 turb those taking part. 
 
 If the front rows of the audience can be induced to kneel or 
 sit upon the floor, those in the rear can obtain a better view, 
 and it will, at the same time, make the group more effective. 
 When perfect quiet is obtained, give the signal to your assistant, 
 who must stand opposite to you at the side of the curtain, and 
 with her help quickly draw aside the draperies, thus disclosing 
 the tableau of a group of young people, motionless, gazing into 
 the mirror with eager and expectant eyes. For an instant the 
 audience will be held spell-bound, scarcely realizing that they 
 themselves are forming the pretty tableau. 
 
 " We are April Fools," written with soap on the mirror near 
 the top, as shown in the illustration, tells what character the 
 actors are assuming, and gives a name to the tableau. 
 
First of April 
 
 The Mirror Tableau. 
 
8 Spring. 
 
 During the interval which should be allowed to intervene 
 before introducing the next thing on the programme, the guests 
 will find amusement in the many harmless practical jokes which 
 are awaiting the unwary in all manner of places. 
 
 For instance, some boy will print APRIL FOOL in large 
 white letters on his own back, by simply resting for a moment 
 in a convenient chair upon whose snowy tidy the dreaded words 
 have previously been printed backwards with white chalk. On 
 the dark woolly surface of the coat, the white letters will be 
 perfectly transferred, and the boy, little knowing what he has 
 done, or the cause of the merriment, will join in the general 
 laughter his appearance creates. 
 
 A treacherous divan can be provided by removing the top 
 of a low, flat packing-box, and putting in its place brown wrap- 
 ping-paper, tacking it down around the edges of the box. 
 With a piece of drapery thrown over it, entirely concealing the 
 box, and sofa pillows placed upon it, leaning against the wall, 
 the divan looks exceedingly comfortable and inviting. But woe 
 unto the person who mistakes appearances for reality, for to at- 
 tempt to sit upon this seeming substantial couch is but to break 
 through and sit upon the floor instead. 
 
 The box used for the divan should not be more than twelve 
 inches high, so that the fall will be only funny, not dangerous. 
 
 The next diversion may be a 
 
 Noah's Ark Peep-show. 
 
 Make the peep-show of a box about two and a half feet 
 long and one foot and a half high. Remove the top and both 
 of the end-pieces (Fig. i). Cut from pasteboard a slide to 
 exactly fit the box, and place it in the middle, thus cutting off 
 the view from either end, as shown in Fig. I. Make a curtain 
 in two pieces, and tack them_around the upper edge of tiK 
 
First of April. 
 
 box, letting them meet at each 
 end. Stout pieces of twine, 
 stretched across the openings at 
 the ends of the box, will serve to 
 attach the drapery at these points. 
 Almost any kind of material will 
 answer for this purpose, provided it 
 is not too thin and is of some bright 
 hue, for the peep-show should be 
 made to look as gay as possible. 
 Place the box upon a high stand, 
 and so arrange it that a strong 
 light will shine down into it, making 
 the interior, from end to end, per- 
 fectly light. 
 
 From a list, previously prepared, of the animals supposed 
 to be on exhibition, read the first two, and invite two per- 
 sons, a girl and a boy, for instance, to look into the peep-show. 
 We will suppose that the first animals on the list are the raven 
 and the dove. Inform your would-be audience that you have 
 two of Noah's special pets to show them ; that from the girls' 
 point of view will be seen a raven, and from the boys', a dove, 
 
 F, 8 l 
 
 Noah's Ark Peep-show. 
 
io Spring. 
 
 When taking their places at the box, one at each end, the two 
 spectators must part the curtain, and, putting their faces be- 
 tween, hold the drapery together under their chins. This is 
 to keep the remainder of the company from obtaining a glimpse 
 into the wonderful show before their turns arrive. 
 
 When all is ready, and the two wondering faces are hidden 
 between the folds of the peep-show curtains, with the words, 
 " Behold the pretty dove, and the mischievous raven," remove 
 the slide, and expose to the astonished gaze of each spectator a 
 companion's familiar face at the opposite end of the box. Of 
 course, upon retiring from the show, its secret must be kept, 
 otherwise the joke will be spoiled for those whose turns are yet 
 to come. 
 
 Before the next two take their station at the box, replace 
 the slide and pretend to rearrange the show, to divert the sus- 
 picion that the box is empty. 
 
 The Supper 
 
 can be made the means of perpetrating many practical jokes. 
 The shams must be so intermingled with the real delicacies that 
 one can never be sure what the consequences may be of par- 
 taking too rashly of even the most tempting-looking morsel. 
 
 Small blocks of wood covered with batter and browned in 
 the oven are excellent imitations of cakes. Dainty confection- 
 ery, in crimped papers, can be made of small radishes covered 
 with icing of different colors. Button-moulds coated with choc- 
 olate will readily be mistaken for candy. 
 
 If a small pasteboard pill-box is first filled with flour, and 
 the top then covered with tissue-paper pasted down around the 
 edges, it will look, when iced, like a delicate little cake, and 
 will cause much merriment when anyone bites into it ; for the 
 moment the paper cover is broken the flour will fly in every 
 
First of April. 
 
 ii 
 
 direction. The fertile brain of girls, on mischief bent, will sug- 
 gest many more frauds of this kind, and enough surprises may 
 be prepared to make the supper as merry as anything else on 
 the evening's programme. 
 
 Before leaving this subject, once more let the caution be 
 given to keep the jokes entirely harmless. It is only poor fun 
 that can be obtained at the expense of injuring others, or by 
 running the slightest risk of hurting them in any way. 
 
 The spirit of mischief must be kept within bounds even on 
 All-Fools-Day. 
 
Gathering Wild Flowers. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 WILD FLOWERS AND THEIR PRESERVATION. 
 
 ONG before the first green leaves make their 
 appearance, while the snows of winter still 
 linger in the shaded nooks, and the branches 
 are still bare, though blushing with the full, 
 flowing sap that tinges their tips pink, yellow, 
 and red when the air is filled with a sweet 
 freshness and delicate fragrance it is charm- 
 ing in our rambles to find scattered here and 
 there upon the hill-side, down among the roots of the great 
 trees, or under the hedges delicate little wild flowers waving 
 on their fragile stalks with the faintest passing breeze. They 
 are so exquisitely beautiful with their tender hues and graceful 
 shapes, that a longing comes to possess them. 
 
 And why not keep them fresh at home ? Plants live in 
 the earth and require light, air, and moisture. All of these 
 requirements can be and are fulfilled in thousands of homes 
 where plants are kept, all over the world. But these are 
 wild Jloiuers. True, and they may need something to be 
 found only in the wild woods. What, then, is it ? Let us 
 see. Earth, light, and air abound everywhere. Still, upon 
 inspection we discover that the soil around our timid wild 
 flowers is somewhat different from that to be found in our 
 door-yards. But what is simpler than to take the earth up 
 with the plant ? 
 
Spring. 
 
 Be careful in 
 
 Transplanting Wild Flowers 
 
 to dig well all around and under the roots, so that the earth 
 surrounding and clinging to the plant may be taken up at the 
 same time (Fig. 2). After covering the 
 root and soil adhering to it with a layer 
 of clay, mud, or damp earth (Fig. 3) 
 set the root in a large leaf, and 
 tie it up with string or 
 a wisp of 
 grass (Fig 
 4), in order 
 to make 
 sure the soil 
 
 does not fall 
 
 off the plant. Thus se- 
 cured the specimens will 
 keep nicely until you 
 reach home ; then plant 
 them in a shady place 
 and keep the ground moist. Beautiful little woodland gardens 
 are made in this way, where within a few steps of the door a 
 glimpse may be had of the fair forest flowers. 
 
 Sweet-scented white violets, delicate little anemones, odd 
 yellow violets, and quaint jack-m-the-pulpits, with many others, 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation. 15 
 
 not forgetting the graceful ferns, are now growing in the shaded 
 corner of the writer's lawn, transplanted there from their home 
 in the woods, where she found them one lovely spring morning, 
 when out with a party of friends on a hunt for wild flowers. 
 
 The day was perfect, filled with sunshine and the song of 
 birds. All nature appeared glad and joyous, and the trees 
 seemed veiled in the softest greens and pinks of budding 
 leaves. 
 
 It was a happy party that went wandering into the forest, 
 straying here and there, and finding new treasures at nearly 
 every step, stopping to gather a few of the violets that gave a 
 purple tinge to the ground for yards around, then rambling on 
 to the spot that was covered with the fragile anemone, each girl 
 laden with the flowers she loved best. Some had taken them up 
 roots and all, while others preferred the 
 
 Cut Wild Flowers. 
 
 For these it is best to use a tin box of convenient size and 
 form shutting closely. The flowers must be fresh and not at all 
 damp ; in such a box they can be kept for days bright and un- 
 fading. They may also safely be sent to friends at a distance, 
 though it is better, when 
 
 Sending Flowers by Mail, 
 
 if you wish to send a quantity, to pack them in a strong paste- 
 board or wooden box. First lay down a piece of oiled paper of 
 the proper size ; spread a thin layer of damp paper on this ; next 
 a layer of flowers, then one of thin wet paper ; and so on until 
 the box is full. Over the last layer place a dry paper, and cover 
 this with oiled paper or tin-foil ; put the lid on the box and tie 
 it down securely. 
 
1 6 Spring. 
 
 By this method a larger number of flowers can be sent in a 
 given space than when simply inclosed in a tin box. 
 
 The writer has often sent daisies from New York to Cincin- 
 nati where they arrived as fresh as when first gathered. 
 
 For the benefit of those who wish directions for sending 
 flowers by mail, we give the following on authority of the 
 American Agriculturist. 
 
 "The law passed some years since by Congress, allowing packages of 
 plants to be sent by mail, if not over four pounds in weight, was a capital 
 arrangement for those who lived at a distance from railroad and express 
 offices, but it is so hampered with the various constructions given by the 
 Post Office Department, that it is difficult to know what is required by the 
 officials. The law now is, we believe, as follows : A package, weighing four 
 pounds or less, can be sent at the rate of two cents per four ounces, but the 
 writing of the words "roots" or "plants" makes a letter of it, and is 
 charged letter postage. Nothing should be written except the address, and 
 the package must not be sealed, or contain any writing, and it must be so 
 fastened that the postmaster can examine the contents if he wishes. The 
 plants may, however, be numbered, and their names sent by letter." 
 
 Now let us think of some way in which these lovely blossoms 
 can be preserved. 
 
 In Germany they excel in making decorations for rooms, 
 dinner-tables, etc., of 
 
 Preserved Flowers. 
 
 Bright-colored flowers are best adapted to this method. White 
 flowers are apt to turn yellow. Jack-in-the-pulpits, clover, 
 roses, and daisies came out beautifully when the writer dried 
 them, and why should not many other kinds do just as well ? 
 Try and see. 
 
 Procure three or four quarts of fine sand ; white scouring-sand 
 is the best ; wash it perfectly clean. This can be tested by pour- 
 ing the water off until it looks quite clear ; then dry the sand, 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation. 17 
 
 by placing it in a clean tin in the oven. When it is dry fully 
 
 dry and cool pour enough 
 in a box to enable the flowers 
 to stand by themselves, their 
 stems embedded in the sand, 
 which should be a mass of 
 fine particles of uniform size. 
 If the flowers are cut so 
 that they all measure nearly 
 the same length from the tip 
 of the blossom to the end of 
 the stem, they can more 
 readily be covered with sand. 
 
 Preserved Flower*. 
 
 The flowers must be fresh and entirely free from moisture. 
 Place them stem downward in the sandy layer, and very gently 
 
1 8 Spring. 
 
 and slowly pour in the sand a little at a time, until each leaf 
 and petal is firmly held in place (Fig. 5) ; then fill the box 
 with sand nearly two inches above the level of the flowers. 
 
 It is very essential that every particle of the flower rest in 
 the sand, and that in filling up, the smallest petal has not been 
 bent or crumpled. 
 
 Take care not to shake the box lest the flowers inside be in- 
 jured. Set it in a warm, dry place, and let it stand at least two 
 weeks. 
 
 This manner of preserving flowers retains the color, while 
 the shape of the leaves and petals remains unaltered. The flow- 
 ers will keep for years. 
 
 There are other ways also of preserving flowers. 
 
 Pressed Flowers and Leaves. 
 
 Although these are perfectly flat, they seldom fade and are 
 very pretty and useful. Have ready a large book or a quantity 
 of old newspapers and several weights. Use the newspapers 
 for leaves and ferns blotting-paper is best for the flowers. 
 Both the flowers and leaves should be fresh and without moist- 
 ure. Place them as nearly in their natural positions as possible 
 in the book or papers, and press, allowing several thicknesses 
 of paper between each layer. Remove the specimens to dry 
 papers each day until perfectly dry. 
 
 Some flowers must be immersed all but the flower head 
 in boiling water for a few minutes, before pressing, to prevent 
 them from turning black. Orchids are of this nature. 
 
 If possible, it is well to obtain all parts of a plant, the roots 
 as well as the seeds, for a more interesting collection can thus 
 be made than from the flower and leaf alone. 
 
 It is advisable to be provided with a blank book or, what is 
 still better, pieces of stiff white paper of uniform size on which 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation, 19 
 
 to mount the flowers or leaves when dried ; also with a small 
 bottle of mucilage and a brush for fastening them, and some 
 narrow strips of court-plaster or gummed paper for the stems 
 and thicker parts of the plants. The sooner they can be 
 mounted the better. Place them carefully on the paper, writ- 
 ing beneath the locality and date of finding. Flowers and 
 leaves thus prepared make beautiful herbariums. Should you de- 
 sire 
 
 Leaves and Ferns for Decoration, 
 
 first press them nicely ; then give them a coat of wax, by 
 ironing them on both sides with a hot iron over which a piece 
 of beeswax has first been rubbed. Cover the specimens com- 
 pletely with wax, as this renders them quite pliable, and they 
 are no longer brittle nor easily broken. Sprays of small leaves 
 can be pressed entire. 
 
 To heighten the effect, use dry colors, rubbing them in, and 
 selecting those corresponding with the color of the leaves when 
 first gathered. 
 
 The colors must be put on before the coating* of wax. 
 Ferns should be gathered when nearly full grown, and, after 
 they are pressed, painted light green with oil-colors ; in that 
 case the beeswax is not used. The oil in the paint, like the 
 wax, makes the specimens more substantial, and they look 
 quite fresh and fair. 
 
 Sometimes the late autumn frosts will bleach the ferns per- 
 fectly white ; then are they even more delicate than before Nat- 
 ure changed their color. We have seen the 
 
 Color of Flowers Changed, 
 
 and it is a very pretty experiment, very simple, too. Immerse 
 the flowers in ammonia, and you will be surprised to see white 
 
2O Spring. 
 
 lilies change to a delicate yellow, pink roses turn a lovely 
 light green, while dark-red sweet-peas assume blue and rich 
 purple tints ; and the change is so rapid it is almost like magic. 
 Another interesting experiment is making 
 
 Natural Wax Flowers 
 
 by dipping the fresh buds and blossoms in paraffine just suffi- 
 ciently hot to liquefy it ; first the stems of the flowers ; when 
 these have cooled and hardened, then the flowers or sprays, 
 holding them by the stalks and moving them gently. When 
 they are completely covered the flowers are removed and lightly 
 shaken, in order to throw off the superfluous wax. The flowers 
 are then suspended until perfectly dry, when they are found 
 hermetically sealed in a film of paraffine, while they still keep 
 their beautiful coloring and natural forms, and for a while even 
 their perfume. Now let us find what can be done 
 
 To Freshen Cut Flowers. 
 
 When the heat has made them wilt, clip the stems and set 
 the flowers in cold water ; in a few hours they will regain their 
 freshness and beauty. 
 
 Some flowers, however, must be differently treated, such as 
 heliotrope and mignonette ; these keep if placed upon damp 
 moss or cotton and set in a cold place at night. 
 
 Rosebuds will retain their freshness for hours when not 
 placed in water, if the ends of the stems are snipped off, and 
 immediately tipped with melted sealing-wax ; this excludes 
 the air, and so keeps the flowers from drooping. 
 
 If roses are wilted before they can be placed in water, cut 
 off the ends of the stalks and immerse in very hot water for a 
 minute or two, and they will regain their pristine freshness. 
 
 Another way to keep flowers fresh is to put a pinch of ni- 
 trate of soda into the glass each time you change the water, 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation. 21 
 
 Nitrate of potash or saltpetre in a powder has nearly the same 
 effect, or a drop of hartshorn. 
 
 If plants are chilled by frost, shower them with cold water, 
 and leave in a cool room ; or set the pot in cold water and keep 
 in a moderately cool place. Now one word about 
 
 Crystallized Flowers, 
 
 that sparkle and look so beautiful. They must first be dried \\ 
 sand, then crystallized in the same way as dried grasses the 
 rougher the surface the better will it crystallize. Dissolve as 
 much alum in boiling water as it will hold ; when this is deter- 
 mined, pour it off and boil the solution down to one-half. 
 
 Suspend the flowers by a net-work of string tied across the 
 top of a pail into which they must hang ; then pour into the 
 pail the boiling alum water, which must completely cover the 
 flowers, and leave it undisturbed twelve hours, or all night. 
 
 The flowers should not touch each other or the sides of the 
 bucket. Be careful in removing them the next morning, as the 
 crystals are easily broken off. 
 
 Flowers or sprays of grass may be beautifully frosted by 
 dipping them in a solution of gum-arabic and sprinkling them 
 with powdered isinglass. 
 
 Flowers are not only very beautiful, but many of them pos- 
 sess a fragrance so sweet that we would fain learn how to keep 
 the 
 
 Perfume of Flowers. 
 
 Rose-leaves are the most simply prepared. Take a covered 
 jar, fill it with sweet-scented rose-leaves, and scatter through them 
 some salt. Keep the jar closed tight, and when the petals have 
 dried the " scent of the roses will cling to them still," so that 
 every time the jar is opened a delicious fragrance will fill the 
 air. Or you can cover the rose-leaves with melted lard, and 
 leave them fo.v a day or two in some place at a temperature 
 
22 
 
 Spring. 
 
 of about 140 F. ; then cool 
 it and knead the lard in alco- 
 hol. Pour off the alcohol in 
 fancy glass bot- 
 tles and use as 
 handkerchief per- 
 fume. 
 
 For varieties we 
 find this method : 
 
 " The delicate odor 
 of pinks and other flowers may be 
 obtained as follows : Get a glass 
 funnel, with the narrow end 
 drawn to a point ; in this place 
 lumps of ice with salt, by which 
 a very low temperature is pro- 
 duced. The funnel should be 
 supported on an ordinary retort-stand and placed 
 near the flowering plants, when water and the 
 ethereal odor of the blossom will be deposited on 
 the exterior of the glass funnel, and will trickle 
 down to the point, from which it drops at inter- 
 vals into a glass vessel below. The scent thus 
 obtained is very perfect, but is apt to become 
 sour in a few days unless some pure alcohol is 
 added. By this process many odors maybe pro- 
 cured for comparison and study. To obtain the 
 odor in perfection the blossom must be in its 
 prime." 
 
 Dry some sweet clover, and the fra- 
 grance will be sweet and pleasant. Fill a 
 fancy bag of some thin sheer material with 
 the clover, and you will find that you have 
 imprisoned the fresh breath of summer. 
 Old-time lavender can be prepared in the same way. 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation. 23 
 
 Our thoughts so far have been for the flowers in their sea^ 
 son. But did it ever occur to you that it is possible to have 
 
 Spring Flowers in Winter? 
 
 If you search in the woods during December you may find, 
 tucked away in sheltered spots, little woodland plants which, 
 when taken up and carefully transplanted in a flower-pot and 
 set in a sunny window, will soon begin to grow, sending up 
 tender stems, and in about three weeks will blossom. The lit- 
 tle fairy-like flowers seem even more beautiful coming in the 
 cold wintry weather. 
 
 Fruit-tree twigs and sprays from flowering shrubs will blos- 
 som when the ground is white with snow, if cut from trees 
 about the first of February, placed in well-heated water in a 
 warm room, and the water changed every day for some that is 
 almost but not quite hot. 
 
 The twigs being kept warm will blossom in a few weeks. 
 
 It is quite a pretty idea to take up and plant in a little 
 flower-pot 
 
 The Four-leaved Clover. 
 
 Very frequently you may find a tuft bearing only the mystic 
 number, and should it happen to have a five- or six-leaved clover 
 in with the others, they will add to the luck. 
 
 If you possess one of these charmed plants, it is said "good 
 luck " will always be near at hand. 
 
 Besides the foregoing directions for the preservation of 
 flowers, plants, etc., there are numerous other methods, which, 
 although not experimentally verified by the writer, are ng 
 doubt as worthy of a place here as any of the former. 
 
 The following recipes have been culled from various ol(f 
 papers, books, etc. 
 
24 Spring. 
 
 Some Old-fashioned Methods of Preserving Flowers. 
 
 The first of these ways is more properly intended for bo* 
 tanical collections, and is often resorted to by collectors of rare 
 blossoms. It consists in placing 
 
 Flowers in Alcohol, 
 
 and possesses the great advantage of preserving the flowers for 
 years, and keeping their most delicate fibres uninjured. They 
 make invaluable specimens to sketch from, and though their 
 beauty may be somewhat impaired by loss of color, their out- 
 lines remain perfect. 
 
 Place the flowers in a wide-mouthed bottle, fill it to the top 
 with alcohol, cork it tightly, and cover the cork with plaster-of- 
 Paris or melted beeswax, thus hermetically sealing it. Do not 
 use sealing-wax, as experience has taught us that the fumes of 
 the alcohol soften the wax, and not only spoil the neat appear- 
 ance of the bottle, but allow the spirits to evaporate. 
 
 Another way is to 
 
 Bottle Flowers. 
 
 Carefully seal the ends of the stems with sealing-wax, place 
 them in an empty bottle both flowers and bottle must be per- 
 fectly dry cork the bottle, and hermetically seal it with either 
 sealing-wax or beeswax. 
 
 The next method has greater possibilities of beauty, and 
 consequently the reader will be more interested in learning 
 
 How to Preserve a Vaseful of Flowers for a Year. 
 
 Take home your basket of wild flowers, " nodding violets," 
 cowslips, bright-eyed anemones, and all the lovely offerings of 
 the woods, and before arranging them in the vase, carefully 
 seal the stem of each flower. Place a glass shade over the 
 vase ; be careful that flowers, vase, and shade are perfectly 
 
Wild Flowers and their Preservation. 25 
 
 dry ; then fill up the groove in the wood, in which the shade 
 stands, with melted wax. By covering the wax with chenille 
 it can be perfectly hidden. 
 
 Flowers kept in this way will last for a twelvemonth. 
 
 The flowers preserved in an empty bottle may be taken 
 out, the wax cut from the stems, and, if arranged in a bouquet, 
 will last as long as perfectly fresh flowers. 
 
 Those in the alcohol lose their color after being immersed 
 for a time, and will not last when removed from the alcohol. 
 
 In following any of these directions be careful not to tie 
 the flowers. No string must be used. The flower stems must 
 be loose and separate from each other. 
 
 A florist of much experience in preserving bouquets for an 
 indefinite period gives this recipe for 
 
 Keeping Bouquets Fresh a Long Time. 
 
 When you receive a bouquet sprinkle it lightly with fresh 
 water, then put it into a vessel containing some soapsuds ; this 
 will take the place of the roots and keep the flowers bright as 
 new. Take the bouquet out of the suds every morning, and lay 
 it sideways, the stems entering first, in clean water ; keep it 
 there a minute or two, then take it out, and sprinkle the flowers 
 lightly by the hand with water; replace it in the soapsuds, 
 and it will bloom as fresh as when first gathered. 
 
 The soapsuds need changing every three or four days. By 
 observing these rules a bouquet can be kept bright and beauti- 
 ful for at least a month, and will last longer in a very passable 
 state. From another source we learn how 
 
 To Keep Flowers or Fruit a whole Year perfectly Fresh. 
 
 Mix one pound of nitre with two pounds of S'il ammoniac 
 and three pounds of clean common sand ; then in dry weather 
 
26 Spring. 
 
 take fruit of any sort which is not fully ripe, allowing the stalks 
 to remain, and put them one by one into an open glass until it 
 is quite full ; cover the glass with oiled cloth, closely tied down. 
 Put the glass three or four inches down in the earth in a dry 
 cellar, and surround it on all sides to the depth of three or four 
 inches with the above mixture. The fruit will thus be pre- 
 served quite fresh all the year round. 
 
 In giving the following recipe for the manufacture of rose- 
 water, it may be as well to state that the original verse is given, 
 not for its merit as such, but simply because it is the form in 
 which the recipe reached the writer. 
 
 Rose-water. 
 
 " When the bushes of roses are full, 
 
 As most of them are about June, 
 'Tis high time to gather, or pull 
 
 The leaves of the flowers. As soon 
 As you've picked all you need for the time, 
 
 To each quart of water unite 
 A peck of the leaves, which, if prime 
 
 And they will be, if pulled off aright 
 May be placed in a still near at hand, 
 
 On a very slow fire. When done, 
 Bottle off, and permit it to stand 
 
 For three days ere you cork down each one." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE WALKING CLUB. 
 
 SOUND of girlish voices is 
 suddenly heard in the 
 quiet village streets, as 
 our Walking Club, issuing 
 from the house of one of 
 its members, starts off on 
 the first tramp of the sea- 
 son. The gay chatter 
 and bubbling laughter 
 blend with the twittering and chirping of the birds fluttering 
 among the budding trees, and all these merry sounds seem in 
 perfect harmony with the youthful gladness of the bright morn- 
 ing. 
 
 There is a subtle power and exhilaration in the spring sun- 
 shine that stimulates the blood, and sends it tingling through our 
 veins, as with light-springing steps we quickly leave the village 
 behind us and penetrate into the outlying country, stopping 
 now and then to secure a branch of the downy pussy-willow 
 or brilliant red blossoms of the maple, and again to admire a 
 distant view where the trees seem enveloped in a hazy mist of 
 delicate color ; on we go, exploring sequestered spots or enter- 
 ing deep into the woods in search of early wild flowers. 
 
 Although possibly timid as individuals, as a club we are 
 Vave enough ; for a party of fourteen or sixteen girls, including 
 

The Walking Chtb. 29 
 
 our merry little chaperon, may go, with impunity, where it 
 would not be so pleasant for one to venture alone. 
 
 Once a week all through that delightful spring the club might 
 have been seen, now upon a road leading in this direction, now 
 in that. And, often as we stepped aside to allow a carriage to 
 pass, its occupants would lean forward smiling, and waving their 
 hands in greeting ; for the moment, perhaps, feeling in sympathy 
 with the vigorous young life that preferred this mode of loco- 
 motion to being carried about on the downiest cushions of the 
 easiest of carriages. A ride which accorded with the unconven- 
 tional mood of our club was not despised however, for, urged on 
 by the girls, our little matron would make bold to accost some 
 countryman driving a vehicle sufficiently large, and persuade 
 him, in the terms of the country, to ''give us a lift." Jolting 
 about in a springless wagon or hay-cart was not in the least 
 enervating, and we experienced no indolent wish to continue our 
 journey on wheels when forced by diverging roads to leave our 
 equipage. It was not until the ever-increasing heat of the sun, 
 and our own languid disinclination to much exertion, warned us 
 that the mildness of spring had passed, that we concluded to dis- 
 band for the summer. In the fall we again fell into rank, and 
 came home from our walks laden with the gorgeous trophies of 
 autumn, as we had once carried in triumph the tasselled branches 
 and dainty flowers of spring. 
 
 We continued our tramps into the early winter, when the 
 frosty crispness of the air made it very bracing, and the brisk 
 exercise of walking brought the healthy color to cheek and lip 
 of the young pedestrians. 
 
 Such a club as this, which at the same time promotes health, 
 good spirits, and sociability, is one that most girls will enjoy 
 and derive benefit from. 
 
 A closer acquaintance with Nature, which these walks afford, 
 is not the least of their benefits, and to her true lover, Nature has 
 
30 Spring. 
 
 many delightful surprises and secrets to reveal ; and as ha? 
 been said, even for for those who cannot read her deeper 
 meanings she has a language which calls attention to her more 
 outward forms of beauty, and which one may study until gradu- 
 ally, with slowly opening eyes, is seen more and more of the 
 exquisite perfection of her work, that long ago might have been 
 seen had one but chosen to look. 
 
 As a society, the Walking Club is one of the most informal. 
 
 No officers are needed, although a secretary may sometimes 
 be found useful when any word is to be sent to absent members. 
 
 The membership of the club should be large enough to 
 insure the attendance of at least twelve or fourteen on each 
 walk ; for in this case, as I have said, safety lies in numbers. 
 At a place of meeting previously appointed, the members 
 should assemble, and, before starting on their walk, the route 
 to be taken should be decided by vote ; a decision on this 
 point will be more quickly arrived at if a chairman be ap- 
 pointed to keep order. 
 
 The first walk should not be too long. Three miles is a 
 good walk to start with ; a mile and a half out and the same 
 home again. Gradually the distance can be lengthened, and 
 the club be able to take a ten-mile walk without feeling fatigue, 
 
The Walking Club. 
 
 
 To MAKE THE EXERCISE OF WALK- 
 ING HEALTHFUL, AND THEREFORE 
 THE MORE ENJOYABLE, THESE RULES SHOULD 
 BE OBSERVED. 
 
 1st. Carry the body erect on the 
 hips, the slioulders thrown back, 
 the chest raised, and the head 
 square on the shoulders. 
 
 2d. Breathe through the nose 
 while walking rapidly, other- 
 wise the mouth will become dry 
 and tJie breath short. 
 
 ^d. Wear loosely fitting clotJies 
 that will permit a free motion 
 of the limbs, and shoes with 
 broad, moderately thick soles 
 and low, broad heels. In all 
 cases a girl's skirts should be 
 supported from the shoulders, 
 and in walking any distance it 
 is absolutely necessary for com- 
 fort that there should be no 
 weight upon the hips. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EASTER. 
 
 VERYWHERE the children are playing with 
 e gg s 5 e gg s colored in every hue mottled, 
 striped, and gilded ; real eggs and imitation 
 ones ; sugar, glass, and wooden eggs ; for 
 this is Easter-tide, and not only in America, 
 but in many far-away countries, where the 
 habits and customs are very different from 
 ours, does Easter bring to the children the highly prized, gayly- 
 colored eggs. 
 
 How nice it would be if we could take a peep into these 
 foreign countries, and discover what else Easter brings the little 
 ones besides the pretty eggs, and also how the people of such 
 widely differing nations keep this happy festival common to 
 all. 
 
 If we could look into England now, we should find that the 
 ceremonies there begin on Palm Sunday (the last Sunday be- 
 fore Easter), and on that day many people go a-palming, only 
 they do not, of course, find palm, but gather instead branches 
 of willow, which they stick into their hats and button-holes. 
 On Good-Friday we might see, on almost every breakfast-table, 
 those hot spicy cakes with a cross stamped on the face, known 
 to many of us as well as to our English cousins, as " hot cross 
 buns." We should feel very much at home looking into the 
 churches on Easter Sunday, for we should find them beautifully 
 3 
 
34 . Spring. 
 
 decorated with flowers, and hear the Easter anthems chanted as 
 we might in our own country. I do not think we can see in 
 America, though, the ceremony which, on Easter Monday, is 
 performed by the charity school-children in England. Were we 
 among the spectators who, with shouts and merry laughter, 
 crowd around to watch this performance, we should see the 
 children take their places, with their backs against the outside 
 of the church, and then join hands until a circle is formed 
 around the building, thus completing what is called " clipping 
 the church. " 
 
 It would be great fun to see the Easter celebration in Rus- 
 sia, which includes many peculiar customs, and where the chil- 
 dren receive presents as we do at Christmas, besides more eggs 
 than any of us ever thought of possessing ; some of the eggs 
 being beautifully made of glass or porcelain, and filled with 
 sugar-plums or small presents. How amusing it would be to 
 watch the people, following a custom always observed on 
 Easter Monday in this queer land, as they go about kissing 
 relations, friends, and acquaintances, wherever they happen to 
 meet them. 
 
 If we were really in this great, cold, furry country, we 
 might go with the children to make their Easter visits, and, 
 on entering a house, hear the greeting, "Jesus Christ is 
 risen," and the answer, " Yes, he is risen ; " then after kiss- 
 ing the inmates and exchanging eggs with them, go to visit 
 elsewhere. 
 
 All this would seem very strange to American eyes ; and 
 it would be a strange sight too, if we could look into the cities 
 of Spain and see the people in the streets 'shooting at stuffed 
 figures of Judas Iscariot. 
 
 A passing glance at Ireland on Easter morning would show 
 us the people making haste to be out at sunrise to see the sun 
 dance in a pool or pail of clear water. 
 
Easter. 35 
 
 It would be worth while to give more than a passing glance 
 into Germany at this season, for in this country, where the chil- 
 dren's happiness is so much thought of and so well provided 
 for, Easter Monday is looked upon as a grand holiday, and 
 all the young people appear in their gala costumes ready for 
 any fun or frolic that may be going on. It is a pretty sight 
 when the little peasant-girls, in their quaint gowns and odd 
 little caps, dance on the green with the boys, whose cos- 
 tumes are equally as picturesque ; and it is also entertaining to 
 watch them as they play various games with their many-colored 
 eggs. 
 
 In Germany, too, we should find that the children believe as 
 sincerely in the Easter hare as they do in Santa Claus in our 
 country ; and the saying, that " the hares lay the Easter eggs," 
 is never doubted by the little ones. 
 
 After visiting in imagination all these foreign countries to 
 see their Easter celebrations, it may prove interesting to turn 
 our eyes toward home, for, since our country is so large as 
 large almost as all Europe put together perhaps some of our 
 little citizens who have never been in Washington do not 
 know how, in the capital of the United States, the children hold 
 high carnival on Easter Monday, nor how the grounds of the 
 White House and also of the Capitol are given up to them on 
 this day that they may frolic on the lawns and roll their eggs 
 down the hills. It would be as novel a sight to some of us as 
 any found abroad, to see several thousand children rolling and 
 tossing their eggs, while shells of every hue cover the grass in 
 all directions. 
 
 The following newspaper item, cut from the Evening 
 Star, Washington, D. C., April 27, 1886, shows how these 
 rights of the little Americans are recognized and respected, 
 and how unmolested they enjoy the privileges of Easter Mon- 
 day. 
 
36 Spring. 
 
 "THE EASTER EGG-ROLLING. 
 "CHILDREN SHAKE HANDS WITH THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 " The crowd in the White House grounds greatly increased yesterday 
 afternoon, so that the grounds were literally packed with children. The 
 crowd was the largest and best appearing that has collected there in many 
 years. The President and Colonel Lament watched the children for some 
 time from the library window. 
 
 At the President's reception at half-past one o'clock hundreds of chil- 
 dren gave up their sport temporarily and thronged the East Room to shake 
 hands with the President." 
 
 Easter Egg Games. 
 
 In the game they play at Washington, on the hills sloping 
 from the White House, the child whose egg reaches the foot of 
 the hill in an unbroken condition takes the one worsted in the 
 journey down. Another game for two is played by knocking 
 the eggs together ; each child holds an egg firmly in his hand 
 so that only the small end is visible, and then the two eggs are 
 struck against each other until one is cracked, when the vic- 
 torious player adds it to his stock, or devours it on the spot. I 
 would not like to state the number of eggs eaten on these 
 occasions, but there is a boy (not a girl) who once consumed 
 fourteen and lived to tell the tale. 
 
 Sometimes the egg which breaks another is called "the 
 cock of one," and when it has broken two it is " cock of two," 
 and so on. When an egg which is cock of one or more is 
 broken, the number of trophies won by the victim is added to 
 the score of the conquering egg and it becomes " cock of three " 
 or more. Here is a game which comes from Germany, and al- 
 though in that country it is played exclusively by boys, there is 
 no reason why the girls should not participate in it as well. Two 
 
Easter. 37 
 
 baskets are necessary for this game, one large and shallow filled 
 with soft shavings, the other shallow also, but smaller, and filled 
 with eggs. The plan of the game is that one player is to run a 
 given distance, while another safely throws the eggs from one 
 basket to the other, she who completes her task first being the 
 winner. When the baskets are prepared, and the distance the 
 eggs are to be thrown decided upon, the two contestants draw 
 lots to determine who shall run and who shall throw. This 
 settled, the player who throws takes the basket of eggs, and one 
 after another quickly tosses them the length of the course and 
 into the basket of shavings, which is placed on the ground at the 
 end of the course opposite the thrower. In Germany this 
 basket is held by an assistant, but anyone occupying that po- 
 sition might receive some severe blows from the hard eggs 
 thrown by unpractised hands, and it answers the purpose just 
 as well to place the basket on the ground. Meantime the 
 other player runs the distance (decided beforehand) to an ap- 
 pointed goal, marks it as a proof of having touched it, and should 
 she succeed in returning before all the eggs are thrown, the vic- 
 tory and prize are her reward ; otherwise they belong to the 
 thrower. 
 
 The game finished, a prize is presented to the successful con- 
 testant. Should any of the eggs pitched by the thrower fail to 
 light in the basket, they must be gathered up and thrown again 
 before the runner returns, as the eggs must all be in the basket 
 before the thrower wins the game. 
 
 " Bunching eggs " comes from Ireland, and is played in very 
 much the same manner as the game played with a slate and 
 pencil, and known to all children as " tit, tat, toe, three in a row." 
 A pan or large dish filled with sand or sawdust is set upon a 
 table, around which the children stand, each supplied with eggs ; 
 the eggs of each player must be all of one color, and unlike 
 those of any other player. The object of the game is for each 
 
38 Spring. 
 
 player to so place her eggs, standing them upright in the sand, 
 or sawdust, as to bring five in a row touching each other. 
 
 In turn each player puts down an egg, sometimes filling 
 out a row for herself, at others cutting off the line of an oppo- 
 nent ; and the one who first succeeds in obtaining the desired 
 row sings out 
 
 " The raven, chough, and crow, 
 Say five in a row." 
 
 Another pretty game from Ireland called " Touch " is played 
 in the following manner : 
 
 Six eggs of the different colors green, red, black, blue, 
 white, and gold are placed in a row in the sand used for the other 
 game. One of the players is blindfolded and given alight wand 
 or stick, with which she must touch one of the eggs, while at 
 the same time she recites these lines : 
 
 Peggy, Patrick, Mike, and Meg, 
 See me touch my Easter egg ; 
 Green, and red, and black, and blue, 
 Count for six, five, four, and two. 
 If I touch an egg of white, 
 A forfeit then will be your right ; 
 If I touch an egg of gold, 
 It is mine to have and hold. 
 
 As is told in the rhyme, the eggs each have a different 
 value. Green counts six ; red, five ; black, four ; and blue, 
 two ; and the gold egg is worth more than all put together, for 
 when a player touches that, she wins the game and a forfeit of. 
 an egg from each of the other players. The white egg is worth 
 less than nothing, since it not only has no value but whoever 
 touches it with the wand must pay a forfeit. 
 
 Each player is in turn blindfolded and makes her trial, keep- 
 ing account of the value of the eggs she has touched. When the 
 
Raster. 39 
 
 sum of twenty has been reached by anyone the game is ended, 
 without the aid of the gold egg. The position of the eggs are 
 changed after each trial, that the person about to touch them 
 may not know where it is best to place her wand. 
 
 Easter Egg Dolls. 
 
 In some of the large confectionery stores in New York City 
 may be found at Easter-tide quaint little Easter offerings, look- 
 ing at first sight exactly like dolls' heads surmounted by pretty 
 little head-dresses. As dolls are not peculiarly appropriate gifts 
 for Easter, one naturally examines them closer, to ascertain if 
 there is anything about them significant of the day, and in so 
 doing quickly discovers that the heads are not made of wax or 
 china, as was at first supposed, but are simply egg-shells from 
 which the eggs have been blown, leaving the shell perfect. 
 Little faces are painted upon these shells, and the cunning caps 
 or bonnets are made of tissue-paper. 
 
 Now it is our purpose to teach the children who do not live 
 in New York and have never seen these pretty toys, and also 
 those who, having seen, cannot afford to purchase them, just how 
 to make some of these little men and women, and how to fashion 
 a variety of head-dresses not to be found in the stores. 
 
 To begin with, select several nice large eggs, those of a 
 pinkish yellow are preferable, being something of a flesh-tint. 
 These eggs should be blown, or the shells emptied of their 
 contents ; to blow them make a small hole in each end of the 
 shell, and, taking it gently between the thumb and forefinger, 
 put one hole to the lips ; then blow, not too hard, but steadily, 
 until the egg has all run out of the other end. 
 
 The face must be painted next, and to those who know 
 nothing of drawing this will seem no easy task, until by care- 
 fully observing the following direction they will find that it is 
 
Spring. 
 
 Patterns for Head-dresses, 
 
Easter. 
 
 in the power of anyone to produce as pretty a face as could 
 be wished for. 
 
 Among picture-cards, or in almost any juvenile book, may 
 be found many pretty faces of a suitable size which can be 
 
 transferred to the egg in this way. 
 Lay a piece of tracing-paper over the 
 head selected, and with a soft lead- 
 pencil trace carefully all the lines in- 
 dicating the features ; then place the 
 paper on the shell so that the pencil- 
 marks are next to it, and with a hard 
 pencil, or ivory knitting-needle, go 
 over the lines again, thus transfer- 
 ring the soft pencil-marks to the shell. 
 Touch up and strengthen the features 
 
 with a fine paint-brush and india-ink. Anyone understanding 
 painting may color the face in natural tints, but it looks very 
 nicely done merely in outline. 
 
 The simplest arrangement for holding the little head erect 
 is a small pasteboard box turned upside down, and having a 
 hole cut in the bottom just large enough 
 to admit the small end of the shell ; this 
 will support the head nicely, and also form 
 the shoulders. 
 
 Make the hair of raw cotton blackened 
 with ink, and fasten it on the head with 
 mucilage. When all of the foregoing di- 
 rections have been carried out it is time 
 to attend to the head-dresses, and we will 
 begin with the quaint and old-fashioned 
 poke-bonnet. Cut this bonnet from ordi- The old-fashioned GITL 
 nary brown wrapping-paper after the pattern shown in dia- 
 gram ; sew together the ends of the " side of crown," then sew 
 
42 Spring. 
 
 the curved side (which is cut in slits as shown in pattern, and 
 folded back as indicated by dotted line) to the smallest part of 
 brim; fold in the strips marked on the straight "side of 
 crown" and fasten on the " top of crown" with mucilage. The 
 trimming for the bonnet consists of a fold and bow of colored 
 tissue paper. 
 
 Make the man's hat of shiny black paper by the pattern in 
 diagram, and fasten together in the same 
 manner as the bonnet, rolling the sides of 
 the brim when finished. Black and white 
 tissue-paper folded to fit the head, as 
 shown by the dotted lines in the pattern, 
 forms the head-dress of the nun. 
 
 By copying the head-dresses of differ- 
 ent nations, an odd and curious assembly 
 of these Easter-egg dolls can be formed ; 
 but that must be worked out at some 
 The Dude. future time, for we have yet to tell how 
 
 to construct some Easter toys that cannot be found in any 
 store. The 
 
 Humpty Durnpty 
 
 who " sat on a wall," and the " Humpty Dumpty " who " had 
 a great fall," must have been like the one I am about to de- 
 scribe, made of an egg ; for it is pretty certain that if he should 
 fall, " all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put" 
 this " Humpty Dumpty together again" any more than they 
 could the other. 
 
 The diagram shows the frame of this little fellow and how it 
 is joined together. A large egg should be chosen ; and when 
 the contents have been blown from the shell, four holes must 
 be pricked in it for the arms and legs to pass through, as shown 
 in the diagram. These limbs are made of rather fine bonnet- 
 
Easter. 
 
 43 
 
 J 
 
 Hutrtpty Dumpy's 
 
 Humpty Dn-mpN^ Jacket- ! 
 y 
 
 Diagram of Humpty Dumpty. 
 
44 Spring. 
 
 wire, the piece used for the arms being about eight inches long. 
 The hand is made by bending up one end of the wire as in dia- 
 gram, and with softened beeswax covering the loop thus formed. 
 When one hand has been finished off in this way, the other end 
 of the wire, still straight, should be passed through one of the 
 holes near the small end of the shell and out through the one 
 
 opposite, then bent up in- 
 to a hand and arm in the 
 same manner as described. 
 The wire for the legs 
 and feet must be ten inches 
 long. The diagram shows 
 how it is bent to form the 
 feet. On this frame, wax 
 can easily be modelled to 
 look like a foot ; a coating 
 of red paint will add to the 
 appearance, as red boots 
 look well with the costume 
 to be worn. The wire for 
 
 Humpty Dumpty. ^ ^ ^^ be bent ^ 
 
 a curve in the middle (see diagram) before it is passed through 
 the shell. Again, as with the hands, one foot must be finished 
 and the legs fastened on before the other foot can be made. 
 
 The figure of Humpty Dumpty being thus prepared, his face 
 must be painted ; water-colors are the best for this purpose. 
 The jollier the expression of his face, the funnier the little man 
 will look. 
 
 Patterns for trousers, jacket, and hat are shown in the dia- 
 grams. The trousers should be cut from white cotton cloth two 
 and a half inches long and six inches wide. A slit an inch and 
 a half long, cut in the middle, separates the legs of the trousers, 
 which must, of course, be sewed up. Dotted lines at top and 
 
Easter. 
 
 45 
 
 bottom show where a gathering thread should be run, the bot- 
 tom gathers forming ruffles around the ankles. White should 
 also be used for the jacket, cutting it three and a half inches 
 long anJ five inches wide. The shape of the jacket may be 
 seen in the diagram, dotted lines showing where the sleeves are 
 to be gathered around the wrist. Collar and pockets of red 
 the patterns of which are given finish the little garment. A 
 white hat four inches around the brim and two inches high is 
 decorated with a band of red, which should be sewed on the 
 edge and turned up. 
 
 When dressing Humpty Dumpty, fasten his garments on to 
 his body here and there with glue, which will hold them se- 
 curely in place. The hat also should be glued to his head, as 
 it is difficult otherwise to keep it on. 
 
 Miss Roily-poly. 
 
 Little Miss Roily-poly, who decid- 
 edly refuses to lie down, always re- 
 gaining an upright posture, no matter 
 in what position she is placed, is made 
 in the following manner : After the 
 contents have been blown from the 
 shell, the hole of the small end is en- 
 larged gradually until it is about a 
 half-inch in diameter ; the shell is then 
 placed in an upright 
 position (a box with a 
 hole cut in it just large 
 enough to hold the egg 
 MissHony-pdy. firmly makes a good 
 
 stand) and melted sealing-wax is poured in ; on top of this 
 melted lead is poured, all the while care being taken to keep 
 
46 
 
 Spring. 
 
 the shell perfectly steady, that the weight may fall exactly in 
 the centre and make a perfect balance. A small quantity of 
 lead is sufficient for the purpose, as the shell is so very light. 
 
 Miss Roily-poly requires no limbs ; when her babyish face 
 is painted she is ready for her costume. The dress is simply 
 made of a strip of colored cloth, and is two inches long and 
 seven inches wide. The white apron is fastened to the dress as 
 
 O.! 
 
 
 
 Diagram of Miss Roily-poly. 
 
 shown in the diagram. Sleeves are made of pieces of the dress 
 material about one inch long and one and a half inch wide. 
 They are rolled up and fastened with needle and thread, then 
 sewed on to the dress in the position shown in the diagram. 
 Pockets are made for the apron, and the ends of the sleeves 
 tucked in them, which makes it appear as though the hands 
 were hidden in the pockets. The cap, made of the same ma- 
 terial, or of a color harmonizing with the dress, is four inches 
 
Easter. 
 
 47 
 
 round the brim and one inch high ; it is sewed together at the 
 two ends, and gathered into a pompon on top, as is shown by 
 the dotted lines in the diagram. A little glue should also be 
 used to fasten this dolly's dress and cap on. 
 
 Mandolin. 
 
 A pretty little toy 
 mandolin is made of the 
 lengthwise half of an 
 egg-shell. To sep- 
 arate the shell in 
 this way it is 
 necessary 
 to pierce 
 
 holes 
 
 with a needle along 
 the line where the di- 
 vision is to be made, 
 which will cause it to break 
 evenly ; or the egg may be 
 boiled hard and then cut in 
 half with a very sharp knife. 
 Fig. 6 is cut from stiff paper, 
 and the strings drawn with pen 
 and ink ; then the shell is fast- 
 ened to it on the opposite side 
 by pasting a narrow strip of white tissue paper 
 over the edges of the shell and frame, joining 
 them together. The top of the handle 
 is bent down a little and a narrow rib- 
 bon tied to it. To make the 
 mandolin still more complete, 
 paint the handle mahogany 
 color, with a fine needle stitch 
 on strings of yellow silk, and paint the egg-shell into pumpkin- 
 like divisions of yellow and mahogany. 
 
 The Mandolin. 
 
4 8 
 
 Spring. 
 
 The Owl. 
 
 To turn a hen's egg into an owl has not before, I imagine, been 
 thought possible ; yet it is easy enough, and requires but a very 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Diagram of Owl. 
 
 short time to accomplish the transformation, when one knows 
 just how to go to work. No incubator is needed to hatch this 
 
 bird, as only the shell is used, the 
 contents having been disposed of 
 in the manner before described. 
 We commence the formation of 
 the little owl by making two holes 
 near the large end of the shell in 
 the position shown in diagram. 
 
 By looking at the next diagram 
 the manner of making the feet and 
 legs may be seen. A short piece 
 of wire is bent in the shape given, 
 and is wrapped on to a longer 
 wire with strong thread, thus form- 
 ing three toes, which are quite 
 enough for a bird that will never walk. One foot made, the 
 wire is passecj through the shell, having first been bent into a 
 
 Owl Complete. 
 
Easter. 49 
 
 curve, as in the description of Humpty Dumpty. When the 
 last foot has been fastened on, the wire should be pushed back 
 into the shell, allowing but little of the legs to show. The 
 wings are cut by the pattern given, and are painted to resemble 
 feathers as much as possible. Brown is the best color to use. 
 By the diagram may be seen how the head and body are painted. 
 
 Maple-wax Easter Eggs. 
 
 Empty the egg-shell of its contents and open a place at the 
 small end the size of a silver dime. Stand it in an upright po- 
 sition with the largest opening on top, and leave it while you 
 prepare the maple-wax, or candy. Mix enough water with 
 some maple sugar to dissolve it, and set on the fire to cook ; 
 when it will harden in cold water it is done. Carefully fill the 
 egg-shell with the hot maple-wax, and keeping it in an upright 
 position, set it on the ice to cool. When the wax is perfectly 
 cold and hard, paste an artificial daisy over the opening in the 
 shell. Maple-wax is the nicest kind of candy, and done up in 
 this way will remain firm and hard for a long while ; and there- 
 fore these maple-wax eggs make excellent Easter gifts to send 
 away to one's friend at a distance. The best way to pack them 
 is to wrap them in cotton and then put them in a tin baking- 
 powder box, filling up the interstices with cotton to keep them 
 from knocking about. 
 
 The box, of course, must be wrapped in paper and tied se- 
 curely with a string. Packed like this, they may travel safely 
 all over the United States. The writer sent several the distance 
 of over seven hundred miles, and they arrived at their destina- 
 tion in as perfect condition as when they left her hands. 
 
 Bonbon Box. 
 
 Select a box two or three inches high a round one is best 
 which has a lid that covers the entire box. Cut sgme straw 
 4 
 
50 Spring. 
 
 or hay in pieces long enough to reach from the top to the edge, 
 and glue it on the sides of the lid, covering them completely. 
 Prepare as many halves of egg-shells as will cover the top, al- 
 lowing a space one inch wide around the edge. Glue the shells 
 down, and fill up the spaces between with straw. Near the 
 edge, on the opposite sides, glue a loop of narrow white rib- 
 bon ; these loops are to lift it with. Then glue straw on all the 
 uncovered parts of the lid, making it a little thicker and higher 
 at the edges. When the box is finished it resembles a nest of 
 eggs, and makes an appropriate and acceptable Easter gift. 
 
 Easter Cards. 
 
 It is a very pretty custom, that of sending Easter cards, 
 altogether too pretty to be allowed to lapse into disuse, as many 
 
 customs which are merely the ex- 
 pression of sentiment are apt to do 
 in this busy, practical country of 
 ours. One experiences a great deal 
 of pleasure in selecting from the 
 stock of beautiful cards found in the 
 stores just before Easter those that 
 seem suitable for one's friends, but 
 more pleasure will be derived from 
 home-made Easter cards, both to 
 the sender and recipient ; for it is 
 true that into everything we make 
 we put a part of ourselves, and into 
 many a home-made article is woven 
 loving thoughts which make the gift priceless, although the ma- 
 terials of which it is composed may have cost little or nothing. 
 Several years ago the writer was visiting a friend in the 
 country twenty miles from the nearest town where Easter cards 
 
Easter. 
 
 could be purchased, but when Easter approached we sent off 
 our cards, just the same, and I am sure our friends were as 
 pleased with them, and more pleased, than if they had been of 
 the most expensive kind. This is how we made them : 
 
 It was an early spring, and the woods were filled with wild- 
 flowers, anemones and violets mostly ; these we gathered, and 
 arranging them in small bunches, stuck the stems through little 
 slits cut in cards or pieces of heavy paper, as they are some- 
 
 Pattern for the Chicken. 
 
 times fastened in books when pressed. Underneath the bouquet 
 we wrote the name of the person for whom it was intended, 
 with some friendly message appropriate to the season, and 
 signed our own names ; then we carefully folded each in writ- 
 ing paper, taking pains not to crumple the flowers, and enclos- 
 ing them in envelopes, sent them to their destination through 
 the mail. Any kind of flowers can be used for these Easter 
 cards, and instead of putting the stems through slits in the 
 
Spring. 
 
 card, they may be tied to them with narrow ribbon. A card 
 to be sent only a short distance should be put in a box just 
 deep enough to leave room for the flowers, and fastened in 
 some way to keep it from moving about ; in this way it will 
 reach its destination sweet and fresh. 
 
 To those who can paint their Easter cards we have no sugges- 
 tions to offer, for they have an unlimited supply of designs at their 
 command, and with their power of decoration, may turn almost 
 anything into an Easter card, from a piece of satin ribbon, upon 
 which they sketchily paint a spray of flowers, to an elaborate 
 picture. A few suggestions are here given which our younger 
 readers may like to carry out, as the cards we describe are 
 easily made, and adapted to amuse the children. 
 
 " Stepping through the White House " the first card is called, 
 and it represents a little chicken breaking through its shell. 
 The pattern of the chicken is given in the diagrams. Fig. 7, the 
 
 head and neck, is cut from yellow 
 flannel ; Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the main 
 part and fragments of shell, are of 
 white paper, and Fig. 1 1, the feet, of 
 black paper. These are pasted to a 
 tinted card, as shown in illustration. 
 The eye and bill are made black 
 with ink or paint. 
 
 Little Quakeress. 
 
 Half an egg-shell, with the face 
 and hair painted on it, forms the 
 
 The Little Quakeress. head. The cap is made of white 
 
 tissue paper cut in four strips ; one, for the crown, is six and a 
 half inches long, and a little over one and a half wide ; another, 
 for the brim, is four and a half inches long and one inch wide ; 
 
Raster. 
 
 53 
 
 while the strings are each three and a half inches long, and one 
 and a half wide. The crown is plaited in the centre, the brim 
 folded lengthwise through the middle, and sewed to the crown. 
 The strings are fastened on either side of the cap, and crossed 
 in front ; then the cap is pasted on the head, the surplus paper 
 folded back, and the whole glued on a card. The ends of the 
 strings are also fastened to the card, forming a Quaker kerchief. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A LAWN-TENNIS NET. 
 
 ET us see ; it was that old medical gen- 
 tleman, Galen the Greek, who first 
 wrote upon tennis, speaking of the 
 sport as healthy exercise, was it not ? 
 Well, girls, it really does not matter 
 much to us whether he was the first 
 to write it up and the Greeks the 
 first to play it, or whether the game 
 originated in France in the fifteenth 
 
 century, as some claim. What we want to know is, can we 
 all learn to play tennis ? Does it cost much ? What kind of 
 gowns and shoes must we wear ? And is it an enjoyable game ? 
 There is no doubt, we think, of its being a right royal 
 pastime, as it has been called both the " king of games " and 
 the "game of kings;" the latter because it was enjoyed by 
 princes and nobles so much enjoyed, that in both England and 
 France edicts were published forbidding the common people to 
 play it. 
 
 Girls, do you wonder if they always had the choice of courts, 
 and so never took part in the fun of spinning the racket in the 
 air while the adversary called out " rough " or " smooth ; " or 
 whether they played as we do, taking their defeats pleasantly 
 and wearing their honors gracefully, while always doing their 
 very best ? 
 
Spring. 
 
 They must have played well, for it is said that Louis XL, 
 Henry II., and Charles IX., were experts, and that Henry VIII. 
 of England was extremely fond of the sport. 
 
 We can easily learn to play this most popular and exhilarat- 
 ing of games. But we must be suitably clothed in order to 
 thoroughly enjoy it and receive all the benefit the recreation 
 brings to both mind and body. 
 
 Flannel seems to be the best material for a tennis suit it is 
 so soft and yielding, and so well adapted for a defence against 
 
 either cold or heat. 
 Then, make your 
 tennis gown of flan- 
 nel ; the skirt in 
 plaits, without dra- 
 pery ; the postilion 
 basque of Jersey 
 cloth, soft and elas- 
 tic, matching the 
 skirt in color. 
 
 Sew the skirt of 
 your gown on a 
 sleeveless waist, 
 made of lining or 
 muslin. The Jersey 
 will fit nicely over 
 
 this, and you can play better and feel far more comfortable 
 than when the weight is allowed to drag on the hips. For it 
 is nonsense to attempt to take part in any athletic game unless 
 you can have perfect freedom of action ; in short, you should 
 be so dressed as to be utterly unconscious of your clothing. 
 
 Either crochet a Tarn O' Shanter hat or make one of the 
 dress material, as these are not so apt to fall off while running as 
 a straw hat. " Last, but not least," come the shoes. Of course, 
 
 An Old Game. 
 
How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net. 57 
 
 rubber- soled shoes are the best. But if these are not to be had, 
 remove the heels from an old pair of ordinary shoes, and they 
 will do very well ; heels roughen and cut the courts. 
 
 The actual cost of a lawn-tennis set need only be the price 
 of the rackets and balls, and rope and co?d necessary when 
 you learn 
 
 How to Make a Lawn-Tennis Net, 
 
 which is not difficult. 
 
 First procure two pieces of cotton rope, three-sixteenths of 
 an inch in size, each thirty-four feet long, costing about twenty- 
 five cents apiece. Then one and a half pound of hammock 
 
 Stake. Peg. 
 
 twine or macrim^ cord, No. 24, which will not cost more than 
 fifty cents. Next, two lengths of cotton rope for guy-ropes, 
 each five feet, price, both included, ten cents ; making the total 
 
 ___^ amount $1.10 for a strong, firm, ten- 
 
 r*\ nis net which will prove serviceable and 
 
 last many a sea- 
 'V* son. 
 
 The other 
 materials necessary are all home-made. 
 
 ,-r-, . . Runner and Guy-rope. 
 
 These consist 
 
 p lg/fc | of two stakes, each five feet long (Fig. 
 ' 12). Any kind of a strong pole, when 
 
 sharpened at one end and a notch cut 
 
 at the other, will answer the purpose. Four pegs, each one foot 
 long (Fig. 13). These may be easily made of old broomsticks. 
 Four runners (Fig. 14), each five inches long, one and a quarter 
 wide, and about half an inch thick, with holes bored near each 
 
Spring. 
 
 end large enough to allow the guy-rope (Fig. 15) to pass 
 through. A fid or mesh-stick of any kind of wood (Fig. 16), 
 about a foot or ten inches long, with circumference measuring 
 three inches. A hammock-needle (Fig. 17), nine or ten inches 
 long and one wide, which may be bought for ten cents, or 
 whittled out of a piece of ash or hickory by some kind 
 
 A 
 
 FilT 
 
 brother. Tassels are not necessary, though 
 it is much better to have them, as they make 
 the top line of the net more distinct and add 
 to its appearance. Make about forty bright- 
 colored tassels of worsted, or bits of flannel 
 
 Hammock- 
 needle. 
 
 cut in very narrow strips, three inches long, allowing ten or 
 twelve strips to each tassel. Commence your tennis net by 
 first threading the needle ; take it in the left hand, and use the 
 thumb to hold the end of the cord in place while looping it 
 over the tongue (see Fig. 18); pass the cord down under the 
 needle to the opposite side, and catch it over the tongue. Re- 
 peat this until the needle is full. 
 
 Next, take a piece of rope thirty-four feet long, and make a 
 
How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net. 
 
 59 
 
 long loop in one end, tying the knot so that it can readily be 
 untied again. Throw 
 the loop over some 
 convenient hook or 
 door-knob (Fig. 19) 
 with the knot at the 
 knob or hook. Tie 
 the cord on the needle 
 to the loop, place the 
 fid or mesh-stick un- 
 der the cord close to 
 the loop (Fig. 20), 
 with the thumb on the 
 cord to hold it in place 
 (Fig. 25), while you 
 pass the needle around 
 the mesh-stick, and, 
 with its point toward 
 you, pass it through 
 the loop from the top, 
 bringing it over the 
 mesh-stick. This will 
 make the first half of 
 the knot (Fig. 21). 
 Pull this tight, holding 
 it in place with the 
 thumb while you 
 throw the cord over 
 your hand, which 
 forms the loop as seen 
 
 in Fig. 22. Then pass Knot& 
 
 the needle from under 
 through the loop, pulling it tight to fasten the knot. Hold it 
 
6o 
 
 Spring. 
 
 in place with the thumb, and repeat these movements for the 
 next knot. Fig. 23 shows a number of these knots finished, 
 A in Fig. 23 is a knot before it is drawn tight ; B in Figs. 21, 
 22, 23 is the string that runs to the needle, C is the rope, and 
 D is the mesh-stick. About two hundred and sixty-four of 
 
 these knots or meshes will make the 
 net the regular length, thirty-three 
 feet 
 
 In knitting across, the meshes will 
 accumulate on the fid ; shove them 
 off to the left, a few at a time, to 
 make space for others. When the 
 desired number of meshes are finished 
 to form the first row, shove them all 
 off the fid, as shown in Fig. 24. 
 
 Begin the next row by again plac- 
 ing the fid under the cord (Fig. 24). 
 Take up the first mesh, drawing it 
 close to the mesh-stick, hold it in 
 place with the thumb while throwing 
 the cord over your hand, pass the nee- 
 dle on the left-hand side of the mesh 
 from under through the loop (Fig. 25) ; 
 pull this tight, and you will have tied the common knitting-knot. 
 Repeat this with all the loops until the row is finished. 
 
 When it becomes necessary to thread or fill the needle, tie 
 the ends of the cord with the knot shown in Fig. 26, which, when 
 properly tightened, cannot slip. Wrap each end of the cord 
 from the knot securely to the main cord with strong thread, to 
 give the net a neat appearance. 
 
 Continue netting until the net is three feet wide. Then un- 
 tie the rope, and spread the net by sliding the knots apart, and 
 fasten the second rope to the bottom of the net by tying the rope 
 
How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net. 61 
 
 securely to the first mesh with the cord on the needle ; then 
 carry the rope and cord to the next mesh, hold the rope, cord, 
 and mesh firmly in place, and throw the cord over your hand, 
 passing the needle down through the mesh under the rope and 
 
 cord out through the loop (Fig. 
 27). Pull this tight, and continue 
 in like manner, knitting each suc- 
 cessive mesh to the rope until the 
 net is all fastened on. Turn back 
 the end of the rope and 
 wrap it down neatly 
 with strong string Flg ' 26 * 
 (Fig. 28). In the same way secure 
 the other end, and also the ends of 
 the first or top rope. 
 
 Fig. 25. This completes the lawn-tennis 
 
 net proper. The bright tassels can now be tied at intervals 
 along the top of the net, and four pieces of twine fastened on 
 each end of the net at equal distances apart. These are for 
 tying the net to the poles (Fig. 29). 
 
 To erect the lawn-tennis net, plant the two poles firmly 
 in the ground a little over thirty-three feet apart, tie the net to 
 the poles, then drive in the pegs, two to each pole, about five 
 feet from the pole (Fig. 30) ; slide a runner on each end of the 
 
 two guy-ropes by first threading the rope through one of the 
 holes in the runner, then pass the rope over the side down 
 
62 
 
 Spring. 
 
 through the other hole and fasten it with a 
 knot (Fig. 15). Next tie around the notch 
 in the top of the poles the guy-ropes, with 
 runners attached, and slip each loop made 
 by the runner over each peg (Fig. 31), allow- 
 ing the rope to fall in the groove A near 
 the top of the peg ; tighten the rope by 
 pushing up the runners. The stakes are 
 thus held in position by ropes running out to 
 the pegs in the ground (Fig. 30). 
 
 Now we understand how to make and 
 erect a lawn-tennis net; 
 but what shall we do 
 about the court ? Of 
 course, that must be all 
 ready before we can set 
 up the net. We must 
 now learn how to lay 
 out a 
 
 Lawn-Tennis Court. 
 
 The best ground for 
 this is turf, though it may be of asphalt, or 
 earth mixed with fine gravel ; sometimes 
 wood is used. 
 
 The diagram on page 64 (Fig. 32) shows 
 the construction of a lawn-tennis court for 
 two, three, or four-handed games. 
 
 Lay out the court with a hundred-foot 
 measuring-tape, by marking the lines with 
 whitewash, chalk, paint, or plaster-of-Paris. 
 
 First the side line, seventy-eight feet, 
 
How to Make a Lawn - Tennis Net. 63 
 
 AB. This gives you one side of your court. Then the base 
 line, thirty-six feet, AC, which, with their parallel lines CD and 
 DB, form the boundaries of a court for four- 
 handed games. Now lay off the side lines 
 of the single court, EG and FH, which are 
 parallel to the others and four and a half feet 
 inside of them. Divide the court across the 
 centre by the net, fastened to the poles O and 
 P. The lines EF and GH are called base 
 lines. Twenty-one feet from the net, mark the service lines, 
 MN and TV. Then make the central longitudinal line, IJ, and 
 the court is complete. 
 
 Now everything is prepared for the game. Hold your racket 
 firmly, and try to keep the ball flying over the net, back and 
 forth, as often as possible. 
 
 For the guidance of those who have had no opportunity of 
 learning to play lawn-tennis the following rules are given, as 
 adopted by the United States National Lawn-Tennis Associ- 
 ation. 
 
 First, however, we would say that it is not necessary always 
 to have an umpire or a referee, as spoken of in the 
 
 Rules for Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 THE GAME. 
 
 1. The choice of sides, and the right to serve in the first 
 game, shall be decided by toss ; provided that, if the winner of 
 the toss choose the right to serve, the other player shall have 
 choice of sides, and vice versa. If one player choose the court, 
 the other may elect not to serve. 
 
 2. The players shall stand on opposite sides of the net ; the 
 player who first delivers the ball shall be called the server, and 
 the other the striker-out. 
 
6 4 
 
 Spring. 
 
 Fig. 33 
 
 A 
 
 E Base Linel 36 ft. F , 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 ! 
 
 
 T 
 
 Service Line 
 
 27 ft. 
 
 V 
 
 1- 
 cc 
 
 oc 
 
 
 d 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 d 
 
 
 
 h- 
 
 X 
 
 o 
 
 K 
 u. 
 u 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 $ 
 
 e 
 P 
 
 
 oc 
 
 _J 
 
 
 p 
 
 
 
 Jl 
 
 
 N ET 
 
 ec 
 
 N ET 
 
 h- 
 OC 
 
 
 1 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 I- 
 u_ 
 Ml 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 1- 
 I 
 
 
 
 CM 
 M 
 
 
 
 
 cc 
 
 
 B 
 
 M 
 
 5 
 
 Service Line 
 
 27 ft. 
 
 N 
 
 H 
 S 
 
 
 
 Q Base Line c 
 
 36 ft. H 
 
 LAWN-TENNIS COURT. 
 

 How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net. 65 
 
 3. At the end of the first game the striker-out shall become 
 server, and the server shall become striker-out ; and so on, al- 
 ternately, in all the subsequent games of the set, or series of 
 sets. 
 
 4. The server shall serve with one foot on the base line, and 
 with the other foot behind that line, but not necessarily upon 
 the ground. He shall deliver the service from the right to the 
 left courts alternately, beginning from the right. 
 
 5. The ball served must drop between the service line, half- 
 court line, and side line of the court, diagonally opposite to 
 that from which it was served. 
 
 6. It is a fault if the server fail to strike the ball, or if the 
 ball served drop in the net, or beyond the service line, or out of 
 court, or in the wrong court ; or if the server do not stand as 
 directed by law 4. 
 
 7. A ball falling on a line is regarded as falling in the court 
 bounded by that line. 
 
 8. A fault cannot be taken. 
 
 9. After a fault the server shall serve again from the same 
 court from which he served that fault, unless it was a fault be- 
 cause he served from the wrong court. 
 
 10. A fault cannot be claimed after the next service is de- 
 livered. 
 
 11. The server shall not serve till the striker-out is ready. 
 If the latter attempt to return the service he shall be deemed 
 ready. 
 
 12. A service or fault, delivered when the striker-out is not 
 ready counts for nothing. 
 
 13. The service shall not be volleyed, i.e., taken, before it 
 has touched the ground. 
 
 14. A ball is in play on leaving the server's racket, except 
 as provided for in law 6. 
 
 15. It is a good return, although the ball touch the net ; but 
 
 5 
 
66 Spring. 
 
 a service, otherwise good, which touches the net, shall count for 
 nothing. 
 
 16. The server wins a stroke if the striker-out volley the ser- 
 vice, or if he fail to return the service or the ball in play ; or if 
 he return the service or the ball in play so that it drops out- 
 side of his opponent's court ; or if he otherwise lose a stroke, 
 as provided by law 18. 
 
 17. The striker-out wins a stroke if the server serve two 
 consecutive faults ; or if he fail to return the ball in play ; or 
 if he return the ball in play so that it drops outside of his oppo- 
 nent's court ; or if he otherwise lose a stroke as provided by 
 law 1 8. 
 
 1 8. Either player loses a stroke if he return the service or 
 the ball in play so that it touches a post of the net ; or if the 
 ball touch him or anything that he wears or carries, except 
 his racket in the act of striking ; or if he touch the ball with his 
 racket more than once ; or if he touch the net or any of its sup- 
 ports while the ball is in play ; or if he volley the ball before it 
 has passed the net. 
 
 19. In case any player is obstructed by any accident, the 
 ball shall be considered a let. 
 
 20. On either player winning his first stroke, the score is 
 called 15 for that player; on either player winning his second 
 stroke, the score is called 30 for that player ; on either player 
 winning his third stroke, the score is called 40 for that player ; 
 and the fourth stroke won by either player is scored game for 
 that player, except as below : If both players have won three 
 strokes, the score is called deuce ; and the next stroke won by 
 either player is scored advantage for that player. If the same 
 player wins the next stroke, he wins the game ; if he loses the 
 next stroke the score returns to deuce ; and so on, until one 
 player wins the two strokes immediately following the score of 
 deuce, when game is scored for that player. 
 
How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net 67 
 
 21. The player who first wins six games wins the set ; ex- 
 cept as follows : If both players win five games, the score is 
 called games all ; and the next game won by either player is 
 scored advantage game for that player. If the same player wins 
 the next game, he wins the set ; if he loses the next game, the 
 score returns to games all ; arid so on, until either player wins 
 the two games immediately following the score of games all, 
 when he wins the set. But individual clubs, at their own tour- 
 naments, may modify this rule at their discretion. 
 
 22. The players shall change sides at the end of every set; 
 but the umpire, on appeal from either player, before the toss for 
 choice, may direct the players to change sides at the end of 
 every game of each set, if, in his opinion, either side have a dis- 
 tinct advantage, owing to the sun, wind, or any other accidental 
 cause ; but if the appeal be made after the toss for choice, the 
 umpire can only direct the players to change sides at the end of 
 every game of the odd or deciding set. 
 
 23. When a series of sets is played, the player who served in 
 the last game of one set shall be striker-out in the first game of 
 the next. 
 
 24. The referee shall call the game after an interval of five 
 minutes between sets, if either player so order. 
 
 25. The above laws shall apply to the three-handed and 
 four-handed games, except as below : 
 
 26. In the three-handed game, the single player shall serve 
 in every alternate game. 
 
 27. In the four-handed game, the pair who have the right to 
 serve in the first game shall decide which partner shall do so ; 
 and the opposing pair shall decide in like manner for the second 
 game. The partner of the player who served in the first game 
 shall serve in the third, and the partner of the player who served 
 in the second game shall serve in the fourth ; and the same order 
 shall be maintained in all the subsequent games of the set. 
 
68 Spring. 
 
 28. At the beginning of the next set, either partner of the 
 pair which struck out in the last game of the last set may serve, 
 and the same privilege is given to their opponents in the second 
 game of the new set. 
 
 29. The players shall take the service alternately throughout 
 the game ; a player cannot receive a service delivered to his 
 partner ; and the order of service and striking out once estab- 
 lished shall not be altered, nor shall the striker-out change 
 courts to receive the service, till the end of the set. 
 
 30. It is a fault if the ball served does not drop between the 
 service line, half-court line, and service side line of the court, 
 diagonally opposite to that from which it was served. 
 
 31. In matches, the decision of the umpire shall be final. 
 Should there be two umpires, they shall divide the court be- 
 tween them, and the decision of each shall be final in his share 
 of the court. 
 
 ODDS. 
 
 A bisque is one point which can be taken by the receiver of 
 the odds at any time in the set except as follows : 
 
 (a) A bisque cannot be taken after a service is delivered. 
 
 (#) The server may not take a bisque after a fault, but the 
 srriker-out may do so. 
 
 One or more bisques may be given to increase or diminish 
 other odds. 
 
 Half fifteen is one stroke given at the beginning of the 
 second, fourth, and every subsequent alternate game of a set. 
 
 Fifteen is one stroke given at the beginning of every game 
 of a set. 
 
 Half thirty is one stroke given at the beginning of the 
 first game, two strokes given at the beginning of the second 
 game ; and so on, alternately, in all the subsequent games of 
 the set. 
 
How to Make a Lawn- Tennis Net. 
 
 6 9 
 
 Thirty is two strokes given at the beginning of every game 
 of a set. 
 
 Half forty is two strokes given at the beginning of the 
 first game, three strokes given at the beginning of the second 
 game ; and so on, alternately, in all the subsequent games of 
 the set. 
 
 Forty is three strokes given at the beginning of every game 
 of a set. 
 
 Half court : The players may agree into which half court, 
 right or left, the giver of the odds shall play; and the latter 
 loses a stroke if the ball returned by him drop outside any of 
 the lines which bound that half court. 
 
 THE BALLS. 
 
 The balls shall measure not less than 2^-f- inches, nor more 
 than 2j inches in diameter ; and shall weigh not less than ii$ 
 oz. , nor more than 2 oz. 
 
The May-Pole Dance. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MAY-DAY. 
 
 Ho ! the merrie first of Male 
 
 Bryngs the daunce and blossoms gaie, 
 
 To make of lyfe a holiday. 
 
 N the merry heart of youth the old song 
 still finds an echo, and this day, with 
 its relics of pagan customs, celebrat- 
 ing, in the advent of spring, nature's 
 renewed fertility, is a festival full of 
 fun for the children. 
 
 Some of the ceremonies of May- 
 day, handed down from generation to 
 generation, were brought to America 
 in old colonial days by the English, 
 but owing, perhaps, to the stern puri- 
 tanical training of most of the early 
 settlers, the customs did not thrive here as in the mother coun- 
 try, and many of them have died out altogether. 
 
 May-day is one of the many holidays still celebrated, that 
 originated among the pagans ages ago, and it is said that the 
 practice of choosing a May-queen and crowning her with flowers 
 is a remnant of the ceremonies in honor of Flora, the goddess 
 of flowers, which were held in Rome the last four days of April 
 and the first of May. 
 
 There was, at one time, a very pretty custom observed in 
 
72 Spring. 
 
 Merrie England of fastening bunches of flowering shrubs and 
 branches of sycamore and hawthorn upon the doors of those 
 neighbors whose good lives and kindly habits were thus recog- 
 nized by their friends. 
 
 The maids and matrons of England formerly had a way of 
 their own of observing the day. On the first of May they would 
 all go trooping out with the earliest rays of the morning sun, 
 to bathe their faces in the magic dew, which glistened upon the 
 grass once a year only, and was supposed to render the features 
 moistened with it beautiful for the next twelve months. 
 
 When the writer was a wee little girl there lived next door 
 to her home two old maiden ladies, who always kept a bottle 
 of May-dew among their treasures. Although the ladies in 
 question had long since passed that period when maidens are 
 supposed to be lovely, superstitious persons might have found 
 confirmation of a belief in the power of the dew, when they 
 looked upon the sweet and kindly faces of these old maids. 
 Faith in the fabled efficacy of May-dew will probably lose its 
 last adherents when the two old ladies, very aged now, leave 
 this world ; but other pretty customs, from which all the super- 
 stitious elements seem to have departed, should not be allowed 
 to die out, and we intend this chapter on May-day sports as a 
 reminder that May-day is a holiday and should be fittingly cele- 
 brated by the older girls as well as the little children, who, in 
 these times, seem to be the only ones to remember the day. 
 
 May-day Sports. 
 
 A May-day custom, and a very pretty one, still survives 
 among the children in our New England States. It is that of 
 hanging upon the door-knobs of friends and neighbors pretty 
 spring-offerings in the shape of small baskets filled with flowers, 
 wild ones, if they can be obtained ; if not, the window-gardens 
 
May-Day. 
 
 73 
 
 at home are heavily taxed to supply the deficiency. When the 
 dusky twilight approaches, it is time for the merry bands of 
 young folks to start out on this lovely errand of going from 
 house to house, leaving behind them the evidence of their fly- 
 ing visit in these sweetest of 
 May-offerings. Silently ap- 
 proaching a door, they hang 
 a May-basket upon the knob 
 and, with a loud rap, or ring 
 of the bell, scamper off, and 
 flee as though for life. 
 
 These little Mayers are 
 sometimes pursued, but few 
 are ever caught, for the recip- 
 ients of the baskets know 
 that to capture a child, carry 
 
 Fig. 33. 
 
 The Straw Basket. 
 
 her into the house and treat her to sweetmeats, usually dear to 
 the youthful palate, will not compensate the little prisoner for 
 being held captive and thereby missing the fun going on among 
 the other children. 
 
74 Spring. 
 
 How to Make May-baskets. 
 
 The dainty little baskets which are used by the Mayers are 
 generally of home manufacture. They are made of almost any 
 material, and in a variety of shapes. Some, constructed of card- 
 board, are covered with crimped tissue-paper, or with gilt, 
 silver, or colored paper. They are never large unless flowers 
 are plentiful, and even in that case a small basket is prettier. 
 
 Our first illustration represents a May-basket made of straws. 
 Fig. 33 shows the frame of this basket, for which three straws 
 seven inches long are required ; these are sewed together, two 
 and one-half inches from the bottom, forming a tripod. For 
 the sides eighteen straws are necessary, six on each side, of 
 graduating lengths ; the three top straws being five inches long 
 and the lowest ones three and one-half inches. These are sewed 
 to the frame, log-cabin fashion, one upon another. 
 
 The bottom of the basket is made of a three-cornered piece 
 of card-board cut to fit ; three straws, two and one-half inches 
 long, hold the base of the frame in position. A handle formed 
 of three ribbons finishes off this May-basket very prettily ; a 
 ribbon is tied to each corner of the basket ; the other ends 
 meeting form a bow, as shown in the illustration. 
 
 Birch-bark Baskets 
 
 are quite appropriate for wild flowers, and one in the shape of a 
 canoe can be made from a strip of bark six and one-half inches 
 long and four inches wide. Fig. 34 gives the pattern of this 
 basket. The dotted lines show where the ends are to be sewed 
 together ; a ribbon sewed to each end of the canoe serves for a 
 handle. 
 
 Card-board Baskets, 
 
 cut after the pattern Fig. 35, can be covered with gilt, silver, of 
 crimped tissue-paper as desired ; paper lace or fringe is some- 
 
May-Day. 
 
 75 
 
 times placed around the edges of baskets of this kind, as a 
 border to rest the flowers upon. The card-board basket shown 
 in illustration is joined together by buttonhole stitching of col- 
 ored-silk floss ; slits are cut in two sides and a ribbon slipped 
 
 The Birch-bark Basket. 
 
 through, the ends of which are tied in bow-knots to hold them 
 in place. 
 
 May-day Combat. 
 
 This game, although suggested by the ceremonies which, ac- 
 cording to Waldron, usher in the month of May in the Isle of 
 
7 6 
 
 Spring. 
 
 Man, is entirely new and bids fair to become popular, as it com- 
 bines the elements of beauty, sentiment and mirth. 
 
 A number of young people separate into two parties, each 
 having its queen ; one the Queen of May, the other Queen of 
 Winter. The May-queen and her attendants should be decked 
 with flowers, Winter and her retinue being without decoration. 
 
 Equipped with the ap- 
 propriate implements of 
 warfare between the two 
 seasons, namely, a wreath 
 of flowers for spring and a 
 ball of raw cotton, or wool, 
 representing snow, for win- 
 ter, the contending forces 
 draw up in opposing lines, 
 the space between being 
 about twelve feet. Each 
 line is headed by its re- 
 spective queen, who holds 
 her missile in her hand. 
 
 The Card-board Basket. 
 
 Fig. 35. 
 
 The game is commenced by the two queens simultaneously 
 tossing the wreath and ball to someone in the .opposite line, 
 whose name is called as the missile is thrown. Should the per- 
 son to whom it is thrown fail to catch it, she is made prisoner 
 and must do battle on the other side, being released only when 
 she succeeds in catching the missile belonging to her own party. 
 
May-Day. 77 
 
 When the wreath and ball are caught, they are instantly 
 tossed back to the opposite rank, and so the game goes on. 
 Hostilities must cease when prisoners are being taken or released, 
 to be recommenced when both sides announce themselves ready. 
 
 If either queen is captured she is ransomed by the return of 
 all the prisoners taken on her side ; should she have no prisoners 
 to release, the game is ended. 
 
 If the May-queen and her forces are defeated, they must 
 strip off their floral decorations and give them to the victors, 
 who, decked in these trophies, become the representatives of 
 Spring, and the Queen of Winter is made Queen of May and is 
 crowned by her vanquished and dethroned opponent. The for- 
 mer May-queen and her retinue, after offering their congratula- 
 tions, must serve as attendants on the triumphant queen and do 
 her bidding. 
 
 When the May-queen proves victorious the programme is 
 reversed, and Winter and her party become the subjects of May. 
 
 The May-pole. 
 
 An old writer, speaking of the May-games held in England, 
 says, " Their cheefest Jewell is their Maie-poole," and to leave 
 the May-pole out of our list of May-sports would indeed deprive 
 the day of one of its most important and prettiest features. The 
 appropriate place for the May-pole is, of course, out of doors ; 
 yet the climate in most of our Northern States is so changeable 
 and uncertain it may be found necessary for comfort to hold the 
 festivities in the house, and in that case the following directions 
 for erecting the pole in a room of moderate dimensions will be 
 found useful. 
 
 How to Erect a May-pole in the House. 
 
 A May pole from ten to twelve feet high is as tall as the 
 ceilings of most rooms will admit. 
 
78 Spring. 
 
 The pole should be round, smooth, and about five inches in 
 diameter at the base, growing gradually smaller toward the 
 top. 
 
 For its support a wooden box is necessary, the average size 
 being three feet long, two feet wide, and one foot high. Re- 
 move the top of the box, 
 and directly in the centre 
 of it cut a hole large enough 
 to admit the pole. Take 
 two sticks, two inches wide, 
 and long enough to fit 
 lengthwise in the box, and 
 Fig< 36- two shorter ones fitting the 
 
 box crosswise, and nail them securely in the position shown in 
 Fig. 36, driving the nails from the outside of the box. Slip the 
 pole through the hole which has been cut in the top, and then 
 stand it in an upright position between the four sticks in the 
 centre of the box (Fig. 37). Be sure that the pole stands per- 
 fectly straight ; then, before nailing down the top, fill the box 
 with sand, bricks, or stones, packing them tightly around the 
 pole ; this will give sufficient weight to prevent its tipping. 
 Nail the top on, and cover the box with moss or green cloth, 
 and bank it up with flowers. 
 
 How to Dress a May-pole. 
 
 In olden times the May-poles were painted in alternate 
 stripes of yellow and black, but a white pole is prettier and 
 shows the decorations to better advantage. Tack the ends of 
 eight or ten variously colored ribbons, one and one-half inch 
 wide, around the pole near the top. For a pole ten feet high 
 the ribbons should be four yards long. Around where the 
 ribbons are fastened on, suspend a wreath of flowers, as shown 
 
May-Day. 
 
 79 
 
 in Fig. 38. Decorate the extreme tip of the pole with gaily 
 colored streamers, or small flags. 
 
 May-pole Dance. 
 
 An even number of persons are required for this dance; 
 half the number take the end of a ribbon in the right hand and 
 half in the left; they then 
 stand facing alternately right 
 and left. When the dance 
 commences, each dancer fac- 
 ing the right passes under 
 the ribbon held by the one 
 opposite facing the left ; she 
 then allows the next person 
 going to the left to pass un- 
 der her ribbon, and so, trip- 
 ping in and out, under and 
 over, the ribbons are woven 
 around the pole. 
 
 After continuing for a 
 while, according to the above 
 directions, the dancers sep- 
 arate into two equal divi- 
 sions, and each party, inde- 
 pendent of the other, plaits 
 a strip which hangs loosely rig. 37. 
 
 from the pole. 
 
 In performing this variation the two parties stand on either 
 side of the pole, and all those facing the right pass on in that 
 direction, going in and out as at first, until the last person go- 
 ing to the right has passed the last person going to the left in 
 her division ; then, transferring the ribbons to their other hands, 
 
 I 
 
8o 
 
 Spring. 
 
 they all turn and reverse the order. Thus they continue, going 
 
 back and forth until the plait is 
 about a foot in length, when an- 
 other change is made by the two 
 parties joining forces again ; this 
 time, all those facing the left 
 proceed in that direction, pass- 
 ing under the ribbons of all the 
 others who are going to the right, 
 thus forming two circles, one 
 within the other. After going 
 twice around the pole in this 
 order, the dancers composing 
 the inner circle take the outside 
 and the others pass beneath their 
 ribbons, again circling the pole 
 twice ; then, after going through 
 the first figure once more the 
 dance may be ended, or the 
 whole order may be reversed, 
 and the ribbons, in that way, be 
 
 Fig. 38. , .. , 
 
 unplaited again. 
 
 An appropriate song, with words set to a dancing air, should 
 be sung by those taking part in the May-pole dance. 
 
Midsummer-eve Party. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 MIDSUMMER EVE. 
 
 the minds of most of us, midsummer is 
 associated with dry, dusty roads, 
 parched vegetation, the shrill cry of 
 the locust,* the shriller notes of the 
 mosquitoes, and the hum of myriads 
 . of other insects ; but, girls, midsum- 
 mer does not come at this time : 
 astronomy fixes the date at June 
 2 ist, the longest day of the year, 
 when the leaves are still glossy green with the fresh sap cir- 
 culating through their veins, giving them that healthy, juicy 
 look so refreshing to the eye, and the heat of the sun has not 
 yet dried to a white powder the firm country roads over which 
 we delight to wander. 
 
 Ages ago the Pagans used to celebrate the day with rejoic- 
 ing, because old Sol's bright face had broken loose from the 
 clouds of winter, and the rain and mists of spring. They 
 symbolized the revolution of the season by rolling great 
 wooden wheels down the hill-sides ; sometimes attaching straw 
 to the outer circle and setting fire to it at night, making a 
 miniature midnight sun as it dashed down the steep incline. 
 
 The people also believed that ill-luck rolled away from them 
 with the fiery wheel, and to this day you will see Fortune or 
 
 Cicada, commonly known among children as the locust. 
 
Midsummer Eve. 85 
 
 Misfortune represented as travelling, like an acrobat at a circus, 
 upon a wheel. 
 
 All the elves, brownies, and fays were supposed to be on 
 hand at midsummer night, and it is this old superstition that 
 Shakespeare has so beautifully illustrated in his " Midsummer 
 Night's Dream." 
 
 It was on midsummer eve that the supposed invisible seeds 
 of the fern could be gathered which rendered the fortunate 
 possessor invisible whenever he chose to carry them about with 
 him. Among other strange and some quite pretty superstitions, 
 there is a tradition that a coal, found attached to the roots of 
 the mugwort or plantain on midsummer eve, will keep away 
 misfortune and insure good luck to the finder. 
 
 The girls of to-day who, although advanced enough to dis- 
 card the superstitious element, can appreciate the poetic ideas 
 symbolized by these ancient rites, may take hints for the enter- 
 tainment of themselves and friends from the old belief in the 
 mysteries and charms of midsummer eve. 
 
 Games can be invented, and pretty keepsakes and souvenirs 
 exchanged upon this night, that will translate ancient paganism 
 into modern good feeling and fellowship. 
 
 The New Fern-leaf Game. 
 
 Some one who has charge of the games shows to the assem- 
 bled girls and boys a fern-leaf, and explains to them the le- 
 gend connected with it, and the power of the seed to render the 
 possessor invisible. Next she blindfolds them all; then, choos- 
 ing one from among them, she removes the bandage from the 
 player's eyes without allowing the others to know who has 
 been selected to be the bearer of the magic fern. After giving 
 the fern-leaf into the keeping of the chosen one, she places the 
 latter in the centre of a ring formed by the rest of the players, 
 who take hold of hands and circle round ; then, still holding 
 
86 Summer. 
 
 hands, they forward to the centre and return ; letting go hands, 
 they forward again, this time the fern-bearer joins in the ranks. 
 Once more the ring is formed and they circle round, singing 
 these lines : 
 
 Round goes the wheel, To the one who finds 
 
 Round goes the year, The seeds of the fern, 
 
 For woe or for weal, Misfortune and evil 
 
 Midsummer is here. To good luck will turn. 
 
 At the word " turn," each player seizes another and cries 
 out, "fern, fern ! " at the same time removing the handkerchief 
 from the eyes. 
 
 To the one who really has captured the magic fern a pretty 
 card or silk badge, bearing a pictured fern and some appropriate 
 motto, is given, as a token that the entire company wish all 
 possible good luck to the possessor. 
 
 The Plantain Test. 
 
 To test fortune in this way, fill a large pan or bowl with 
 clean dry sand ; provide as many plantain-plants as there are 
 players, and to the roots of all but one tie, with a narrow ribbon, 
 a bonbon which contains within its wrapper a verse indicating 
 that the wrong plant has been chosen. To the one reserved 
 from the rest attach a small piece of coal, or charcoal, wrapped 
 in a bonbon paper which also encloses a verse describing the 
 magic powers of the coal. Place all of the plants in the sand, 
 making them look as though growing there. All this should 
 be prepared before the party assembles, that no one may know 
 to which plant the coal is fastened. 
 
 When the appointed time arrives, explain to the company 
 that to the root of one of the plants in the bowl is fastened a 
 coal which, according to old superstition, will secure to the 
 finder perfect health for life. Then let each person in turn pull 
 
Midsummer Eve. 
 
 from the sand one of the plants. The one $ who finds the 
 coal should be heartily congratulated, as j| she is supposed 
 to have gained the good will of fortune S? and to be ex- 
 empt from all the ills that flesh is heir to. g| The plantain is 
 not difficult to secure, as it 
 grows in almost every grass- 
 plot, much to the annoyance 
 of those who take pride in 
 their lawns. Should the 
 name be unfamiliar to some 
 of our readers, the accom- 
 panying illustration will help 
 them recognize the weed. 
 
 A pretty charm for the 
 watch-chain can be made of 
 the coal which is to bring the 
 finder such good luck,* by 
 having it cut to a proper size 
 and shape, and a gold or sil- 
 ver band put around it. This 
 will make it a souvenir, carry- 
 ing out the old idea that the 
 magic coal should be worn 
 upon the person to bring 
 
 the COVeted good fortune. Magic Plantain. 
 
 Rhymes to be enclosed in the paper with the magic coal : 
 
 Where my roots are intertwined 
 Lo, the magic coal you find. 
 Buried deep beneath the sand, 
 Waiting for your favored hand, 
 
 * Cannel coal is the best to use, for it is hard, will take a high polisi 
 like jet, and can be carved with a pen-knife. 
 
88 Summer. 
 
 I have held it free from harm ; 
 Take, and wear the mystic charm. 
 From the lightning's deadly stroke, 
 From the fire it may invoke, 
 From all illness, pain, and strife, 
 May it guard thee safe through life. 
 
 Rhymes to be enclosed in bonbons tied to the roots of plan- 
 tains which do not bring good luck : 
 
 Though ye seek, ye seek in vain 
 
 Fortune's favor thus to gain, 
 
 For I bring to you no coal 
 
 To write your name on Fortune's roll. 
 
 Pity 'tis you thought it best 
 
 To pick out me from all the rest, 
 
 For no root of mine comes near 
 
 The coal that brings good fortune here. 
 
 Chance capricious, captures choice ; 
 Fickle Fortune favors few ; 
 When deaf to love, or reason's voice, 
 What makes you think she'll favor you ? 
 
 I am no messenger of fate, 
 You find this out, alas ! too late ; 
 I bring no magic coal with me, 
 From pains and ills to set you free. 
 
 Any bright girl can scribble off little jingles of this sort that 
 will do very well for the plantain test, or appropriate quotations 
 may be selected for the purpose. 
 
 Fortune's Wheel. 
 
 Just where Fortune will fail each member of the company 
 present is discovered in the following game : 
 
Midsummer Eve. 
 
 The entire party forms into a circle, standing about two feet 
 apart ; then a wheel or hoop is started around the inside of the 
 ring, and kept going by each one giving it a gentle push with 
 the hand, sending it to the person next in the circle. As the 
 wheel goes around the players sing these lines, pronouncing a 
 word as each player touches the wheel, as if counting out. 
 
 Fortune's wheel we speed along 
 
 The while we sing our mystic song. 
 
 Bring happiness, fame, power, and wealth, 
 
 True love, long life, good friends, and health, v 
 
 Success in music, poetry, art, 
 
 And with it all a merry heart. 
 
 When the wheel drops at the feet of anyone as a gift of For- 
 tune is being sung, or if they fail to strike it as it passes, or, 
 striking, they send it into the centre of the ring instead of to 
 their next neighbor, it denotes that Fortune will withhold that 
 special gift from them, and they must leave the circle, for good 
 luck has deserted them. 
 
 The game continues until only one player remains, and this 
 person, who has succeeded in keeping the wheel moving, is 
 Fortune's favorite, and will possess all the gifts the mythical 
 Goddess can bestow. 
 
Starfish Portifere. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SEA-SIDE COTTAGE DECORATION. 
 
 % IMPLY to enter a house is enough 
 to start some people to planning 
 how it can, might, or should be 
 decorated. The love of beauty 
 seems to be inherent in the femi- 
 nine character, and it is the nature 
 of most girls to make their sur- 
 roundings as beautiful as circum- 
 stances will permit. Those who 
 have taste and ability for decora- 
 tion can see no barren or homely 
 room without being seized with 
 the desire to banish its uncomeliness, and substitute grace and 
 beauty in its stead. 
 
 The ordinary cottage at the sea-shore is a boon to such 
 natures, for it is peculiarly well adapted to amateur decoration. 
 Its ceiled walls offer plain, even, flat tinted surfaces for any 
 kind of ornamentation, and the absence of plaster makes it pos- 
 sible to drive nails wherever it is desirable to have them. 
 
 During a summer spent in one of these cottages on the coast 
 of Maine, its many possibilities in the way of decoration were 
 revealed, and personal experience has demonstrated that even 
 the plainest of these temporary abiding-places is capable of be- 
 ing greatly beautified in a short time, and with materials usually 
 
9 2 
 
 Slimmer. 
 
 Diagram of Ring. 
 
 close at hand, being obtainable from the fishermen and from the 
 sea itself. 
 
 The windows first claim our attention in any house and our 
 little cottage is no exception to the rule. With, or without, the 
 
 regulation shades, windows should 
 always be draped ; the formality of 
 their straight lines and angles can be 
 subdued in no other way. 
 
 Light, airy curtains are suitable 
 for summer, and the prettiest, most 
 graceful window-drapery imaginable 
 can be made of ordi- 
 nary fish-net. An 
 oar for a pole ; rings 
 made of rope (Fig. 
 39) ; the looping 
 
 formed of a rope tied in a sailor's knot ; and a 
 wooden hoop, such as is used to attach the sail 
 to the mast on a sail-boat (Fig. 40) are all that 
 are necessary for the completion of this nautical 
 curtain. Small rings screwed into the oar, with 
 corresponding hooks in the window-frame just 
 above the window, will hold the oar securely in 
 place. The looping should hang from a hook 
 fastened in the wall near the window. The il- 
 lustration given here will aid the imagination in 
 picturing the effect of a window treated in this 
 simple manner. Another pretty curtain may 
 be made of unbleached cotton, with bands of blue at top and 
 bottom covered with the ever- decorative fish-net. 
 
 Gray linen curtains, with strips of the net set in as in* 
 sertion at top and bottom, will also be found extremely 
 pretty and serviceable ; or they may be composed of strips 
 
 Looping for Cur- 
 tains. 
 
Sea-side Cottage Decoration. 
 
 93 
 
 of linen and net, of equal width, running the length of the 
 curtain. Made up in either way the effect is excellent. 
 
 Sea-side Cottage Window. 
 
 From window-drapery we will turn to that suitable for the 
 door-ways. Portieres, in a room where the prevailing tints are 
 
94 
 
 Summer. 
 
 gray and light wood-color, should not present too violent a con- 
 trast to those subdued tones. A curtain of wood-brown, neither 
 
 Diagram of Tying Knot. 
 
 Fastening End of Rope. 
 
 too dark nor too light, will give the 
 needed strength and decision, with- 
 out destroying the harmonious col- 
 oring. 
 One 
 can be 
 
 quickly and easily made of brown 
 
 canton flannel and decorated with 
 
 dried starfish, as shown in the illus- 
 tration of the starfish portiere. The 
 
 starfish are soft enough to admit of 
 
 being sewed to the curtain, and they 
 
 should be placed with the underside 
 
 out, as that is much prettier than the 
 
 back, showing as it does two shades 
 
 of color. A heavy rope with a knot 
 
 at each end, stretched taut across the 
 
 door-way and held in place with two 
 
 hooks, will answer for a pole, and the 
 
 drapery can be hung from it with iron 
 
 rings. If the rope is very heavy the 
 
 ends will have to be parted into strands before the knots can 
 
 be tied. Figs. 41 and 42 show the manner of tying the knot 
 
 and fastening the end of a moderately heavy rope. 
 
 Diagram of Book-shelves. 
 
Sea-side Cottage Decoration. 
 
 95 
 
 Book-shelves made of half of a flat-bottomed row-boat is not 
 only an appropriate piece of furniture 
 for a cottage by the sea, but also a very 
 useful one. The fact of 
 its shape allowing it to 
 
 occupy a corner makes it a welcome addition to the furnishing 
 since there are so few things adapted to fill that angle. Fig. 43 
 
Summer. 
 
 shows half of boat with cleats nailed on to hold the shelves, 
 which must be made to fit the boat. The shelves, when resting 
 on the cleats, are secure enough, and need not be fastened in 
 any other way. If the book-shelves, when finished, are painted 
 black, unvarnished, they will have the appearance of being 
 ebonized. 
 
 The evidence of a womanly presence in the shape of a dainty 
 
 tfy.44 
 
 7 
 
 Diagram of Crab-net Work-basket. 
 
 work-basket always gives a home-like look to a room, and when 
 this useful trifle happens to be prettily designed it contributes 
 not a little to the decorations. The standing work-basket rep- 
 resented here is manufactured of a crab-net, with the handle 
 removed, fastened to a tripod stand. 
 
 The tripod may be made of bamboo, or any kind of straight 
 sticks about the length of a walking-cane. Upon one of the 
 
Sea-side Cottage Decoration. 
 
 97 
 
 sticks two notches must be cut ; one exactly in the centre, and 
 the other at one side just below (see Fig. 44). The second stick 
 needs but one notch, which should match the upper one on the 
 first stick (Fig. 45). The third stick has no notches. 
 
 To fasten them together, Fig. 45 must be laid across Fig. 44 
 as in Fig. 46, and the two fastened together with screws. The 
 third stick must then be placed 
 across the others, fitting in the 
 two upper notches ; this must be 
 secured with two screws, one pass- 
 ing through each of the other 
 sticks (Fig. 47). 
 
 The stand when finished 
 should be painted black, and the 
 crab-net, which has previously 
 been gilded, fastened in place by 
 tying it on to each stick with a 
 cord and tassel made of rope and 
 gilded. Notches cut in the sticks, 
 about three inches from the top, 
 will afford a resting-place for the 
 cord and keep it from slipping. 
 
 The hat-rack, which our draw- 
 ing represents, makes an excel- 
 lent and convenient hall-decora- 
 tion. The materials used in its 
 construction are a small mirror, 
 
 which can be procured at any country store ; four boards, 
 whose length and breadth depend upon the size of the mirror ; 
 two oars, with one-third of each handle sawed off ; one dozen 
 large-sized nails, or small spikes, and a piece of rope about 
 twelve feet long. The frame is made by nailing the boards to- 
 gether as shown in illustration, placing the end-boards on top. 
 7 
 
 Crab-net Work-basket. 
 
9 8 
 
 Summer. 
 
 The opening left in the centre should be one inch smaller than 
 the mirror. When eight of the spikes have been driven into 
 
 the frame at regular distances 
 the mirror must be fastened 
 on the back with strips of 
 leather or sail-cloth, as shown 
 in diagram (Fig. 48). The di- 
 agram also shows how the 
 oars are held in place and 
 the rope attached. The knot 
 
 in which the rope is tied is 
 called a true-lover's knot, 
 and can readily be fash- 
 ioned by studying the dia- 
 gram. Small nails driven 
 through the rope where it 
 crosses the back of the oar 
 will keep the loops from 
 slipping out of place. The 
 remaining four spikes are to suspend the hat-rack from, and 
 must be driven into the wall so that two will hold the top 
 
Sea-side Cottage Decoration. 99 
 
 loop, and the others the extreme upper corners of the side 
 loops. 
 
 The frame and oars may be painted black and the spikes and 
 ropes gilded, or the whole will look well painted yellow or brown. 
 
 A handsome screen can be made in the following manner : 
 Procure a nice, firm clothes-horse, saw off the legs close to the 
 bottom cross-piece, then cover the whole neatly, on both sides, 
 with dark green cambric. Next tack smoothly on one side of 
 each fold light-brown wrapping-paper, which comes quite wide, 
 and may be bought by the yard. For the border use dark- 
 green canton flannel cut in strips eight inches wide. Tack this 
 around each fold of the screen with girnp-tacks, and paste the 
 inside edges smoothly over the paper. 
 
 The decorations of the screen shown in the illustration are 
 composed entirely of products of the sea. 
 
 Two panels are shown. One is decorated with sea-weed, 
 dried starfish, and shells. Sea-weed and shells also are used 
 on the other, but a group of horseshoe crabs take the place of 
 the starfish. 
 
 Sea-weed of various kinds suitable for this use can be found 
 along the coast, and they may be gathered and dried in this 
 way. Loosen the sea-weed from whatever it is attached to, and 
 while still in the water slip a piece of stiff paper beneath it and 
 lift it out. Quite a number can be carried on the same paper, 
 but they should be taken home as soon as possible and placed 
 in a tub of fresh water. The tub will give the larger kinds room 
 to spread out, when a smaller vessel would cramp and rumple 
 them. On sheets of paper, of the kind used for the screen, 
 carefully lift each sea-weed out of the water, and with a small 
 camel-hair brush straighten the parts that are too much folded, 
 and separate those that lie too closely together. Should a plant 
 be very much crumpled when taken out, quickly replace it in 
 the water and try again. 
 
IOO 
 
 Summer. 
 
 Marine Screen. 
 
Sea- side Cottage Decoration. TO-I 
 
 When they have all been satisfactorily spread on the paper 
 and have become partially dry, they must be pressed by laying 
 the paper which holds the sea-weed on a piece of blotting-paper 
 or folded newspaper, and 
 over it a piece of linen or 
 fine cotton cloth ; then 
 over that another piece of 
 blotting-, or news-paper ; 
 then again the paper with 
 sea-weed, and so on ; when 
 all are finished the entire 
 heap should be placed be- 
 tween two boards with a 
 moderately heavy weight 
 on top. When the sea- 
 weed is quite dry which 
 it will be in three or four 
 days it will be found that 
 some varieties will cling 
 closely to the paper on 
 which they have been 
 spread, while others can 
 readily be removed. Do 
 not try to separate the first- 
 mentioned kind from the 
 paper, but with sharp 
 scissors neatly trim off the 
 edges around the weed ; 
 the paper underneath be- 
 ing the same as that of the 
 screen on which it is to be pasted, it will not show. The other 
 sea-weed can be taken from the paper and fastened to the 
 screen with mucilage. 
 
 Horseshoe Crab Bag. 
 
102- 
 
 Summer. 
 
 Vase. 
 
 Before commencing the decoration some idea of the design, 
 or the effect to be produced, should 
 be decided upon ; then with deft fin- 
 gers the articles used can be glued 
 in place. When the glue is dry the 
 whole must be given a coat of white 
 varnish. This will help to hold things 
 in place, and will also keep the sea- 
 weed from chipping off. 
 
 An odd little bag for holding 
 fancy work is made of two large 
 horseshoe crab shells, with a satin 
 bag fastened between them and tied 
 at the top with a bow of ribbon. The main part of the bag can 
 be of cambric the color of the satin, cut to fit the shells, the 
 puff showing at the sides 
 being of the satin. 
 
 A pretty little vase can 
 be made of the shells of 
 three sea-urchins, of grad- 
 uating sizes, placed one 
 upon another, the smallest 
 on top. The small hole 
 in the bottom of the larg- 
 est one should be filled up 
 with damp plaster-of-Paris- 
 which will harden very 
 quickly. The other two 
 shells must have the small 
 holes enlarged to the size 
 
 of the one at the top ; they candlestick. 
 
 can then be joined togeth- 
 er with the plaster, and the vase be used for flowers or vines, 
 
Sea- side Cottage Decoration. 103 
 
 A sea-urchin and good-sized starfish make the prettiest kind 
 of a candlestick, and the addition of a brass-headed tack on 
 every point but one of the starfish gives it a nice finish and 
 furnishes feet for it to stand on ; the point left without a foot 
 forms the handle by which it may be carried. The tacks 
 should be stuck into the fish first, and then the sea-urchin 
 fastened on with plaster-of-Paris. Not more than ten min- 
 utes are consumed in making a candlestick of this kind, and 
 it will be found to be quite as useful as it is pretty and 
 unique. 
 
 The walls of the cottage can be decorated in many ways 
 with the beautiful ornaments the sea furnishes. Over one of 
 the doors in the cottage alluded to at the beginning of this 
 chapter there was an ornamentation that looked exactly like 
 wood-carving, but was only a group of starfish arranged and 
 tacked on the wall in a decorative form. The fish being nearly 
 the exact color of the background, the deception was almost 
 perfect. 
 
 If the walls of a room are divided off into panels, and each 
 panel decorated in the manner described for the screen, the 
 effect will be most exquisite. 
 
 On entering such a room one might almost imagine one- 
 self to be a mermaid, and this a lovely chamber beneath the 
 sea. 
 
 So much can be done by one's own hands it depends great- 
 ly, if not entirely, upon the taste or time one is willing to de- 
 vote to it what this sea-side habitation shall be ; whether the 
 little cottage shall be in harmony with its surroundings, seem- 
 ingly a part of the place, or whether it shall be only a cheap 
 frame-structure, looking as though it belonged in a country 
 town and had been carried to the coast in a capricious gale of 
 wind, with decorations, if it has any, inappropriate and unsuit- 
 ed to the sea-shore. 
 
104 Summer. 
 
 How to Dry Starfish. 
 
 Collect the most perfect specimens of all sizes, wash them in 
 fresh water, and then spread on a board in a dry place (not in 
 the sun) and leave them undisturbed for a few days, or until 
 thoroughly dried. 
 
 How to Polish Shells. 
 
 Wash your shells in clean, fresh water ; procure a small 
 quantity of muriatic acid and have in readiness two-thirds as 
 much water as acid. Place the shells in a basin, pour the water 
 upon them, then the acid ; let them remain a few minutes, then 
 take them out and wash again in clear water. Rub each shell 
 with a soft woollen cloth. A fine enamelled surface can be given 
 by rubbing them with a little oil and finely powdered pumice- 
 stone, and then with a chamois-skin. 
 
 To bleach fresh-water shells to a snowy whiteness, wash 
 them perfectly clean and then put them in a jar containing a so- 
 lution of chloride of lime, place the vessel in the sun, and, when 
 the shells are sufficiently bleached, remove and wash them in 
 clear water. Polish them in the manner before described. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 A GIRL'S FOURTH OF JULY. 
 
 ECORATIONS are seen here, 
 there, and everywhere. How 
 beautifully the flags and 
 streamers look as they wave 
 in the breeze. All the houses 
 and streets are gay with bunt- 
 ing. We listen with a thrill 
 of patriotic excitement to the 
 national airs played by bands 
 of music as the different pa- 
 rades pass our doors. 
 
 The spirit of independence 
 fills the very air we breathe. Whiz ! zip ! bang ! go the fire- 
 arms. The noise is enchanting and the smell of powder de- 
 lightful. 
 
 This is our grand national holiday, the glorious Fourth, 
 when all the United States grows enthusiastic, and in various 
 appropriate ways manifests its patriotism. 
 
 The celebration, commencing in the early morn and last- 
 ing until late in the evening, gives ample time for fireworks, 
 games, and illuminations. And the girls can take active part 
 in, and enjoy these martial festivities, help to decorate the house 
 and grounds, and in the evening do their part toward the illu- 
 mination. Then there are the beautiful daylight fireworks to 
 
The Tourth of July Party. 
 
A Girl's Fourth of July. 107 
 
 be sent off, and games to be played ; all adding to the enjoy- 
 ment and making up their celebration of Independence Day. 
 Although 
 
 Interior Decoration 
 
 for the Fourth of July has not been considered as necessary as 
 the decoration for the outside of the house, still it is appro- 
 priate and used to some extent, especially when the house is 
 thrown open to guests. Then, with a little thought and care 
 the home may be decked and adorned in the most attractive 
 manner. 
 
 If you chance to be the happy possessor of the portrait of 
 some revolutionary ancestor, let this form the centre of your 
 decorations. 
 
 Bring forward any relics of the colonial times and make 
 them hold a prominent place, for all such things are historical 
 and of great interest, though of course they are not essential. 
 Strips of bunting, cheese-cloth, or tissue-paper, in red and 
 white and blue are necessary, and must do their part in adding 
 to the gayety of the scene. These can be arranged in festoons, 
 and made into wreaths, stars etc., to be used as ornaments on 
 the wall. 
 
 There is nothing, perhaps, more appropriate for decoration 
 than flags, though it requires some ingenuity to decorate with 
 our American flag on account of the blue being in one corner. 
 However we will try. Take two flags without staffs and baste 
 them together as in Fig. 49, bringing the blues side by side ; 
 pleat up the top of each to the centre and you will have Fig. 
 50 with the stripes at the bottom running from end to end. 
 
 Now take two more flags reversed, the stripes being at the 
 top the stars at the base, and pleat them in the centre, it gives 
 the same idea in another form. For this style of adornment use 
 the flags which may be had at any dry-goods store ; they come 
 
io8 
 
 Summer. 
 
 by the bolt, cost but a few cents each, and are much softer and 
 fold better than the more expensive glazed ones. Other modes 
 of draping the stars-and-stripes will suggest themselves : place 
 
 Fig. 4,9 
 
 the "colors" in different positions until some good design is 
 found, and you will enjoy it all the more for having made the 
 combination yourself. 
 
 Hg.JO 
 
 Tiny flags fastened to the chandeliers, and pinned in groups 
 on the curtains give to the room quite a holiday appearance, 
 This is for the daylight. In the evening we will have 
 
 In-door Illumination, 
 
 which can be made very brilliant by simply using a number of 
 lighted candles. 
 
 Should you desire to have it more elaborate, the words 
 Liberty and Independence can be printed on the windows by 
 cutting the letters forming the words from thick paper and gum- 
 
A Girl's Foztrth of July. 109 
 
 ming them to the window-panes, so when the room is lighted 
 they will show plainly from the outside. 
 
 You may also make of tissue-paper a Liberty-bell, Goddess 
 of Liberty, American Eagle, and flags. Gum these on the 
 edges and fasten them to the windows ; place a bright light 
 behind them and the tints of the paper will shine out in all 
 their brilliancy. The Goddess of Liberty's face, the feathers 
 on the eagle, and the lettering on the bell must all be drawn 
 with a paint-brush and ink or black paint. 
 
 In making any or all of these, it will be of great assistance if 
 you secure a picture of the object to copy from. 
 
 Having provided for the inside of the house it now behooves 
 us to turn our attention to 
 
 Out-of-door Decoration 
 
 consisting principally of flags raised on poles, hung from win- 
 dows, and disposed in numerous and various ways. 
 
 The many devices representative of our country may be 
 used with good effect. Thus, a large United States shield can 
 be made of colored paper or inexpensive cloth tacked on a 
 piece of card-board, cut in the desired shape, and the shield sus- 
 pended from the window flat against the house, as a picture is 
 hung on the wall. Other emblems can be manufactured in the 
 same way. 
 
 Small trees or tall bushes covered all over from top to bot- 
 tom with flags and streamers look beautiful, and all the gayer, 
 when the wind blows, causing them to wave and flutter. 
 
 Fasten the flags and streamers on the tree with string. 
 
 Some girls think that the 
 
 Illumination in the Open Air. 
 
 is best of all, for then they can give their fancy free play, and 
 create all sorts of odd and novel designs. 
 
110 
 
 Summer. 
 
 The bright-colored Chinese lanterns are very decorative. 
 Suppose we begin with these. Fasten securely here and there, 
 
 on the lawn, large paper Japanese umbrellas in upright positions. 
 This is accomplished by binding the handles of the umbrellas 
 
 securely to poles which have been sharpened at one end, and 
 planting the pointed end of the poles firmly in the ground. 
 From every other rib of the umbrella suspend a lighted 
 
A Girl's Fourth of July. 1 1 1 
 
 Chinese lantern by a wire long enough to prevent any danger 
 of setting the little canopy on fire. The effect produced is 
 both novel and pretty. 
 
 A popular method of arranging the lanterns is stringing 
 them on wires, stretched from house to house, or from tree to 
 tree, so forming, as it were, a fringe of lights. 
 
 Again, they may be placed at intervals on the ground, fast- 
 ened to trees or hung on the piazza, some in groups of twos or 
 threes, others singly, these being of many odd shapes and 
 sizes. Piazzas are very good sites for the display of colored 
 umbrellas, which may hang, inverted, from the ceiling, with a 
 tiny lighted Chinese lantern suspended from each rib. Let me 
 repeat, be careful not to have the wires so short that the light 
 is in dangerous proximity to the umbrella. 
 
 Another pleasing illumination is to make a large flag of col- 
 ored-paper with strong pieces of tape pasted along both top 
 and bottom, the ends of the tape extending beyond the flag. 
 Tie the tape to two trees, poles, or pillars of the porch, and 
 place a light back of the flag, to bring out the colors clearly 
 and distinctly. 
 
 Illuminated tents are made by placing poles in the fashion 
 of Fig. 51, and using large flags, low-priced colored cloth or 
 strong paper as a covering, Fig. 52. The corners are tied 
 down to pegs in the ground, and, when two or three candles 
 are set in the tent, the effect is very pleasing. 
 
 All young people delight in the noise and excitement of 
 
 Fireworks, 
 
 and here are some pyrotechnics which any girl can easily make. 
 They are daylight fireworks, and most of them may be sent 
 off from a balcony or window, and all with no danger of fire 
 ^r burns. 
 
112 
 
 Summer. 
 
 One of the simplest to try is the 
 
 Parachute. 
 
 Cut a piece of tissue-paper five inches square, twist each cor- 
 ner and tie with a piece of thread eight inches long, Fig. 53 ; 
 
 wrap a small pebble 
 in a piece of paper 
 and tie the four 
 pieces of thread se- 
 curely to the peb- 
 ble, Fig. 54. This 
 makes a light airy 
 little parachute, 
 which, when sent 
 out from the win- 
 dow, will, with a 
 favorable wind, sail 
 
 up and off over the house-tops. Make a number of parachutes 
 in different colors and send them off one after another in suc- 
 cession. Next we will have what 
 we call 
 
 Thunderbolts 
 
 fashioned of bright-colored tissue- 
 paper. Cut the paper in pieces 
 four inches wide and eight inches 
 long. Then cut each piece into 
 strips reaching about one-third of 
 the length of the piece of paper 
 (Fig- 55)> pinch the uncut end of 
 
 Thunderbolts. 
 
 the paper together and twist it 
 
 tightly so that it will not become undone (Fig. 56). Open 
 
 the window and throw these out a few at a time. They will 
 
 Parachutes. 
 
A Girl's Fourth of July. 113 
 
 turn heavy end down and dart off with the fringed end flutter- 
 ing. Now and then they will waver a moment in one spot, and 
 then dart off in another direction ; so they go whirling, zigzag- 
 ging and bowing as if they were alive. 
 
 Something different from these are the comical little 
 
 Whirls, 
 
 made by cutting circular pieces of writing- or common wrap- 
 ping-paper into simple spiral forms (Fig. 57). The centre of the 
 spirals are weighted by small 
 pieces of wood, or other not too 
 heavy substance gummed on the 
 paper. 
 
 When a number of these are 
 freed in mid-air the weight will 
 draw the spirals out, and present 
 a curious sight, as with serpen- 
 tine motion they all come wrig- whirls, 
 
 gling and twisting toward the 
 
 ground (Fig. 58). In these paper fire-works, we know of noth- 
 ing prettier than the 
 
 Winged Fancies, 
 
 consisting of birds and butterflies. 
 
 The birds may be cut out of wrapping-paper, measuring 
 seven and a half inches long and ten inches from tip to tip of 
 the wings (Fig 59), a burnt match stuck in and out of the neck, 
 will give the bird sufficient weight. When tossed from a height 
 these paper swallows fly and skim through the air in the most 
 delightful birdlike fashion. 
 
 Both birds and butterflies are folded through the centre 
 lengthwise, then unfolded and straightened out, this helps to 
 give them form and they fly better. 
 8 
 
Summer. 
 
 The patterns here given are possibly not as graceful in shape 
 as could be made, but the writer drew the patterns from the 
 
 best fliers among an 
 experimental lot of 
 winged fancies, hav- 
 ing found them better 
 than others that could 
 boast of more beauty. 
 Butterflies are 
 made of bright col- 
 ored tissue-paper cut 
 from the pattern (Fig 
 60), and have short 
 pieces of broom- 
 straws as weights. 
 These also should be 
 
 lightly thrown from a height, when they will flutter and fly 
 downward, sometimes settling on a tree or bush as if seeking 
 the sweets of flowers, 
 and appearing very 
 bright and pretty as 
 they float hither and 
 thither on the air. 
 
 A ring of the ever- 
 twirling 
 
 The Bird. 
 
 Pin-wheels 
 
 The Butterfly. 
 
 is gay and attractive, 
 just the thing for the 
 
 lawn on the Fourth of July. To manufacture one, select a nice 
 firm barrel-hoop, and nail it securely on one end of a clothes- 
 pole or broom-stick (Fig. 61), sharpen the other end of the pole 
 
Girl's Fourth of July. 
 
 to a point ; if the hoop seems inclined to split when nailing, 
 first bore holes with a gimlet or burn them 
 with a red hot nail or wire for the nails to 
 pass through. 
 
 Cover the barrel-hoop several inches 
 deep with straw, lay the straw on and tie 
 it down with string. 
 
 Prepare a number of pin-wheels by 
 cutting squares of red and white and blue 
 paper, fold them twice diagonally through 
 the centre and cut the folds up within a 
 short distance of the middle. Turn over 
 every other point to meet the centre, 
 pierce the four points and the centre with 
 a pin, then fasten the pin firmly to the 
 end of a stick. The pin must be left long 
 enough to allow the paper to turn easily. 
 
 Stick the straw wreath full of pin- 
 wheels, then plant the pole securely in the 
 ground and you will have a ring of Fourth 
 of July pin-wheels which will look pretty 
 all day long. 
 
 Be sure to place the wreath facing 
 the breeze, so the pin-wheels may be kept in constant mo- 
 tion. Reserve the 
 
 Bombs 
 
 until the last. They are simple in construction, but quite start- 
 ling when they go off. 
 
 Fasten together two very stiff flat pieces of steel (Fig. 62), 
 those sold for the back of dress-skirts work well, and use 
 a strong string many yards long to tie them with. Bring 
 up the four ends of the steels and tie them with a slip knot 
 
 Pin-wheeL 
 
S^immer. 
 
 (Fig. 63), in order that it may easily fly open. Place the cage 
 thus formed in the centre of a square piece of tissue-paper. 
 
 Now cut strips of different colored tissue-paper, four inches 
 long, and twist each piece at one end. 
 
 Put these in the centre of the cage and bring up the four 
 
 corners of the 
 square of paper, 
 allowing the 
 string to come 
 out of the top. 
 Twist the corners 
 together and close 
 up the small open- 
 ] ings by folding 
 over the edges of 
 the paper. This 
 
 makes a bomb somewhat re- 
 sembling a common torpedo 
 enlarged to many times its 
 original size. 
 
 Pass the string through a 
 screw-eye which has been screwed in the end of a flag-pole or 
 broomstick, and place the pole out of the window. Then drop 
 the end of the string down to the lawn below. Fasten one end 
 of the pole in the window by binding it firmly to a strong, 
 heavy chair, or secure it in any other way most convenient so 
 there will not be the slightest danger of its falling. 
 
A Girl's Fourth of Jiily. 117 
 
 Everything being ready, descend to the lawn, and pull the 
 string so the bomb will rise slowly up to the pole. 
 
 When it is within a short distance of the screw-eye, give the 
 twine a sudden sharp jerk which will cause the bomb to come 
 in contact with the pole with sufficient force to untie the slip- 
 knot, the elastic-metal ribs will fly back causing the bomb to 
 burst and fill the air with bright shreds, flying, gliding, and 
 darting everywhere in the most eccentric manner, making the 
 air brilliant with floating colors. 
 
 Let your Fourth of July 
 
 Lawn Party 
 
 partake of the patriotic traditions, and as far as possible help to 
 celebrate our Nation's birthday in an appropriate manner. 
 
 Paper fire-works may form part of the entertainment, it 
 being optional with the hostess whether they come before or 
 after the games, or are interspersed between them. 
 
 The party opens with the signing of the 
 
 Declaration of Independence. 
 
 To each guest is given a brown-paper bag, and when all have 
 assembled on the lawn, the hostess steps forward facing the 
 company, and asks all to kindly keep quiet and listen for a 
 few moments while she reads or repeats their Declaration of 
 Independence, she then reads : 
 
 We girls are, and of right should be, free and independent 
 of all boys' sports, having resources and amusements befitting 
 the celebration of the Fourth of July, independent of all those 
 belonging exclusively to boys. 
 
 Then follows the signing of the same, by each in turn writing 
 her name beneath the declaration. This accomplished, the 
 hostess gives the signal and each guest fills her bag with air, by 
 
 
ii8 Summer. 
 
 holding it close to her mouth, gathering it tightly around, and 
 blowing into it, then grasping it firmly in the right hand, being 
 careful not to let any air escape. 
 
 At another signal, all simultaneously bring their hands 
 forcibly and quickly together, striking the paper bags with the 
 (eft hand, which bursts the bags and causes a report almost 
 equal to that of pistols. 
 
 All the bags exploding at one time, gives a salute worthy of 
 the name and creates much merriment. 
 
 The salute may be varied by bursting the bags in quick suc- 
 cession, so that it will sound something like a volley of musketry. 
 
 This introduction is followed by games to be played on the 
 lawn. 
 
 For the new game of 
 
 Toss, 
 
 make nine disks of card-board, painted or covered with paper, 
 red and white and blue, three of each color. 
 
 Place in the centre of the lawn a fancy waste-basket, and let 
 each player in turn stand at a distance of six feet from the bas- 
 ket. It is better to have the station marked by a stone or stick, 
 at the place designated. 
 
 If played by sides, two stations, one on either side of the 
 basket will be necessary. 
 
 The object of the game is to throw the disks into the basket, 
 and they are valued according to color ; red counts one, white 
 two, and blue three. 
 
 If played by sides, each side should play five rounds, ninety 
 being the highest possible tally for any one player. 
 
 This is an easy and pleasant game, and may be played with 
 or without sides. The hostess keeps account, and at the end of 
 the game gives a knot of red, white, and blue ribbons as a prize 
 to the one having the highest score. 
 
A Girl's Fottrth of July. 119 
 
 We hardly recognize our old friends in the new and gigantic 
 
 Fourth of July Jackstraws. 
 
 These are all in holiday attire, and so much larger than any we 
 have seen that they are even more attractive, and afford greater 
 amusement than those which we have hitherto enjoyed. 
 
 It does not take long to make them. Cover a number of 
 light slender sticks, three or four feet long, with paper or cloth, 
 some red, some white, and others blue. The colors count respec- 
 tively, red one, white two, and blue three. Provide another 
 longer stick with a hook in one end to be used in taking the jack- 
 straws from the pile. 
 
 Stand the sticks up so as to meet at the top, and spread out 
 like a tent at the bottom. Each player then takes the hook in 
 turn and tries to remove a jackstraw, without shaking or throw- 
 ing down any of the others. The one scoring the highest, wins 
 the game and is entitled to the prize. 
 
 Progressive games seem to be very 
 popular, and deservedly so, as they 
 possess an interest peculiarly their own. 
 
 Here is a new and novel one, called 
 
 Progressive Mining. 
 
 It is played with flower-pots filled with 
 
 sand or loose earth, called mines. A 
 
 small flag on a slender staff is placed 
 
 upright in the centre of each flower-pot 
 
 (Fig. 64). The staff should be stuck 
 
 down in the sand only just far enough 
 
 to keep it steady in its position. Each player in turn removes 
 
 a little sand from the mine with a stick called a wand, taking 
 
120 
 
 Summer. 
 
 great care not to upset the flag ; for the one causing the flag 
 
 to fall loses the game. The number 
 of mines needed will depend upon 
 the number of persons playing, as 
 one flower-pot is required for every 
 two players. 
 
 Each one taking part in the game, 
 is provided with a wand. Slender 
 bamboo canes make excellent wands, 
 and may be decorated with red, white 
 and blue ribbons, tied on the handles. 
 Should the canes be difficult to pro- 
 cure, then any kind of light slender 
 stick will serve the purpose. 
 
 The hostess should prepare blank 
 envelopes, each containing a ribbon 
 badge, or score sheet, of different 
 colors, two of each ; these are all 
 numbered, the figures being painted 
 or pasted on the ribbons to designate 
 the place to be taken, thus two reds 
 are marked I, meaning that they are 
 to occupy the first or prize mine. The 
 blues are marked 2, showing that 
 they take the second mine, and so on. 
 The last or lowest place is called the 
 booby mine. Each badge should 
 have a small pocket attached (Fig. 
 65), for holding stamps ; these are cut 
 in any desired form from gold and 
 silver paper, which has previously 
 
 been covered with mucilage on the under side, like a common 
 
 postage-stamp. 
 
A Girl's Fo^lrth of July. 121 
 
 The hostess passes around the envelopes, each guest takes 
 one, and upon opening it discovers where and with whom she 
 is to play. 
 
 The preliminaries being settled, and all having taken their 
 places, the hostess starts the game by ringing a little bell. 
 
 When one of the players at the prize mine upsets the flag, 
 the other calls Q\\\. prize, and if the flags have not already fallen 
 in the other mines, the couples play as quickly as possible until 
 all the flags are down. 
 
 The winner at the prize mine fastens a gold stamp on her 
 ribbon badge, while the loser at the booby mine, ornaments 
 hers with silver seal. 
 
 The game is now rearranged, the winner at the prize mine 
 remains at her station, and the loser goes down to the booby 
 mine, while all those winning at the other mines move up, each 
 one respectively to the next higher mine, for it is only at the 
 prize mine where the loser moves her place and the victor re- 
 mains stationary. 
 
 When these details are settled, the flag-staffs are again planted 
 in the flower-pots and the signal given for a new game. 
 
 The player with the largest number of gold stamps on her 
 score-sheet, receives the victor's prize, and the one having the 
 most silver stamps is entitled to the booby prize. 
 
 The prizes are given when the game is ended. They should 
 consist of some pretty little article made by the hostess herself, 
 and, if practicable, appropriate to the day, such as a delicate 
 satin sachet in the form of a Liberty bell, with the lettering 
 painted on it. 
 
 A pretty pin-cushion, with a cover made of a miniature silken 
 flag, or a dainty pen-wiper in the shape of Liberty's cap. Other 
 more expensive gifts are not in good taste. 
 
 The booby prize should be something grotesque or comical. 
 
 As the mothers and sisters of 1776 took a full share in the 
 
122 
 
 wnmer. 
 
 hardships and trials of the Revolution, and actively assisted in 
 gaining our independence, it is eminently fit and proper that 
 American girls should show their appreciation of such bravery 
 and heroism by assisting in the annual celebration of our 
 famous Independence Day. 
 
 Fourth of July seems heretofore to have been considered 
 altogether too exclusively a boy's holiday, and it is with a 
 hope of stimulating a renewed activity, and awakening in the 
 heart of every girl in the United States a sense of proprietary 
 interest in the day, that we suggest new methods of celebrat- 
 ing our national holiday. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 PRINTING FROM NATURE'S TYPES. 
 
 t AST summer we made some lovely 
 impressions of flowers, leaves, and 
 sprays ; then we tried landscapes 
 and all sorts of beautiful designs. 
 
 It is really delightful and fasci- 
 nating work. You are led on and 
 on, always with a fancy to try some- 
 thing else to see how it will come 
 out, and seldom, if ever, is it a dis- 
 appointment or failure, a new interest being felt with every 
 fresh print made. Moreover, you are sure of having your pict- 
 ure original and the only one of its kind, for as no two flowers 
 or leaves are precisely alike, so no print can be an exact copy 
 of another. And then it takes only a few moments for the work 
 which could not be accomplished in thrice the time should a 
 drawing be made of the same design. 
 
 Let me tell you how to make an " Impression Album" a 
 book of printed flowers and leaves. You who have house- 
 plants will find it a delightful winter recreation, a novel pleas- 
 ure, and you can enjoy the pretty work even more during your 
 summer vacation, with wild flowers at your command. 
 
 The " prints " are taken from the natural flowers or leaves 
 themselves. Girls who have no knowledge at all of drawing 
 or of printing can with little trouble make these Impression Al- 
 
Making Prints. 
 
Printing from Natures Types. 
 
 125 
 
 Pink Oxalis. 
 
 bums, and students of botany will find the work supplies valu- 
 able memoranda of leaves and plants, as the print preserves de- 
 tails of the form, fibre and veining of 
 foliage and petal such as no drawing or 
 photograph can. The printing can be 
 
 made wholly 
 accurate, giv- 
 ing all the 
 m inutiae of 
 construction. 
 The tools 
 required to 
 make these 
 print-pictures 
 
 are simple, and consist of a piece of 
 glass, a palette-knife or table-knife and 
 some printers' ink which comes in 
 small tin boxes and can be procured at 
 any stationery store, and a pad made 
 of a ball of cotton 
 tied in a piece of 
 soft silk or satin. 
 
 The printers' 
 pad used by the 
 writer for spread- 
 ing the ink, was 
 manufactured 
 
 of the satin lining taken from a gentle- 
 man's old hat, and answered the purpose 
 admirably, being a good size, measuring 
 nearly four inches in diameter. The album 
 itself may be a common blank-book, with every other leaf cut 
 out, in order to make room for the prints, which are on pieces 
 
 Smilax. 
 
 Evergreen Moss. 
 
1 26 Summer. 
 
 of blank unruled paper of uniform size, and small enough to fit 
 in the album and leave a margin all around the piece inserted, 
 so that the book when opened may be neat and attractive. 
 Having all your tools at hand, select the leaves you wish to 
 print. These must be free from dust or dew and perfectly fresh. 
 First, with your knife, place a small quantity of printers' ink 
 on the piece of glass and smooth it as evenly as possible over 
 the surface. Then press the printers' pad down lightly, lifting, 
 
 and again pressing, until the 
 ink is evenly distributed on the 
 pad ; next, select a leaf and 
 place it face, or right side, down- 
 ward on a piece of folded news- 
 paper; press the inked pad down 
 on the under side of the leaf, 
 which is now, of course, lying 
 upward, repeating the operation 
 until the leaf is sufficiently cov- 
 ered with ink. Carefully place 
 the leaf, inked side down, on 
 the centre of the piece of paper 
 you have previously cut for the 
 album ; over this lay a piece of 
 
 Skeleton Geranium Leaves. .. 
 
 common yellow wrapping-paper, 
 
 or any paper that is not too thick or stiff", and rub the finger 
 gently all over the covered leaf. Remove the outside paper 
 and very carefully take up the leaf. You will find an exact 
 impress of the natural green leaf showing every one of the deli- 
 cate fibres. 
 
 The picture is now ready to be pasted in the album, with a 
 thin, delicate paste, touching only the corners. It is a good 
 plan to write under each leaf the name of the plant or tree from 
 which it was taken, with the date, and such facts as you would 
 
Printing from Nature's Types. 127 
 
 like to recall. Very valuable botanical collections can thus be 
 made. Flowers are more difficult to print than leaves, owing 
 
 to less "relief" in the films; 
 
 i /y / still they make charming pict- 
 
 ures when successfully 
 treated, sometimes 
 
 A Winter Landscape. 
 Printed from Nature's Type. 
 
 having the appearance of photographs of flowers with all the 
 lights and shadows. 
 
128 
 
 Summer. 
 
 When printing flowers, proceed in the same manner as with 
 the leaves. Sweet peas, roses, daisies, wild carrot, clover, and 
 verbenas, all make beautiful impressions which look like pho- 
 tographs. Grasses of various kinds also print well. 
 
 In making a spray, it is best to have a definite idea of the 
 form you desire it to take. If possible secure as a copy a nat- 
 ural spray of the kind you wish to print. Then first print all 
 the leaves in the positions they are to occupy, and connect them 
 by drawing in the branch with pen and India-ink. 
 
 Maple Leaves. 
 Printed from Nature's Type. 
 
 The Winter Landscape is printed from dried twigs, grasses, 
 and little leafless plants, so arranged as to resemble trees and 
 shrubbery. 
 
 Only have a little confidence and you can make etchings 
 from nature. Should you not understand drawing or compo- 
 sition, do not be discouraged ; obtain a picture to copy, and 
 then hunt up little plants and soft twigs as nearly as possible 
 corresponding in shape and character to the trees in the copy ; 
 in this way you can produce very creditable landscapes. 
 
Printing from Natures Types. 129 
 
 Botanical impressions maybe used for " fancy work " by 
 being printed on satin, and the decorated satin made up as 
 though it were painted or embroidered ; patches for silk quilts 
 have been prettily decorated by this process. The printings 
 also make beautiful patterns for outline work, much truer to 
 nature than those made in any other manner and afford infinite 
 variety for " borders " and " corners." Even satin dresses can 
 be beautifully ornamented with impressions of leaves instead of 
 the " hand painting " so long in use. You can, of course, see 
 that should several colors of printers' ink be used, beautiful 
 combinations and pleasing variety would be obtained, and that 
 probably some unique and novel decorations would be se- 
 cured. 
 
 Letter-paper ornamented with a delicate design printed from 
 nature's types is very dainty and pretty, and in many other 
 forms can these simple and beautiful decorations be used. 
 
 Then bring leaves and blossoms from the woods or door- 
 yard, and half an hour may be delightfully spent in printing 
 <f impressions " which will teach a lesson in botany, while the 
 great variety of leaf forms, difference in texture, fibre, veining 
 and finish cannot fail to attract your attention and call forth 
 your admiration. 
 
Corn Roast. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PICNICS, 
 
 BURGOOS AND 
 CORN-ROASTS. 
 
 RACES of foreign ances- 
 tors are apparent occa- 
 sionally in most of us, 
 true Americans though 
 we be. It is perhaps a 
 spice of gypsy blood in 
 our veins that sets our 
 pulses throbbing with 
 
 ** i pleasant excitement 
 
 when, seated in an old hay-wagon, we go bumping and thump- 
 ing down the road prepared for a delightful holiday. 
 
 With camp-kettle swinging beneath, and coffee-pot stowed 
 safely away within the wagon, do we not feel able to provide as 
 savory dishes for our picnic dinner as any concocted by the gyp- 
 sies themselves ? Surely no coffee is ever so delicious as that 
 cooked over the camp-fire, albeit it tastes somewhat smoky 
 when prepared by hands inexperienced in the art of out-door 
 cooking ; but if the fish we broil is a little burned, and the 
 baked potatoes rather hard in the middle, who cares ? Hearty, 
 healthy appetites, which the early morning drive through the 
 fresh, exhilarating air has developed, laugh at such trifles and 
 
132 Summer. 
 
 dinner is voted a success in spite of sundry mistakes and mishaps 
 in its preparation. 
 
 There are picnics and picnics. When one drives out in a 
 fine carriage to meet a fine company, and partake of a fine lunch 
 prepared by fine servants, is one kind. 
 
 When one goes with a large party, on a boat, and takes a 
 lunch of sandwiches, cake, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, etc., 
 which is spread on the grass at the landing and eaten as quickly 
 as possible, is another kind ; but the picnic most enjoyed by 
 young people who are not afraid of a little work, which is only 
 play to them, is the one where the raw materials for the dinner 
 are taken and the cooking, or most of it, is done, gypsy fash- 
 ion, by the picnickers themselves. 
 
 A pleasant innovation in the ordinary routine of a picnic is 
 
 A Burgoo. 
 
 Thirty or forty years ago the men of Kentucky, in celebra- 
 tion of a holiday, would get up what they called a burgoo. In 
 character it was very much like the clam-bake of to-day, but 
 instead of chowder, or baked clams, the company prepared and 
 partook of a soup or stew made of almost everything edible. 
 Early in the morning the party would meet at the appointed 
 place and decide what each should contribute toward the mak- 
 ing of this most delectable stew. 
 
 Those who were fond of hunting would go forth in search of 
 birds, squirrels, rabbits, and game of all kinds, with which the 
 woods were filled. Some caught fish, and others provided fowl, 
 pork, vegetables, and condiments. 
 
 As the ingredients were brought in, those who had charge of 
 the cooking prepared and dropped them into an immense pot 
 which, half full of water, was suspended over a roaring fire. 
 
 When everything of which the stew was composed was 
 
Picnics, Burgoos, and Corn-roasts. 133 
 
 cooked to shreds, the burgoo was pronounced done, and was 
 served in tin cups, and eaten with shell spoons, made by split- 
 ting a stick and wedging a mussel-shell in the opening. 
 
 That this was a most appetizing feast I know from an old 
 gentleman who has frequently attended the burgoos and par- 
 taken of the stew. Of course at a picnic composed of girls and 
 boys, it would not do to depend upon the game which might 
 be shot and the fish which might be caught, for the dinner, but 
 the burgoo should be adapted to the ways and means of the 
 party, and each member should provide something for the stew. 
 The following recipe will make enough for fifteen or twenty 
 persons. 
 
 Burgoo Stew. 
 
 Two pounds of salt pork, the same of lean beef; two good- 
 sized chickens, or fowls of any kind ; two quarts of oysters, the 
 same of clams ; twelve pota- 
 toes, four turnips, one onion, 
 two quarts of tomatoes, and 
 any other vegetables which 
 .may be obtainable. Make a 
 bouquet of parsley, celery, 
 and a very little bay-leaf, 
 thyme and hyssop, tied to- 
 gether with thread. 
 
 Put the beef, fowl, pork, 
 oysters, clams and a handful 
 of salt in a large iron kettle, 
 three-quarters full of water ; 
 skim it before it begins to 
 boil hard, and add the other 
 ingredients ; keep the kettle covered and boil until the bones 
 fall from the meat. Serve hot with crackers. Wild game and 
 
134 Summer. 
 
 fish may also be added to the recipe. When a burgoo is 
 decided upon, it is best to prepare a light lunch to be eaten 
 about eleven o'clock, and have the heartier meal at four or 
 five in the afternoon, as it requires some time for the stew to 
 cook. 
 
 Our illustration shows four ways of suspending the kettle 
 over the fire. While the girls are preparing the ingredients for 
 the stew, the boys will build a fire in some such fashion as is 
 shown upon page 135, and put the kettle on. The best way to 
 boil coffee is to make or build a kind of little stove of stones 
 and mud, and set the coffee-pot on top, as shown in Fig. 66 ; 
 this will prevent the smoky taste it is apt to have when placed 
 directly on the fire. 
 
 A Corn-roast. 
 
 During the season when green corn is plentiful, there is no 
 better way of having a real jolly time than by getting up a corn- 
 roast. It is not as elaborate an affair as the burgoo. Some 
 green corn, a long pole sharpened at one end, for each mem- 
 ber of the party and a large fire built in some open space where 
 there will be no danger of causing conflagration makes us ready 
 for the corn-roast. 
 
 Several summers ago a gay party of friends from New 
 York and vicinity took possession of and occupied for a few 
 months a little cottage at a place on the coast of Maine called 
 Ocean Point. 
 
 Toward the end of August, when all places of interest had 
 been explored, when the stock of shells, star-fish, and such like 
 treasures had grown beyond the accommodation of an ordinary 
 trunk, and the minds of the sojourners were beginning to be 
 filled with thoughts of a speedy return home, green corn, for 
 the first time that summer, made its appearance. This was 
 hailed with delight, and a farewell lark, in the form of a corn- 
 
136 
 
 Summer. 
 
 roast, was promptly proposed and almost as promptly carried 
 into execution. 
 
 The place selected on which to build the fire was a large 
 rock jutting out into a little cove called " Grimes Cove. 5 ' 
 Here the party met about three o'clock in the afternoon, each 
 member bringing only such dishes as were considered neces- 
 sary for his or her own use. It is needless to say that the 
 supply was not very plentiful, many limiting themselves to a 
 cup and spoon ; still as the supper was to consist merely of 
 roasted corn, bread and coffee, these 
 answered every purpose. 
 
 Not only was the corn roasted on 
 the ends of the long poles, but bread 
 was toasted, and in true American fash- 
 ion it was eaten piping hot. One of 
 the gentlemen, much to the amusement 
 
 of the rest of 
 the party, pro- 
 duced a piece 
 of break fast 
 bacon, which 
 he fastened on 
 
 to the end of his pole and toasted over the glowing embers, de- 
 claring that it was better cooked in that way than in any other. 
 Yes, corn-roasts are great fun, and they caabe held almost 
 any place where a large fire can be safely built. It is best to 
 allow the fire to burn down until it is a glowing pile of coals ; 
 then sticking the sharp end of a pole into an ear of corn (Fig. 67), 
 and standing as far from the fire as the length of the pole will 
 permit, it can be held close to the hot embers until thoroughly 
 cooked ; then with butter and salt this roasted corn is excel- 
 lent eating. 
 
 Enough corn should be provided to allow several ears to 
 
Picnics, Burgoos, and Corn Roasts. 137 
 
 each member of the party, as mishaps are liable to occur, and 
 the tempting ear of corn may be devoured by the flames, in- 
 stead of the person for whom it was intended. 
 
 The poles, about six feet in length, should be as light a3 
 possible, for if too heavy they will tire the hands and arms of 
 those holding them. 
 
ane Clover Desi fc n. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BOTANY AS APPLIED TO ART. 
 
 HERE is a book of most lovely de- 
 signs open to everyone whose eyes 
 are open to see. 
 
 Grasses, leaves, blossoms, and 
 even buds and seed-vessels supply 
 material for beautiful patterns. 
 
 We need not look far for sug- 
 gestions. Truly " that is best 
 which lieth nearest ; shape from 
 that thy work of art." 
 
 At your very doorway the won- 
 ders of botany may be studied. 
 Carefully inspect the tree blossoms in the early spring ; the 
 maple, willow, birch, any in fact which happen to be conve- 
 nient, and you will find suggestions of rare designs. 
 
 Clover, plantain, pepper-grass, dandelions, vines and twigs, 
 offer ideas which can be adapted to ornamental art. 
 
 A love of nature will quicken and stimulate the faculties ; 
 take the flowers and plants for instructors, and they will teach 
 and guide you. 
 
 Though there cannot be found an exact duplicate of any 
 blossom or leaf, still these may be conventionalized by arrang- 
 ing them in all sorts of symmetrical designs. 
 
 There is no mystery about the matter, for all the designs 
 
 
140 
 
 Summer. 
 
 are conceived upon the most simple of geometric laws. We 
 are now following in the steps of the old masters, and an un- 
 limited field of new combinations opens before us. 
 
 When making designs for this chapter, the writer did not 
 select the objects she thought would be most decorative, but 
 anything which chanced to fall in the way ; and what she has 
 done you can do, provided, of course, that you have ordinary 
 skill with the pencil. 
 
 The Peony Leaf. 
 
 Suppose you do not know how to draw at all ! Even then 
 you can design. Take the first thing you see, which in this 
 
 Fig. 68. 
 
 Fig. 69. 
 
 case happens to be a peony leaf (Fig. 68). That is, assuming 
 that you are seated by the side of the writer. 
 
 Now watch ! We will pull it apart thus (Fig. 69). Next 
 with a pair of scissors, a knife, or fingers snip off the stems, 
 and group the leaves in any way we chose. We will try this 
 combination (Fig. 70). If you do not understand drawing,, 
 we must fasten the leaves down upon a piece of paper as they 
 are arranged, and trace around them, following their edges 
 
Botany as Applied to Art. 
 
 141 
 
 with a pencil until the outline is complete (Fig. 70). By sim- 
 ply repeating this figure at regular intervals we have a very 
 pretty border design and 
 one that is truly original, 
 for the writer had no more 
 idea than you, what was 
 to be the result of this ex- 
 periment. In order to 
 make the pattern exact, 
 draw lines as in Fig. 71, 
 for a guide ; then draw 
 the figure according to the 
 foundation lines (Fig. 72). 
 When finished, erase the 
 lines and the design stands 
 a conventionalized peony 
 leaf, Fig. 73. By making 
 a tracing of the first pat- 
 tern, you can repeat it any 
 
 number of times. It requires no great or peculiar genius to 
 design well, and it is a mistaken, old-fashioned idea to suppose 
 
 Fig. 70. 
 
 Fig. 7 2 
 
 ftff.73 
 
 because you never have done any original work in art that you 
 never can. Do not slavishly follow other people, but believe 
 
142 
 
 Summer. 
 
 of the basket. What are 
 they ? turnips? Well 
 that requires a little skill 
 as a draughtsman, but 
 we vi ill sketch this one 
 and you can copy it (Fig. 
 74). Now repeat it (Fig. 
 75), or place the bunches 
 
 that there is implanted in you 
 the same elements that belong 
 to those whose designs you ad. 
 mire, then commence and de- 
 sign for yourself. That you 
 may have a start in your new 
 art, we will try something else, 
 a vegetable this time, for here 
 comes the green-grocery man 
 with a basket full of as quaint 
 decorations as are ever painted 
 with bamboo-handled 
 brush by the Japanese. 
 
 A Bunch of Turnips. 
 
 Take the first bunch 
 of vegetables on the top 
 
 Fig. 75. 
 
 in a row and you will 
 have another border 
 design. After a few 
 experiments you will 
 see that anything will 
 make a decoration 
 even the humble 
 kitchen vegetables. 
 
Botany as Applied to Art. 
 
 Decorative Lines. 
 
 Figs. 76 and 77 are simply graceful curves, such as anyone 
 can make with a pen or pencil, and may be used in many 
 
 Fig. 78. Fig. 76. Fig. 77. 
 
 ways : cross them and they form Fig. 78, use this as half the 
 design, duplicating it for the other half and it gives Fig. 79, 
 
 We now have graceful and beautiful foundation lines on which 
 any vine or flower may be placed as ornamentation. We will 
 
 select the rose, allowing the lines to form the stems and using 
 as ornament the bud, flower and seed-vessels, remembering 
 
144 Summer. 
 
 that one side must be an exact duplicate of the other (see Fig. 
 80). 
 
 With these curves invent new designs by placing them to- 
 gether in different ways, and choose for decoration anything 
 which may strike your fancy. 
 
 Plant Cross-section Designs. 
 
 Have you ever noticed how curiously some leaves are curled 
 before opening ? Watch them as they commence to expand 
 and grow, and you will be delighted with the great variety and 
 unique designs formed by the folding and rolling of these leaf- 
 buds. 
 
 Cut a bud square across in the centre with a sharp knife, 
 and this will show the nicety of arrangment of the young 
 
 A A 
 
 A 
 
 fl'v.81 
 
 leaves. The leaf-bud of the sage (Fig. 81), rosemary (Fig. 
 82), apricot (Fig. 83), and still another variety of pattern (Fig. 
 $4), are all singular natural designs. 
 
 The petals of flower-buds are also folded in many ways, 
 affording odd designs ; if cut in like manner as the leaves, the 
 
Botany as Applied to Art. 
 
 cross-sections will be as beautiful. Fig. 85, the lilac bud, and 
 the oleander (Fig. 86), give some idea of these odd designs. 
 
 fig. 8 3 
 
 Submit all kinds of buds to the test by cutting them in halves, 
 and carefully examining the two parts, observe how nicely and 
 
 ffy.87 
 
 orderly the leaves are folded together. In this way you will 
 find many natural ornamental patterns. 
 
 Nor must we neglect the seed-vessels ; when these in their 
 
 10 
 
146 Summer. 
 
 turn are cut open, they present excellent designs. Fig. 87 is a 
 cross-section of the seed-vessel of the harebell. Other seeds 
 will furnish queer forms and figures to be obtained in no other 
 way. 
 
 Flower Sprays. 
 
 The common white clover with its trefoil leaf is very pretty, 
 and if a few sprays are placed together in a graceful manner it 
 
 is surprising how readily they 
 lend themselves to decoration. 
 Experiment with these, gather 
 a few blossoms and leaves, 
 group them on the centre of a 
 piece of paper, and make an 
 outline of the group ; then 
 trace it off in order to repeat 
 the copy at equal intervals 
 from the central figure (see il- 
 lustration, page 138); this 
 makes a very simple and yet 
 beautiful design for embroidery, needle-work, or wall-paper 
 pattern. In the same manner try grasses and different kinds 
 of flowers. 
 
 Conventional designs can also be formed by simply inclosing 
 a natural spray in a geometrical figure. Fig. 88 is a circle, but 
 a square, triangle, diamond, oval, or any geometrical figure 
 may take the place of the circle. 
 
 Changing the Color 
 
 of a natural object gives still another style of ornamental art. 
 A spray of flowers and leaves in one color on a background of 
 different tint is an example. The spray may be brown on a 
 
Botany as Applied to Art. 
 
 yellow background, or a dull blue on white background, either 
 way it will be conventionalized. So you see that by merely 
 making natural objects all in one tint, you can have a great va- 
 riety of designs suitable for china, embroid- ^ 89 
 ery, wall paper, and many other decora- 
 tions. It is instructive to examine the pan- 
 els, screens, or painted china of the Japanese. 
 There is a freedom and crispness about their 
 ornamental art, which is very attractive. 
 
 The method the Japanese 
 frequently employ is to dimin- 
 ish the size of the fruit or flowers while increasing 
 the size of the leaves, and vice-versa ; in this way 
 they invent designs without losing the character 
 of the object they copy, and it is really a very 
 simple, yet effective method. 
 
 Suppose you try and see what you can make 
 with it. The next time you have an opportunity, 
 notice how the Oriental artists carry out this idea 
 in their decorations, and it will 
 help you in making your designs. 
 
 Burs. 
 
 The tenacious little burs found 
 clinging to your dress after a 
 Fig. 90. country walk, when grouped to- 
 
 gether are not without beauty. 
 Fig. 89 is formed of four of these burs placed at right angles 
 making an ornament, and when the ornament is repeated at 
 regular intervals as in Fig. 90, it forms a border design. 
 
 Seeds with downy or feathery tails are well adapted for dec- 
 orations ; three grouped together (Fig. 91), is a design of itself, 
 
148 
 
 Summer. 
 
 which may also be re-duplicated (Fig. 92). The horse-chest- 
 nut or buckeye is decorative, and makes an odd design (Fig. 
 
 93). Also the seed-vessel of the 
 Velvet-leaf or Abutilon avicennje 
 (Figs. 94 and 95). 
 
 The Water-Lily. 
 
 In the illustration of the water- 
 lily, the writer has conventionalized 
 it by curving the stem around the 
 flower and duplicating the same, al- 
 ways making the stem meet the next 
 lily, then inclosing the flowers in two straight lines, so forming 
 
 Fig. 92. 
 
 Fig. 93. 
 
 a water-lily border. Now, girls, you can realize how very sim- 
 ple it is to apply botany to art, and make for 
 yourselves new and original designs. 
 
 The knowledge of plants is not only in- 
 teresting but useful in connection with art, 
 in selecting and determining appropriate de- 
 signs for wood-carving, hammered brass, or Fig. 94. 
 any kind of ornamentation or decoration. The cross-section of 
 
 Fig. 95. 
 
 some trees will furnish very good designs and the differently 
 
Botany as Applied to Art. 
 
 149 
 
 formed roots of plants and flowers will aid you in ornamen- 
 tal art. 
 
 So we find that Nature offers us exquisite designs, in many 
 
 Pig. 96. 
 
 shapes and forms, and we have only to stretch out our hand 
 and take what we want. 
 
 " Beauty doth truly inhabit everywhere," for " it is mind 
 alone that is beautiful, and in perceiving beauty, we only con- 
 template the shadow of our own affections." 
 

 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DOOR-STEP PARTY AND QUIET GAMES FOR 
 HOT WEATHER. 
 
 'N the State of Kentucky, in one of whose 
 towns the writer's early childhood was 
 spent, the summers are long, and frequent- 
 ly very hot spells occur when even in 
 the early morning hours there is no 
 refreshing coolness in the air. As 
 the sun rises higher and high- 
 er in the heavens, its rays 
 grow fiercer and fiercer, until 
 by afternoon, the heat is 
 so intense that few per- 
 sons care to venture out 
 of doors, unless com- 
 pelled by business or necessity to do so. 
 At dusk, however, after the heat of 
 the day is spent, and the air, although not cool, is a degree or 
 two less hot, the population of the town makes itself visible. 
 Ladies and children clad in the thinnest of white and light 
 colored muslin gowns, emerge from the houses to sit upon pi- 
 azza and door-step, and there welcome the husband, father, and 
 brothers of the family upon their return from business ; that 
 business which is never neglected no matter what the thermom- 
 eter may register. After tea the door-steps are once more 
 
152 Summer. 
 
 taken possession of, and to enter the house again until ready 
 to retire for the night, is not to be thought of. Friends and 
 neighbors making social calls are received and entertained in- 
 formally upon the door-steps, and sometimes when the party 
 becomes too large for the steps to accommodate, chairs are 
 placed upon the pavement immediately in front of the door, 
 and no one feels, while occupying one of these seats, that the 
 position is at all public or conspicuous. 
 
 Hatless and bonnetless as all of the ladies and children are 
 the warmth of the evenings making all head coverings and extra 
 wraps unnecessary and uncomfortable, the streets present a 
 gay and fete-like appearance seldom seen in our eastern towns. 
 
 At least this is as it was when, as one of the band of merry 
 children, I played " Oats-peas-beans " and " Come Philanders," 
 upon the sidewalk, and I do not think these customs have 
 changed much since then. 
 
 Later, when I and my young friends had outgrown the 
 " ring-around-arosy " games, we used to gather upon the door- 
 step, and there chatter away about the day's doings, or what- 
 ever interested us at the time. When tired of talking, we would 
 amuse ourselves by playing quiet games or telling stories. 
 Sometimes the thoughtful mother of our young hostess would 
 add to our enjoyment by serving some light refreshment, such 
 as ice-cream or fruit. The greatest treat, and the one most ap- 
 preciated, was when we were invited to partake of a great crisp 
 frozen water-melon, whose blood-red core, sweet as sugar and 
 cold as ice, quickly melted away between the rosy lips of the 
 little guests. We were not always thus favored, however ; the 
 refreshments were ever a pleasant surprise, but the pleasure of 
 our evening was not marred by their absence. 
 
 The remembrance of what very pleasant times we used to 
 have at these impromptu little parties, urges me to devote some 
 pages of this book to the description of a door-step party, that 
 
Quiet Games for Hot Weather. 153 
 
 by acting upon the suggestion, others may enjoy them even as 
 did that group of little Kentucky girls. 
 
 Now is just the time for a door-step party ; now when the 
 beauty of the evening lures us from the lighted parlor to the 
 shadowy piazza whose coolness is so attractive after the long, 
 hot .summer day. Here soft breezes fan our cheeks, and here, 
 perhaps, the moonlight filtering through vine and trellis, is car- 
 peting the floor with lacy shadows, and with its soft mysterious 
 light is casting a glamour over all familiar things. 
 
 It is a modest little fete, this door-step party, a simple way 
 of entertaining one's friends of a summer evening when the heat 
 will not permit of the exertion of active games. The delight- 
 ful out-door surroundings give it a novel charm and make it 
 entirely different from the frolics usually indulged in during 
 the winter season. 
 
 Because the entertainment is not noisy it need not be the less 
 enjoyable, and a party of bright, merry girls will derive plenty 
 of amusement and fun from the quiet games of a door-step 
 party. The following will give an idea of what games are suit- 
 able for an occasion of this kind. 
 
 Five Minutes' Conversation 
 
 is not exactly a game, although there are rules which must be 
 obeyed in order to make it interesting. 
 
 A programme with small pencil attached, like the one shown 
 in Fig. 97, should be given to each guest upon her arrival. 
 The engagements for five minutes' conversation are made by 
 putting your name down on your friend's card opposite the 
 time chosen for your conversation with her, 
 
 Five minutes only are allowed for one conversation. 
 
 Two or more consecutive engagements with one person are 
 not allowable. When engagements are made and programmes 
 
Summer. 
 
 filled, the hostess, or anyone willing to be time-keeper, must 
 ring a bell giving notice that the conversation is to begin. 
 
 At the end of five minutes the bell is to be rung again, when 
 all talking must instantly cease, the exchange of positions be 
 quickly made, and a new conversation be commenced. 
 
 The time-keeper should be strictly attentive to her duties, for 
 the bell must be rung regularly at the end of every five minutes. 
 
 The hour allotted to this new mode of conversation will pass 
 very quickly, and cannot become in the least tiresome, as the 
 time spent in talking to any one person is so very short. 
 
Quiet Games for Hot Weather. 155 
 
 Blind-man's Singing-school. 
 
 One of the party must be blindfolded to take the part of 
 teacher. The class composed of the rest of the players should 
 sit in a line facing her. 
 
 The teacher informs her scholars that they will begin the 
 lesson by singing the scales. Then the head girl, or the one at 
 the top of the line, sings ah ! and the next, ah ! a little higher or 
 lower, and so it goes down the line ; each one in turn uttering 
 ah ! in any key or note she please ; in a high shrill voice, or the 
 deepest tone a girlish throat is capable of. The teacher should 
 listen attentively, and when she thinks she recognizes a voice 
 she must command the class to stop while she makes some criti- 
 cism on the manner in which the note is sung, at the same time 
 calling the singer by name. 
 
 When one of the players is named correctly, she must be 
 blindfolded and become teacher, while the former teacher takes 
 her place in the class. 
 
 A general exchange of seats is made before the singing les- 
 son recommences, that the voices may not be guessed by the 
 direction from which they come. To give variety to this game 
 the second teacher may direct the class to sing a song, selecting 
 some well-known nursery rhyme ; then, beginning at the top 
 of the line as before, each player must sing the word which 
 comes to her to supply. It is the privilege of each teacher to 
 direct the class to sing whatever she may choose, either song 
 or exercise. 
 
 A Game of Noted Men, 
 
 is played in this way : The hostess begins the game by saying, 
 I know a celebrated poet ; the first part of his name is very 
 black, and the last is an elevation. Whoever gives the right 
 name, which is Coleridge (coal, ridge), in her turn describes the 
 
156 Summer. 
 
 name of some noted person. She may choose Shakespeare 
 and say, I give the name of a noted author and poet ; the first 
 part is something people are apt to do when they are cold, the 
 last is a weapon of warfare. 
 
 There are quite a number of names which will do nicely for 
 this game ; a few of them are 
 
 Wordsworth words, worth. Shelley shell, lea. 
 
 Cornwall corn, wall. Washington washing, ton. 
 
 Howitt how, it. Fillmore fill, more. 
 
 Milman mill, man. Longfellow long, fellow. 
 
 When giving a name to be guessed, the profession of the 
 man, whether poet, author, statesman, or soldier, must be given, 
 but nothing else should be told about him. 
 
 What will You Take to the Picnic ? 
 
 can be played very nicely while the party are enjoying some 
 light refreshments. 
 
 The hostess alone should be in the secret, and these direc- 
 tions are addressed only to her. 
 
 Commence the game by announcing that you propose to 
 give a picnic, that it depends upon what your guests will bring 
 for lunch whether they will be allowed to attend, and that each 
 one must furnish two articles of food. Then ask the person 
 nearest you, What will you take to the picnic ? If the name of 
 neither of the articles she mentions commences with the initial 
 letter of her Christian name or surname toll her she cannot go, 
 and put the question to the next person, asking each in turn, 
 What will you take to the picnic ? 
 
 For example, we will suppose that the name of one of the 
 party is Susan Davis, and she says she will take crackers and 
 lemons, she cannot go, as neither of her names commence with 
 
Quiet Games for Hot Weather. 157 
 
 C or L ; but if she proproses to take salmon and doughnuts, 
 she will be doubly welcome, since S and D are both her in- 
 itials. Should she say sugar and cream, she could go for one of 
 her names commences with S. 
 
 Continue to put the question to each player until all, or 
 nearly all, have discovered why their proposed contribution to 
 the lunch secures them a welcome, or debars them from attend- 
 ing the picnic. 
 
 Assumed Characters. 
 
 In this game some well-known novelist is selected Dickens, 
 for instance and each player chooses one of his characters to 
 personate, telling no one her choice. Then one of the players 
 relates the life as though it were her own, and portrays with 
 voice and gesture the character she has assumed. Of course no 
 names must be mentioned. 
 
 The person who first guesses what character is being per- 
 sonated has the privilege of deciding who shall be the next to 
 tell her story. 
 
 The game of Assumed Characters will prove to be very en- 
 tertaining if each player does her part and makes her narrative 
 as amusing and interesting as possible. 
 
 Shadow Verbs. 
 
 A white sheet is fastened tightly across a French window, or 
 doorway opening upon the piazza, and a large lamp set behind it. 
 
 The company separates into two parties ; one enters the 
 house, while the other remains seated upon the piazza facing 
 the suspended she^t. 
 
 . The outside party chooses a verb which the others are to 
 guess and perform. When their decision is made they call the 
 leader of the inside party and say, " The verb we have chosen 
 
158 Summer. 
 
 rhymes with rake," or whatever it may rhyme with. The 
 leader then joins her followers and consults with them what the 
 first guess shall be. It is best to take the verbs which rhyme 
 with the noun given in alphabetical order. Bake would come 
 first for rake, and if it is decided that they shall act this, several 
 of the party step before the lamp, which casts their shadows on 
 the sheet and, without speaking, go through the motions of 
 making and baking bread. If the guess is right (that is if to 
 bake was the verb chosen) the spectators clap their hands ; if 
 wrong, they cry, No, no. 
 
 When they hear the no, no, the actors retire and arrange 
 what to do next. Make, quake, take, wake are all acted in 
 turn, until the clap of approval announces that they have been 
 successful in guessing the verb. Then the actors take the seats 
 vacated by the spectators, who in their turn enter the house 
 to become shadows and act the verbs chosen by the other party, 
 and the game goes on as before. A little ingenuity on the part 
 of the players in producing funny and absurd shadows makes 
 the whole thing very laughable and causes great amusement. 
 
 There are an unlimited number of games that may be 
 played, but the object of this chapter is not so much to de- 
 scribe the games as it is to illustrate those that are appropriate 
 to the quiet and delightful entertainment known as a door 
 step party. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE A HAMMOCK. 
 
 NDERNEATH the spreading branches of the 
 cool, shady tree swings our hammock. 
 
 Through the intertwining boughs the gold- 
 en sunlight is sifted in bright little dashes on 
 the leafy foliage below. Lying ensconced 
 in its lacy meshes idly listening to the hum 
 of the busy bumble-bees at work among the 
 red clover, or gazing up through the leafy 
 canopy to the blue heavens where now and 
 then fleecy white clouds float softly past, or watching a flight 
 of birds skim o'er the distant horizon, who would not be lulled 
 by the harmony of the summer day ! A delightful languor 
 steals over us and we unconsciously drift into the land of 
 dreams where perfect rest is found. We awaken refreshed, to 
 again gently swing back and forth and vaguely wonder who 
 could have first thought of this most delightful invention. It is 
 said that we owe the luxury to the Athenian, General Alcibi- 
 ades, who, in 415 B.C. first made the swinging bed. The word 
 hammock is taken from hamacas or hamac, an Indian word 
 which Columbus relates as being used by the Indians to sig- 
 nify a hanging bed composed of netting. What these unciv- 
 ilized red men made with their rude implements, we ought to 
 be able with our modern facilities to accomplish very easily 
 and quickly. 
 
far 
 
 l-v^X^ 
 
 * *>^ 
 
 
How to Make a Hammock. 
 
 161 
 
 It is not difficult to make a hammock ; anyone can soon knit 
 one that is strong and comfortable, and it should not cost more 
 
 Mesh-sticks. 
 
 than fifty cents. The materials required will be one hammock- 
 needle about nine inches long (this can be whittled out of hick- 
 A ory or ash, or purchased for ten cents) ; two 
 
 iron rings two and one-half inches in diam- 
 eter, which will cost about five cents each ; 
 two mesh-sticks or fids, one twenty inches 
 long and eight inches wide bevelled on both 
 
 Fig. 100. Hammock Needle. 
 
 Fig. 101. The Loop. Fig. 102. Small Fid and Loop. 
 
 
 edges (Fig. 98) : the other nine inches long and two and one- 
 half inches wide, bevelled on the long edge (Fig. 99) ; these 
 you can easily make yourself from any kind of wood. 
 
 ii 
 
1 62 
 
 Summer. 
 
 One pound of Macreme cord number twenty-four, or ham- 
 mock twine of the same number, which can be had for less than 
 
 Lx:> thirty cents ; color- 
 
 Lx " xP " ed cord comes five 
 
 cents extra. 
 
 Wind the cord in 
 balls, as it is then 
 more convenient to 
 handle, and begin 
 making your ham- 
 mock. First, thread 
 the needle by taking 
 it in the left hand 
 and using the thumb 
 to hold the end of 
 the cord in place, 
 while looping it 
 over the tongue 
 (Fig. 100) ; pass the 
 cord down under 
 the needle to the 
 opposite side and 
 catch it over the 
 tongue ; repeat this 
 until the needle is 
 full. 
 
 Next, make a 
 loop of a piece of 
 cord two yards long 
 and fasten this to 
 any suitable place 
 (Fig. lOl) a door-knob will do very well ; then tie the cord 
 on your needle three inches from the end to this loop. Place 
 
 
How to Make a Hammock. 
 
 i6 3 
 
 the small fid under the cord, the bevelled edge close to the 
 loop (Fig. 102). With your thumb on the cord to hold it in 
 place while you pass the needle around the 
 fid, and with its point toward you, pass it 
 through the loop from the top, bringing it 
 over the fid, so forming the first half of the 
 knot (Fig. 103). Pull this taut, holding it 
 in place with your thumb while throwing 
 the cord over your hand, which forms the 
 loop as in (Fig. 104). Then pass the needle 
 from under through the loops, drawing ij 
 tight to fasten the knot. Hold it in place 
 with your thumb, and repeat the op? 
 eration for the next knot. Fig. 105 
 shows a number of these knots fin, 
 ished. A is a loosened knot, making 
 plain its construction. B, in Figs. 103, 
 104, and 105, is 
 the cord running 
 to the needle, 
 and D is the fid. 
 
 When thirty meshes are finished shove 
 them off the fid (Fig. 106), as this number 
 will make the hammock sufficient- 
 ly wide. 
 
 Commence the next row by 
 again placing the fid under the 
 cord, and take up the first mesh, 
 drawing it close to the fid ; hold 
 it in place with your thumb while 
 throwing the cord over your hand ; pass the needle on the lef 
 hand-side of the mesh from under through the loop throwr 
 over your hand (Fig. 107) ; pull this tight and you will 
 
 Fig. 106. Meshes. 
 
 Fig. 107. Commencing the Second 
 Row. 
 
164 
 
 Summer. 
 
 Fig. 108. Fisherman's Knot. 
 
 tied the common knitting-knot ; proceed in like manner with 
 all the loops in rotation until the row is finished. When it is 
 necessary to thread or fill your needle, 
 tie the ends of the cord with the fisher- 
 man's knot shown in Fig. 108, which 
 cannot slip when properly tightened. 
 Wrap each end of the cord from the knot 
 securely to the main cord with strong 
 thread to give a neat appearance 
 to the hammock. 
 
 Continue knitting until thirty 
 rows are finished. 
 
 Then use the large fid, knit- 
 ting one row on the short side 
 first, next one on the long side. 
 This accomplished, knit the 
 meshes to the ring by passing 
 the needle through it from the 
 top, knitting them to the ring in 
 rotation as if they were on the 
 mesh-stick or fid (Fig. 109). When 
 finished tie the string securely to 
 the ring, and one end of your 
 hammock is finished. 
 
 Cut the loop on which 
 first row was knitted, and 
 draw it through the knots. 
 Tie the end of the cord on 
 your needle to the same 
 piece used in fastening 
 the end of the first needleful to the loop (Fig. no), and knit 
 the long meshes to the other ring as described. This com- 
 pleted, the hammock is finished. 
 
 the 
 
 On the Ring. 
 
How to Make a Hammock. 165 
 
 To swing it, secure two pieces of strong rope and fasten 
 them firmly to the iron rings, the length of the rope depend- 
 ing upon the space between the two points from which you wish 
 it to hang. These should be if possible twelve or fifteen feet 
 apart and at least ten feet high, to give your hammock sufficient 
 room to swing freely. 
 
 This suspended bed will furnish a welcome retreat when the 
 weather is too warm to admit of games, walks, or other amuse- 
 ments. Then, with some favorite book, or if even reading is" 
 too much of an exertion, simply to lie indolently in the ham- 
 mock is a comfort, so restful and quiet that the time quickly 
 passes, and we are made better and brighter for our short, pas- 
 sive repose. 
 
 Very decorative nets, and useful ones of many kinds, includ- 
 ing fish-nets and minnow-seines, are made with the same stitch 
 as that used in the hammock. The size of the mesh is regu- 
 lated by the circumference of the fid, and the twine used is fine 
 or coarse, according to the style of net desired. 
 
 Barrel Hammock. 
 
 When in the Catskills last summer the writer saw for the 
 first time a hammock made of a barrel. It was painted red 
 and looked very cheery and inviting hanging under the green 
 boughs ; the two colors, being complementary, harmonized 
 beautifully. 
 
 This hammock was made of a piece of strong rope twenty 
 feet long threaded in and out of barrel staves, and was sub- 
 stantial and durable. The construction of such a hammock is 
 very simple. Remove the top and bottom hoops and nails 
 from a firm, clean barrel. Then before taking off the remain- 
 ing hoops draw a pencil-line around both ends of the barrel, 
 being careful to have the marking three inches from and parallel 
 
i66 
 
 Summer. 
 
 to the edges ; this is for a guide 
 when making the two holes in 
 each end of all the staves. Bore 
 the holes with a five- 
 eighth of an inch au- 
 gur or a red-hot poker, 
 using the pencil-line as 
 a centre ; leave an equal 
 margin on both sides of 
 the staves, and at the 
 same time enough space 
 in the centre to preclude 
 all danger of breakage. 
 
 Fasten the staves to- 
 gether by threading the rope through the hole from the out- 
 
How to Make a Hammock. 
 
 i6 7 
 
 side of the first stave, then across the inside of the stave down 
 through the other hole (see illustration). Continue threading 
 until one side is finished, then in like manner thread the other 
 side. Knock off the remaining hoops and the staves will ap- 
 pear as shown at bottom of illustration. Tie the two ends of 
 the rope together and fasten loops of rope on both ends ; these 
 should be of sufficient length to conveniently swing the ham- 
 mock. When threading the staves let the rope be loose 
 enough to leave a space of an inch or so between each stave 
 when the barrel is spread out in the form of a hammock. 
 
 In this way you can have a serviceable hammock, the cost 
 of which will be about twenty-five cents and a little labor. 
 
Grandmamma's Dolls. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 (FOR LITTLE GIRLS.) 
 
 CORN-HUSK AND FLOWER DOLLS. 
 
 
 
 such beautiful dolls as delight 
 the hearts of the children of 
 to-day, ever peeped forth from 
 the Christmas-stockings of our 
 grandmothers or great-grand- 
 mothers when they were little 
 girls. In those times there 
 were not, as there are now, 
 thousands of people doing 
 nothing but making toys for 
 the entertainment and pleas- 
 ure of the little ones, and the 
 motherly little hearts were 
 fain to content themselves 
 with lavishing unlimited af- 
 fection and care upon a rag, wooden, or corn-husk baby, made 
 and dressed at home. Since then almost every child tired of, 
 and surfeited with handsome and expensive toys, has been 
 glad at times to get grandma to make for her a real old-fash- 
 ioned dollie which might be hugged in rapturous moments of 
 affection without fear of dislocating some of its numerous 
 joints, or putting out of order its speaking or crying apparatus ; 
 
iyo 
 
 Summer. 
 
 and might in times of forgetfulness be dropped on the floor 
 and suffer no injury thereby. Such a doll is just the kind to 
 adopt for the summer. The fine French doll with 
 its delicate wax or china face, silky hair, and 
 dainty toilets, is more suited to the elegances of 
 the parlor than to the wear and tear of out-door 
 life, and everyone knows that summer holidays 
 spent in the country are far too precious to be 
 wasted taking care of anyone's complexion, let 
 alone a doll's ; so it is best to leave the city doll 
 in her city home, safe out of harm's way, and 
 manufacture, from materials to be found in the 
 country, one more suited to 
 country surroundings. 
 
 Corn -husks, corn-cobs, 
 and ordinary garden flowers 
 can be made into dolls which, 
 although not quite so pretty 
 nor so shapely as those pro- 
 duced from more costly ma- 
 terial, yet possess a charm 
 of their own which the children are not slow 
 to perceive. 
 
 Little Indian girls, to whom store babies 
 are unknown, make the most complete and 
 durable corn-husk dolls, and the following 
 directions tell just how to construct them : 
 
 Provide yourself with the husks of sev- 
 eral large ears of corn, and from among 
 them select the soft white ones which grow 
 closest to the ear. Place the stiff ends of 
 two husks together, fold a long, soft husk in a lengthwise strip, 
 and wind it around the ends so placed as in Fig. in. Select 
 
 Head Commenced. 
 
 The Corn Husk, 
 
Corn-husk and Flower Dolls. 
 
 171 
 
 the softest and widest husk you can find, fold it across the cen- 
 tre and place a piece of strong thread through it (as in Fig. 
 112), draw it in, tie it se- 
 curely (Fig. 113), place it 
 entirely over the husks 
 you have wound, then 
 bring it down smoothly 
 and tie with thread under- 
 neath (Fig. 1 14) ; this will form the 
 head and neck. To make the arms, 
 
 divide the 
 husks be- 
 low the 
 neck in 
 two equal 
 parts, fold 
 together 
 two or 
 more 
 husks and 
 ins e r t 
 them in 
 the divis- 
 ion (Fig. 115). Hold the arms in 
 place with one hand, while with the 
 other you fold alternately over each 
 shoulder several layers of husks, al- 
 lowing them to extend down the 
 front and back. When the little 
 
 Oorn-hu'sk Tied. Head Finished. f rm SCemS P lum P enough, USC 
 
 your best husks for the topmost 
 
 layers and wrap the waist with strong thread, tying it securely 
 (Fig. 116). Next divide the husks below the waist and make 
 
 /70.7/ef 
 Head and Arms. 
 
172 
 
 Summer. 
 
 the legs by neatly wrapping each portion with thread, trim- 
 ming them off evenly at the feet. Finally, twist the arms 
 once or twice, tie, and trim them off at the hands. The features 
 can be drawn on the face with pen and ink, or may be formed 
 of small thorns from the rose-bush. Fig. 117 shows the doll 
 complete, minus its costume, which may be of almost any style 
 or material, from the pretty robe of a civilized lady to the more 
 
 /?>. / Vff 
 
 Head, Arms, and Body 
 
 Finished Doll, 
 
 scanty garments of its originator, the Indian. The doll is rep- 
 resented in full Indian costume in Fig. 118. The war-paint and 
 tomahawk are not necessary here, as he is smoking a pipe of 
 peace. His apparel is composed of one garment, which is cut 
 from a broad, soft corn-husk, after the pattern given in Fig. 1 19. 
 A narrow strip of husk tied about his waist forms the belt. 
 His head-dress is made of small chicken feathers stuck at 
 
Corn-husk and Flower Dolls. 
 
 regular intervals into a strip of husk. The corn-silk hair is 
 placed on his head, and on top of that one end of the head- 
 dress is fastened with a thorn. 
 
 A small twig is used for the stem of his pipe, and two rose- 
 bush thorns form the bowl. Instead of using a thorn for his 
 
 A Real Indian Doll. 
 
 fly. 119 
 
 The Indian's Dress. 
 
 mouth, a round hole is punched in the face and the stem of 
 the pipe inserted. 
 
 Mary Jane. 
 
 Here is another way of making a doll which is very easy and 
 simple. First find a young ear of corn, one on which the silk 
 has not turned brown ; then with a crab-apple for a head and 
 a leaf of the corn to dress her with, you have your material. 
 
 12 
 
174 
 
 Summer. 
 
 Cut off squarely that end of the ear where the husks are puck- 
 ered, to join the stalk, and carefully take the silk from the other 
 end, disturbing as little as possible the closely wrapped husks. 
 
 Roll part of the leaf (as indicated in Fig. 120) for the arms, 
 then with a small twig fasten the head to the arms ; stick the 
 
 Material and Parts of Doll. 
 
 Mary Jane. 
 
 other end of the twig into the small end of the corn-cob, and 
 the doll is ready for dressing. Her bonnet is made of the leaf 
 just where it joins the stalk (Fig. 1 21), and is fastened to her 
 head with a thorn. Before adjusting the bonnet, however, the 
 silk must be placed on the head to form the hair. 
 
Corn-husk and Flower Dolls. 
 
 Make the scarf of part of the leaf (Fig. 122), fold it around 
 the shoulders, and secure it with thorns. 
 
 The features also are made of thorns. 
 
 When her toilet is complete, you can but acknowledge that 
 this rosy-cheeked little maid, peeping from beneath her poke- 
 bonnet, is very cunning indeed. 
 
 Flower Dolls. 
 
 The flower lady with the baby is made of a yellow gourd 
 flower ; the small gourd attached, which has just begun to 
 
 18SC. 
 
 form, serves for her head ; a green gourd leaf is used for her 
 shawl, and her bonnet is made of a smaller leaf folded to fit her 
 head. The baby is a white gourd bud, with a cap made of a 
 
176 Summer. 
 
 leaf. A small twig stuck through part of the lady's shawl, 
 through the baby, and into the lady doll, holds the child in 
 place and makes it appear as though clasped in the mother's 
 arms. 
 
 The features of both dolls are scratched on with a pin and 
 then inked. To make the lady stand erect, a small twig is stuck 
 into the heart of the flower, and the other end into the top of a 
 small paste-board-box lid. 
 
 The other flower doll is made of the common garden flowers. 
 The underskirt is a petunia ; a Canterbury-bell forms the over- 
 skirt and waist; small twigs, or broom-straws stuck through 
 buds of the phlox, are the arms, and the head is a daisy with 
 the petals cut off to look like a bonnet. The features are made 
 with pen and ink on the yellow centre. A reversed daisy forms 
 the parasol. 
 
 If the flowers named are not at hand, those of a similar 
 shape will answer just as well. 
 
 Gaily dressed little ladies can be made of the brilliantly 
 tinted hollyhocks, and many other flowers can also be trans- 
 formed into these pretty though perishable dolls. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 HOW TO MAKE A FAN. 
 
 " That graceful toy whose 
 
 moving play 
 
 With gentle gales relieves 
 the sultry day." 
 
 FAN is only a pretty trifle, 
 yet it has been made rather 
 an important one. To man- 
 age a fan gracefully was some 
 time ago considered very es- 
 sential by fair dames of soci- 
 ety, and in the dainty hand 
 of many a famous beauty it 
 has played a conspicuous 
 part. Queen Elizabeth regarded it with so much favor that 
 she was called the " Patron of Fans," and she made a rule that 
 no present save a fan should be accepted by English queens 
 from their subjects. 
 
 Although held in such high esteem, it is only since the in- 
 flux of any and every thing Japanese that we have had fans in 
 such profusion, and have discovered how effective they are 
 when used for decorative purposes. 
 
 A brilliantly tinted fan is of equal value in giving just the 
 right touch of color to a costume or the decorations of a room, 
 and this chapter will show how the girls can make the fans 
 
i 7 8 
 
 Summer. 
 
 themselves, and have for use or for the adornment of their 
 rooms those of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The first fan 
 
 represented here is 
 made in the form 
 of a butterfly. The 
 principal articles 
 necessary for its 
 manufacture are a 
 strip of smooth, 
 brown wrapping- 
 paper, stiff enough 
 to keep its folds, 
 and two sticks for 
 handles. The rib- 
 bon which, in the 
 illustration, ties the 
 handles together 
 looks pretty, but is 
 not indispensable ; 
 an elastic band, or 
 one made of nar- 
 row ribbon, slipped 
 over the sticks will 
 do as well. 
 
 The paper must 
 be twenty-eight 
 inches long and five 
 and one-half inches 
 wide. In order to 
 fold it evenly it 
 should be ruled across with lines one-half inch apart, as shown 
 in diagram of butterfly (page 179). When the paper is pre- 
 pared the pattern can be copied from the diagram, which is 
 
 Butterfly Fan. 
 
How to Make a Fan. 
 
 179 
 
 half of the butterfly. By counting the lines and using them as 
 guides for obtaining the proportions, an exact reproduction of 
 
 Diagram of one-half of Butterfly Fan. 
 
 this pattern can be made. The outlines being drawn, the paper 
 
 must be plaited, one fold on top of 
 
 another, until twenty-seven plaits 
 
 have been laid. Smoothing out the 
 
 paper again, the butterfly should be 
 
 painted with water-colors in flat, 
 
 even tints. 
 
 The lower part of diagram is the 
 body of the insect and is of a light- 
 brown color, also the space just be- 
 low the head, which is surrounded 
 by a strip of black. 
 
 The head and eyes are black, 
 the eyes having a half-circle of 
 white to separate them from the 
 head. The main part of the wings Folded 
 
 Flg- 123 ' 
 
 125 ~ 
 
 Handle. 
 
180 Sztnimer. 
 
 are a brownish purple, next to which comes a border of very 
 dark purple with light-blue spots. The outer border is light 
 yellow. When the paint is quite dry the extra paper at the 
 top of the butterfly is to be cut away. Again the fan must be 
 plaited in the 
 folds already 
 formed, and 
 the plaits 
 fastened to- 
 gether at one 
 end with a 
 strong needle 
 and thread, as 
 shown in dia- 
 gram (Fig. 123). 
 Fig. 124 shows 
 the shape of the 
 handles, two of 
 which are re- 
 quired ; they 
 should be about 
 nine inches 
 long, one-third 
 
 _ The Mikado Fan. 
 
 of an inch wide, 
 
 and one-eighth of an inch thick. A handle must 
 be glued to the last fold at each end of the fan (see 
 Fig. 125). The fan should be kept closed until the 
 glue is dry, when it may be opened and used at pleasure. 
 
 Our next sketch is that of the Mikado fan, and represents a 
 Japanese lady who, with her fan held aloft, is making a bow- 
 ing salutation. 
 
 This fan is made of the same paper as that used for the but- 
 terfly, and is cut the same width ; there are, however, twenty- 
 
How to Make a Fan. 
 
 181 
 
 nine plaits instead of twenty-seven, as in the other. The dia- 
 gram gives the pattern in two parts, and the colors it is to be 
 painted ; the face and hands should be of a flesh-tint and the 
 features done with black in outline. The directions for put- 
 ting together the butterfly apply as well to the Mikado fan. 
 
 Pattern of Mikado Fan. 
 
 The third illustration shows a fan made in the shape of a 
 daisy. Diagram on page 183 shows a section of the pattern. 
 
 White paper should be used, and it mrst be laid in thirty- 
 four plaits, which will give the flower fifteen whole and two 
 half petals, the half petals being at each end. 
 
 The tinted part of pattern indicates where it is painted yel- 
 low to form the centre of the daisy. 
 
1 82 Slimmer. 
 
 For a plain round fan no pattern is needed. It is made 
 simply of a strip of paper, of the width used for the other fans, 
 and has about thirty plaits. When fans of this kind are made 
 
 of colored paper in 
 solid tints they are 
 very pretty. Pieces 
 of bright, figured 
 wall-paper left from 
 papering a room 
 can be utilized, and 
 quite effective fans 
 be made of them to 
 use for decoration. 
 
 Another style of 
 fan is represented 
 in our last illustra- 
 tion. It is made of 
 twenty slats of card- 
 board cut after pat- 
 tern Fig. 126. These 
 
 Daisy Fan. j ... 
 
 slats are joined to- 
 gether at the top and centre with narrow ribbon 
 passed through the slits cut for it, as shown in 
 Fig. 127. Over the ribbon where it passes through 
 the top slits, on the wrong side of the fan, square 
 pieces of paper are pasted, which hold the ribbon 
 down securely at these points. The paper is pasted 
 only at each end of the ribbon in the middle row. It is 
 best to leave one end of this ribbon loose until the fan is 
 joined at the bottom ; then opening the fan, and drawing the 
 ribbon until it fits the fan smoothly, it can be cut the right 
 length and the loose end fastened down. A ribbon is also 
 used to hold the slats together at the bottom ; a bow at each 
 
How to Make a Fan. 
 
 183 
 
 side keeps them in place (see Fig. 128). When a large fan for 
 
 decoration is desired, the slats should be about eighteen inches 
 
 long, two and a half 
 
 inches wide at the 
 
 top, and one and a 
 
 half inch wide at the 
 
 bottom. The fan 
 
 may be larger still, 
 
 in which case it can 
 
 be used as a screen to 
 
 set before an empty 
 
 fire-place. For this 
 
 purpose the slats 
 
 have to be two feet Pattern for Dais r Fan - 
 
 long, four inches wide at the top, and two and a half inches 
 
 wide at the bottom. 
 
 The proportions of the slats for a small hand-fan are eight 
 
 and a half inches long, 
 one and a half inch wide 
 at the top, and one inch 
 wide at the bottom. 
 The large fans should 
 be made of heavier card- 
 board of pasteboard 
 than that used for small- 
 
 Xq. VS. 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 Construction of Cardboard Fan. 
 
 DD 
 
 D 
 
 er ones. 
 
 Colored cardboard, 
 which can be bought at 
 almost any stationer's, is 
 the best to use, but the 
 slats of ordinary white 
 
 cardboard may be covered with colored paper if more con 
 
 venient. 
 
1 84 
 
 Summer. 
 
 These fans may be varied to suit the taste of the girls who 
 make them. Instead of a solid color, one can be made with 
 
 alternate slats of red 
 and white, blue and 
 yellow, or any other 
 colors that harmo- 
 nize. Another may 
 show all the tints of 
 the rainbow, and for 
 use on the Fourth of 
 July one might dis- 
 play the red, white, 
 and blue. 
 
 Some will look 
 especially handsome 
 if prettily painted. 
 A dark-red fan with 
 a branch of dogwood- 
 blossoms painted 
 across it makes a 
 charming wall dec- 
 oration, as does also one of light blue with pine-branch and 
 cone painted in brown or black. 
 
 A gilt fan lightens up a dusky corner beautifully ; it can 
 be curved around to fit the place, and catching and reflecting 
 the light at all angles, as it does, it is quite effective. 
 
 Cardboard Tan. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ALL-HALLOW-EVE. 
 
 A D I A N T and beautiful October, whose 
 changing color heralds the approach of win- 
 ter, gives us our first autumn holiday, if 
 Halloween can now be called a holiday. 
 
 Before the Christian era, in the days of 
 the ancient Celts and their priests, the 
 Druids, the eve of the first of November 
 was the time for one of the three principal festivals of the year. 
 The first of May was celebrated for the sowing ; the solstice on 
 the twenty-first of June for the ripening, and the eve of the first 
 of November for the harvesting. At each of these festivals 
 great fires were built on the hill-tops in honor of the sun, which 
 the people worshipped. When Christianity took the place of 
 the heathen religion, the Church, instead of forbidding the cele- 
 bration of these days, gave them different meanings, and in 
 this way the ancient harvest-festival of the Celts became All- 
 Hallow-Eve, or the eve of All-Saints-Day, the first day of No- 
 vember having been dedicated to all of the saints. 
 
 For a long while most of the old customs of these holidays 
 were retained; then, although new ceremonies were gradually 
 introduced, Hallow-Eve remained the night of the year for wild, 
 mysterious, and superstitious rites. Fairies and all supernat- 
 ural beings were believed to be abroad at this time, and to 
 exercise more than their usual power over earthly mortals. Be- 
 cause the fairy folk were believed to be so near us on Hallow- 
 
Kaling. 
 
A II- Hallow- Rue. 1 89 
 
 een, it was considered the best evening of the season for the 
 practice of magic, and the customs observed on this night be- 
 came mostly those of divination, by the aid of which it was 
 thought the future might be read. 
 
 Before proceeding further with this subject we desire our 
 readers to appreciate and fully understand that we are far from 
 wishing to inculcate any superstitious belief in the power of 
 charms to forecast future events; that we regard all fortune- 
 telling as nonsense, pure and simple, and only insert it here, 
 as we would any other game, for the sake of the amusement it 
 affords. Although, to make our descriptions more intelligible, 
 we announce the results of charms as facts, we would not have 
 it understood that they are to be taken as such. 
 
 Nowadays, so practical has the world become, no fairy, 
 witch, or geni could we conjure up, were we to practice all the 
 charms -and spells ever known to soothsayer or seer. Our busy, 
 common-sense age allows no fairies to interfere with its concerns, 
 and these creatures, who existed only in the belief of the people, 
 must needs vanish, to return no more, when that belief is gone. 
 
 A few fortune-telling gimes are all that now remain of the 
 weird ceremonies that once constituted the rites of Halloween, 
 and the spirit of this old heathen holiday is once more changed, 
 for it is now considered only an occasion for fun and frolic. 
 
 It was the custom for quite a number of years of some 
 friends of the writer to give a Halloween party on each recur- 
 ring Halloween ; and merrier, jollier parties than those were, 
 it would not be easy to devise The home which opened wide 
 its hospitable doors to the favored few on this night is a country- 
 house, large and spacious ; there is a basement under the whole 
 lower floor, which is divided into kitchen, laundry, and various 
 store-rooms intersected with passages, and this basement, de- 
 serted by the servants, was given up to the use of the Hallow- 
 een revellers. The rooms and passage-ways were decorated 
 
1 90 Autumn. 
 
 with and lighted by Chinese lanterns, which produced a sub< 
 dued glow in their immediate vicinity, but left mysterious 
 shadows in nooks and corners. 
 
 Putting aside conventionality and dignity as we laid aside 
 our wraps, ready for any fun or mischief that might be on 
 hand, we proceeded down-stairs and into the kitchen, where 
 a large pot of candy was found bubbling over the fire. This 
 candy, poured into plates half-full of nuts, was eaten at inter- 
 vals during the evening, and served to keep up the spirits of 
 those who were inclined to be cast down by the less pleasing 
 of Fortune's decrees. With plenty of room and no fear of 
 breaking or destroying anything, which is apt to put a check 
 upon frolics in the parlor, the company could give full vent to 
 their high spirits. Now in this room, now in that, again flitting 
 through the dim passages and around dark corners, each person 
 seemed to be everywhere at once, and although the party was 
 limited to about twenty-five, there appeared to be at least twice 
 that number present. Bursts of merry laughter and little 
 screams of pretended terror would announce, now and then, that 
 some charm was being gone through with and someone's fort- 
 une being told. All sorts of games were played, and the va- 
 riety of our entertainment made the evening pass very quickly. 
 All too soon the hands of the kitchen clock warned the guests 
 that to reach home at a seasonable hour they must put an end 
 to their Halloween festivities. A number of the following 
 methods of telling fortunes were tried at these parties, one 
 might say with success, for we certainly succeeded in accom- 
 plishing our main object, which was, to have a good time. By 
 
 Melted Lead 
 
 we used to ascertain what the occupation of one's future hus- 
 band would be. The fortune is told in this way : Each girl, in 
 
- Hallow- Eve. 
 
 191' 
 
 turn, holds a door-key in one 
 hand, while with the other 
 hand she pours the melted 
 lead, from an iron spoon or 
 ladle, through the handle 
 of the key into a pan of 
 cold water. 
 
 In the fanciful 
 shapes the lead 
 assumes can be 
 traced resem- 
 
 blances to 
 
 all sorts 
 of things. 
 Sometim es 
 it is a sword 
 or gun, which 
 
 indicates that a 
 soldier will win the 
 fair prize ; again, 
 traces of a ship 
 may be seen : then 
 favored one is to be a sail- 
 plough suggests a farmer ; 
 a book, a professor, or perhaps a min- 
 ister; and 
 when the 
 lead forms 
 only drops, 
 it seems to mean 
 that the gentle in- 
 quirer will not 
 
192 Autumn. 
 
 marry, or if she does, her husband will be of no profes- 
 sion. 
 
 Nutshell Boats 
 
 foretell in a general way what their owner's future life will be. 
 They should be prepared beforehand in this manner : Split an 
 English walnut directly in half, remove the 
 kernel, and clear away any of the partitions 
 which may remain in the shell ; then place a 
 short piece of heavy cotton string in the shell 
 and pour around it melted beeswax. Mould 
 the wax into a cone shape around the string, 
 as shown in Fig. 129, allowing the end to 
 come out at the top. Fig. 130 shows what 
 it is like when finished. 
 
 The tapers first being lighted, several of 
 these little craft are launched at the same 
 time, by their respective owners, upon the sea of life, or, in 
 other words, in a tub of water. 
 
 When a light burns steadily until the wax is all melted, 
 and the frail bark safely rides the waves (which are occa- 
 sioned by stirring the water with a stick, or shaking the tub 
 from side to side), a happy life is predicted, and a long one. 
 
 When two boats come in contact, it means that their owners 
 will meet and have mutual interests some time during their lives. 
 If one boat crosses another's path, it denotes that their 
 owners will do the same. 
 
 If two boats come together and continue to sail about side 
 by side, their owners will in some way pass much of their lives 
 together. 
 
 When a boat clings closely to the sides of the tub, refusing 
 to sail out into the centre, it shows that its owner will be a stay- 
 at-home. 
 
A II- Hallow-Eve. 193 
 
 Touching often at the side of the tub is indicative of short 
 voyages ; and extended travel is predicted when a boat seldom, 
 touches the tub. 
 
 It depends a good deal upon the fancy and imagination of 
 those testing their fate how the antics of the little fleet are in- 
 terpreted, and the meanings given to the movements of the 
 boats create no end of fun. 
 
 " Three Luggies." * 
 
 " In order, on the clean hearth-stane, 
 
 The luggies three are ranged, 
 
 And ev'ry time great care is ta'en 
 
 To see them duly changed." 
 
 The three bowls, or dishes, one containing clear water, one 
 milky, and the other nothing at all, are placed in a row on the 
 hearth-stone or table, and the girl wishing to try her fortune is 
 blindfolded and led up to where the dishes stand. She is then 
 told to put her left hand into one of the bowls. If she dips her 
 fingers in the clear water, she will marry a bachelor ; if in the 
 milky water, a widower ; and if into the empty bowl, it is a sure 
 sign that she will live in single blessedness all her days. 
 
 This ceremony must be gone through with three times, and 
 the hand be dipped twice in the same bowl, in order to make 
 the prediction of any value. 
 
 Roasting Nuts 
 
 is the charm by which the friendship of anyone may be tested. 
 The applicant for knowledge on this point names two nuts, one 
 for her friend and the other for herself, and then places them 
 side by side upon the grate, or a shovel held over the fire. If 
 they burn quietly, it is prophetic of a long and happy friend-. 
 
 * Dishes. 
 
194 Autumn. 
 
 ship kept up by both parties ; but if in roasting they burst with 
 a loud report and fly apart, they are decidedly uncongenial, 
 and should not seek much intercourse. The movements of the 
 nuts while heating are closely watched, for the tempers of the 
 persons for whom they are named is said to be thus revealed. 
 
 Kaling 
 
 is a mode of telling one's fortune not as well known, perhaps, 
 as the foregoing methods. The ceremony is carried out in the 
 following manner : Two girls are blindfolded and started off on 
 the path to the kitchen-garden and cabbage-patch, where each 
 pulls up the first stalk she finds. They then return at once to 
 the house, where the bandages are removed and the mysterious 
 stalks examined. 
 
 According to the state of the stalk, so will be the gatherer's 
 fate. If it is straight or crooked, large or small, so will the 
 future husband be ; if it has a pleasant taste, or the reverse, 
 the character of the person will correspond, and the quan- 
 tity of earth clinging to the roots denotes whether their riches 
 will be little or great. 
 
 When there are no cabbages at hand, almost any other gar- 
 den vegetable will answer ; and if there be objections to going 
 out-of-doors, vegetables of various kinds, such as turnips, beets, 
 and parsnips, may be placed on a table, and the persons blind- 
 folded can choose from them. No doubt the charm will work 
 as well with the plants upon a table as when they are pulled 
 from a kitchen-garden. 
 
 The Magic Mirror, 
 
 which is simply a hand-glass on ordinary occasions, and gains its 
 mysterious power only on Halloween, divulges, under certain 
 conditions, the delightful secret of how many bits of good-fort- 
 une will fall to one's share during the ensuing year. The con- 
 
A II- Hallow- Eve. 195 
 
 ditions are that the person wishing to know how bright hei 
 prospects are shall go to an open window or door from which 
 the moon is visible, and, standing with her face in-doors, hold 
 her mirror so that the moon will be reflected in it. The num 
 ber of moons she sees there betokens the number of times some- 
 thing pleasant will happen to her before the advent of another 
 Halloween. 
 
 Three Tin Cups 
 
 partially filled with water are balanced on the small ends of three 
 funnels, which are placed in a row on the floor, about two feet 
 apart. Over these cups, one after another, each member of the 
 party must leap in turn. Whoever succeeds in leaping over all 
 three cups without knocking any of them off will make an early 
 marriage. The person who knocks over one will marry when 
 not so young. The marriage of the one who tips over two cups 
 will be deferred until late in life, and she who leaps none of 
 them safely will not be married at all. 
 
 To guard against wet feet very little water should be put in 
 the cups only enough to make the players careful about tipping 
 them over. 
 
 The Ring Cake 
 
 is always an object of interest at Halloween parties. The cake 
 itself is made like the ordinary kind, but before it is baked a 
 plain gold ring is hidden in the dough, not to be taken out 
 until the cake is cut and it falls to the share of the fortunate 
 person in whose slice it happens to be found. The ring is 
 sometimes put in a flour-cake, which is simply flour packed into 
 a cake-mould so firmly that when it is turned out it retains the 
 shape of the mould and can be sliced off with a knife. Each 
 member of the party cuts her or his own section of flour, and 
 whoever secures the ring, it is confidently stated, will be the first 
 of the group to marry. 
 
196 Autumn, 
 
 Some Halloween games apparently have no particular 
 meaning attached to them, but seem to be devised for the pur- 
 pose of creating as much fun as possible. 
 
 Bobbing for Apples 
 
 is, perhaps, familiar to most of our readers, but we give a de* 
 scription of it here for the benefit of the few who may not know 
 the game so well. 
 
 In a large, tub full of fresh, cold water several apples are 
 placed, and it is the object of the participators to take them out 
 of the water with their teeth. 
 
 As the rosy-cheeked, tempting fruit bobs about within easy 
 reach, it looks simple enough to secure a prize ; but the apples 
 are so round and slippery, so aggravatingly illusive, that, unless 
 you thrust your head and neck beneath the cold water, regard- 
 less of consequences, and drive an apple to the bottom, the feat 
 cannot be accomplished. The girls can seldom be induced to 
 try their luck in this game, but usually content themselves 
 with looking on, immensely enjoying the frantic endeavors of 
 the boys to succeed at any cost. 
 
 The Apple and Candle Game 
 
 is another favorite sport for Halloween, and is played as follows : 
 From the ceiling is suspended a stout cord, the lower end of 
 which is securely tied to the centre of a stick about a foot and 
 a half long. On one end of the stick is fastened an apple, on 
 the other a lighted candle. The string is set in motion, swing- 
 ing back and forth like a pendulum, and the contestants for the 
 prize stand ready, each in turn, to make a grab for the apple^ 
 which must be caught in the teeth before it can be won. Fre- 
 quently the candle is caught instead of the apple, which mishap 
 sends the spectators off into shouts of merriment ; but although 
 funny, it is at the same time a little dangerous to catch a lighted 
 
All-Hallow-Eve. 1 97 
 
 candle in one's teeth, and we would suggest that a bag made of 
 cheese-cloth, or like thin material, be filled with flour and tied 
 to jthe stick in place of the candle. When the person essaying 
 to snatch the fruit is struck in the face with the bag, and is 
 .covered with flour instead of the glory anticipated, as much 
 mirth will result as can possibly arise when the old and danger- 
 ous practice of using a candle is clung to. 
 
 The Ghostly Fire 
 
 should not be lit unless all of the party have strong nerves, for 
 the light it produces is rather unearthly, and may affect some 
 members unpleasantly. We, at our Halloween parties, never 
 omitted this rite, however, its very weirdness proving its strong- 
 est attraction. Salt and alcohol were put in a dish, with a few 
 raisins, and set on fire. As soon as the flame leaped up we 
 clasped hands and gayly danced around the table, upon which 
 burned our mystic fire. The laughing eyes and lips looked in 
 strange contrast to the pale faces of their owners, from which 
 the greenish light had taken every vestige of color. The dance 
 was not prolonged, for it was our duty, before the fire was. 
 spent, to snatch from the flames the raisins we had put in the 
 dish. This can be done, if one is careful, without as much as 
 scorching the fingers, and I never knew of anyone burning 
 themselves while making the attempt. 
 
 Trying for a Raisin 
 
 is a very laughable performance. The raisin, which must be a 
 good-sized one, is strung on and pushed exactly to the middle 
 of a soft cotton string about one yard long. Two aspirants for 
 the prize then take each an end of the string, which they put in 
 their mouths and commence to chew, taking it up as fast as 
 they can the raisin falling to the share of the person who suc- 
 ceeds in reaching it first. 
 
198 Autumn. 
 
 A Lighted Candle 
 
 is again used in a game which is exceedingly amusing. The 
 candle is placed upon a table in full view of everyone ; then 
 one of the players is blindfolded, turned around several times, 
 and set free to seek for the candle and blow out the light, if 
 possible. 
 
 To see girls, with their hands clasped behind them, going 
 crazily about the room, blowing at anything and everything, is 
 very ludicrous. They seldom find the candle, and even when 
 the table is reached it is difficult to blow in such a direction as 
 to extinguish the flame. 
 
 The Fairy's Gifts 
 
 are suggested as a new and original ending of a Halloween frolic. 
 
 The Fairy Godmother, in Mother Hubbard costume, carries 
 a large basket under her cloak or shawl. She enters the room 
 and announces that she has a certain number of gifts which she 
 proposes to distribute among the company. After cautioning 
 all that the contents must be kept secret, she passes to each per- 
 son a folded paper. On one is written " Wealth" on another 
 "Honor" on the third "Fame" etc., and some of the papers 
 are left blank. 
 
 Those whose papers contain the names of gifts are then 
 blindfolded, preparatory to receiving their behests. 
 
 The first is led up and made to kneel before the Fairy God- 
 mother, to whom she repeats these words : 
 
 Most gracious Fairy, the gift you give 
 I shall treasure and keep as long as I live. 
 
 Then the paper containing the name of the gift is handed the 
 Fairy, who reads it aloud very solemnly : " Wealth " and, turn- 
 ing to her basket, she takes from it a new dust-pan, to which is 
 attached a ribbpn-loop, at the same time reciting these lines : 
 
A II- Hallow- Eve. 199 
 
 Your choice is bad when you intrust 
 Your happiness where moth and rust, 
 In time, turn all your wealth to dust. 
 
 From a paper-bag the Fairy pours a small amount of dust 
 over the kneeling girl, and hangs the dust-pan around her neck. 
 
 The next person who has drawn a prize is then brought for- 
 ward and the performance is repeated, only altering the Fairy's 
 speech. For "Honor" she will say: 
 
 Your honor, crowds shall loud declare, 
 But in your heart, no crowd is there, 
 You'll find, like Falstaff, " honor's air." 
 
 The present here is a pair of bellows, from which the Fairy 
 blows a blast on the bowed head before her as she utters the 
 word air. The bellows, like the dust-pan, are hung by a ribbon 
 around the recipient's neck. 
 
 For "Fame" the Fairy gives a wreath of roses, and says, as 
 she adjusts the crown : 
 
 When Fame doth weave a laurel-wreath, 
 He weaves this subtle charm beneath ; 
 " For every evil thought that's born 
 The laurel grows a prickly thorn ; 
 But where pure thought and love reposes, 
 The laurel-wreath's a wreath of roses." 
 
Buckefe Portiere. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 NATURE'S FALL DECORA- 
 TIONS, AND HOW TO 
 USE THEM. 
 
 HESE beautiful decorations are free to 
 all who care to possess them. Every 
 autumn comes to us laden with orna- 
 ments which no skilled workman can rival. The 
 graceful golden-rod, so rich in color, sways and 
 bends over the low stone walls, and in the fields 
 wild flowers of all kinds grow in great profusion. 
 White, spreading wild carrot, yellow and white dai- 
 sies, light and dark purple asters, and sumach, with 
 its varied hues, give color to the landscape on our 
 bright fall days. There are also the queer-shaped pods and 
 feathery, silky seeds peculiar to some wild plants ; among others 
 the poor "vagabond thistle," which has donned its robe of 
 glistening white, although some of its tribe still wear their 
 faded purple gowns. The latter may be gathered for thistle-pufts, : 
 and all the objects mentioned can be used in home decorations. 
 We cannot pass by unnoticed the brown milk-weed pods, 
 for within the shells, full well we know, are hidden the silvery, 
 downy seeds which make such pretty milk-weed balls. Here, 
 too, we notice the rich coloring of bark as well as foliage, the 
 bright scarlet berries contrasting with the brown, yellow, and 
 green leaves. The vine, once a fresh green, is now changed t<3 
 
2O2 Autumn. 
 
 deep crimson ; even the tiny leaves of the wild strawberry and 
 some grasses have touches of red on their edges. 
 
 How the rich coloring of autumn differs from the delicate 
 tints of spring, when the promise was made in bud and leaf, 
 which is now realized in the bountiful harvests ! 
 
 Having such a wealth to glean from, we scarcely know what 
 to take first ; but for decorations to last only a few hours it would 
 be difficult to imagine anything more brilliantly appropriate than 
 
 Fresh Autumn Wild Flowers 
 
 and small branches of brilliant fall leaves. At the time of this 
 writing wild flowers are very popular ; one of our daily papers 
 records a wedding which recently took place, where the display 
 of wild flowers was beautiful in the extreme. Curtains of wood- 
 ferns were caught back with golden-rod, and a bower of holly 
 and oak was fringed with clusters of scarlet bitter-sweet berries. 
 Daisies were also used in abundance, while the beauty of the 
 little church was enhanced by the masses of white blossoms and 
 oak-branches. 
 
 This idea can be used advantageously in decorating the 
 house for evening parties and receptions, or afternoon teas and 
 coffees. Have the flowers and foliage in masses, the effect is 
 much better ; and if you gather very large, hardy ferns with their 
 roots attached they will make exceedingly graceful decorations, 
 and placed in water or wet sand they will remain fresh for days. 
 
 When golden-rod is gathered in its prime it will keep nearly 
 all winter without fading. Do not put it in water ; all that is 
 necessary is to keep it dry. The rich brown cat-tails should 
 be treated in the same manner ; these must be gathered at their 
 best, before they are too ripe. Bitter-sweet berries will last for 
 months and retain a bright red. The old-fashioned honesty, 
 with its white, satiny pods, keeps perfectly for any length of 
 
Nature s Fall Decorations. 
 
 203 
 
 time. The wild rose-bush in the fall is decked with seed- 
 coverings, which closely resemble scarlet berries; these will 
 last for many weeks. The 
 wild clematis, with its 
 festoons of hazy fluff, will 
 keep for a long time, and 
 always looks well when 
 thrown over and on the 
 top corner of a portiere 
 and allowed to hang nat- 
 urally down a little on 
 one side, or arranged in a 
 similar manner over the 
 tops of windows, doors, 
 pictures, or wherever it 
 will look graceful. It should 
 hang out of harm's way, as it 
 is brittle and easily broken when dry. 
 For entertainments, the more elab- 
 orate and bountiful the decorations of fresh M.^i 
 
 %, 
 
 wild flowers the more beautiful will the house 
 appear ; but for every-day life during the cold 
 weather, when we have only the dried fall plants, 
 we may almost make up for the 
 lack of fresh flowers by using judg- 
 ment and taste in arranging the 
 dried ones. Though wild flowers 
 
 
 r**" 
 
 A Young Decorator. 
 
2.o4 Autumn. 
 
 are beautiful, you must use taste in their arrangement and not 
 mingle them together promiscuously, but make a judicious se- 
 lection, for where a light bunch of golden-rod would be the 
 very thing needed to give color to a particular spot, should 
 the dark cat- tails be placed there the effect might be lost. 
 There are places where some high, stiff decoration would look 
 best, and others where the soft, swaying clematis seems to be- 
 long. As with everything else, so with our decorations, we 
 must seek to have harmony. 
 
 Who has not admired the dark-brown, glossy buckeyes and 
 Horse-chestnuts, and wondered what use could be made of them ? 
 Children love to gather them and come home with their pock- 
 ets and baskets full, only to play with them for awhile, and 
 then the pretty dark balls, each marked with a spot of light 
 cream-color, are thrown away or lost. 
 
 Now, the next time the buckeyes are collected save every 
 one and make a 
 
 Buckeye Portiere. 
 
 The writer assures you that you will find it much easier to do 
 this than she did to make a picture of the curtain, for it is diffi- 
 'cult with a pen-and-ink drawing to give an idea of the richness 
 of color in the handsome hangings these horse-chestnuts make 
 when. properly fashioned into a portiere for hall or doorway. 
 Two full bushels of buckeyes will be needed to make a curtain 
 two yards and a half long and one yard and a quarter wide. 
 
 Take a very large, long needle and a strong, waxed thread 
 a little longer than you desire to have your curtain, make a 
 large knot in the end of the thread, and commence to string 
 your buckeyes in the same way as stringing beads or buttons. 
 Continue until the thread in the needle is exhausted, then tie 
 the thread in a large knot close to the last buckeye, leaving a 
 length of three inches of thread. Make your other strands in 
 
Natures Fall Decorations. 205 
 
 the same way. When all are finished, fasten as many small 
 Bcrew-eyes in a straight line on a curtain-pole, or a rustic pole, 
 if desired, as there are strands of buckeyes, and tie securely to 
 each screw-eye one string of buckeyes. When all are fastened 
 
 Birch-Bark Support for Pole. 
 
 on, your portiere is finished and ready to be hung. This is easily 
 accomplished if the pole used is a regular curtain-pole, as they 
 always come with brackets ; but should your pole be rustic, it 
 must be supported by bands of strong birch-bark, or leather, as 
 in Fig. 131. Our illustration shows over the portiere a 
 
 Panel of Fall Decorations. 
 
 These also look handsome over windows and doors, and you 
 are at liberty to use ornaments of all styles, for the panels are 
 placed where there is no danger of anything coming in contact 
 with them to break off the decorations or mar their beauty. 
 Any kind of board will do for the panel, rough or smooth, as 
 you like. Paint the board a pure white, then decide on your 
 ornaments, which may be a chestnut-branch with bursting burs 
 attached, sprays of common wayside velvet-leaf with clusters 
 of pods clinging to them, a piece of black-berry vine with its 
 twigs, thorns, and dried berries, or branches of buckeyes with 
 some of the nuts falling from their horned shells. 
 
 Select according to your fancy, and gild the decorations 
 chosen, then tack them on the panel. It is best to place the 
 ornaments on the board while the paint is soft and wet, for then 
 it will help to fasten the decoration more securely ; if the paint 
 be put on thick where the ornaments are to be placed, they will 
 
2O6 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 lie partially embedded in the paint, and when it dries they will 
 appear as if carved from the wood.* 
 
 A white and gold panel made in this way is very pretty and 
 inexpensive. 
 
 The fall decorations also enable us to make a very effective 
 
 Louis Quinze Screen. 
 
 For this it is necessary to have two small wooden hoops, such 
 as children roll along the streets ; fasten these together with a 
 
 strong piece of white tape, two or 
 three inches wide, cut the end of 
 the tape bias, tack this on the side 
 of one of the hoops, bring it around 
 between and over the other hoop, 
 and tack it again, repeat the opera- 
 tion and the hinge will be finished 
 (Fig. 132). If you look at the hinge 
 on a wooden clothes-horse you will 
 understand how to make one. Fig. 
 133 shows the hoops fastened togeth- 
 er. Now cut two pieces of coarse, 
 strong cotton cloth, a little larger 
 around than the hoops, and place 
 one of the pieces smoothly over one 
 of the hoops ; tack it down, driving 
 the tacks in far apart, and so that 
 they can be easily extracted ; if the 
 
 Hinge for Loui, Quinze I ,en. ^^ wrinkles> keep changing j t . 
 
 til the surface is perfectly even ; when this is accomplished care- 
 fully tack the covering securely down, keeping it smooth and 
 
 * For this work the staple-tacks used for tacking down matting will be 
 iound very convenient. 
 
Nature s Fall Decorations. 
 
 207 
 
 without wrinkles. In like manner tack the remaining piece of 
 cloth on the other hoop. Next get four broomsticks and cut a 
 notch on each one, at exactly the same distance from the top, for 
 the hoops to fit in. Then measure where you wish the hoops to 
 be placed and cut another notch on each stick a certain distance 
 from the bottom ; all the sticks must be of the same length and 
 have the notches cut in the same places, so each one may be a 
 duplicate of the others. Mark the hoops where the sticks are 
 to fit, and then fasten them firmly on with small screws. Make 
 
 Hoops Fastened Together for Louis Quinze Screen. 
 
 the screen strong, so that there will not be any danger of its 
 coming apart. Give each cloth a sizing of common flour-paste 
 on both sides, then scrape off all the paste with a knife ; in this 
 way the cloth will be starched and prepared to receive the paint. 
 When the screen is thoroughly dry, sew a branch across one of 
 the disks and some waxed fall leaves in the places where they 
 would naturally lie on the branch ; when these are securely at- 
 tached, decorate the other disk with something different ; acorns 
 can be used if cut in halves ; but never place any ornaments on 
 the screen which will not lie flat, for if they stand out they wilJ 
 
208 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 be broken off or injured by persons passing and brushing against 
 them. Now give the screen a coat of white paint all over, includ- 
 ing the branch and leaves, but do not paint the hinge. Set the 
 screen away until it is perfectly dry, then gild the branches and 
 leaves, connecting the latter with the twigs by painting a line of 
 
 Louis Quinze Screen. 
 
 gold between the two. Gild a ring around each pole near the 
 top and another near the bottom, and cover the edges of the 
 hoops where the cloth has been fastened on by tacking white 
 gimp around each one, using fancy brass-headed tacks and 
 placing them at equal distances apart ; this completes the orna- 
 mental screen, \ 
 
Nature's Fall Decorations. 
 
 209 
 
 Should you de- 
 sire it, the screen 
 can be painted 
 black or any 
 other color, and 
 the decorations 
 bronzed instead 
 of gilded. The 
 bronzes come in 
 different shades, 
 and the color of 
 real bronze can 
 be easily copied. 
 As an orna- 
 ment for the din- 
 ing-room 
 
 A Panel of 
 Field-Corn 
 
 is very decorative 
 and easy to make. 
 When the corn 
 ripens, select 
 some nice, firm, 
 golden ears, with 
 husks and with- 
 out ; then break 
 off pieces of corn- 
 stalk and group 
 them together, as 
 in the illustration; 
 cover a board of 
 4 
 
210 Autumn. 
 
 requisite size with a piece of old black velvet ; if you have no 
 velvet, paint the board black, and after tying the corn firmly 
 together, tack it securely on the board, and the dark back- 
 ground will bring out the many yellow tints of the decoration 
 beautifully ; fasten two screw-eyes in the back of the board, by 
 which to attach the wire, and the panel will be ready to hang 
 on the wall. 
 
 The corn can also be fastened to a rough board of the de- 
 sired size and the panel and decoration bronzed, using green 
 bronze for the background and portions of the group, while all 
 the edges and prominent points should be of copper-colored 
 bronze. 
 
 Early in November the many varieties of gourds ripen, and 
 their odd and fantastic forms seem like nature's suggestions of 
 the unique in ornamentation. So suggestive are they that it 
 needs but little originality to make them into many useful and 
 beautiful articles. As a decoration for looping over the poles 
 of portieres, and for holding back draperies, these 
 
 Ornamental Gourds 
 
 are convenient. They must first be allowed to become perfectly 
 dry ; then they can be made into tasselled festoons. Take six 
 mock-oranges, which imitate so closely our real oranges in 
 color, size, and form, and cut a hole about the size of a silver 
 dime in the top and bottom of each one ; then shake out the 
 seeds. To make the openings in the gourds, first bore a small 
 hole with the point of a large needle, then twist the needle 
 around and around until it will easily pass through. Next, 
 carefully enlarge the opening with a sharp penknife until it is 
 of the stated size. Make a rope two yards and a half long of 
 Persian colored wools or worsted ; on the end fasten a slender 
 tassel, six or seven inches long, made of the same worsted ; now 
 
Nature's Fall Decorations. 2 1 1 
 
 string one of the bright orange-gourds on the rope down against 
 the tassel, which should be large enough to prevent the gourd 
 from slipping off; make another similar tassel, and attach it to 
 the rope about twelve inches from the first one, and thread an- 
 other gourd on the rope, bringing it down against the second 
 tassel ; proceed in like manner with the remaining gourds, 
 making a tassel for each one, and you will have a decoration 
 unlike any to be found elsewhere. 
 
 We are all more or less familiar with the 
 
 Gourd-Dippers 
 
 so common in the South, where, in olden times, scarcely a spring 
 bubbled in a rustic nook that was not supplied with its drinking- 
 gourd. These dippers are made by sawing an opening in the 
 large part of the gourd, scraping out the contents, and making 
 the inside as smooth as possible with sand-paper. They need 
 no ornamentation. 
 
 The kind of gourds resembling flattened globes can be made 
 into graceful and unique 
 
 Bowls. 
 
 The gourds must be sawed into two parts, with the inside of 
 each sand-papered, and flowers painted, with oil-colors, on the 
 outside. After they have thoroughly dried, give a coat of white 
 varnish to both the inside and outside. A pretty 
 
 Bonbon-Box 
 
 can be fashioned of one of these gourds. Saw off the top, which 
 will serve as a lid, and fasten it to the bowl with narrow ribbons 
 tied through holes at the back of each ; line both lid and box 
 with satin by gluing it along the edges with stiff glue put on 
 
212 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 sparingly, and cover the raw edge of the satin with chenille ; 
 this is also put on with a little glue. Do not allow the chenille 
 to interfere with the closing of the box, but place it along the 
 inside edge of the box and lid. 
 Another form is the 
 
 Bottle-Gourd. 
 
 Ornament this with ivy-leaves painted as if twined around 
 bowl and neck, and when the paint is dry varnish the gourd 
 all over ; if you wish it for use as well as decoration, saw of? 
 the top about two or three inches deep, shake out the seeds, 
 then fit a cork in the piece cut off, and so glue it in that the 
 cork may extend an inch downward to fit in the bottle. 
 
 The large egg-shaped gourds look well as 
 
 Vases. 
 
 Select a deep-colored gourd, saw off the top and scrape out 
 the inside ; then varnish the vase and mount it on feet of 
 
 Wire Twisted for Feet of Gourd- Vase. 
 
 Finished Wire Feet for Gourd- Vase. 
 
 twisted wire, made according to Fig. 134 ; bend down the feet, 
 as in Fig. 135, when the wire will be formed into Fig. 136. To 
 
Nature s Fall Decorations. 
 
 213 
 
 fasten this on the vase, first bore holes in the bottom of the 
 gourd, then sew the feet firmly on, passing the needle through 
 
 Ornamental and Useful Gourds. 
 
 the holes previously made and bending the wire a little to fit to 
 the gourd. Gild the wire feet, and your vase is finished. An- 
 
214 Autumn. 
 
 other way is to save the top sawed off, fasten an ornament of 
 twisted wire on the top of it, and then, after making the vase 
 as the one just described, add bands of gilded cardboard made 
 to fit the gourd, fastening them to the vase with glue. Handles 
 can also be fashioned of cardboard and sewed to the upper 
 band before it is glued to the vase, as in the illustration. 
 
 There are many other ways of utilizing gourds, but we will 
 leave it to your ingenuity to think up new and pretty conceits. 
 
 Pine-cones, large and small, acorns, and balls from the sweet- 
 gum tree, can be used as 
 
 Small Decorations. 
 
 Never try to fasten them by the natural stems, for these 
 will soon break off, but place in each one a small screw-eye, 
 and when tied in groups they form ornaments for waste- 
 baskets and fancy baskets of all kinds. We have seen chan- 
 deliers with gilded cones hanging from the different points, 
 and being the identical color of the chandelier, they seemed 
 of the same metal, and added novelty and grace to its appear- 
 ance. 
 
 There are some varieties of the tree-fungi which make dark, 
 rich-colored 
 
 Brackets. 
 
 Use heavy cardboard or thin board as a covering for the 
 back ; have this fit the fungus perfectly, and fasten it securely 
 in position with very stiff glue or nails. Paint the back the 
 same color as the fungus, and on either side of the upper edge 
 place screw-eyes by which to fasten up the bracket. 
 
 Many of the curiously formed galls and oak-apples to be 
 found on different trees can also be employed as ornaments. 
 
 Nothing can be finer than our brilliant autumn season, which 
 
Nature's Fall Decorations. 
 
 215 
 
 is said to be more beautiful in this than in other countries, with 
 its crisp mornings and bright sunny afternoons. 
 
 When the weather is too lovely to remain in-doors, and all 
 nature invites us out, then is the time to gather our fall decora- 
 tions. 
 
The Little Brown Squirrel. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 NUTTING-PARTIES. 
 
 FF they go with bright, laughing eyes and 
 glowing cheeks, each one carrying 
 a light little basket or fancy bag 
 slung carelessly on her arm. The 
 girls are full of life and spirits as 
 they walk briskly along toward 
 the woods in the delightful fall 
 weather, talking and laughing in 
 a happy, thoughtless fashion, now 
 telling where the best nuts are to 
 be found, the shortest route to take, or where the prettiest walks 
 lead, and again lingering or stopping to admire the many won- 
 derful beauties of autumn. Leaving the road they enter the 
 woods, where the dry leaves rustle pleasantly beneath their feet, 
 and in some places the gold and brown leaves through which 
 they walk lie ankle-deep. 
 
 All this is fully enjoyed by the party as they proceed on 
 their way discussing the best place for lunch, which considera- 
 tion is quite important, as it is necessary, if possible, to be near 
 a clear, cool spring ; otherwise the water must be transported. 
 Arriving at the selected spot about noon, all bring forward 
 their baskets and bags to contribute the contents to their 
 " nutting-dinner." Soon the white cloth is laid and the tempt- 
 ing feast spread,, when the hungry but merry maidens gather 
 
218 Autumn. 
 
 around to relish their repast in the forest, where, all about, are 
 seen sure signs of coming winter. 
 
 The airy dining-hall is carpeted with the softest moss, and the 
 gorgeous coloring of the surrounding foliage is far more beau- 
 tiful than the most costly tapestry, while the sky forming the 
 roof is of the serenest blue. 
 
 Now and then the sound of falling nuts is heard as they drop 
 from the trees. This is music in the ears of the girls, and they 
 hurry through their lunch, collect the empty baskets, and are 
 soon busy gathering the glossy brown chestnuts, which are 
 thrashed down from the branches by some of the party, who 
 use long poles for the purpose. Down comes the shower of nuts 
 and burs, and away the party scamper to patiently wait until it 
 is over, as the prickly burs are things to be avoided. Some wise 
 girls have brought tweezers to use in pulling open these thorny 
 coverings. Others have their hands well protected by heavy 
 gloves which cannot easily be penetrated with the bristling 
 spikes. 
 
 It does not take long to fill their bags, and the one who first 
 succeeds in the feat receives the title of " Little Brown Squirrel." 
 Then all the others, for the rest of the day, obey her wishes. 
 Nor is this difficult, for their Little Brown Squirrel is blithe 
 and gay, generous and kind, and does all in her power to 
 render her subjects happy. 
 
 As they turn their faces homeward the girls plan for another 
 nutting-party to come off soon, for they wish to make the most of 
 the glorious Indian summer, which belongs, we claim, exclusively 
 to our country, and which may last a week or only a few days. 
 
 The chestnuts are brought home, where in the evening some 
 are eaten raw, others have the shells slit and are then roasted 
 or boiled, making a sort of chestnut festival, as in the North of 
 Italy, only of course on a very much smaller scale, for there the 
 peasants gather chestnuts all day long and have a merry-making 
 
Nutting- Parties. 
 
 219 
 
 when the sun goes down. This har- 
 vest lasts over three weeks and is a 
 very important one to the dark-eyed 
 Italians, who dry the nuts and grind 
 them to flour, which is used for bread 
 and cakes during the barren season. 
 The harvest in the Apennines is quite 
 an event, as the trees are plentiful, 
 the fruit is good, and the people glad- 
 ly celebrate the season. 
 
 Our thin, white-shelled shag-bark 
 hickory-nut is peculiarly American, 
 and many a nutting-party have found 
 its delicate and agreeable flavor very 
 welcome when, gathered around a 
 large rock, they crack a few to sam- 
 ple their fruit before returning home. 
 
 Blossom and Fruit of the Chestnut- Tree. 
 
 These nuts are only cooked by covering the kernels with hot 
 candy, and thus prepared, they make a delicious sweetmeat. 
 When cracking hickory-nuts, hold each nut firmly by the 
 
22O Autumn. 
 
 flat sides, bringing uppermost one of the narrow sides ; strike 
 this and the nut will open so that the halves fall out, or may 
 be easily extracted, and occasionally the kernels will come out 
 whole. We have seen quaint little figures, with the heads 
 made of hickory-nuts, the pointed end forming the nose, and 
 the eyes and mouth marked with ink, giving a comical ex- 
 pression to the peaked face. 
 
 The neat little three-cornered beech-nut is easy and pleasant 
 to gather, making a desirable change for the " nutters " after 
 going for other kinds, and the trees with their beautiful foliage 
 render the scene very attractive. But not more so than do the 
 lofty and stately walnut-trees with their rich, brown fruit en- 
 cased in such rough shells, whose outside covering is so juicy 
 that, unless we are very cautious, it will stain our hands its own 
 dark color. The black-walnut tree (J. nigra) is indigenous to 
 the United States, and we are informed that a celebrated speci- 
 men is still standing at Roslyn, L. L, where the seed was 
 planted in 1/13. The tree measures twenty-five feet ir circum- 
 ference at three feet from the ground. 
 
 Butter-nuts, so significant during our civil war, also belong to 
 America ; the meat, though quite oily, is sweet and agreeable. 
 
 Butter-nuts will repay anyone for gathering them, though, 
 like the walnut, the outer husk is apt to stain the fingers; but 
 this may be avoided by wearing gloves while handling the 
 fruit. The cross-sections of the shells, when properly polished, 
 make pretty ornaments. 
 
 Although we are all fond of the round little hazel-nut, they do 
 not seem to be as plentiful as could be wished, and it is seldom 
 we have the pleasure of going hazel-nutting, yet when the op- 
 portunity occurs, it is rare sport and an event to be talked of 
 afterward. 
 
 Nuts are to be found in all portions of the country, and the 
 varieties depend upon the section in which you live. 
 
n- Parties. 221 
 
 Rules for Nutting-Parties. 
 
 1. In selecting the members of a nutting-party be careful 
 to choose only those on whom you can safely depend for cheer- 
 fulness, kindly 
 
 feeling, and a 
 
 willingness on 
 
 their part to 
 
 do all in their 
 
 power to as- 
 
 sist, should oc- 
 
 casion arise, in letting 
 
 down the bars of a fence, 
 
 going for water, or any- 
 
 thing which might happen to re- 
 
 quire their services. 
 
 2. Decide by majority any case of 
 controversy in regard to destination, the best 
 place and way of crossing a brook, which 
 route to take, or in fact any ques- 
 
 tion concerning the comfort and 
 pleasure of the party, until the 
 "Little Brown Squirrel" wins her 
 title. Then she rules 
 absolutely and settles all 
 questions accord- 
 ing to her best 
 judgment, giving 
 council and friend- 
 ly advice to 
 
 those Who Pea-Nut Vine and Fruit. 
 
 ask it. All 
 
 differences being referred to her, the decision is considered 
 
222 Autumn. 
 
 final, and the party must obey when their Little Brown Squir- 
 rel directs. 
 
 3. The one who gathers the greatest quantity of nuts in a 
 given time wins, and receives the above much-desired title 
 The standard of measure being previously decided upon by the 
 party, the time may be either long or short, as desired. 
 
 4. The badge given to the successful competitor may consist 
 of fall leaves or nuts tied with a brown ribbon. This she keeps 
 in remembrance of the delightful day spent nutting in the woods 
 when she was a Little Brown Squirrel. 
 
 Select, if possible, a day in Indian summer for your nutting- 
 party, and it is well to wear a gown that will not easily tear, 
 catch the dust, or spot not that these accidents are always to 
 be met with on such excursions, but they might happen, and 
 we must be on the safe side, so that no thought or anxiety 
 need be given to the clothing. 
 
 If your party contemplates a series of nutting-picnics, pro- 
 pose that they shall go for different varieties each time. This 
 will add novelty and zest to the excursions'; and should the 
 distance in some cases be too great for a walk, secure a vehicle 
 with a good reliable driver, and the ride will be particularly 
 enjoyed. This mode of travelling procures another change in 
 the programme, which should be as varied as you can make it. 
 Let the plates for your dinner be of wood or paper, to avoid 
 the necessity of carrying them home. A table-cloth made of 
 large sheets of white paper is a good substitute for damask, and 
 after doing service the paper may be thrown away, leaving 
 your baskets entirely empty to be filled with nuts. 
 
 There grows a nut, highly prized, that is never gathered by 
 nutting-parties. Nor could they see it if they examined every 
 tree throughout the country. Yet it flourishes in this climate, 
 and may be seen any day at the fruit-stores and corner-stands. 
 The shells of these furnish odd fancies for little trifles made by 
 
Nutting- Parties. 
 
 223 
 
 girlish fingers. Cut in the shape of slippers and glued to a 
 card, they seem suitable for a wood-nymph, and the card is 
 used as a birthday or menu card. Strung together with nee- 
 dle and thread, and dressed in costume with black thread for 
 hair, they make quite a good-looking Japanese. 
 
 Glued on a twig and marked with ink in representation of 
 the birds, they look not unlike owls perched on a limb. When 
 divided in halves the shells are transformed into tiny boats with 
 tissue-paper sails. This nut boasts of four names: gouber, pin- 
 dar, ground-nut, and the familiar name of pea-nut. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 HOW TO MAKE A TELEPHONE. 
 
 ELLO ! Hello ! What is it you say ? You can 
 really make a telephone ? What fun ! How far 
 will it work ? You think it can be heard a long 
 distance ? Very good. Could we manage to 
 construct such a one ? How, pray tell us ? 
 
 The answer which came back over the line 
 we give in a more concise form, as follows : 
 The best way to make a simple telephone is to procure two 
 round, medium-sized tin baking-powder boxes, and remove the 
 bottoms with a pair of pinchers ; then soak two pieces of 
 Whatman's drawing-paper, or any other strong paper, in a ba- 
 sin of water for a few moments, and when thoroughly wet take 
 them out and place one smoothly over the end of each box. 
 Fasten these down by winding a waxed cotton twine securely 
 over the paper and box, and tying it tightly (Fig. 137). This 
 done, allow the drums to become wholly dry, when they should 
 be firm, even, and without wrinkles. Next cut away that por- 
 tion of the paper which stands out, frill-like, beyond the string, 
 and paste a narrow strip of paper around over the twine (Fig. 
 138). Wax a piece of string of the desired length, and with a 
 large needle or pin carefully punch a hole in the centre of each 
 drum ; thread one end of the waxed string through one of the 
 holes and make a large knot in the end, then cautiously pull 
 the string until the knot rests on the inside surface of the paper. 
 
How to Make a Telephone. 
 
 225 
 
 Connect the other box to the string in like manner, so that the 
 twine will have a box fastened on each end. 
 
 The telephone is now ready for use ; and if the distance is 
 short, the line may be stretched taut from 
 
 point to point. But should 
 
 the space be great, supports 
 
 will be needed and loops 
 
 must be made of the twine 
 
 and fastened at intervals on 
 
 trees, corners of the houses, 
 
 or any available points, with 
 
 the connecting cord passed 
 
 through these loops (Fig. 
 
 139), which act as supports. 
 Keep the course of the waxed string as 
 straight as possible, and, as far as practi- 
 cable, avoid sharp angles. This style of telephone we know, 
 from personal experience, works perfectly at the distance of 
 
 fifty yards, and doubtless it will do as well when the line is 
 stretched much farther. Be particular, in selecting the tin 
 
226 
 
 Aittmnn. 
 
 baking-powder boxes, to have them round and even ; if they 
 are old and battered the experiment may not prove satisfactory. 
 
 We find the telephone very 
 useful and convenient, be- 
 sides affording any amount 
 of amusement and fun ; with 
 its aid we converse w^'h ac- 
 quaintances, even though 
 they be at a distance. The 
 friendly little instrument car- 
 ries the voice all along the 
 slender line to the very ears 
 of our best friend, and we 
 can chat away as freely and 
 almost as easily as if side by 
 side. What a comfort to be 
 able, when seated in your 
 own room, to listen to the 
 voice of some companion, 
 Listening. living perhaps blocks away, 
 
 and it is such a pleasure, too, to have questions answered 
 immediately, which is impossible in communications made by 
 letter. Nor is this a pleasure to be enjoyed at rare intervals, 
 for as long as the telephone lasts it can be used at any time 
 for a short or long talk, as one may feel inclined. The con- 
 sultations, the plans, the sport, and merriment to be had with 
 the telephone can scarcely be appreciated by one who is not 
 the happy possessor of such an instrument. 
 
 When the weather will not permit of a walk or a visit, the 
 telephone brings us, if not face to face, at least within speak- 
 ing distance of those to whom we desire to talk. 
 
 There are many other easy methods of making telephones. 
 They can be manufactured as described without waxing the 
 
How to Make a Telephone. 
 
 227 
 
 string, or the boxes may be used unaltered, in which case the 
 tin bottoms serve as drums, and the holes for the string are 
 made in the centre of each by driving a small tack through. 
 With these instruments the voice cannot be sent a great dis- 
 tance, but when only a short line is needed they succeed very 
 well. 
 
 More complicated telephones are made with the drums of 
 bladder and the line of soft, flexible wire. Though good and 
 serviceable, they are more 
 difficult to make and require 
 more time and labor. 
 
 The two beef-bladders 
 used for such a telephone 
 must first be blown up, tied, 
 and left about thirty hours, 
 or until they are stretched, 
 but not dried. When in 
 proper condition, cut off the 
 necks and portion of the 
 ends, then soak them in 
 warm water, and they will 
 become very pliable and 
 light in color. Having pre- 
 viously prepared two square 
 pieces of board by very care- 
 fully cutting out a perfect 
 circle in the centre of each, 
 about as large as a medium- 
 sized pie-pan or a tea-plate, 
 
 place the bladders smoothly speaking 
 
 but not tightly over the 
 
 openings, allowing the outside of the bladder to come on the 
 bottom, and fasten it all around the circle, a little distance 
 
228 
 
 Autitmn. 
 
 from the edge, with tacks so driven in that they may be easily 
 removed. 
 
 Try the drums with your finger ; if they stretch evenly they 
 are correct, if they wrinkle, change them until they stretch per- 
 fectly smooth. Then tack a piece of firm tape securely around 
 the edge of the circle, and cut off the bladder reaching beyond 
 the tape. Next fasten four feet of soft, flexible wire to a large- 
 sized gutta-percha button by threading it through the two op- 
 posite holes in the centre of the button ; pass the other end of 
 the wire through the middle of the bladder, bringing the button 
 flat against its surface. 
 
 After attaching a weight of about seven pounds to the end 
 of the wire, place the drum in the sun until perfectly dry. Pro- 
 ceed with the other in the same manner, and when both are 
 well dried, fasten one on each end of the line and attach the 
 drum-wires to the principal wire by loops ; then stretch it firm 
 and tight. This telephone will also need loops for supports, 
 which should be of wire. When the instrument is carefully 
 and properly made it will carry the voice three or four miles or 
 more, giving every word and tone distinctly and clearly. 
 
 <5 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 HOW TO DRAW.* 
 
 OULD you like to learn to draw, to sketch 
 from nature ? Don't you think that it 
 would be delightful to be able to take out 
 your pencils and paper and copy some scene 
 you want to remember, or produce a likeness 
 of any bird or animal which strikes your 
 fancy ? 
 
 Many will say, " I'd like it very well, but 
 I can't draw." 
 
 You can write, can hold a pencil, and 
 trace lines upon the paper ; and if you can 
 do this, you can draw a little. A girl 
 who can learn anything can learn to draw 
 if she will give the same attention to it 
 that she gives to other things. 
 
 Now we are not going to talk about 
 copying pictures which someone else has 
 already drawn, for there is not much sat- 
 isfaction in making imitations of other -? 
 people's work ; it is much more gratifying to make the original 
 drawings ourselves ; but to do this we need some direction. 
 
 * The material for this chapter is from an article written by Professor 
 Frank Beard for Harper's Young People. By permission of Harper & 
 Brothers. 
 
 I 
 
230 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 The reason it is easier 
 to copy a picture than to draw 
 the real object is because the 
 lines to be copied are all laid 
 out on the flat surface of the 
 picture ; but to draw the object 
 we must find out where to trace 
 the lines for ourselves. 
 
 For instance, suppose we are 
 to draw a flower-pot and plant. 
 If we have the picture before 
 us, we can readily see where all 
 
 the lines are placed upon the paper, but in viewing a real plant 
 and pot we are apt to become confused in trying to discover the 
 directions and proportions of the lines. 
 
How to Draw. 
 
 231 
 
 Therefore we must learn to see things as they appear, not as 
 they really are. This may seem strange to you, because one 
 is apt to think that a thing must appear as it is ; but let us look 
 into the matter. 
 
 We will take a square box (Fig. 140). Now, we know that 
 all the sides are the same size, that the top is as large as the 
 side, and that one side is as large as an- 
 other ; but if you try to draw it so, you will 
 find it impossible, because, although you 
 know that the top and sides are the same 
 size as the front, they do not look so, and 
 you draw things as they look, not as they 
 really are. 
 
 What would our cube look like if we 
 tried to make the sides K and H just like 
 the side I ? Why, like Fig. 141. Don't 
 you see that would be no box at all ? 
 
 Take another example. We all know 
 that a man's leg is longer than his arm, but 
 it doesn't always appear so. Measure the 
 arms and legs of Fig. 142, and you will see 
 by actual measurement the arms are longer 
 than the legs, and yet it looks right, be- 
 cause the legs are projected toward you ; 
 in other words, the legs are fore shortened. 
 
 The great secret of drawing from nature is to train the eye 
 to see a real object just like a picture. 
 
 Now let us return to our flower-pot again. We will suppose 
 we are drawing from a real flower-pot and plant. We determine 
 how large we will make our sketch, and begin operations by 
 drawing a vertical line (a straight upright line). Along this line 
 we will mark out the proportions of the plant and pot, as in 
 143- 
 
232 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 We may easily discover that the plant is longer than the pot 
 This can be done by holding the pencil upright before the eye 
 at arm's length, as in Fig. 144, so that it will cover the pot, and 
 measuring by the thumb the height of the pot, then raising the 
 arm so as to cover the plant, and comparing the measurement 
 of the pot with the plant. The lines drawn from the eye Fig. 
 144) show how the pencil makes the measurement on the object. 
 
 After settling the question of the height of the flower-pot 
 and plant, we will mark the measurements on the line. And 
 
 now we will draw in the pot, leaving the straight line through 
 its centre. 
 
 On observing the plant we will see that it is not exactly 
 straight, and here again the straight line will be of assistance. 
 
 By holding up our pencil, which represents the straight line, 
 we will discover that the main stem of the plant leans consider- 
 ably to the left. Guided by the line, we can get the curve of 
 the stem about right. Now we sketch the stem. . Along the 
 straight line we again measure the distance from the top of each 
 
How to Draw. 
 
 233 
 
 leaf and flower to the pot, as in Fig. 145. We can see several 
 leaves, each reaching a certain height. Observing the same 
 plan of measurement, we find that the top of the lowest leaf is 
 about the same height from the pot as the height of the pot it- 
 self, and again from the top of the lowest leaf to the top of the 
 plant measures the same distance. 
 
 By drawing another vertical line just toucning the right side 
 of the pot, we find that it touches the ex- 
 treme edge of the leaf. Thus we find the 
 exact situation of the leaf. By the same 
 method we find the right places for the 
 other leaves and flowers, and after we 
 know just where they belong, we draw 
 them in, and find that we have produced 
 a very creditable outline from nature. 
 
 We need not confine ourselves to one 
 or two guiding lines in sketching an ob' 
 ject ; in fact, we may use as many straight 
 lines as will help us to get the correct pro- 
 portions ; not only vertical and horizontal 
 lines, but slanting lines will also assist us 
 in most cases. 
 
 The sketch of a dog (Fig. 146) will 
 give an idea of the way to employ all 
 lines necessary in sketching from nature. 
 A few words will be all that is necessary to explain this illus- 
 tration. 
 
 There lies the dog on the floor, and we seat ourselves at a 
 little distance from it with pencil and paper. We will start off 
 with a horizontal line (A) ; then we can form some idea as to 
 whether the little dog lies along a straight line, or in case the 
 bottom line slants, how much it slants. Then draw the vertical 
 line (B E). Now suppose we hold our pencil upright, in such a 
 
Autumn. 
 
 position as to touch the back of the knee-joint of the foreleg 
 we will find that it passes through the middle of the dog's back, 
 
 as represented by 
 the line (B E) ; so 
 we have found the 
 places for these 
 parts. 
 
 Another hori- 
 zontal line (C D) 
 drawn above the 
 first will touch just 
 over the right eye, 
 pass through the middle of the left ear, through the middle of 
 the neck, cut off the foreleg, and run along the top of the two 
 hind legs, passing through the knee of the left one. This will 
 show us that the top of the right eye, the ear, and the top of 
 both hindlegs are on a line. It will also help us to get the 
 proportions above and below the line ; then by drawing a line 
 from D to the point F on the horizontal line A, we find that 
 the lower edges of the left hind and fore legs 
 are on the same line, which, if extended a 
 little farther down, will touch the edge of 
 the dog's mouth. With these lines to guide 
 us we cannot go far astray in our propor- 
 tions. 
 
 One of the chief difficulties in following 
 this method of drawing from nature is to 
 hold our measuring-stick exactly vertical or 
 horizontal. This difficulty can be overcome 
 by providing yourself with a T-square (Fig. 
 147) and attaching to it, at the point P, a 
 string with a weight tied on the other end so that it will hang 
 plumb. By using this we can be sure whether we hold it 
 
How to Draw. 235 
 
 straight or not, for in case we tip it too much on one side or the 
 other the string will swerve from the middle of the upright stick. 
 Of course, whenever we hold the T-square perfectly straight, 
 the string will fall straight down the middle of the upright, and 
 the top of the T will then give us a true horizontal line. A lit- 
 tle thought and practice will lead you to thoroughly understand 
 this method, and when you really understand it you will have 
 an unerring guide to assist you. Of course, as the eye and 
 hand become more trained, with practice and observation, the 
 work will become easier, and you will not need the T-square. 
 
 In beginning the practice of drawing from nature, we had 
 better confine our first efforts to things that will stand still, 
 for without a practised hand it will be almost impossible to 
 sketch a restless subject ; but if we attempt to do so, we 
 should follow the methods before taught as nearly as possible. 
 
 Now, suppose we step out of doors in search of something 
 to sketch. The first moving object our eyes rest upon is a 
 goose, and we decide to use him as a model. 
 
 But he is so restless, will not keep still an instant. First we 
 have a front view, then a side view, and again he turns his 
 back upon us. If we really must have his picture, the only way 
 is to catch him and tie him up. 
 
 Yet even now he is a difficult subject, twisting and turning, 
 and bobbing his head about. Determined on sketching him, 
 however, we observe the position in which he remains the long- 
 est time, or assumes oftenest, and begin our work. 
 
 We first note the general proportions. Is his body as thick 
 as it is long ? Is his neck as long as his body ? Are his legs 
 nearest the head or tail ? Is the head as long as the neck ? 
 What part reaches the highest, or what part the lowest ? We 
 hastily but carefully consider these questions and determine in 
 our own mind the answers, for we must get an idea of the pro* 
 portions before we begin our sketch. 
 
236 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Now we draw a horizontal line along our paper, and then 
 hold up our pencil horizontally, so that it will answer for a 
 
 straight line drawn across the 
 body of the real goose (Fig. 
 148). This will represent the 
 horizontal 
 
 ^* line on the 
 
 paper." No- 
 ticing then 
 the direc- 
 tions the 
 outlines of 
 the goose 
 
 take from the horizontal line (represented by the pen- 
 cil), we sketch them in on the paper, remembering 
 that one of the most important things is to get the right direc- 
 tions of the lines. 
 
 Observe that in Fig. 149 the line G is directed to too high 
 a point, and makes the body too thick and out of proportion. 
 
 In sketching it is best to make all lines straight instead of 
 curves, for in this way we are more likely to get the right direc- 
 
How to Draw. 237 
 
 
 tions. Our first rough sketch of the goose ought to have some- 
 thing of the appearance of Fig. 150, and as we work it up more 
 carefully it will become as nicely rounded as we could desire. 
 
 One of the most common faults a beginner is apt to commit 
 is to try to do too much, either by choosing too great a subject, 
 such as a large landscape, or by putting too many little things 
 into the composition. Take care of the large things, and the 
 little things will take care of themselves. 
 
 If our subject be a clump of trees at some distance, we 
 should not attempt to draw in separate leaves, but endeavor to 
 get the true shape of the tree, simply indicating the leaves by a 
 few lines. Neither must we attempt, in our first sketches, to put 
 in all the shadows we see ; the strong principal ones are all that 
 are necessary. A background of hills and trees should be 
 merely suggested by a few lines, because the light striking upon 
 them gives a very light appearance. 
 
 Draw as simply as possible. Ten pictures are spoiled by 
 putting in too much work, where one is spoiled by too little. 
 
 Don't be discouraged. Every effort will show improvement, 
 if you really put your mind and heart in your work. As for 
 
 Materials, 
 
 a sheet of drawing-paper, a No. 2 lead-pencil, and a piece of soft 
 rubber are all you really need to commence with. Later it will 
 be well to have a drawing-pad and several more pencils. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 HOW TO PAINT IN WATER-COLORS. 
 
 HERE is a certain charm in water-color paint* 
 ing a charm distinctly its own which lies, ag 
 Penley says, " in the beauty and truthfulness 
 of its aerial tones." Without this quality a 
 water-color, as a water-color, is a failure. 
 
 This transparency of effect does not depend 
 alone upon the manner of painting or the col- 
 ors employed, but much rests with the paper 
 we use. In the days when our mothers and grandmothers 
 were taught painting at school, the finest, smoothest cardboard 
 was thought necessary ; but we have since learned that the flat, 
 smooth paper tends decidedly toward producing a flat, smooth 
 effect in the picture painted upon it, while the rough, uneven 
 surface of the paper now in use helps to produce depth and at- 
 mosphere. Therefore it is always best to have rough paper to 
 paint upon. We give below the 
 
 Materials for Water-Color Painting. 
 
 1. A block of rough drawing or water-color paper. 
 
 It is better to buy it in blocks than by the sheet, as it ig 
 much more easily handled, and is always ready for use. 
 
 2. Brushes. The best brushes are made of sable, and al- 
 though costing more to begin with, it is really more econom 
 
How to Paint in Water-Colors. 239 
 
 ical to purchase them than to choose the less expensive camel's- 
 hair ; for the sable are by far the most satisfactory, and will last 
 much longer. Three or four brushes are sufficient. As Devoe 
 & Co. number them, they should range between No. 3, which 
 is small enough for ordinary painting, and No. 19, for clouds, 
 backgrounds, etc. 
 
 3. Colors. A tin sketching-box of moist colors, which also 
 contains a palette, is very useful, but the colors can be bought 
 separately in tubes or pans. 
 
 Water-color painting seems by its qualities to be especially 
 adapted to flowers and landscapes, and as this is to be a chap- 
 ter, not a book, on water-colors, we will confine ourselves to 
 the principal points to be observed in these two departments, 
 and will commence with the 
 
 Flowers. 
 
 Few oil-paintings, however well executed, give the deli- 
 cate, exquisite texture of a flower as nearly as water-colors. 
 The semitransparency of a rose-petal, the juicy, translucent 
 green of the young leaf, it is difficult to truthfully represent 
 in other than these colors, whose essential quality is transpar- 
 ency. To preserve this transparency of color, everything about 
 the painting must be kept exceedingly neat. The brushes 
 must be thoroughly washed before using them for a different 
 tint from that already upon them, and plenty of water, changed 
 frequently, is necessary. 
 
 Having arranged your materials conveniently upon a table, 
 place your paper so that it will lie at an angle slanting toward 
 you, not perfectly flat upon the table; this can be done by put- 
 ting books under the edge farthest from you, thus raising it up. 
 Stand the flowers you wish to copy in such a position that the 
 light will fall upon them only from one direction and pro- 
 16 
 
240 
 
 duce decided shadows ; the effect will then be much better than 
 when the light is more diffused. 
 
 Always arrange your model exactly as you want to paint it, 
 and leave nothing to your idea of how it ought to look. If you 
 do not intend to have any background other than the white pa- 
 per, place something white behind your flowers. If you want 
 a colored background, arrange the color you have chosen be- 
 hind the flowers, and paint 
 it as you see it. Commence 
 your work by sketching 
 lightly, as correctly and rapidly as you 
 can, the outline of your flower. Try 
 
 something simple at first ; say a bunch o\ 
 heart's-ease or pansies, and when drawing 
 them try to get the character of both flow- 
 er and leaf. Observe how the stem curves 
 where it is attached to the flower, and at what angles the stems 
 of the flowers and the leaves join the main stalk. Given char- 
 acter, an outline drawing painted in flat tints will closely re- 
 semble nature ; without it, the most beautifully finished paint- 
 ing will not look like the flower it is intended to represent. 
 
 When your outline is drawn in, dip your largest brush 
 in clear water, and go over the whole surface of your paper 
 
How to Paint in loafer- Colors. 241 
 
 then place a piece of blotting-paper over the paper to soak up 
 the water, leaving it simply damp, not wet. 
 
 If you are using tube colors, have ready on a porcelain 
 palette, or ordinary dinner-plate, these colors : crimson lake, 
 cobalt blue, indigo, Prussian blue, and gamboge. Put in your 
 lightest tints first, leaving the white paper for the highest light ; 
 then paint in your darker tints and shadows, and get the effect. 
 
 If your flower is what we call the johnny-jump-up, the lowest 
 petal will be yellow. Paint this in with a light wash of gam- 
 boge, leaving, as we have said, the white paper for touches of 
 high light. The two upper petals will probably be a deep 
 claret-color ; this is made by mixing crimson lake and cobalt 
 blue, the crimson lake predominating. The two central petals 
 may be a bluish lavender, and this color is made by mixing a 
 little crimson lake with cobalt blue. Use plenty of water ; but 
 do not let it run, and keep the colors of the petals distinct. 
 
 Paint the stems and leaves, where they are a rich green, with 
 a mixture of gamboge and Prussian blue, and where they ap- 
 pear gray as the light touches them, a pale wash of indigo will 
 give the desired effect. 
 
 Keep your shadows broad and distinct, and your tints as 
 flat as you can. Leave out details altogether in your first 
 paintings, and add them afterward only when you can do so 
 without spoiling the effect. 
 
 When a tinted background is desired, put it in quickly in a 
 flat tint, before commencing the flowers. It is best not to bring 
 the tint quite up to the outline, as a narrow edge of white left 
 around the flower gives a pleasant, sketchy look to the painting. 
 
 Landscapes. 
 
 In your first studies from nature keep to simple subjects, 
 and treat them simply, without any attempt at elaboration. 
 
242 Autumn. 
 
 Choose, for instance, a picturesque corner of an old fence, with 
 perhaps a bit of field and sky for the background. Sketch in 
 the principal features in the foreground in outline, and indicate 
 the horizon, if it conies in the picture. 
 
 Penley says, in his " System of Water-Color Painting," 
 " White paper is too opaque to paint upon without some wash 
 of color being first passed over it," and he recommends a thin 
 wash of yellow oclire and brown madder, which should be 
 put all over the surface of the paper except on the high lights 
 in the foreground, which are best left crisp and white. 
 
 Notwithstanding what Penley says in this matter, it must be 
 borne in mind that some artists do not believe in successive 
 washes, but claim that the color desired should be put upon the 
 white paper at once. 
 
 If the yellow tint is used, let it become quite dry and then 
 wash it over with a large brush and clean water ; then, as in 
 the flower painting, soak up the water with blotting-paper ; 
 the blotting-paper must also be quite clean. While the paper is 
 damp, not wet, begin with a blue tint a light wash of cobalt 
 will give it and put in the sky in a fiat tint ; bring the same 
 color down all over your sketch except in the high lights. The 
 blue tint gives atmosphere and distance. Let your paper again 
 become quite dry, and then wash it over as before, in clear water. 
 
 The process of laying on color and lightly washing over it 
 afterward should be repeated several times, " and the result 
 will be a transparent aerial tone." 
 
 Keep your extreme distance bluish, your middle distance 
 warmer in tone, but not too strong, and the principal objects in 
 your foreground strong. 
 
 Leave out small objects, and with light and shade seek to 
 obtain the effect. 
 
 Keep your colors pure or your sketch will be dull. 
 
 Contrast has much to do in producing strength and character, 
 
How to Paint in Water-Colors. 243 
 
 Phillips says that, " in aiming at opposition of color, we must 
 select that which gives force to the foreground, and conse- 
 quently communicates the appearance of air in the distance. 
 Thus, if the general tone of the light be warm and yellow, we 
 should have blues and purples in the foreground ; if the lights 
 be cool, reds and yellows in the foreground give atmosphere to 
 distance, as neither of these colors in a positive state is found 
 in the middle or remote distance." 
 
 The three principal contrasts are blue opposed to orange, 
 red to green, and yellow to purple ; and " a good first lesson in 
 sketching in color will be to put in your shadows with color op- 
 posite to the object in light ; and by carrying out this principle 
 of opposition throughout the scale you will obtain an endless 
 variety of contrasts." It is the general rule in most painting 
 to have cool shadows to warm lights, and warm shadows to cool 
 lights. We all know that a green picture is very disagreeable, 
 and although a green field is green, it must not be made in- 
 tensely so. An untrained eye will not see how nature tones 
 down the vivid color with shadows, and softens it with the at- 
 mosphere ; but when the eye has learned to look at nature in 
 the right way this difficulty will be overcome. Howard says, 
 " green must be sparingly used, even in landscapes, whose 
 greatest charm consists of vegetation." 
 
 Foliage in some form will present itself in almost every 
 landscape, and it is therefore necessary to have a few general 
 principles to guide you in this important feature. In sketch- 
 ing trees be sure to get the character of their trunks, limbs, 
 branches, and general form ; also the texture of the bark, rough 
 or smooth. You will see that the foliage appears in layers, one 
 above another. Sketch in the outlines of the principal layers, 
 where they are tipped with light ; then go over the whole tree 
 with a local color, and afterward separate the light from 
 shadow. Each mass is edged with light, while its base is in 
 
244 Autumn. 
 
 shadow, as a rule. Omit details, and keep to your masses of 
 light and shade. If your tree is in the foreground, leave the 
 white paper for crisp touches of high light. The tone of your 
 fence will probably be gray, but do not take it for granted that 
 it is all gray ; look for other colors, and you will find brown, 
 blue, green, and sometimes red. Put these in as you see them, 
 letting the edges melt into each other, as they will do when 
 the paper is damp ; but have each color pure, and do not try to 
 mix them. 
 
 Painting from Notes 
 
 is not as difficult as one might imagine. With a little practice 
 it is easily learned. The following directions will tell how to 
 paint a sunset on the meadows, from notes made at sunset on 
 the meadows on Long Island. 
 
 Take a piece of Whatman's rough drawing-paper, or a kind 
 that is termed egg-shell cartoon, the size decided upon for your 
 picture. Have ready a large dish of clean water, brushes, and 
 paints. Draw a pencil-line along the centre of your paper for 
 your horizon, Fig. 151 ; then directly on the line paint a streak 
 of vermilion. Put the color on quite damp, and make it about 
 half an inch broad, extending one- fourth of an inch on either 
 side of the horizon-line, Fig. 152. Next, quickly paint a yellow 
 streak above and below the red one, making each streak of the 
 same size and parallel, and leaving a little white paper between 
 the different colors, Fig. 153. With a clean brush dipped in 
 clean water carefully moisten the paper between the streaks, 
 and allow the edges of the colors to mingle, Fig. 154. Before 
 this has time to dry, paint a blue streak above and below, 
 about half an inch from the yellow, Fig. 155 ; then with the 
 clean brush dampen the white paper between, being careful not 
 to get it too wet ; there should be just enough moisture to en- 
 able the colors to flow and mingle at the edges, Fig. 156. This 
 
- 
 
 How to Paint in Water-Colors. 245 
 
 may be aided by holding the paper first one side up and then 
 the other, until the edges are evenly blended. Now, before 
 the horizon is quite dry, while it is still damp enough to cause 
 
 Ky.ISt 
 
 How to Paint a Sunset in Water- Colors. 
 
 the paint to spread, fill a brush with Payne's gray, which should 
 be rather dark and not too wet, touch the point of your brush 
 here and there along the horizon, now a little above and now a 
 
246 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 little below, and you will find that the paint will spread and make 
 
 excellent 
 trees for the 
 distance, Fig. 
 
 157- 
 
 When 
 your work is 
 dry enough 
 to paint over 
 without 
 spreading the 
 color, mix 
 some green 
 and black, 
 and green 
 
 and brown; paint in the meadow, using ine color made of green 
 
 and black for the extreme and middle distance, the color made 
 
 of green and 
 
 brown for the 
 
 foreground, 
 
 leavingspaces 
 
 for streams 
 
 and ponds, 
 
 and your sun- 
 set upon the 
 
 meadow is 
 
 finished. A 
 
 pretty little 
 
 sketch it is, 
 
 too, Fig. 158. 
 
 A differ- *&- m 
 
 Leaf from an Artist's Note-Book. 
 
 ent composi- 
 tion can be made by proceeding as directed as far as Fig. 
 
How to Paint in Water- Colors. 
 
 247 
 
 and then, instead of putting in trees on the horizon, hills run- 
 ning to points in the water can be painted in a flat tint with 
 the Payne's gray, and a vessel with masts painted in the fore- 
 ground, as in Fig. 159. This also makes a pretty and effective 
 little sketch. 
 
 Fig. 160 shows sunset notes taken while aboard a ferryboat 
 in the winter of 1886-87. From these you can see just how the 
 notes are made ; but you must makejj>0#r own notes, because 
 what is perfectly intelligible to the writer of the sunset memo- 
 randa is an enigma to another person. For example, in Fig. 
 160, " Rose-tinted sky" may mean almost any shade of red, or 
 blue and red mixed, but "Rose-tinted sky" no doubt brings 
 before the mind's eye of the writer of the notes the exact color 
 of the sky at the time the notes were made. 
 
A Study in OIL 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 HOW TO PAINT IN OIL-COLORS. 
 
 HE difference between oil- and water-color 
 painting lies in- the fact that, although espe- 
 cially well adapted to the portrayal of some 
 subjects, water-color has its limitations, 
 while with oil-colors any subject, from the 
 simplest study in still-life to the grandest 
 
 conception of a great artist, can be represented, and no limit 
 
 has yet been reached in its possibilities. 
 
 But there are first steps to be taken in all things, and the 
 
 greatest artist who ever lived had to make a beginning and learn 
 
 the preliminaries of painting before he could produce a picture. 
 
 To these steps, then, we will turn our attention, and the first 
 
 will be the necessary 
 
 Materials. 
 
 The following list of colors, with their combinations, will be 
 found sufficient for most purposes. 
 
 YELLOWS. 
 
 Yellow Ochre, 
 Naples Yellow, 
 Light Cadmium, 
 Orange Cadmium. 
 
 REDS. BLUES. GREENS. 
 
 Vermilion, Permanent Blue, Terre Verte, 
 
 Light Red, Cobalt, Emerald Green, 
 
 Indian Red, Antwerp Blue. Light Zinnober 
 Venetian Red, Green. 
 
 Burnt Sienna, Rose Madder. 
 
 Silver White, Raw Umber, Vandyke Brown, Ivory Black. 
 
250 Autumn. 
 
 Winsor & Newton's colors are acknowledged by most ar- 
 tists to be the best, but the writer personally prefers German 
 white, as in her opinion it is not so stiff, and mixes better with 
 other colors than the Winsor & Newton. 
 
 The Easel 
 
 may be simply a pine one, which can be purchased from any 
 dealer at the cost of about one dollar. More elaborate easels 
 are, of course, more expensive ; but as the merits of a picture do 
 not depend upon the easel which holds it, a common pine one 
 will do. 
 
 The Palette 
 
 should be light in weight and not too small ; oiled and not var- 
 nished. A very light-colored wood is not desirable ; one of 
 walnut or cedar, about eighteen inches long, is the best to use, 
 and will cost from thirty to sixty cents. 
 
 Brushes, 
 
 both of sable and bristles, are used, but we would advise a be- 
 ginner to work with bristle brushes only, for the first attempt 
 should be to obtain a broad style of painting, without the 
 finished details which the sable brushes are used for. 
 
 About four different sizes of flat bristle brushes are needed 
 to commence with ; there should be two of each size, the larg- 
 est one inch wide, and the smallest not more than a quarter of 
 an inch in width. 
 
 The Palette-Knife 
 
 is used for taking up color on the palette, for cleaning the pal- 
 ette, and sometimes for scraping a oicture after its first painting. 
 
How to Paint in Oil- Colors. 251 
 
 It should be flexible, but not too limber. The cost will be from 
 twenty-five cents upward. 
 
 Oil-Cups 
 
 are fastened on to the palette, and are used for oil and turpen- 
 tine. The double ones range in price from eight cents to 
 twenty. The single ones, without cover, can be bought for 
 five cents. 
 
 A Paint-Box 
 
 for holding colors, palette, and brushes will cost from one dollar 
 and twenty-five cents up. It is convenient to have one, and 
 necessary when going out sketching, but for painting at home 
 any kind of tin box will answer for the paints. The palette can 
 be hung up, and the brushes put in a vase or jar, handles down- 
 ward, which will keep them nicely. 
 
 Mediums. 
 
 Boiled linseed-oil or poppy-oil, s.'ccatif Courtray, and tur- 
 pentine. 
 
 Canvas. 
 
 In selecting canvas choose that of a warm-gray or creamy tone, 
 for it is difficult to give warmth to a picture painted on a cold- 
 gray canvas. The German sketching-canvas is quite cheap, 
 and does very well to commence on. It is best to buy it on the 
 stretcher, as a girl's fingers are seldom strong enough to stretch 
 the canvas as tight as it should be. A very good sketching-can- 
 vas, 18x24, can be bought in New York City for twenty-five 
 cents. 
 
 Several clean pieces of old white cotton-cloth are necessary 
 for wiping brushes, cleaning knife and palette, etc. 
 
252 Autumn. 
 
 The Light 
 
 in the studio, or room in which you paint, should come from one 
 direction only, and fall from above. This can be managed 
 by covering the lower sash of the window with dark muslin, or 
 anything that will shut out the light. A shawl will answer for a 
 temporary curtain. 
 
 Most artists prefer that while painting the light should 
 come from behind over the left shoulder. 
 
 Our advice to beginners in all the departments of art is the 
 same : commence with simple subjects. 
 
 Your first study should be from still life (which means any in- 
 animate object used for artistic study), and let the object selected 
 be of a shape that requires but little drawing ; for your aim now 
 is to learn to handle your colors, and it is not desirable to have 
 your mind distracted by complicated drawing. A vase placed 
 on a piece of drapery, which is also brought up to form the 
 background, is a good subject ; the drapery should be of one 
 color, and of a tone that will contrast agreeably with the vase 
 and give it prominence. 
 
 Arrange whatever object you have decided to paint so that 
 it will show decided masses of light and shade ; place your easel 
 at a sufficient distance from it to obtain the general effect of 
 shape and color without seeing too much detail ; arrange your 
 canvas on the easel so that you will neither have to look up 
 nor down upon it, but straight before you ; then sketch in the 
 object you are about to copy in outline. Observe the edges of 
 the heaviest shadows, and draw them also in outline. Char- 
 coal is better than a pencil for sketching on canvas, as it can 
 be easily rubbed off with a clean cloth if the drawing is incor- 
 rect. When the sketch is finished, dust off the charcoal lightly 
 and go over the lines again with a camel's-hair brush and India 
 ink. 
 
How to Paint in Oil-Colors. 
 
 '53 
 
 Setting the Palette 
 
 is a term used for arranging the colors in a convenient man- 
 ner upon the palette. The colors should always occupy the 
 same position, so that, the places once learned, you will never 
 be at a loss to find the color you want. Fig. 161 shows a con- 
 
 
 Fig. 161. Manner of Arranging Colors on Parette. 
 
 venient arrangement of colors, as well as 
 
 the position of the oil-cans. 
 Fill one of your oil-cans one-third full of turpentine, to which 
 add enough siccatif Courtray to turn it the color of strong 
 coffee. Dip one of your good-sized brushes in this mixture and 
 scrape it off on the edge of the can, that the brush may not be 
 too wet ; then take up some burnt sienna on the brush and put 
 it on your palette about an inch or so below the terre verte, 
 add some terre verte, and mix the two with your brush. Lay 
 in all the shadows of the vase, or whatever object you are about 
 
254 Autumn. 
 
 to paint, in a flat, even tone with the color thus formed, keep- 
 ing it thin with the turpentine and siccatif. 
 
 Mix a tint as near the required color as you can, and go 
 over the whole background without regard to light or shade ; 
 cover all the background ; do not leave any white or bare can- 
 vas showing. 
 
 The general effect being thus obtained, it is easier to see 
 what colors are needed for further painting. 
 
 Select a medium tint between the high lights and half-tones, 
 and paint in the lights of the vase in a flat, even tint ; then go 
 over the shadows again with a medium tone, still keeping them 
 in one flat, even mass. Should you lose the outline at any 
 time, dip a rag in turpentine and wash off the paint that cov- 
 ers it. 
 
 Having progressed this far, the painting should be left to 
 dry. 
 
 The turpentine and siccatif Courtray have such drying prop- 
 erties that by the next day you may work again on the study. 
 
 Begin the second painting by putting in the half-tints. These 
 unite the decided light and shade, and should be dragged over 
 their edges, but not blended with them. Once more go over 
 the shadows, strengthening them and putting in the reflected 
 lights. 
 
 Add more color in the lights where it is needed, and put in 
 the high lights with clear, crisp touches. Work on your back- 
 ground in this second painting. Indicate the shadows, but do 
 not make them strong, except the one which will probably be 
 cast by the object ; that can be strengthened, as it helps to set 
 the object out from the background and gives the idea of space. 
 Do not make the background strong ; keep it toned down, that 
 it may not become too prominent. Drag the background a lit- 
 tle over the edges of the vase, or whatever it may be you are 
 painting, and then paint over it again with the colors of the 
 
How to Paint in Oil-Colors. 255 
 
 vase. Do this while working around the edges of the vase, or 
 object, to prevent its looking flat, as if it were pasted on. 
 
 These directions are to be applied to painting any subject ; 
 but after you have learned how to manage the colors and wish 
 to really paint a picture, the medium must be changed from tur- 
 pentine and siccatif Courtray to oil, either linseed or poppy, 
 using the turpentine only for the first effect of shadow. 
 
 When oil is used it will require two or three days for the 
 picture to dry. Many advise the use of but little oil, and there 
 are artists who dissapprove of any medium at all. 
 
 Before commencing the second painting, a coating of poppy- 
 oil should be put all over the canvas with a large, flat camel's- 
 hair brush. Every bit should be covered without touching the 
 brush twice to the same spot. This softens the first coat of 
 paint sufficiently to allow of its blending with the next. If a 
 raw potato be cut in half and rubbed over the painting before 
 the oil is put on, it will prevent the oil from crawling, or sepa- 
 rating into drops on the canvas. 
 
 Do not use the same brushes for dark and light tints, but 
 keep them separate. Mix your tints on your palette, the dark 
 tint below the dark colors, and the light tint below the light colors. 
 
 In putting away your work after painting, be sure that the 
 tops are screwed on to all your color-tubes, and arrange them 
 neatly in their box. Clean your palette with the palette-knife, 
 and then wipe it off with a rag. Dip your brushes, one by one, 
 in turpentine and wipe them on a rag ; this removes most of 
 the paint and makes them easier to wash. Warm, not hot, 
 water should be used for washing the brushes. The best way 
 is to hold several brushes in the right hand, their sticks being 
 in an upright position, dip them in the water, rub them on a 
 piece of common soap, and then scrub them round and round 
 on the palm of the left hand ; rinse them in clear water, and 
 wipe dry with a clean rag. 
 
256 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Our limited space will not allow of our going more fully into 
 the details of painting ; but we hope that these directions will 
 give some idea of how to make a beginning as a painter in oil- 
 colors, and after you have made a start you will find two good 
 professors at your elbow to help you along and encourage you 
 Prof. Judgment and Prof. Experience. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 HOW TO MODEL IN CLAY AND WAX. 
 
 'N eminent artist once remarked within the writ- 
 er's hearing that, should he bring into his 
 studio the first dozen boys he happened to 
 meet on the street, taking them as they 
 came, he would probably be able to teach 
 at least half of them to model within six 
 months, whereas there might not be one 
 of them who could be taught to paint at all. Possibly none of 
 these boys would ever become great sculptors, but they could 
 learn to model moderately well. If that is the case with boys, 
 who are apt to be so awkward and clumsy, how quickly could 
 a girl's deft fingers learn to mould and form the plastic clay or 
 wax into life-like forms. In some of the institutions for the 
 blind, deaf and dumb, modelling is taught with great success. 
 Quickly the sensitive fingers of the young inmates run over the 
 object to be copied, and skilfully they reproduce in their clay 
 the form conveyed to them by touch alone. It is pleasant to 
 think that these silent little workers have this new pleasure 
 added to their somewhat limited stock ; but at the same time 
 the fact puts to shame some of us who, having all our faculties, 
 the use of all our senses, and not infrequently artistic ability 
 in addition, do so little with the talents intrusted to our care. 
 
 Let us to work then, girls, and see if we cannot accomplish 
 at least as much as our unfortunate sisters, who have neither 
 sight nor hearing to guide them. 
 
Modelling in Clay. 
 
How to Model in Clay and Wax. 259 
 
 The great difficulty we encounter in learning to draw which 
 is representing things as they appear, not as they really are 
 will not trouble us in this other department of art, for in model- 
 ling it must be our aim to do precisely the reverse, and repro- 
 duce an object exactly as it is, not as it appears. 
 
 Modelling, besides its own worth, is of value as an aid to 
 drawing, for it teaches form, and the shadows on an object can 
 be drawn more intelligently and correctly when it is known just 
 what formations produce them. 
 
 A great deal can be done in modelling without the aid of a 
 teacher. So, not waiting to look up a professor, suppose we 
 commence by ourselves and see what we can do. It is very fas- 
 cinating work, and if a few failures are the result of our first at- 
 tempt, we need not be discouraged, for what others can do, we 
 also can accomplish. 
 
 The writer has lately been initiated into the mysteries of this 
 art, and since, as they say, the person just graduated from a 
 primary department is best fitted to teach in that department, 
 perhaps the hints given here may be better suited to the under- 
 standing of beginners than if they were written by a great 
 sculptor, who might forget that everyone does not know, as 
 well as he does himself, the preliminary steps necessary even in 
 accomplishing the grandest results. 
 
 Instead of entering into the later and more artistically finished 
 processes we will confine ourselves to the prelude or introduc- 
 tion to modelling ; and then, girls, with the object before you, 
 your only guide and instructor, you must work out the rest for 
 yourselves. 
 
 The first thing to do is to provide your 
 
 Materials, 
 
 and here is a list of all you will need : 
 
 I. Clay, such as is used by potters, perfectly free from grit 
 
260 
 
 Autumn, 
 
 2. Modelling-tools. These can be bought at any artists' 
 
 material store, and the simplest ones might be made at home 
 of hard wood. Only a few tools are nec- 
 essary for a beginner ; Fig. 162 shows 
 those most useful. The fingers and thumbs 
 are the best of all tools, and a great deal 
 can be done with them, though for fine, 
 delicate modelling tools must be used. 
 
 3. Modelling-stand. A regular mod- 
 elling-stand with rotary platform will cost 
 from eight to twelve dollars and the ex- 
 pense may be an objection ; but the writer 
 has found that an ordinary high office- 
 stool with revolving seat makes a good 
 substitute. If the stool is not high enough 
 it can be raised by placing on the seat a 
 drawing- or pastry-board, and on top of 
 that a square wooden box about one foot 
 
 high and broad enough to allow sufficient room for a good-sized 
 
 head and bust. 
 
 4. Basin of water and towel for washing and drying the 
 
 hands. 
 
 How to Manage Clay. 
 
 Clay costs, near New York, from one to three cents per 
 pound, and about fifty pounds will be required. If possible buy 
 it moist, but if dry, put it into an earthenware jar, or anything 
 that will hold water, and cover with clear water. Let it remain 
 until thoroughly moistened ; then with a stick stir the clay 
 around as, when a small girl, you did the mud while making 
 mud-pies, until it is free from lumps and is perfectly smooth ; 
 clear away from the sides of the jar and pile it up in the cen* 
 tre. 
 
 Modelling Tools 
 
How to Model in Clay and Wax. 261 
 
 When it is dry enough not to be muddy and is still pliable, 
 it is in a fit condition to work with. It is necessary to keep 
 your hands perfectly clean and conveni- 
 ences for washing them should be handy. 
 Do not use muddy water or a dusty 
 towel. 
 
 Use any tools that will produce the 
 result desired with the greatest ease ; a 
 little experience will soon determine 
 what they are, but as a rule the largest 
 are best. 
 
 When leaving unfinished work cover 
 it with a damp cloth to keep it moist. 
 If you are working on a head, and the features have been com- 
 menced, stick a small wooden tool in the head just above the 
 forehead to hold the cloth away from the face, for it is liable to 
 soften the nose and push it out of shape if it rests upon it. 
 
 A frame made of laths (Fig. 163) covered with oil-cloth or 
 rubber (an old gossamer water-proof will be just the thing), 
 placed over the modelling, will keep it better than the cloth, as 
 it excludes the air and prevents its dry- 
 ing (Fig. 164). When using the frame, 
 sprinkle your work by dipping a clean 
 whisk-broom into water and shaking it 
 over the clay. Remember, the clay 
 must always be kept moist and pliable 
 and never allowed to dry. If it does 
 become dry and hard there is nothing to 
 do but to put it back into the jar, and go 
 through the process of damping it again. 
 Keep your tools clean, and do not 
 allow the metal ones to become rusty, as they will if carelessly 
 left on the modelling-stand when not in use. To avoid trouble 
 
262 
 
 of this kind it is best to put your tools in a box where they 
 will be perfectly dry. Unless you wish to go through one of 
 the writer's first experiences, when she was obliged to let her 
 tools lie in a pan of kerosene oil for two days, and then clean 
 them with knife-brick. 
 
 How to Preserve Modelled Clay. 
 
 If terra-cotta clay is used, it can be baked in a kiln, which 
 will, while hardening, turn it a fine buff terra-cotta color, and 
 make the object, if well modelled, ornamental enough for almost 
 any use. 
 
 From the other clay, plaster casts can be taken, and the ar- 
 ticle reproduced in plaster as many times as desired. 
 
 Hints for Modelling a Head. 
 
 Always work from a model, and it is best to try copying 
 plaster casts before attempting to model from life. 
 
 Place on the centre of your stand a wooden or tin box (a 
 
 How to Model a Head. 
 
 cigar-box will do) to form the base ; cover this with clay in the 
 form of Fig. 165, and stick a support in the middle, as shown in 
 
How to Model in Clay and Wax. 263 
 
 diagram. The support may be a piece of kindling-wosd eight 
 inches long and about one inch thick. 
 
 Build up the clay around this stick, as in Fig. 166, and with 
 your hands mould the clay, piecing it out here, and cutting rff 
 there, until it bears some resemblance to a head, as in Fig. 167. 
 
 Still using your hands, get the general proportions of the 
 head, and then commence the features. Begin with the profile, 
 using tools when necessary, and try for character without de- 
 tail ; then turn the head a little and work from that point of 
 view ; always look at your model from the same point of view 
 as you do your work. Turn the head in the opposite direction 
 and model the other side, keeping the face evenly balanced. 
 Continue turning your work little by little, until each outline it 
 presents is as near as you can get like the corresponding out- 
 line of your model, and then work up the detail. 
 
 In modelling any object the same process, of viewing the 
 model from all points, must be gone through with. 
 
 Do not strive to obtain a likeness at first, but be careful to 
 have all of your outlines correct, and the likeness will come of 
 itself. 
 
 How to Model in Wax. 
 
 Modelling-wax prepared at home is much better than any 
 that can be purchased. The following recipe is a very good 
 one : 
 
 Modelling- wax. 
 
 I pound pure yellow beeswax. 
 
 y 2 pound corn-starch. 
 
 4 ounces Venice turpentine. 
 
 1 1^ ounce Venetian red powder. 
 
 ^ ounce sweet-oil. 
 
 Put the wax on the stove in a saucepan and let it melt ; take 
 
264 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 off and pour in the turpentine. Never attempt to add this while 
 the wax is near the fire, as it is extremely dangerous. It is 
 
 a good idea, when buying 
 the ingredients, to have the 
 oil and turpentine put in the 
 same bottle (which should 
 have a wide neck), then they 
 can be poured into the wax 
 at the same time. Warm 
 the bottle of oil and turpen- 
 tine in hot water to soften 
 before mixing with the wax. 
 Keep stirring all the time. 
 Pour in the corn-starch and 
 Venetian red. When the 
 corn-starch is dissolved the 
 wax is ready for use. 
 
 Modelling-wax is much 
 more expensive than clay; it 
 is used principally for small 
 objects and those that re- 
 quire fine workmanship. It 
 is quite useful for sketchy 
 work, as it may be carried 
 about almost like a sketch- 
 book, and being so much 
 cleaner than clay, it can be 
 used even in the parlor with- 
 out damage to table or car- 
 pet. With the wax on a small 
 
 Bas-relief Figure in Wax. . . . ,. 
 
 board one can sit at a table 
 
 and work very comfortably. The tools for clay modelling may 
 also be used for wax ; probably the smallest will be most useful, 
 
How to Model in Clay and Wax. 265 
 
 As cold weather advances, we like to pass the evenings in 
 some agreeable occupation, that may be carried on without dis- 
 turbing the family 
 group around the 
 fireside. For such 
 occasions, modelling 
 in wax will make a 
 pleasant pastime. 
 Sitting quietly, tak- 
 ing part in the gen- 
 eral conversation, or 
 listening while some- 
 one reads aloud, one 
 may model the wax 
 into many pretty 
 forms to be preserved 
 afterward in plaster, 
 or, obtaining a pro- 
 file view, a likeness 
 of one of the group maybe done in bas-relief. If a slate is 
 used to work on, it will make a good foundation, and the head 
 can first be drawn on it in outline and the wax built over it, 
 using the drawing as a guide. The slate is smooth and firm, 
 and it is a good idea to use it as a foundation for all wax bas- 
 relief, especially when plaster casts arc to be taken from the 
 modelling, for in that case the panel forming the background 
 must be perfectly even. 
 
 Bas-relief Head in Wax. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 HOW TO MAKE PLASTER CASTS. 
 
 T is not at all difficult ; anyone can succeed in it who 
 will take the pains to follow carefully the directions 
 given here for making plaster casts. Without the 
 knowledge of drawing or modelling you can in this 
 way reproduce almost any article in a very short time. 
 Casting in plaster is really so simple a process 
 that even a child can soon learn to manage it nicely. 
 You will need a board, about a foot and a half 
 square, upon which to work, fifteen or twenty pounds of clay, 
 five pounds of plaster-of- Paris, a cup of warm melted lard, and 
 several small wooden pegs ; these can be made of wooden 
 tooth-picks or matches broken in two. 
 
 Select an object with few angles and a smooth surface to ex- 
 periment on ; a firm round apple will do. Rub the lard all 
 over the apple until every particle is greased ; then lay it in 
 the centre of your board. Take some clay and pack it around 
 it just as high as the middle of the apple, forming a square, as in 
 Fig. 1 68. Smooth the clay off on the edges and stick pegs in 
 diagonal opposite corners (Fig. 168) ; then with more clay build 
 a wall close around the apple and its case, making the sides one 
 inch higher than the top of the apple (Fig. 169). Put a cupful 
 of clear water into a pan or dish, and stir in enough plaster of 
 Paris to make it like batter ; pour the plaster over the apple, 
 filling the clay box to the top. This makes a half mould of 
 
268 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 clay and a half mould of 
 plaster. 
 
 When the plaster is 
 hard, which will be in a 
 very short time, pull 
 away your clay wall, and 
 take out the apple and 
 half plaster mould to- 
 gether, lifting the apple 
 from its half clay mould. 
 
 Remove the clay from 
 your board and set the 
 plaster mould containing 
 the apple in the centre. 
 Rub lard over the apple 
 and upper edge of the 
 mould, build around it 
 
 '^ 
 
 the clay wall, as you did the first time ; roll a small piece of 
 clay into a slender conical shape and stand it upright on top of 
 
How to Make Plaster Casts. 269 
 
 the apple, as in Fig. 169. This will make a hole through which 
 to pour the plaster when filling the completed mould, and it 
 must stand high enough to reach above the top of the clay 
 wall. 
 
 Pour the plaster over the apple as at first, and let it set or 
 harden. Take away the wall of clay once more, and carefully 
 separate the two parts of the mould with the blade of a table- 
 knife ; remove the apple, and all is ready for the final cast which 
 is to produce your plaster fruit (Fig. i/o). 
 
 Thoroughly grease the inside of your mould, fit the two 
 parts together, and wrap and tie them with string to hold them 
 in place. 
 
 Pour in the plaster, through the hole left in one-half of the 
 mould, until it is quite full ; then gently shake it to send the 
 plaster into all small crevices. 
 
 Let your mould stand without moving again until sufficient 
 time has elapsed for the plaster to harden ; then gently sepa- 
 rate the two parts and you will find a perfect cast of the 
 apple. 
 
 The ridge made by the joining of the mould you must 
 scrape off with a sharp knife, or rub with sand-paper. 
 
 In taking casts of almost any object not too complicated, 
 this same method must be employed. The only difficulty lies 
 in deciding just where to place the dividing-line, which must 
 be exactly at the broadest part of your model, otherwise you 
 will break your mould in taking the object out. 
 
 In casting a hand the clay must be built up around each 
 finger to precisely its widest part ; therefore it is a good plan, be- 
 fore commencing, to mark on the hand, with a fine paint-brush 
 and ink, the line that is to be observed. 
 
 When making casts of long objects, or those that are larger 
 at one end than the other, such as vases, always lay them on 
 one side, as a much better mould can be obtained in that way. 
 
270 Autumn. 
 
 I have read that if milk-and-water is used for mixing the 
 plaster, or, after the cast has hardened, if a little oil, in which 
 wax has been dissolved, be applied to the surface, it will take 
 a high polish ; and if left for a while in a smoky room it will 
 acquire the look of old ivory. 
 
 The same writer also states, without giving the proportions, 
 that liquid gum-arabic and sufficient alum in solution, mixed and 
 put into the slip or soft plaster, will make the cast so hard that 
 it can be set as a panel in a cabinet. 
 
 The dead white of plaster-casts is frequently objected to 
 when they are wanted for ornaments ; but that difficulty is 
 
 - easily overcome by mixing dry 
 colors with the plaster before 
 wetting it. 
 
 /fo./7/ A small quantity of yellow 
 
 ochre will make the plaster 
 creamy or ivory-like ; brown will 
 give a wood color, and red a 
 terra-cotta. 
 
 Plaster-casts can also be 
 
 i^j V ^^U \ Z r $ bronzed with gold, red, or green 
 
 bronze, which makes quite hand- 
 some ornaments of them. A plaster panel in bass-relief, 
 bronzed with gold bronze and mounted on black or dark- 
 colored velvet, is an exceedingly rich wall decoration. 
 
 To mount a panel of this kind you must first secure a smooth, 
 flat piece of board, not more than half an inch thick, and just 
 large enough to allow about four inches of the background to 
 show all around the panel when it is mounted. Cover the board 
 with velvet or velveteen, bringing it smoothly over the edges, 
 and tacking it down at the back. Fasten on it a small brass 
 hook. Fig. 171 is the best kind to use, which is tacke4 to the 
 board with small, brass tacks. 
 
How to Make Plaster Casts. 
 
 27 \ 
 
 Make a ring or loop for hanging the panel in this way : 
 Take a piece of wire about three inches long, form a small 
 
 loop in the middle, and give the wire several twists ; then bend 
 
 the ends out on each side. 
 
 Scrape a narrow place in the top edge of the panel, just 
 
 long enough to admit the wire, and about half an inch deep ; 
 
 then place the wire in this little ditch and fill up the hole to the 
 
 top with soft plaster. When this hardens the ring will be quite 
 
 secure. Fig. 172. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 CHINA PAINTING. 
 
 ERTAINLY you can paint on china ; have 
 confidence, and do not hesitate because you 
 may never have studied art, but select the 
 china you wish to decorate and we will go 
 to work. First, take what is needed for 
 present use from the following 
 
 List of Materials. 
 
 PALETTE. 
 
 A common square, white china tile is the best palette for 
 mineral colors ; but in case you have no tile, an old white plate 
 will answer the purpose. 
 
 BRUSHES. 
 
 These are of camel's-hair, Figs. 173 and 174, are broad and 
 flat, and are used in placing the color on the china when the sur- 
 face is to be tinted. Fig. 175 is for blending the color after it is 
 on the china ; it is called a blender, and is useful where borders 
 and surfaces are to be tinted. Figs. 176 and 178 are for gen- 
 eral use. Fig. 177, with its long, slender point, is for gilding, 
 another similar brush is needed for India-ink. Mark the two 
 brushes in some way to distinguish them one from the other, 
 and never use either for any paint except that for which it is 
 
China Painting. 
 
 273 
 
 intended. Fig. 179 is a stipple for blending the colors when 
 painting a face, a fish, the sky of a landscape, or wherever 
 delicate, fine blending is needed. 
 
 To clean the brushes after using : dip them in turpentine 
 and wipe off the paint on a cotton cloth, repeating the opera- 
 tion until the brushes are perfectly clean ; then dip them in fat 
 oil, and bring them out smooth to a fine point. Do not allow 
 the brushes to become bent over, if the box is not long enough 
 
 Fie/, 174 
 
 Brushes for China Fainting (about one-half actual size). 
 
 for them to lie out straight, remove the quills from the wooden 
 handles and they can easily be replaced when needed. Should 
 the brushes seem a little stiff at the next painting, immerse 
 them in turpentine ; this will make them soft and pliable. 
 
 To save the expensive gold paint, the gilder should be kept 
 exclusively for gilding, and need not be cleaned, as it will not 
 be injured if the hairs are carefully straightened out and the 
 brush put away with the gold. 
 
 KNIVES. 
 
 Fig. 1 80 is a horn palette-knife for mixing Lacroix white, 
 the yellows, and all such colors as are injured by contact with 
 18 
 
274 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 metal. It is the only knife used with the mat paints for Royal 
 Worcester decoration. Fig. 181 is a steel palette-knife for gen- 
 eral use. Fig. 182 is a steel scraper 
 for removing paint from the china 
 when necessary. Always clean the 
 knives after mixing one color, be- 
 fore using them for another. 
 
 PAD. 
 
 This is made of a ball of cotton 
 tied in a piece of soft lining-silk, 
 fine linen, or cotton-cloth (Fig. 183) 
 and is used for tinting. 
 
 THE PAINTS 
 
 are Lacroix's colors ; they come in 
 tubes and should be squeezed out on 
 the palette and used as in oil paint- 
 ing, with a little turpentine and fat 
 oil when desired. To moisten the 
 colors while 
 
 painting dip your brush, carefully, with- 
 out shaking or moving it around, into the 
 turpentine or oil, and then in the color. 
 Allow the paint to lie on the palette as it 
 comes from the tube, except when two 
 colors are mixed, or when using the stip- 
 ple for blending one tint with another, or 
 when tinting, then the paint must be mixed 
 and rubbed down with oil and turpentine. 
 Keep the colors in a cool place, and when 
 returning them to the box, after you have finished painting, do 
 not lay them back on the same side. Always remember to 
 
 Horn Palette- 
 knife. 
 
 Steel Palette- Steel 
 
 knife. Scraper. 
 (Reduced sizes.) 
 
 Printer's Pad. 
 
China Painting. 275 
 
 turn them over so that the color will not separate from the oil. 
 If you are careful'and follow these hints, your colors will keep 
 in a good condition. We would advise you to purchase the 
 paints as they are needed, thereby avoiding all unnecessary 
 expenditure. 
 
 OILS. 
 
 Fat oil is for general use in painting. Clove oil is used in 
 its place when two or more tints are to be blended together, as 
 in painting a face, etc. Capavia oil is always mixed with the 
 colors for grounding. 
 
 TURPENTINE 
 
 is in constant demand in china painting. It is used with all the 
 different oils, paints, bronzes, and gilt, and should be poured in 
 a small cup or any little vessel, and kept convenient while paint- 
 ing. 
 
 TAR PASTE 
 
 comes in bottles, and is used to take the color off of tinted back- 
 grounds, in order to leave a clean surface of the china in which 
 to paint the design in different colors. The paste should be 
 rubbed down smooth on the tile with the palette-knife ; if it is 
 too hard, a little tar oil may be added. A small brush is best 
 to use for the paste in covering the design you wish to wash 
 out ; but be very careful to keep within the outlines, for this 
 mixture will take off the color wherever it touches. When the 
 tint is light the paste may be wiped off in a few moments ; but 
 when it is dark, the paste must be allowed to remain on for 
 perhaps hours before the paint will be sufficiently softened to 
 remove. 
 
 Use small balls of raw cotton -batting in wiping off the paste, 
 and take a fresh piece for every stroke. If any of the tar paste 
 is left on the tile after using, scrape it off with your palette- 
 knife, and return it to the bottle. 
 
276 Autumn. 
 
 MAT GOLD 
 
 
 
 is for gilding, and can be either burnished or highly polished. 
 It comes on a little square of glass inclosed in a box. This 
 gold can also be used as solid ornamentation or for delicate 
 tracery, and is sometimes used over colors, greens except- 
 ed, but is then never so bright as when on the plain white 
 china. 
 
 The gold is prepared for painting on a tile kept expressly for 
 the purpose, and which must not be used for any other paint. 
 Place some of the gold on the palette with your palette-knife, 
 and mix a little turpentine with it by dipping your palette- 
 knife in the turpentine and rubbing down the gold with the 
 turpentine on the knife. If more is needed, again dip yourknife 
 in the liquid, and do so as often as it is necessary ; but you must 
 use the utmost care not to have the gold too thin ; gild with it 
 as stiff as it can be smoothly applied. 
 
 Should any gold remain on the palette after the gilding is 
 finished, mix in a little turpentine and scrape it all up with 
 your palette-knife, then replace the gold on the square of 
 glass. 
 
 Silver is used the same as gold. 
 
 The bronzes are for handles and conventional flowers or 
 figures ; they are rich and pleasing in effect. 
 
 PURE GOLD 
 
 cannot be employed for gilding plain white china. It also 
 comes on a little square of glass and is used for gilding over 
 colors. It can be applied over any mineral paint or relief, and 
 may be polished or burnished as desired. 
 
 This gold is mixed with turpentine, for use in the same man- 
 ner as mat gold. 
 
China Painting. 277 
 
 RELIEF. 
 
 The best is mat relief, which comes in a powder, and is used 
 for both tube and mat colors. It is prepared by mixing with a 
 very little fat oil and turpentine, and should be applied stiff 
 enough to make a raised line. It is useful where a small raised 
 surface is desired, as on the edge of a leaf or the petals of 
 flowers. A fish-net is much more effective if the gilt be put 
 on over the relief. Should the relief dry and become too stiff 
 while using, soften it from time to time with a little turpentine, 
 always using the horn knife for mixing, as the steel knife should 
 never be used with the relief, and the relief must always be 
 fired before the gilt is applied. 
 
 Enamel white can be mixed with delicate tints, turpentine, 
 and a very little fat oil for raised flowers ; or the white alone 
 may be used for pearls, imitation of lace, or embroidery, but its 
 use is limited and it will not stand two firings, so should always 
 be the last paint applied. 
 
 MAT COLORS 
 
 are for Royal Worcester decorations. They come in powders, 
 and when mixed with a little oil and turpentine are used in the 
 same way as the Lacroix tube paints. 
 
 BOX FOR MATERIALS. 
 
 Select a light wooden box, or one of strong pasteboard ; 
 have the box of a convenient size to contain all your painting 
 materials. 
 
 PIECES OF SOFT, OLD MUSLIN, 
 
 torn in different sizes, and plenty of them, are very essential for 
 cleaning brushes and rubbing paint off the tile or china; the 
 demand for clean pieces will be constant while painting. 
 
278 Autumn. 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 Have this of the very finest French ware, without spots or 
 other imperfections of the surface, and never attempt to decorate 
 china after it has been used, for it seldom proves satisfactory. 
 
 A Monochrome Painting. 
 
 For this we will need a tile, a pad, a broad flat brush (Fig. 
 173), some turpentine, capavia, two tubes of paint one copper- 
 water green, the other brown green a palette-knife, and some 
 pieces of cotton cloth. Now be sure your china is perfectly 
 clean and dry, then mix your copper-water green for 
 
 Tinting. 
 
 Place enough color on your palette to cover the entire sur- 
 face to be tinted ; dip your palette-knife in the capavia oil and 
 tap it off the knife on the tile ; in the same way place turpentine 
 on the tile with the oil, and use your palette-knife to thoroughly 
 mix the paint, oil, and turpentine. If the mixture seems too 
 stiff add a little more oil and turpentine, but be careful not to 
 have the paint too thin so that it will run; test its consistency 
 with a brush on a clean place on the tile. 
 
 As a rule, the proportions for tinting should be five drops 
 of paint to three of capavia, mixed with a little turpentine. 
 
 The paint being prepared, take the flat brush and begin to 
 paint ; rapidly cover the entire surface with color. Then go 
 over the tinting with a pad, touching lightly and gently, not 
 letting the pad rest a moment on the paint, nor touching it 
 twice in the same place in succession. Continue going over and 
 over it until the grounding is even and of a uniform tint. 
 Then set the china away to dry, in a safe place, where it will be 
 
China Painting. 279 
 
 free from dust. Always make a fresh pad every time you tint, 
 and a separate one for each color used, as a pad cannot do 
 service more than once. 
 
 All tinted grounds and borders are made in this way, the 
 capavia oil and turpentine being mixed with any of the ground- 
 ing colors you may wish to use. Tinting is very easily and 
 quickly done ; but should anything happen to spot or mar 
 the evenness of the grounding, the paint must all be washed off 
 with turpentine, and the china tinted over again. 
 
 When your green-tinted china is perfectly dry, gather 
 some maple leaves and with the brown-green paint try a 
 
 New Method of Decorating China. 
 
 The leaves must be free from dust and moisture and per- 
 fectly fresh. Place a small quantity of paint on the palette, do 
 not mix the paint with oil or turpentine, but rub it down well 
 on the tile as it comes from the tube ; make the paint perfectly 
 smooth, now press a small clean pad down lightly, lifting and 
 again pressing until the paint is smoothly distributed on the pad ; 
 next select a leaf and place it face or right side downward on a 
 piece of folded newspaper, then press the pad down on the 
 under side of the leaf, which is now lying upward, repeating 
 the operation until the leaf is sufficiently covered with paint. 
 This done, carefully place the leaf painted side downward on the 
 china, over it lay a piece of common wrapping-paper, and rub 
 your finger gently all over the covered leaf. Then remove the 
 outside paper and very carefully take up the leaf, when an 
 exact impress of the natural leaf will be printed on the china. 
 Repeat the operation with another leaf either larger or smaller, 
 and still another, using as many as you wish ; connect the leaves 
 to a central branch by making the stems and branch in the 
 same color with a small paint-brush. To do this paint a long line 
 
280 Autumn. 
 
 for the branch and other smaller ones for the stems of the 
 leaves. Set the china away to dry, and it will be ready for 
 firing. Very pretty effects may be secured by using two shades 
 of one color for the tinting and designs. First tint the china, 
 and when it is perfectly dry, ornament it with the same paint in 
 the manner described, making the ground of a lighter tint than 
 the decorations. The colors of fall leaves can be used on white 
 china, or you may make the combinations and designs of what- 
 ever is most pleasing. 
 
 It is well to have some idea ot what your decoration is to be 
 like before commencing with the leaves. If you desire a spray, 
 try to place the leaves as they are on the natural spray, or as 
 represented in some picture taken for a guide. The prints also 
 look well used in a conventional style. As any kind of leaves 
 or grasses that will print can be employed, your decorations 
 will always be original and true to nature. 
 
 Flowers are more difficult to print, yet when the impressions 
 are successful they are very beautiful. 
 
 You will find this new idea an interesting method of orna- 
 menting china, while the decorations may be made in much less 
 time than is usually required. The style is suitable for dinner- 
 sets, vases, tiles, plaques, and lamps, and it requires no knowl- 
 edge of drawing or painting to decorate china in this simple yet 
 effective manner. 
 
 Tracing. 
 
 Lay a piece of tracing-paper over the design to be copied 
 and trace the outlines very carefully with a hard lead-pencil. 
 Then have your china perfectly clean and dry, and give it a 
 wash all over with a clean cotton cloth wet with clear turpentine. 
 Place a piece of red transfer-paper on the china, and having de- 
 termined exactly where you wish the design, lay the tracing- 
 paper over the transfer-paper on the space for decoration. Use 
 
China Painting. 281 
 
 bits of gummed paper on the corners of the transfer- and trao 
 ing-paper to hold them in place, and carefully go over the lines 
 with a lead-pencil, remove the papers, and the design will be 
 clearly outlined on the ware. Now rub a little India-ink on a 
 common individual butter-plate of white china, and using a fine 
 brush, very carefully paint over the red marks with the India- 
 ink, making your lines as distinct and delicate as possible. 
 When this is finished, again wash the china with turpentine to 
 remove any of the red coloring which may be apparent on its 
 surface. Thus prepared the design can be painted, or the china 
 may first be tinted and allowed to dry, when the outlines will 
 be plainly visible through the tinting, and the color can be re- 
 moved from the design with tar paste. Use the scraper to take 
 the grounding off of minute spaces. For those skilled in draw- 
 ing it will not be necessary to trace the design, as it can readily 
 be sketched on the china with a lead-pencil after the ware has 
 first received a coat of turpentine, and when tinted the decora- 
 tion can be drawn on after the grounding has thoroughly dried, 
 and the color may be removed as before. 
 
 Mottled Grounds. 
 
 Prepare the paint as for tinting, only make it more moist, 
 and dab it lightly over the china by means of a piece of cotton 
 cloth on the end of your finger ; this will give the china a mot- 
 tled appearance which in some cases is preferred to the plain 
 grounding. 
 
 Snow Landscape. 
 
 We will take for example Fig. 184. 
 
 After tracing the design, paint a streak across the sky, just 
 back and a little above the trees, with carnation No. I mixed 
 with clove oil and turpentine, then another narrow streak above 
 
282 Autumn. 
 
 it of a lighter shade, and another still lighter of the same color, 
 allowing each tint to meet. Next mix light sky-blue with clove 
 oil and turpentine, and paint as deep a tint as it will make 
 across the sky at the top of the plate, graduating it down to the 
 
 red ; use the stipple immediately while the paint is wet to blend 
 the colors and tints ; this finished, make the reflections on the 
 ice, beginning with carnation No. I for the ice nearest the castle, 
 and ending near the bottom of the plate with the deepest shade 
 of light sky-blue, using the colors mixed for the sky. Paint the 
 
China Painting. 283 
 
 foliage in the background with neutral gray and sky-blue mixed 
 with turpentine and fat oil for the darker tones, and turquoise* 
 blue with neutral gray, turpentine and fat oil for the lighter 
 parts, also for shading the darker portions of the snow. Then 
 take brown No. 4 as it comes from the tube, with a little tur- 
 pentine when necessary, for the shading of the trees in the fore- 
 ground, the outlining of the castle, and the tufts of grass and 
 edges of the ice in places where the copy requires it. 
 
 Leave the white china for the high lights and the white 
 snow on the roof of the castle, on the trees, and here and 
 there on the ground. 
 
 Paint the castle with neutral gray and yellow ochre mixed 
 with turpentine and fat oil, and its windows with brown No. 
 4, using the color as it comes from the tube. Now allow 
 the plate to dry and then have it fired, after which mix car- 
 nation No. I with clove oil and turpentine, and touch up the 
 sky and reflections on the ice, using the stipple if necessary ; 
 then mix light sky-blue with clove oil and turpentine and paint 
 the sky where that color is required and the light shadows on 
 the snow ; then take yellow ochre for portions of the trees, 
 places in the foreground, and touching up the castle ; mix this 
 color with fat-oil and turpentine. 
 
 Again strengthen the trees and other places, where the paint- 
 ing requires it, with brown No. 4, unmixed, except with a little 
 turpentine when necessary ; for the last touches mix relief-white 
 with fat oil and clean turpentine, using the horn-palette knife 
 always when mixing the white ; this is to be laid on, in little 
 raised places, where the snow is whitest on the ground and 
 where the snow has lodged in the trees. 
 
 Now inclose the snow scene with a gilt band, using the 
 stipple to make an uneven edge of gilt on the surrounding 
 white rim ; the gold next to the picture must be perfectly 
 smooth and even ; put this on with your fine long-haired brush ; 
 
284 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 then make a similar band on the edge of the plate and it will 
 be finished and ready for its last firing. 
 
 Almost any snow landscape with a sunset sky may be 
 painted in this way. 
 
 Often you can find Christmas cards which will furnish very 
 good copies. 
 
 How to Paint a Head on China. 
 
 Select a pretty copy from some photograph, as in Fig. 
 185 ; very carefully trace the head on a plate and go over the 
 lines with Indian ink ; next give the plate another wash with 
 
China Painting. 285 
 
 turpentine, to remove all remains of the color from the transfer- 
 paper ; then mix thoroughly two parts of carnation No. 2 with 
 one part of ivory-yellow, adding a little turpentine and clove 
 oil ; give the face and neck a wash with this color and touch 
 up the cheeks with carnation No. I mixed with clove oil and 
 turpentine ; now lay on the shadows with neutral gray, five 
 parts, mixed with deep chrome-green, one part, using clove oil 
 and turpentine in mixing the colors ; last, the deepest shadows 
 with brown No. 4, two parts, to one of ivory-black, mixed to- 
 gether with clove oil and turpentine, and immediately before any 
 of the paint dries use the stipple to blend the colors, making the 
 face round out and have the blending soft and true to nature ; 
 set your copy before you and try to have the shadows on the 
 face you paint correspond exactly with those in the copy. 
 
 Now leave the face and neck, and place some brown No. 4 
 on the tile ; do not mix it with anything ; use it as it comes 
 from the tube, dipping your brush in turpentine when it becomes 
 necessary to thin the paint a little ; with this paint the shading 
 of the hair and follow with your brush, as nearly as possible, the 
 sway of the masses. That finished, paint the eyes, eyebrows, 
 and nostrils with brown No. 4 and ivory-black mixed together 
 as they come from the tubes, using when necessary a little 
 turpentine ; then mix a little carnation No. I with fat oil for 
 the lips. Next turn your attention to the drapery,; shade the 
 white material with gray No. I, unmixed, and gray No. 2 for 
 the deeper shadows, mixed with fat oil and turpentine. 
 
 For the handkerchief on the head mix emerald-green with 
 fat-oil and turpentine ; put it on in a light tint, so that the hand- 
 kerchief can be shaded, when dry, with the same color. 
 
 When the plate is dry, it is ready to be fired. After it has 
 been fired touch up the shading on the face and neck with two 
 parts of carnation No. 2 mixed with one of brown No. 4, using 
 clove oil and turpentine while mixing; and for the deepest shad- 
 
286 Aiitumn. 
 
 ows mix two parts of brown and one of ivory-black together with 
 clove oil and turpentine. This must be put on carefully, so that 
 the shadows will not be too dark. Use the stipple to blend the 
 shadows ; then give the hair a wash of yellow ochre all over, and 
 touch up the handkerchief on the head with emerald green, the 
 same you used before. 
 
 For the background of the head mix light coffee, turpen- 
 tine, and capavia oil ; make it an even tint with the blender 
 (Fig. 1/5); the brush must be clean and dry, and used in the 
 same manner as the pad in tinting, then, for the outer border, 
 mix celestial-blue with capavia and turpentine, and with your 
 large flat brush paint the border and blend it to an even tint 
 with your pad. When this is finished wipe off the paint around 
 the edge as evenly as possible, so that the bare china may be 
 left to receive a band of gold. Roll up a piece of white cotton 
 cloth into a small point and with this remove the paint around 
 the inner edge of the blue border, making an even narrow 
 white band ; this is also to be gilded. 
 
 On a clean tile mix the mat gold with turpentine, and 
 using the slender, fine, long-haired brush, carefully cover the 
 white bands of china with gold ; when this is finished the plate 
 is ready for the second and last firing. If a fairer complexion be 
 desired, make the flesh-tints of the same colors, only lighter in 
 tint ; try the paint on the edge of the tile until the tint is correct. 
 Always try your colors this way when painting any design. For 
 blue eyes use sky-blue shaded with black ; the high light of the 
 eye may be left the white of the china. If you wish the hair 
 very light, take ivory-yellow and shade with sepia and black. 
 
 Once more we say, be very careful in tracing not to get 
 the head or features out of drawing, as so much depends upon 
 the correct outlines. Before sending china to be fired, paint in 
 small figures the date on which it was decorated and add your 
 name or initials. 
 
China Painting. 287 
 
 How to Paint a Carp, Sea-weed, and Fish-net on China. 
 
 Having traced in your design very carefully, mix one part 
 of neutral gray with two parts of sky-blue, some clove oil, and 
 turpentine ; with this paint the upper edge of the back of the 
 fish dark, graduating to white along near the centre of the fish ; 
 stipple this so that it will look even, soft, and rounding, keeping 
 it dark on the edge and tinting down to the white china ; paint 
 the tail and dorsal fins a flat tint of gray No. 2 mixed with fat 
 oil and turpentine ; then mix carnation No. 2 with fat oil and 
 turpentine for a flat tint on gills, mouth, and ventral fin ; shade 
 the mouth with the same color and paint the anal and pectoral 
 fins a flat tint of car- 
 nation No. 2 mixed 
 with sepia ; when dry 
 
 shade with the same ( /- , __ i s 
 
 color, and also shade 
 the gills and fins 
 painted carnation / 
 
 with carnation, and 
 the dorsal fins and tail shade with ivory-black mixed with fat 
 oil and turpentine ; try the paint with your brush until you 
 get rather a gray tint instead of black, and use this for the 
 shading ; now paint the rows of spots along the back of the fish 
 ivory-black, making the dots, smaller as they approach the tail ; 
 and with your eraser take the paint off of the eye, leaving a 
 clean white spot of china ; paint a fine circle around this in 
 ivory-black ; then paint a portion of the eye black, leaving the 
 white china for the high lights ; in painting the scales and 
 lower part of the fish use gray No. I as it comes from the tube, 
 mark an outline of gray along the lower edge of the fish and 
 stipple it off in the white, remembering this gray must occupv 
 only a narrow line along the lower edge of the fish. 
 
288 Autumn. 
 
 Commence to mark the scales in gray No. I by making a 
 line of them with a fine-pointed brush downward across the 
 body of the fish (Fig. 186) and this will be a guide to build out 
 from (Fig. 187) ; after the painting has thoroughly dried begin 
 again by marking, on the head and around the eye, the tiny 
 scales in gray No. 2, with a little fat oil and turpentine, and paint 
 a line along the upper edge of the head and back with brown 
 No. 4, and another lighter line of the same color along the back 
 just below and adjoining the first one ; paint the eye and 
 markings on the head brown and strengthen the tail and dor- 
 sal fins with gray No. 2 ; touch up around the gills with sky 
 blue, also with yellow ochre where the copy requires it. Then 
 
 turn your attention 
 to the sea-weeds; 
 mark the thread-like 
 branches of these in 
 different colors, using 
 carnation, brown No. 
 4, gray No. 2, and 
 brown-green ; paint 
 each weed in one color, place the sea-weeds on one side or 
 corner of the plate, making them branch out this way and that, 
 as in nature. Now clean off your palette and mix some mat 
 relief for the fish-net, which is to be placed over and across a 
 portion of the plate ; with a lead-pencil mark the netting on 
 the plate, but do not touch the fish ; then with a very fine 
 brush follow the markings with the relief, when it is necessary 
 to paint across the fish, your eye and the copy must be your 
 guides, as it would take the paint off the fish to attempt any 
 marking on it. The relief on the fish cannot be altered, so be 
 careful to have it correct the first time. Should the line of re- 
 lief be too broad in other places, remove it with your scraper 
 and make another trial. When the plate is perfectly dry it 
 
China Painting. 289 
 
 must be fired, after which put in a background of warm gray 
 mixed with capavia and turpentine ; bring this to an even tint 
 with the blender, and if any paint blends over on the fish wipe 
 it off while the color is damp ; also remove the paint from the 
 netting and set the china away to allow the color to thoroughly 
 dry ; next paint broad sweeps across the plate, but hot over 
 the fish, with gray No. 2 mixed with fat oil and turpentine, to 
 represent the different tints of the water, and again remove the 
 paint from the net ; now touch up the sea-weed and the fish 
 where they need strengthening, then give the fish a very light 
 wash of gray No. I. 
 
 Here and there along the upper edges of the water colored 
 gray No. 2 make a very fine line with enamel or relief-white 
 mixed with a little fat oil and turpentine ; gild the fish-net, us- 
 ing either pure gold or mat gold, cover the relief carefully with 
 the gold, and put it on thick but in fine lines ; this accomplished, 
 finish by gilding the edges of the plate with mat gold, and when 
 dry send it to be fired. To avoid mistakes when sending china 
 to be fired, state whether you wish the gold burnished, dull, 
 or polished. 
 
 Foliage on China Made "With a Sponge. 
 
 Prepare the paint with fat oil and turpentine, rub it down 
 smooth, then with a small sponge apply the colors, using differ- 
 ent shades as the first dry, and touching up afterward with a 
 brush ; in this way you can also paint backgrounds which can- 
 not be made with the brush. 
 
 Mixing Colors. 
 
 The best way to paint with safety when you are in doubt 
 what colors will mix, is to test them yourself. For this pur- 
 19 
 
290 Autumn. 
 
 pose take a French china plate and make experiments with 
 different colors on the plate ; at the same time write down a 
 memorandum of the paints used and of those mixed, have the 
 plate fired ; then paste your memorandum on the back. Use 
 this for reference, and with experience will come the full 
 knowledge of the use of all the paints. 
 
 Royal "Worcester "Ware 
 
 is very delicate and dainty and something quite novel for ama- 
 teurs in the way of china decorations. 
 
 Very beautiful pieces of this ware may be seen now in all 
 the leading china establishments in New York City, and so 
 choice is it that even some of the largest jewelry stores have 
 rare Royal Worcester vases among their most valuable articles 
 on exhibition. 
 
 We know of no book that teaches this art of decoration, and 
 although we have seen some amateur work which only an ex- 
 pert could distinguish from the genuine article itself, we think 
 our exposition of the method is the first of its kind printed in 
 this country ; and girls, if you would know the secret, so that 
 you also may be able to paint and gild in this beautiful fashion, 
 you have only to listen while the writer tells how to decorate 
 a Royal Worcester vase as she did ; then you will have a practi- 
 cable and detailed method which we know to be good, having 
 tried it. 
 
 Select a vase of the finest French china, and be sure that it 
 is perfectly clean, dry, and free from dust. Then with a clean 
 white cotton cloth give the vase a wash all over with clear tur- 
 pentine, and having chosen your design, make a tracing of it 
 on the vase, and it will be ready for grounding. Mix enough 
 mat lemon-yellow to cover the entire surface of the vase. First 
 place a little of the powder on the tile, then dip your palette- 
 
China Painting. 
 
 291 
 
 knife in the capavia oil and tap it off on the tile ; in the sam<j 
 way drop turpentine on the tile with the oil. Use a horn pal- 
 ette-knife and thoroughly mix tht paint, oil, and turpentine j 
 if the mixture seems too stiff, add a little more oil and turpen- 
 tine, but be careful not to have 
 the paint too thin, so that it will 
 run ; try the paint with a brush 
 on a clean place on the tile to 
 see if it is of the right consistency 
 and shade ; do not let the color 
 be too intense ; it should be of a 
 delicate tint, and if it is too dark 
 add a very little more oil. Take 
 a broad, flat brush and begin to 
 paint at the top of the vase, pass- 
 ing around with short strokes 
 rapidly over its whole surface ; 
 go over the tinting with a pad, 
 touching lightly and gently; 
 then set the vase away to dry in 
 a dry place free from dust. The 
 Indian-ink outlines will be plain- 
 ly visible through the paint, and 
 when the grounding or tinting 
 has thoroughly hardened, to re- 
 move the color from the design, 
 mix a little of the tar paste upon 
 a clean tile by working it with 
 your palette-knife until it is smooth. Use a small brush and go 
 over the design with this mixture, covering every part except 
 the stems and fine grasses ; be very careful not to go outside 
 of the lines. When the design is all painted with the paste, 
 begin at that first covered and wipe off the tar paste with small 
 
 Fig. 188. Royal Worcester Vase. 
 
292 Autumn. 
 
 pieces of cotton batting rolled into little balls, using a fresh wad 
 for each stroke ; clean it all off carefully and the vase will pre- 
 sent vacant white china spots where the flowers, leaves, and bird 
 are soon to appear. For a guide we will take Fig. 188. Now 
 mix a little mat pink with fat oil and turpentine in the same way 
 you prepared the grounding yellow, only this time fat oil takes 
 the place of capavia ; use the horn palette-knife as before ; the 
 steel knife should never be used with the Royal Worcester 
 colors, as the metal is apt to rub in with the paint, dulling and 
 spoiling the colors. Paint all the flowers a flat tint of light 
 pink. Always try the color first on the tile until you have the 
 desired shade. By the time all the flowers have received their 
 tint of color, those first painted will be dry enough for shading. 
 Observe attentively the copy, and notice where the different 
 flowers are shaded ; then shade yours with the same color, fol- 
 lowing as nearly as possible the copy before you. 
 
 For painting the leaves, mix separately with turpentine and 
 fat oil, mat light yellow-green, mat dark-green, and mat blue 
 green. These colors can be used separately or any two mixed 
 if desired. Shade the leaves with mat yellow-brown mixed 
 with the different greens. Paint the body of the bird a flat tint 
 of mat gold-yellow and the top of its head and back green ; 
 the edges of wing and tail and eye must be of mat black. 
 When the bird is dry, shade its breast with broad sweeps of 
 mat gold-yellow, according to the copy ; then mix black with 
 yellow-brown for the other shading on the bird's breast, and 
 mix black with blue for painting and shading the wings and 
 tail. . 
 
 While the paint is drying on the vase mix the mat relief for 
 the raised edges of bird, flowers, and stems. Mix the relief 
 with turpentine and fat oil, making it as stiff as it can be used. 
 With a very fine brush outline the bird, its wings, and tail ; also 
 a few strokes on its breast, tail, and back ; be sure the relief is 
 
China Painting. 293 
 
 stiff enough to make a fine raised line ; then outline the flowers 
 and the stems ; the leaves are not raised on the edges. When 
 this is finished the vase is ready for its first firing. Allow the 
 ware to become perfectly dry before sending it to the firers. 
 
 As great care should be taken with the firing of royal 
 Worcester china, send your vase to the most reliable firers you 
 know of, and when it is fired and returned, all that remains to be 
 done is to carefully gild the vase. Mix pure gold with turpen- 
 tine, but do not have it too thin, as the gold should be applied 
 as thick as possible. For fine gilding use a fine small brush with 
 long hairs ; this will make a distinct thread-like line ; first cover 
 all the relief with the gold, next outline the leaves, veining them 
 if necessary ; then with thick gold make your grasses accord- 
 ing to the copy. When the gold becomes too stiff work in a 
 little more turpentine. After you have finished this gilding, 
 mix some mat gold with turpentine and gild the top rim of the 
 vase ; use the small stipple brush cut off square at the end 
 (Fig. 179), and bring the border down unevenly along its 
 lower edge, making it the same way on the inside of the vase ; 
 then with the fine long-haired gilder cover the upper edge of 
 the vase thick with gold. This finished, gild the bottom of the 
 vase in like manner and make the handle solid gilt ; after it is 
 all dry the vase is ready for its second and last firing, and 
 when it returns again from the firers you will have a piece of 
 beautiful Royal Worcester ware similar to that seen at Tiffany's. 
 
 The mat colors used, remove all the gloss from the china, 
 and when mat lemon-yellow forms the grounding, the china 
 comes from the firing having the appearance of beautiful deco- 
 rated ivory without any glaze. 
 
 This ware must be seen to be appreciated, and is suitable for 
 vases and ornaments, but the Royal Worcester colors cannot be 
 used on table china, for any grease coming in contact with the 
 colors would spoil them. 
 
294 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Exquisite little vases of all shapes are decorated in this man- 
 ner ; the delicate gold tracery and outlining brings the designs 
 out effectively. In this style of painting the decoration is more 
 conventional, and does not require the same amount of working 
 up and shading, but is as a rule, treated simply, flat tints with a 
 little shading being all that is required. Almost any floral de- 
 sign can be used on. royal Worcester, when outlined with relief 
 and gold ; there are, however, copies which come expressly for 
 the purpose. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 A CHAPTER ON FRAMES. 
 
 'FTER the foregoing chapters on drawing and paint- 
 ing, it is surely our duty to provide the means 
 of framing the various pictures which we hope 
 will be the result of their teachings. Un- 
 framed, a picture is apt to be tucked away out 
 of sight, or it becomes rumpled and spoiled 
 when left lying about, and a picture-frame, as a rule, is quite an 
 expensive article ; but with a little ingenuity and good taste 
 almost any girl may manufacture frames, if not of equal finish, 
 at least as durable and quite as artistic as any the dealer can 
 produce. 
 
 The cost ? The cost is the price of a wooden stretcher and 
 a bottle of gold paint. 
 
 The first sketch shown here (Fig. 189) will give some idea 
 of the appearance of a frame decorated appropriately for a 
 marine picture. The articles necessary for this frame are a 
 stretcher, some rope, a piece offish-net, several dried starfish, 
 and gold paint. The stretcher must first be gilded ; then the 
 rope, upon which the fish-net has been strung, should be fast- 
 ened with small tacks around the outer edge, joining it at the 
 corner, where the starfish will hide the ends. The net must 
 be large enough to drape gracefully across one corner, along 
 the top, and fall a short distance down the other side of the 
 frame. When the starfish, graduating in size, are tacked 
 
296 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 around the draped corner, and they, as well as the rope and net, 
 are given a coat of gilt, a pretty, unique, and substantial frame 
 is the result. 
 
 If starfish are not to be had, sea-shells may be used instead 
 (these of course will have to be glued in place), and if fish-net 
 
 Original Design Marine Picture Frame. 
 
 is also out of reach, a piece of fine netted hammock can be 
 used as a substitute. 
 
 For the benefit of those who spend their summers at the 
 sea-shore where such things are obtainable, I would advise that 
 a small collection be made of the quaint and pretty products 
 
Cliapter on Frames. 
 
 297 
 
 of the place, as they will be found useful in various ways for 
 decorative purposes. 
 
 The next sketch (Fig. 190) shows a corner section of frame 
 especially appropriate for a flower piece. The open lattice-like 
 
 border is cut 
 with a sharp 
 penknife from 
 stififpasteboard 
 and tacked 
 along the edge 
 of the frame. 
 
 The pattern 
 shown in diagram 
 (Fig. 191) is simple, 
 quite easily made, 
 and well suited for a 
 border, though other and 
 more elaborate ones may 
 be used. This border must, 
 of course, be made in sec- 
 tions. The edges to be con- 
 // nected should be cut to fit exact- 
 ly, then after tacking them upon 
 the frame the whole may be laid 
 upon a table, face downward, and 
 strips of paper pasted across the joints 
 (see Fig. 192), which will hold them 
 securely together. If the work is 
 neatly done, when the gilt is applied all traces of the joints will 
 disappear. The decorations of this frame consist of a spray of 
 artificial rosebuds and leaves, gilded and tacked on the upper 
 left-hand corner. A few scattered rosebuds look well upon the 
 lower part of the frame near the right-hand side. 
 
 Fig. 190. Section of 
 Decorated Frame. 
 
298 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Section of Border for Decorated Frame. 
 
 Figure 193 is the 
 section of a frame 
 which will look well on 
 almost any kind of pict- 
 ure. It is made by 
 tacking a small rope 
 around the inside edge 
 
 , and then covering 
 
 it and the frame 
 with crumpled 
 tin-foil, which, af- 
 ter it is pressed 
 to fit the rope, is 
 brought around 
 and tacked on the 
 wrong side of the 
 frame, joining that edge which is turned over the top. Care 
 should be taken while handling the tin-foil not to flatten it, as 
 its beauty depends upon 
 its roughness. The 
 pieces are joined by sim- 
 ply lapping one edge 
 over the other, the un- 
 even surface hiding all 
 seams. This frame like 
 the others must be gild- 
 ed. 
 
 A very efif .tive rough 
 Surface on a irame can be 
 produced by dabbing on 
 it with a palette-knife the 
 scrapings of the palette. 
 
 Of COUrse this frame Can- rig . isa.-Section of Frame covered with Tin-foiL 
 
A Chapter on Frames. 
 
 299 
 
 not be made in a day, but if every time the palette is cleaned 
 the paint is used in this way it will not be long before the sur- 
 face is covered and ready for gilding. 
 
 The cork paper used in packing bottles makes quite a hand- 
 some frame for black and white pictures or photographs (Fig. 
 194). This paper is sprinkled all over with small bits of cork, 
 making a rough surface and 
 one admirably suited to the 
 purpose. 
 
 First the foundation of the 
 frame is cut of stiff pasteboard 
 exactly the size and shape de- 
 sired ; then the cork paper is 
 cut the width of the frame and 
 glued securely to it, the cor- 
 ners being joined as in Fig. 
 195. The frame is very pretty 
 when left its natural color, as 
 it resembles carved wood at 
 a little distance, but it can be 
 gilded if preferred. 
 
 The inside mat is made of 
 white or gray-tinted card- 
 board, cut with the open 
 space for the picture, from 
 half an inch to an inch smaller 
 than the opening of the frame. The mat is pasted to the back 
 of the frame and then the entire back is covered with strong 
 paper pasted at the top and two side edges, and left open at 
 the bottom until the picture is shoved in place, when the lower 
 edge is fastened also. The mat will look well if the inside 
 edge is gilded. 
 
 Another frame is made in the same manner as the one just 
 
300 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 described, only instead of using cork paper a thick coating of 
 glue is put all over the face of the foundation, and sand or small 
 
 pebbles are sprinkled over the entire 
 surface. This must be quickly done 
 before the glue has time to harden. 
 The writer has in her possession 
 
 Fig. 195. 
 
 a pretty little winter landscape done in water-colors. 
 It is a snow scene, and its light effect is well set off 
 by the frame, which is made simply of two pieces of 
 heavy brown strawboard or pasteboard. The two 
 pieces are cut exactly the same size ; then the centre 
 is cut out of one, leaving a broad frame of equal width 
 on all sides. The picture is placed between these two boards, 
 which are then glued together. The cord for hanging it is fast- 
 ened to two small brass rings which are attached to pieces of 
 tape glued to the back of the frame, as in Fig. 196. Fig. 197 
 shows how a piece of paper is pasted over the tape 
 to hold it more securely. 
 
 When making a frame of this kind the picture to 
 be framed should first be measured and the width of 
 the frame decided upon ; then cutting 
 a piece of paper the size the open 
 space is to be, or one-half inch smaller 
 all round than the picture, it must be 
 laid upon the pasteboard and a mark 
 drawn around it showing its exact size 
 and proportion (Fig. 198). The width 
 of the frame can then be measured from 
 these lines, which will place the open- 
 ing exactly in the centre (Fig. 199). 
 The lines must be perfectly straight 
 
 and the measurements correct or a lop-sided frame will be the 
 result. 
 
A Chapter on Frames. 
 
 301 
 
 In cutting out the frame a sharp knife should be used, and 
 it will be a great help in keeping the lines straight if a ruler is 
 
 //jr. /98 
 
 held down firmly close to the line to be cut, and the knife 
 guided by that. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIIL 
 
 THANKSGIVING. 
 
 to Pagan ancestors in far-away coun- 
 tries, but to our own Pilgrim Fathers 
 do we trace the origin of Thanks- 
 giving Day as purely American as 
 our Independence Day. Instituted 
 by William Bradford, the Governor 
 of Plymouth, and first observed by 
 the Puritans, who, suffering from 
 hunger and privation, were truly 
 thankful when the first harvest 
 brought them the means of support for the approaching winter, 
 it has come to us as " the religious and social festival that con- 
 verts every family mansion into a family meeting-house." 
 The pleasant New England custom of the gathering together 
 of families to celebrate Thanksgiving is now observed in most 
 of our States. From far and near they come, filling the cars 
 with merry family parties, who chatter away of anticipated 
 pleasures to be found in the old home. Little children taught 
 to lisp grandma and grandpa are instructed by their mammas 
 not to be afraid of the old gentleman who will meet them at 
 the depot, nor the dear old lady who waits with open arms at 
 the door of grandpa's house. 
 
 Children old enough to know what a Thanksgiving at grand- 
 pa's is like are wild with delight at the prospect before them. 
 
Thanksgiving. 
 
 303 
 
 Their eyes brighten at the thought of the great pantry where 
 grandma keeps her doughnuts and cookies ; of the cellar with 
 its bins of sweet and juicy apples ; of the nuts and popcorn, all 
 of which taste so much nicer at grandma's than anywhere else. 
 And then what fun 
 the games will be 
 which they will play 
 with cousins, who, 
 though rather shy at 
 first, will soon make 
 friends. The lovely 
 young aunties, too, 
 who help grandma 
 entertain all these 
 guests, will join in 
 the games and sug- 
 gest and carry out 
 schemes of amuse- 
 ments which the chil- 
 dren would never 
 think of. 
 
 What a happy 
 holiday it is, how so- 
 cial and pleasant and 
 comfortable and 
 easy ! How near and 
 dear all the bright 
 faces gathered around 
 the long table at the 
 Thanksgiving-dinner, seem to be. Truly, we should all be 
 thankful that we have a Thanksgiving. 
 
 However, this chapter is not written merely to generalize 
 upon the pleasures of the day, but in order that we may offer 
 
 One Little Indian. 
 
304 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Pilgrim's Spectacles. 
 
 something new, in the way of amusement, which will add to 
 
 the fund of merriment on this oc- 
 casion. The series of 
 
 Impromptu Burlesque Tableaux 
 
 illustrating some of the principal 
 events in our history will be ap- 
 propriate for this national holiday, and will prove a mirth- 
 provoking enter- 
 tainment. 
 
 When two rooms 
 are connected by 
 folding-doors, a 
 whole room may 
 be used for the 
 stage. In this case 
 no curtains are 
 necessary, as the 
 doors take their 
 place, and, for im- 
 promptu tableaux, 
 answer very well. 
 When there are no 
 such connecting 
 rooms, one end of 
 a large room can be 
 curtained off with 
 sheets, or any kind 
 of drapery, sus- 
 pended from a rope patterns of pilgrim Father , s H at and Collar. 
 
 or wire stretched 
 
 from one wall to the other. It is best to keep the audience as 
 
Thanksgiving. 
 
 35 
 
 far away from this improvised stage as the room will admit of, 
 for distance greatly assists the effect. 
 
 Landing of the Pilgrims. 
 
 TABLEAU I. The good ship Mayflower has just touched 
 Plymouth Rock. Pilgrim Father stands upon the rock, and 
 reaches down to help Pilgrim Mother 
 to land. A number of Indians sit upon 
 the edge of the rock, fishing unconcern- 
 edly over the side, while the Pilgrims 
 take possession. In the ship Pilgrim 
 children are standing, with outstretched 
 arms, waiting to be taken ashore. 
 
 COSTUMES. 
 
 PILGRIM FATHER. Cape, a broad- 
 brimmed, high-crowned hat and large, 
 white collar, over ordinary boy's dress, 
 spectacles cut from black paper (Fig. 
 200). The cape may be of any mate- 
 rial, so that it is of a dark color. 
 
 The hat can be made by cutting 
 from stiff brown paper a crown (Fig. 
 201), fitting it around the crown of an 
 ordinary flat-brimmed hat, bringing it 
 into a conical shape, and pinning it in place (Fig. 202). The 
 brim should be cut from the same paper in a large circle (Fig. 
 203), the hole in the centre being just large enough to fit nicely 
 around the crown, over which it is slipped, and pushed down 
 until it rests upon the real hat-brim (Fig. 204). The paper 
 brim should be about seven inches wide, and the crown nine 
 
 Costume of Pilgrim Father. 
 
3 6 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 inches high. Figure 205 is the pattern of collar, which can be 
 
 made of white 
 paper or mus- 
 lin. 
 
 PILGRIM 
 MOTHER. 
 Full, plain 
 skirt, white 
 kerchief, small 
 white cap, and 
 
 Manner of Making Pilgrim Mother's Cap. large SpeCta- 
 
 cles. A gen- 
 tleman's linen handkerchief, put around the neck and crossed 
 over the bosom, answers for a kerchief. The cap, too, can be 
 made of a large handkerchief in 
 this way. 
 
 Fold the handkerchief in the 
 manner shown in Fig. 206 ; lay 
 it flat upon a table, and turn the 
 folded corners over as in Fig. 
 207 ; turn up the bottom edge 
 over the other, and roll over 
 about three times (Fig. 208) ; 
 take the handkerchief up by the 
 ends and the cap (Fig. 209) is 
 made. 
 
 CHILDREN. The young Pil- 
 grims' costumes are like the 
 others, on a smaller scale, but 
 they wear no spectacles. 
 
 INDIANS. Bright-colored 
 
 , i r i_ i i j r ^1 Costume of Pilgrim Mother. 
 
 shawls for blankets, and feather- 
 dusters for head-dresses. The duster is tied on to the back of 
 
Thanksgiving. 
 
 307 
 
 the Indian's neck with a ribbon which passes under the chin, 
 and the shawl is placed over the handle, partially covering the 
 head and enveloping the figure. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 The ship is a large wash-tub, which is placed in the centre 
 of the stage; its sail is a towel, fastened with pins to a stick, 
 the stick being tied to a broom, as shown 
 in illustration. It is held aloft by one of 
 the children in the tub. 
 
 Plymouth Rock is a table, occupy- 
 ing a position near the tub. On top of 
 it is a chair, placed on its side to give 
 uneven surface, and over both 
 chair and table is thrown a 
 gray table-cover. The 
 fishing-poles of the In- 
 dians are walking- 
 canes with strings 
 tied to the ends. 
 
 an 
 
 The Good Ship Mayflower. 
 
 First Harvest. 
 
 TABLEAU 2. Pilgrim fam- 
 ilies, grouped in the centre of 
 the stage, examining an ear of 
 corn and rejoicing over their 
 first harvest. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 A broom, upon which is tied one ear of dried corn, or 
 popcorn, it doesn't matter which, and if neither is to be had, 
 in imitation ear of corn can be made by rolling paper into the 
 
3 o8 
 
 Fig. 210. Paper Ear of Corn. 
 
 Fig. 211 Pattern for Outside 
 
 Husks of Corn. 
 
 Fig. 212_ Ear o 
 Corn Finished. 
 
 shape of Fig. 210, cutting husks after the pattern Fig. 211, and 
 putting them together like Fig. 212. The 
 broom is held erect, with the handle resting 
 on the floor, by Pilgrim Father. 
 
 Devastation by the Indians. 
 
 TABLEAU 3. A long table reaches across 
 centre of stage ; upon it are empty dishes, 
 and the remains of a feast. 
 
 At each end and at back of table are 
 grouped the Indians, who are gnawing large 
 turkey-bones and eating huge pieces of 
 bread and pie. The Pilgrim family stand at 
 each side, and view with horror the destruc- 
 tion of their dinner. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 The table is a board placed across the 
 backs of two chairs. In the centre of the 
 table is a large pie-plate, with only a very 
 small piece of pie remaining in it ; most of 
 The corn-field. the other dishes are empty. 
 
Thanksgiving. 
 
 309 
 
 The Revolution. 
 
 TABLEAU 4. This is represented by the revolution of a 
 wheel. Pilgrim Mother stands in the centre of the stage, at a 
 spinning-wheel, which is set in motion just as the curtain is 
 parted. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 If a real spinning-wheel cannot be obtained, a velocipede, 
 baby-carriage, or child's wagon, turned upside down, will answer 
 
 The Spinning-wheeL 
 
 the purpose. In the illustration the curtain has been made 
 transparent, to show how the two back wheels of a velocipede 
 
3io Autumn. 
 
 are disposed of. A broom is fastened in an upright position to 
 the velocipede, and on the handle is tied a piece of gray linen 
 (a handkerchief will do), to represent flax. A string tied to the 
 linen is held by Pilgrim Mother. The curtain must be dropped 
 before the wheel ceases to revolve. 
 
 Slavery. 
 
 TABLEAU 5. Pilgrim Mother is bending over a wash-tub, 
 with sleeves rolled up to shoulders, washing ; a great pile of 
 clothes lies on the floor at her side ; she looks angrily at the 
 Pilgrim Father, who sits opposite to her with his legs crossed, 
 calmly reading a newspaper.* 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 The tub used for the ship, placed on two chairs ; a wash- 
 board and a pile of clothes, white predominating. A rocking- 
 chair for the Pilgrim Father. 
 
 Rebellion. 
 
 TABLEAU 6. Pilgrim Mother stands in defiant attitude, fac- 
 ing Pilgrim Father, who has just arisen from his chair. 
 
 The tub and one of the chairs upon which it stands are tipped 
 over, and the clothes are scattered about. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 Same as in preceding tableau. 
 
 Peace and Plenty. 
 
 TABLEAU 7. Table extending across the centre of stage is 
 heaped with all sorts of edibles whole pumpkins, vegetables, 
 
 * Of course we all know that our Pilgrim fathers did not have the daily 
 papers, but this fact makes it the more absurd. 
 
Thanksgiving. 
 
 fruit, and flowers. At one end of the festive board stands Pil- 
 grim Father, at the other Pilgrim Mother, smiling at each other. 
 
 The Festive Board. 
 
 Pilgrim Father holds a long carving-knife, as 
 though about to carve a large pumpkin in 
 front of him. Pil- 
 grim Mother is in 
 the act of cutting a 
 huge pie. At the 
 back of the table 
 are ranged the Pil- 
 grim children, each 
 holding outstretched 
 an empty plate, waiting to be served, and all smiling. At each 
 side of the stage, extending to the front, is a line of Indians 
 
 Side View. 
 
 Back View. 
 Fig. 213. Pumpkin Lantern. 
 
 sitting on the floor, smoking the pipes of peace. The Indians 
 also are smiling. 
 
 PROPERTIES. 
 
 Table same as in Tableau 3 : Dishes, fruit, and vegetables. 
 The Indians' pipes are canes with bent handles. 
 
 If, in arranging the stage, clothes-horses, with drapery thrown 
 
312 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 over them, are placed at the back, they will not only form a back- 
 ground for the pictures presented, but the space behind makes 
 a nice dressing-room or retiring-place for those taking part. 
 
 Pumpkin lan- 
 terns, set in a 
 row on the floor 
 just inside the 
 curtain, will be 
 funny substi- 
 tutes for foot- 
 lights. They 
 will decorate the 
 stage appropri- 
 ately, and at the 
 same time be 
 quite safe. Fig. 
 213 shows how 
 they are made. 
 The face is not 
 
 cut through, but the features are scraped 
 thin enough to allow the light inside to 
 make them visible. If they were cut, 
 as in ordinary pumpkin lanterns, the 
 light would shine out from instead of 
 on to the stage. 
 
 The Game of the Headless Turkey. 
 
 Silhouette of the Headless Turkey. 
 
 A large silhouette, representing a 
 headless turkey, is cut from black, or 
 
 dark colored paper-muslin, and fastened upon a sheet stretched 
 tightly across a door-way. To each member of the party is 
 given a pin and a muslin head, which, if rightly placed, will fit 
 
Thanksgiving. 313 
 
 the turkey. Then, one at a time, the players are blind-folded 
 and placed at the end of the room opposite the sheet. After 
 turning them around three times one way, then three times 
 the other, they are started off to search for the turkey, that 
 they may pin the head where they suppose it belongs. When 
 the person going blindly about the room comes in contact 
 with anything, no matter what, be it chair, table, wall, door, or 
 another player, she must pin the turkey-head to the object 
 touched. To the person who comes nearest to placing the 
 head in its true place, a prize of a gilded wish-bone, tied to a 
 card with a ribbon, is given. And she who makes the least suc- 
 cessful effort is presented with a turkey-feather, which she 
 must stick in her hair and wear for the remainder of the even- 
 ing. 
 
 \ 
 
 A Suggestion. 
 
 Amid all these bright and happy thoughts of feasting and 
 merrymaking, comes an idea, so gently, yet persistently, forcing 
 itself upon my notice, that it finally assumes the form of a def- 
 inite plan which I will put to you in the form of a suggestion. 
 
 At this time, when, thinking over the numerous blessings, 
 that most of you find to be thankful for, how would it do, 
 girls, to form a society among yourselves, to be called the 
 Thanksgiving Society, whose object will be to provide a real 
 Thanksgiving for other and less fortunate girls, by giving them 
 something to be thankful for before next year's Thanksgiving 
 shall arrive ? 
 
 There need be no formality about the society. The only 
 necessary officer will be a secretary, to keep a record of what is 
 done by the society, individually and collectively ; which report 
 the secretary will read at the grand annual meeting on Thanks- 
 giving Day. 
 
Autumn. 
 
 Many girls, young, like yourselves, to whom it is just as 
 natural to be glad and happy, have little to make them so, and 
 to bring some brightness into their lives would indeed be worth 
 forming a society for. 
 
 There are various ways in which kindness may be done 
 these girls, and so many avenues will open to those seeking to 
 benefit them, that it is needless to attempt any instruction as to 
 what work may be performed by the society ; if this suggestion 
 is adopted, I know it will be safe to leave it to the quick sym- 
 pathy and warm hearts of the girls to do the right thing at the 
 right moment. What think you, girls, would it not be worth 
 while to make of this last Thursday of November a Thanks- 
 giving for others as well as for yourselves ? and would not your 
 own pleasures be doubly enhanced when sweetened with the 
 thought of having done what you could to make somee**^ else 
 happy ? 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AND HOME-MADE 
 CHRISTMAS GIFTS. 
 
 MONG all the days we celebrate Christmas 
 stands first and foremost in our thoughts, 
 the holiday of holidays. Coming in the 
 season of frost and snow it brings a 
 cheering warmth to our hearts that 
 defies the icy atmosphere, and the 
 feeling of kindliness and good will 
 toward everyone, which it awakens, seems in response to the 
 words the angels sang on our first Christmas, " On earth peace, 
 good will toward men." 
 
 Christmas is not merely a day set apart for feasting, giving 
 and receiving presents, and for merrymaking. The day on 
 which we celebrate the birth of our Lord is a time of rejoicing 
 for rich and poor alike, and Christmas is Christmas still, although 
 we may receive and can offer no presents and our feast is hum- 
 ble indeed. 
 
 Feeling this, let us keep the Christmas festival as it should 
 be kept, right happily and merrily. Let us decorate our homes 
 to the best of our ability in honor of the day, and supply all 
 deficiencies with happy hearts and smiling faces. 
 
 A friend of the writer's once remarked, as she busied herself 
 with some Christmas-cards she was preparing to send to the 
 
3i 8 IVinter. 
 
 hospitals, " I always like to tie a sprig of evergreen on each 
 card ; it looks and smells so Christmasy." And so it does. 
 Even a few pieces of evergreen, tacked over doorways or 
 branching out from behind picture-frames, give a room a fes- 
 tive, Christmas-like appearance that nothing else can, and as 
 evergreens are so plentiful here in America there are few 
 houses that need be without their Christmas decorations. 
 Holly, too, with its brilliant red berries peeping cheerily forth 
 from their shelter of prickly leaves, adds brightness to the other 
 adornments, and when the white-berried mistletoe can also be 
 obtained all the time-honored materials for the Christmas deco- 
 rations are supplied. 
 
 Though we are Americans, our ancestors came from many 
 nations, and we have therefore a right and claim to any custom 
 we may admire in other countries. We may take our Christ- 
 mas celebrations from any people who observe the day and 
 combining many, evolve a celebration which in its variety will 
 be truly American. 
 
 From Germany we have already taken our Christmas-tree ; 
 from Belgium our Christmas-stocking ; Santa Claus hails from 
 Holland, and old England sends us the cheery greeting, Merry 
 Christmas ! 
 
 The custom the French children have of ranging their shoes 
 on the hearth-stone on Christmas-Eve for the Christ-child to fill 
 with toys or sweetmeats, is too much like our own Christmas 
 stocking to offer any novelty. The Presepio, or Holy Manger, of 
 the Roman Catholic countries, which represents the Holy Family 
 at Bethlehem, with small wooden or wax figures for the charac- 
 ters, is more suitable for the church celebration, but in Sweden 
 and Denmark they have a peculiar method of delivering their 
 Christmas-presents which we might adopt to our advantage, for 
 it would be great fun to present some of our gifts in their novel 
 manner. 
 
Christmas Festivities. 319 
 
 Instead of describing this custom we will tell you just how 
 to carry it out and will call it the 
 
 Julklapp, 
 
 which in Denmark and Sweden means Christmas-box or 
 gift. 
 
 Before Christmas-Day arrives all the presents intended for 
 the Julklapp delivery must be prepared by enclosing them in a 
 great many wrappings of various kinds, none of which should 
 in any way suggest their contents. 
 
 If one of the presents is a pretty trinket, wrap it up in a 
 fringed tissue paper, such as is used for motto candy or sugar- 
 kisses ; place it in a small box, and tie the box with narrow 
 ribbon ; then do it up in common, rough brown paper, and wrap 
 the package with strips of cloth until it is round like a ball ; 
 cover the ball with a thin layer of dough, and brown in the 
 oven. Pin it up in a napkin, wrap in white wrapping paper and 
 tie with a pink string. 
 
 The more incongruous the coverings, the more suitable they 
 are for the Julklapp. You may enclose others gifts in bundles 
 of hay, rolls of cotton or wool, and use your own pleasure in 
 choosing the inner wrappings. It will be the wisest plan to 
 always use something soft for the outside covering, the reason 
 of which you will understand when the manner of delivery is 
 explained. Each package must be labelled with the name of the 
 person for whom it is intended, and if an appropriate verse, 
 epigram, or proverb be added it will be the cause of fresh mirth 
 and laughter. 
 
 The Julklapp delivery may, and probably will commence 
 very early Christmas morning, for the little folks, always early 
 risers on this day, will no doubt be up betimes, and ready for 
 the business of the day. The first intimation the less enter 
 
320 Winter* 
 
 prising members of the family will have that Christmas has 
 dawned, will be a loud bang at the chamber door, followed by 
 a thump of something falling on the bed or the sleeper's chest. 
 Then springing up and opening startled eyes, from which all 
 sleep has been thus rudely banished, one will probably discover 
 a large bundle of something on the bed or lying on the floor 
 close beside it. It will be useless to rush to the door to find 
 from whom or where this thing has come, for although a sup- 
 pressed giggle may be heard outside the door just after feeling 
 the thump, nothing will be met upon opening it, but dead si- 
 lence, and nothing seen but the empty hall. 
 
 At any time during the day or evening the Julklapps may ar- 
 rive and when all look toward the door, as a loud rap is heard, 
 whizz ! something comes through the window and lands in the 
 middle of the room. A sharp tap at the window is followed by 
 the opening and closing of a door, and a bundle of straw, wool, 
 paper, or cloth, as the case may be, lands in someone's lap. In 
 short the Julklapps may come from any and every direction, and 
 when one is least expecting them, and so the surprises and ex- 
 citement are made to last until, weary with the fun and gayety of 
 the day, the tired merrymakers seek their beds on Christmas- 
 night. 
 
 If it has not been made plain enough who, or what causes 
 the mysterious arrivals of the Julklapps we will say that the 
 whole household join in the conspiracy, and the packages come 
 from the hands of each of its members. The 
 
 Polish Custom 
 
 of searching for Christmas gifts, which have previously been 
 hidden in all manner of places in the house, is one the children 
 will delight in, and one that, introduced at a Christmas party, 
 will provoke no end of merriment and fun. 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 321 
 
 The Bran Pie 
 
 is an English dish, but is quite as well suited to the American 
 taste. It is an excellent means of distributing trifling gifts and 
 may be new to some of you. 
 
 Use a large, deep brown dish for the pie. Put in it a gift 
 for everyone who will be at the Christmas dinner, and cover 
 them over thickly with bran, ornament the top by sticking a 
 sprig of holly in the centre. After dinner have the bran pie 
 put on the table with a spoon and plates beside it, and invite 
 everyone to help her or himself, each spoonful bringing out 
 whatever it touches. Comical little articles may be put in the 
 pie, and the frequent inappropriateness of the gift to the re- 
 ceiver of it, helps to create laughter. 
 
 The Bran Pie should be the secret of not more than two 
 persons, for, like all things pertaining to Christmas gifts, the 
 greater the surprise, the more pleasure there will be in it. 
 
 The Blind Man's Stocking 
 
 may also be used for small gifts, or it may hold only candy and 
 bonbons. Make the stocking of white or colored 
 tissue-paper like the pattern given in Fig. 214. 
 
 First cut out one piece like the pattern, mak- 
 ing the foot thirteen inches long and six inches 
 from the sole to the top of the instep, and the leg 
 of the stocking sixteen inches from the heel to 
 the top ; then cut another, one inch 
 larger all around than the first. Place 
 the two together fold the edge of the 
 larger over the smaller piece and paste 
 it down all around except at the top 
 (Fig. 214). Fill the stocking with small gifts or sweetmeats, 
 
 21 
 
 Fig. 214. Paper Stocking. 
 
322 JVinter. 
 
 tie a string around the top to keep it fast, and suspend it from 
 the centre of a doorway. Blindfold each player in turn, put a 
 long, light stick in her hand, a bamboo cane will do, and lead 
 her up within reach of the stocking and tell her to strike it. 
 When anyone succeeds in striking the stocking and a hole is 
 torn in it, the gifts or candy will scatter all over the floor to be 
 scrambled for by all the players. Each player should be al- 
 lowed three trials at striking the stocking. 
 
 Young children are always delighted with this Christmas 
 custom, and the older ones by no means refuse to join in the 
 sport. 
 
 Home-made Christmas Gifts. 
 
 That the children may do their share toward filling the 
 Christmas stockings, adding to the fruit of the Christmas tree, 
 helping with the Julklapps, contributing to the Bran Pie or 
 Blind Man's Stocking, we give these hints on home-made 
 
 Christmas gifts, all of which are in- 
 expensive and easily constructed. 
 
 Chamois for Eye-glasses. 
 
 Cut out two circular pieces of 
 chamois-skin about the size of a sil- 
 ver half-dollar, bind the edges with 
 narrow ribbon, and fasten the two 
 pieces together with a bow of the 
 
 one piece of the chamois-skin, *M 
 Make all Things Clear," and go over the lettering with a pen 
 and India ink, or you may paint the letters in colors to 
 match the ribbon. Fig. 215 shows how it should look when 
 finished. 
 
Christinas Festivities. 
 
 323 
 
 Glove Pen-wiper. 
 
 Cut four pieces from thin, soft chamois-skin, like the outline 
 of Fig. 216. Stitch one with silk on the sewing-machine, ac- 
 cording to the dotted lines. Cut two slits at the wrist through 
 
 Pig. 216. Pattern of Pen-wiper. 
 
 Fig. 217 'Fen-wiper. 
 
 all the pieces as shown in Fig. 216, and join them together by 
 a narrow ribbon passed through the openings, and tied in a 
 pretty bow, Fig. 217. 
 
 Sachet. 
 
 Open out an envelope, and cover it with white or cream- 
 colored silk, refold carefully, joining the edges with stiff muci- 
 lage, using as little as 
 possible. In place of a 
 letter enclose a layer of 
 cotton sprinkled with 
 sachet-powder, fasten 
 the envelope with seal- 
 ing-wax as in an ordi- 
 nary letter. Address it 
 with pen and ink, to 
 the one for whom it is 
 intended. Print on it, 
 likeastamp, " Christmas, December 25," and fasten a cancelled 
 
 Fig. 218. Sachet. 
 
324 
 
 Winter. 
 
 stamp, taken from an old letter, on one corner. The finished 
 sachet is shown in Fig. 218. 
 
 A Book-mark. 
 
 Cut out the corner of a full-sized, lin- 
 en-lined envelope, making the piece four 
 inches long, and one and a half inches 
 wide. Write on one side with pen and 
 ink, or paint the lettering in color, " A 
 Fresh Mind Keeps the Body Fresh." 
 The book-mark will fit over the book-leaf 
 like a cap, and is excellent for keeping the 
 place. Fig. 219. 
 
 A Scrap-bag. 
 Scrap-bags have been fashioned in 
 
 Fig.219.-Book.mark. many shapes and sizeSj and o f all sorts Q f 
 
 material, still it remains to be shown in what manner Christmas 
 
 Fig. 220. Pattern of Scrap-bag. 
 
 cards may add in decoration and beauty to these.useful articles. 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 325 
 
 From your collection choose four cards of the same size, then 
 on a piece of bright silk or cloth sew the cards at equal dis- 
 tances apart, as in Fig. 220, stitching 
 them around the edges on the sewing- 
 machine. At the dotted line fold over 
 the top of the bag as if for a hem, mak- 
 ing the narrow fold lap just cover the 
 upper edge of the card ; stitch this down 
 to form a binding. 
 
 After joining the bag at the dotted 
 lines on the sides, gather the bottom up 
 tight and fasten to it a good-sized tassel ; 
 then sew on each side a heavy cord 
 with tassels placed where the cord joins 
 the bag, as seen in Fig. 221. The cord 
 and tassels of the example were made of 
 scarlet worsted. 
 
 A Walnut-shell Turtle. 
 
 For an ornament to be used on a 
 pen-wiper, or simply as a pretty toy, rig. 22i.-scrap.bag. 
 
 J/T^ ^TV t ^ ie little turtle is appropriate. It is made 
 
 Jf N--SS. f h^f an English walnut, v/hich forms the 
 
 <^2T /~*/ turtle's back or shell, glued on a piece of 
 
 xS^- <^s card-board cut after 
 
 %u W*** 
 
 the diagram given 
 
 Fig. 222. Pattern of Turtle. 
 
 in Fig. 222. Paint 
 
 the card-board as nearly as possible the 
 color of the shell, and the eyes black. Fig 
 When perfectly dry glue the shell se- 
 curely to the card-board, bend down and out the feet a little, 
 in order to make the turtle stand ; bend the head up, and the 
 tail down, as in Fig. 223. 
 
 Turtle. 
 
326 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Here are some home-made toys which the children can 
 make to give to one another. 
 
 Miss Nancy. 
 
 Miss Nancy (Fig. 226) is fashioned from a piece of pith 
 taken out of a dried cornstalk. Cut away the stalk until the 
 pith is reached ; then take a piece of the pith, about six inches 
 
 Q 
 
 Fig. 224. Fig. 225. 
 
 Manner of Making Miss Nancy. 
 
 Fig. 226. Miss Nancy. 
 
 long and whittle out one end to resemble a head as in Fig. 224, 
 draw a face on the head with pen and ink, and glue half of a 
 lead bullet on the lower end of the pith (Fig. 225). Make Miss 
 Nancy's costume of a skirt, composed of some bright-colored 
 Japanese paper, a shawl made of a piece of soft ribbon or silk, 
 and a cap of white swiss. The peculiarity of the little lady is 
 that she insists upon always standing upright, no matter in 
 what position she is placed. 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 327 
 
 A Soft Ball. 
 
 A very pretty and safe return ball for the little ones to 
 play with may be made of paper (Fig. 227), which, being 
 soft, precludes all danger of " thumps and 
 bumps." 
 
 Take a piece of newspaper, and, using 
 both hands, roll it and fold it into some- 
 thing of the required shape. Then place 
 it in the centre of a square piece of bright- 
 colored tissue paper ; take the four corners 
 of the tissue-paper up to the centre of the 
 top of the ball, fold them over, also fold 
 and smooth down what fulness there may 
 be ; next place a small round piece of gold, 
 silver, or some contrasting colored paper 
 on the top of the ball. Secure all by wind- 
 ing a string around the ball, making six 
 or eight divisions ; tie a piece of elastic to 
 the string where it crosses on the top of 
 the ball, then paste over this a small arti- 
 ficial flower. In the other end of the elas- 
 tic, make a loop to fit over the finger, or 
 tie on it a small brass ring. 
 
 If a tiny sleigh-bell be placed in the 
 centre when the ball is being made, it will give a cheerful little 
 tinkling noise whenever the ball is thrown. 
 
 Fig. 227. Paper BalL 
 
 A Lively Rooster. 
 
 To make the rooster (Fig. 228), cut out of stiff cardboard 
 Figs. 229, 230, 231, and 232. Tie on Figs. 229 and 230 each a 
 piece of string seven and one-half inches long. Then attach 
 
328 
 
 Winter. 
 
 the head and tail to the body by running a string through holes 
 at A in Fig. 230 and A in Fig. 231, and another through B in 
 Fig. 229 and B in Fig. 231. Bring the head and tail up close 
 to the body and fasten the ends of the strings down securely 
 
 <LL '! 
 
 Fig. 232. 
 
 Fig. 228. The Rooster. 
 
 Pattern of Rooster. 
 
 with court-plaster or pieces of paper pasted over them. Bend 
 Fig. 231 at dotted line C ; then on the space marked E, paste 
 the portion of Fig. 232 marked E after bending it at dotted line 
 O. Again bend Fig. 232 in the same direction at dotted line 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 329 
 
 P, and paste it across the space marked P, on Fig. 231. When 
 
 all is fastened together, and the paste perfectly dry, paint the 
 
 rooster to look as life-like as possible. Tie the strings of Figs 
 
 229 and 230 together four inches 
 
 from where they are fastened on, 
 
 then again about three inches lower 
 
 down, and attach a weight to the 
 
 ends. A common wooden top, with 
 
 a tack in the head (Fig. 233), will 
 
 answer the purpose nicely. To bring / /flfj^f 
 
 Fairy Dancers. 
 
 the rooster to life, place him on the mantel-piece, with a book 
 serving as a weight on the projection of Fig. 232, swing the top 
 and he will move his head and tail in the most amusing manner. 
 
330 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Fairy Dancers. 
 
 Among the gifts made by little hands, a box, containing a set 
 of fairy dancers, will be a most novel and welcome addition. 
 
 These little figures, when placed 
 on the piano, will move as soon 
 as the keys are touched, danc- 
 ing fast or slow in perfect time 
 to the music. They may all be 
 
 made to resemble fairies as in Fig. 234, 
 
 or a famous collec- 
 tion of figures in 
 
 the costumes of 
 
 different periods 
 
 in history will be 
 
 equally pretty and 
 
 perhaps more in- 
 teresting. Ladies 
 
 in kirtles and tu- 
 nics, gentlemen in 
 
 slashed doublet 
 
 and hose of the 
 
 Tu dor times, 
 
 Queen Elizabeth's 
 
 starched ruffs and 
 
 farthingales, etc. 
 
 All these dresses 
 
 can be more easily 
 
 copied from pict- 
 ures of the period than from any written rig. Z35 -- c e of 
 description of them. The materials used 
 
 for the costume must be of the lightest kind, for a heavy dress 
 will weigh down the dancer and hamper its movements. To 
 
 Fig. 234. A Fairy Dancer. 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 make the fairy (Fig. 234) trace Fig. 235 on cardboard and cut 
 it out, sew a piece of bonnet-wire down the back, as shown in 
 diagram. Mark the slippers on the feet with 
 ink or black paint, select a Christmas or adver- 
 tising card representing a child, with a head 
 of a suitable size, cut the head out and paste 
 it on the fairy. 
 
 Gather two short skirts of tarlatan, 
 make a waist of the same, sew with a 
 few stitches to the doll, and cover the 
 stitches with a sash of bright 
 colored tissue paper ; add a 
 strip of tarlatan for a floating 
 scarf, gluing it to the uplifted 
 
 Fig. 237. Fig. 238. 
 
 Chinaman's 
 Queue. 
 
 The wire on 
 
 fig. 236. Pattern of Chinaman. 
 
 hands. Bend back the 
 
 piece of cardboard pro- 
 
 jecting from the foot, 
 
 and glue to it a small 
 
 piece of bristle brush. 
 
 the doll should be long enough to pass 
 
 tightly around the brush, thus making 
 
 it more secure. 
 
 If you would like to have the 
 Chinaman (Fig. 239) in your troupe of 
 dancers, trace on cardboard Fig. 236, 
 draw a face with slanting eyes, or paint it ; then take several 
 strands of black thread and tie them together in the centre with 
 
 -The chinaman. 
 
332 
 
 Winter. 
 
 as Fig. 241. - Pat- 
 _ _ , , tern of China- 
 
 Make the man's Hat. 
 
 another piece of thread (Fig. 237), bring the ends down together 
 (Fig. 238), braid them and sew the braid to the back of the 
 
 Chinaman's head (239). Cut 
 a loose sacque from pattern 
 Fig. 240, fold at the waved 
 lines and sew together at 
 the dotted lines ; cut an 
 opening for the head 
 seen in pattern, 
 hat of dark green paper cut 
 in the form of Fig. 241, and 
 crimp it from the centre 
 (Fig. 242). Sew the hat to 
 the back of the Chinaman's 
 
 Fig. 240 Chinaman's Sacque. . , . . .. .. . Fig. 242 Chi- 
 
 head, bend the cardboard Hainan's Hat. 
 projection at the feet and glue it to a piece of brush. 
 
 Butterflies of brilliant hues, all hovering and circling, may 
 take the place of the fairies, or they may mingle with them in 
 the dance, presenting a scene indeed fairy-like. To make a 
 
 Butterfly Pattern. 
 
 butterfly, trace the pattern given in Fig. 243, on Butterfl7 . 
 brilliantly colored paper. Form a body by roll- 
 ing a small piece of beeswax between the fingers until it as- 
 sumes the desired shape (Fig. 244) ; then attach the wings to 
 the body by softening the wax and sticking them to it. Wax 
 
Christmas Festivities. 
 
 333 
 
 a piece of black thread to stiffen it, and make a knot in each 
 end (Fig. 245), bend this in the middle and stick it on to the 
 head to form the antennae (Fig. 246). Fasten one end of a very 
 fine wire securely in the middle of the wax body, and wrap the 
 other end around a small piece of brush as seen in Fig. 247. 
 A number of these butterflies placed on the pianoforte will 
 move, bend and sway with the music as if endowed with life. 
 
 Toys, also, which are small and light enough, can be made to 
 " trip the light fantastic " in time to the music. 
 
 Select those most suitable and glue them to pieces of brush 
 in the way described for the other dancers. 
 
 The children, generous little souls, always long to do their 
 part towards making Christmas presents, and we hope that the 
 suggestion we have offered will help them to manufacture, 
 without other aid, many little gifts which their friends will 
 prize the more highly for having been made by the loving little 
 hands. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 AMUSEMENTS AND GAMES FOR THE CHRISTMAS 
 
 HOLIDAYS. 
 
 WINTER passed in-doors would be irksome in- 
 deed for a healthy, hearty girl, and even the 
 most delicate are the better for an outing now 
 and then. The keen northwest wind, the bit- 
 ing frosts, the crisp atmosphere and the glisten' 
 ing ice and snow are not without their attrac- 
 tions, and we hope that no American girl will 
 neglect the opportunities this time of the year 
 affords for healthy, enjoyable out-door pas- 
 time. It is well to follow the example of our Canadian sisters, 
 and, clad in garments warm and appropriate, indulge in coast- 
 ing, tobogganing, skating, sleighing, and walking. 
 
 The country, wrapped in its winter mantle, is very attractive, 
 Many of our small animals and birds that city people are apt to 
 associate only with a summer landscape, are to be found abroad 
 in mid-winter, and upon a bright sunny day the birds are not 
 only to be seen, but heard twittering and even singing in the 
 hedges ; they do not feel the cold and are enjoying themselves 
 heartily. The reason the birds and wild creatures are so com- 
 fortably content, is because they are prepared for the weather, 
 their clothing is not only soft and warm, but fits them perfectly, 
 without interfering with their movements. Take a lesson from 
 them, g;irls, dress as becomingly as you choose, the birds always 
 do that, but do not wear thin-soled shoes or anything that is 
 
Christmas Holidays. 335 
 
 uncomfortable ; wrap up warm and you can enjoy yourself out 
 of doors in the coldest weather just as well as the birds. The 
 cold winds will only bring the roses to your cheeks, and the 
 keen, invigorating air, health and suppleness to your body. 
 
 We do not think any person ever learned to skate, coast, or 
 walk on snow-shoes from reading the directions that can be 
 given in a book. It is for that reason we have no chapter 
 devoted to these sports and not because we do not believe in, 
 and enjoy them, too. Therefore we will direct our attention 
 to indoor sports, for they can be learned in this way and are 
 quite as important as the others in filling out the list of winter 
 amusements. 
 
 There are a great many days in winter when it is so stormy 
 and disagreeable out-doors, one is glad enough to have the 
 shelter of a roof and the warmth of a fire ; these are the days 
 and evenings when in-doors games are in demand, and during 
 the holiday season, when work has been put aside, and you 
 have nothing to do but enjoy yourself, any new diversion is 
 always welcome. It is here then that we will insert the 
 
 New Game of Bubble Bowling. 
 
 When the game of Bubble Bowling was played for the first 
 time, it furnished an evening's entertainment, not only for the 
 children, but for grown people also ; even a well known gen- 
 eral and his staff, who graced the occasion with their presence, 
 joined in the sport, and seemed to enjoy it equally with their 
 youthful competitors. Loud was the chorus of " Bravo ! " and 
 merry the laugh of exultation when the pretty crystal ball 
 passed safely through its goal ; and sympathy was freely ex- 
 pressed in many an " Oh ! " and " Too bad ! " as the way- 
 ward bubble rolled gayly off toward the floor, or, reaching the 
 goal, dashed itself against one of the stakes and instantly van- 
 ished into thin air. 
 
336 
 
 Winter. 
 
 The game should be played upon a long, narrow table, made 
 simply of a board about five feet long and eighteen inches wide, 
 resting upon high wooden " horses.'' On top of the table, and 
 at a distance of twelve inches from one end, should be fastened 
 in an upright position, two stakes, twelve inches high ; the 
 space between the stakes should be eight 
 inches, which will make each stand four 
 inches from the nearest edge of the 
 table. When finished, the table 
 must be covered with some sort 
 
 Bubble Bowling. 
 
 of woollen cloth ; an old shawl or a 
 breadth of colored flannel will answer 
 . the purpose excellently. Small holes 
 must be cut at the right distance for the stakes 
 to pass through. The cloth should be allowed 
 to fall over the edge of the table, and must not be 
 fastened down, as it will sometimes be necessary to 
 remove it in order to let it dry. It will be found more conveni- 
 ent, therefore, to use two covers, if they can be provided, as 
 then there can always be a dry cloth ready to replace the one 
 that has become too damp. The bubbles are apt to stick when 
 they come upon wet spots, and the bowling can be carried on 
 in a much more lively manner if the course is kept dry. Each 
 >f the stakes forming the goal should be wound with bright 
 
Amusements and Games. 337 
 
 ribbons of contrasting colors, entwined from the bottom up, 
 and ending in a bow at the top. This bow can be secured in 
 place by driving a small brass-headed tack through the rib* 
 bon into the top of the stake. If the rough pine legs of the 
 table seem too unsightly, they can easily be painted, or a 
 curtain may be made of bright-colored cretonne any other 
 material will do as well, provided the colors are pleasing and 
 tacked around the edge of the table, so as to fall in folds to the 
 floor. The illustration shows the top of the table, when ready 
 for the game. 
 
 For an impromptu affair, a table can be made by placing a 
 leaf of a dining-table across the backs of two chairs, and cover- 
 ing it with a shawl ; lead pencils may be used for the stakes, 
 and they can be held in an upright position by sticking them 
 in the tubes of large spools. This sort of table the children 
 can arrange themselves, and it answers the purpose very nicely. 
 The other things to be provided for the game are a large bowl 
 of strong soapsuds, made with hot water and common brown 
 soap, and as many pipes as there are players. 
 
 The prizes for the winners of the game may consist of 
 any trinkets or small articles that fancy or taste may sug- 
 gest. 
 
 Bubble Bowling can be played in two ways. The first 
 method requires an even number of players, and these must 
 be divided into two equal parties. This is easily accomplished 
 by selecting two children for captains, and allowing each cap- 
 tain to choose, alternately, a recruit for her party until the 
 ranks are filled, or, in other words, until all the children have 
 been chosen ; then, ranked by age, or in any other manner 
 preferred, they form in line on either side of the table. A pipe 
 is given to each child, and they stand prepared for the contest. 
 One of the captains first takes her place at the foot of the table, 
 where she must remain while she is bowling, as a bubble pass- 
 
 72 
 
338 Winter. 
 
 ing between the stakes is not counted unless blown through the 
 goal from the end of the table. 
 
 The bowl of soapsuds is placed upon a small stand by the 
 side of the bowling-table, and the next in rank to the captain, 
 belonging to same party, dips her pipe into the suds and blows 
 a bubble, not too large, which she then tosses upon the table in 
 front of the captain, who, as first bowler, stands ready to blow 
 the bubble on its course down through the goal. Three suc- 
 cessive trials are allowed each player ; the bubbles which break 
 before the bowler has started them, are not counted. 
 
 The names of all the players, divided as they are into two 
 parties, are written down on a slate or paper, and whenever a 
 bubble is sent through the goal, a mark is set down opposite 
 the name of the successful bowler. 
 
 When the captain has had her three trials, the captain on 
 the other side becomes bowler, and the next in rank of her own 
 party blows the bubbles for her. When this captain retires, 
 the member of the opposite party, ranking next to the captain, 
 takes the bowler's place and is assisted by the one whose name 
 is next on the list of her own side ; after her the player next to 
 the captain on the other side ; and so on until the last on the 
 list has her turn, when the captain then becomes assistant and 
 blows the bubbles. 
 
 The number of marks required for either side to win the 
 game, must be decided by the number of players ; if there are 
 twenty ten players on each side thirty marks would be a 
 good limit for the winning score. 
 
 When the game has been decided, a prize is given to that 
 member of the winning party who has the greatest number of 
 marks attached to her name showing that she has sent the bub- 
 ble through the goal a greater number of times than any player 
 on the same side. Or, if preferred, prizes may be given to 
 every child belonging to the winning party. The other way in 
 
Amusements and Games. 339 
 
 which Bubble Bowling may be played is simpler, and does not 
 require an even number of players as no sides are formed. 
 
 Each bowler plays for herself, and is allowed five succes- 
 sive trials ; if three bubbles out of the five be blown through 
 the goal the player is entitled to a prize. The child acting ag 
 assistant becomes the next bowler, and so on until the last in 
 turn becomes bowler, when the one who began the game takeg 
 the place of assistant. 
 
 When the evening lamps are lighted and the young folks, 
 gathered cosily around the cheerful fire, begin to be at a loss 
 how to amuse themselves, let them try the game of 
 
 Biographical Nonsense. 
 
 A paper must be written by one of the players which will 
 read like the following : 
 
 The name of a noted man. 
 
 A date between the flood and the present year. 
 
 The name of a noted man. 
 
 A country. 
 
 The name of some body of water or river. 
 
 Some kind of a vessel. 
 
 A country. 
 
 A country. 
 
 The name of a school. 
 
 A city. 
 
 A city, town, or country. 
 
 A city, town, or country. 
 
 A number. 
 
 The names of two books. 
 
 The name of one book. 
 
 A wonderful performance. 
 
 The name of a well-known person. 
 
340 
 
 A profession or trade. 
 
 A term expressing the feeling entertained for another per< 
 son. 
 
 A term descriptive of someone's appearance. 
 
 A word denoting size. 
 
 A term describing form. 
 
 A color. 
 
 A word denoting size. 
 
 The name of an article of some decided color. 
 
 The name of any article. 
 
 The name of any article. 
 
 A number of years. 
 
 This paper is to be passed to each member of the party who 
 in turn will fill up the blanks left, with the words, terms, and 
 names indicated. 
 
 When the blanks have been filled, one player must read the 
 following, and another supply the words, when she pauses, from 
 the paper just prepared, being sure to read them in their true 
 order. 
 
 A BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 was born in the same year when dis- 
 covered , by sailing through the . in a . His 
 
 father was a native of - - ; his mother of . He was 
 
 educated at , in the city of . His first voyage, 
 
 which was a long one, was from to . He wrote 
 
 three books before he was years of age. They are 
 , and - . He performed the miraculous feat of 
 
 with . He was a great , and one we shall 
 
 ever . In appearance he was being rather . 
 
 of stature. His nose was , his eyes , his mouth 
 
 , and hair the color of - adorned his head. He 
 invariably carried in his hand a and a , by which 
 
Amusements and Games. 341 
 
 he was always known, and with which he is represented to this 
 
 day. He died at the advanced age of . 
 
 The ridiculous combinations found in this game make it 
 very funny. 
 
 Comic Historical Tableaux 
 
 are very amusing, and being impromptu require no preparation 
 beforehand. 
 
 As in charades, the company must divide into two parties. 
 But instead of acting as in charades, one party decides what 
 event in history they will represent, and then they form a tab- 
 leau to illustrate the event, making it as ridiculous as possible. 
 The other party must try and guess what the tableau is ; if they 
 are successful, it is their turn to produce a tableau, if not, the 
 first party must try another subject, and continue to do so until 
 the subject of their tableau is correctly guessed. 
 
 We will give a few suggestions for the tableaux. 
 
 BALBOA DISCOVERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 Place a pan of water on the floor in plain sight of the audi- 
 ence ; then let someone dress up in a long cloak and high- 
 crowned hat to personate Balboa, and stand on a table in the 
 middle of the floor, while the rest of the performers, enveloped 
 in shawls, crouch around. When the curtain is drawn aside, 
 Balboa must be seen looking intently through one end of a tin 
 horn, or one made of paper, at the pan of water. 
 
 NERO AT THE BURNING OF ROME. 
 
 Nero, in brilliant robes made of shawls, sits on a table, sur- 
 rounded by his courtiers, who are also in fantastic costumes. 
 Nero is in the act of fiddling, his fiddle being a small fire shovel, 
 
342 
 
 Winter. 
 
 and the bow a poker. On the floor in front of the group is 
 placed a large shallow pan or tray, in which is set a small 
 house, which has been hastily cut from paper. A lighted match 
 
 is put to the paper house 
 just as the curtains are 
 parted. 
 
 These two sugges- 
 tions will no doubt be 
 sufficient to show what 
 the tableaux should be 
 like and we need give 
 no further illustrations. 
 
 Living Christmas 
 Cards. 
 
 tie 
 
 To impart seeming 
 life to the little figures 
 painted on the Christmas 
 cards, is a performance in- 
 tensely amusing to the lit- 
 ones. A moving toy whose 
 
 Fig. 248. Manner of Hold, 
 ing Card. 
 
 actions are life-like is always of great 
 interest ; but when a little flesh-and- 
 blood head is seen nodding and twisting 
 upon the shoulders of a figure painted on a 
 r ard, the children airly shout with delight. 
 Here is the metho 1 of bringing life into the bits of paste- 
 board. 
 
 Select cards with pretty or comical figures, whose faces are 
 the size of the ends of your first or second finger. Carefully 
 cut the face out of a r ard ; then with i k mark the features on 
 your finger, and put it through the ipening, as in Fig. 248. 
 Place on this little livj head a high peaked tissue-paper cap, and 
 
Amusements and Games. 
 
 343 
 
 the effect will be exceedingly ludicrous (Fig. 249). A little 
 Santa Claus who can really nod and bow to the children will be 
 very amusing, and there are quite a number of Christmas cards 
 which portray the funny, jolly little fellow. 
 
 Floral cards may have nodding fairies peeping out from 
 among the petals of the flowers, whose heads are & crowned 
 with queer little fairy caps, as in Fig. 250. If | ^ among 
 your collection you 
 have a card with a 
 picture of a house on 
 it, it will be amusing 
 to thrust a little head 
 wearing a night-cap, 
 out of one of the win- 
 dows. Round holes 
 will, of course, have 
 to be cut in the cards 
 wherever the heads 
 are to appear. 
 
 Still another way 
 of managing these 
 living puppets is to 
 cut in a piece of card- 
 board, five inches 
 long and two inches 
 wide, three round 
 holes a little more 
 than half an inch 
 apart. Sew around 
 
 Fig. 249 Live Head with Peaked Cap. 
 
 the edge of the card- 
 board a gathered curtain of any soft material six inches deep. 
 Sketch faces on three of your fingers, pass them under the 
 curtain and through the holes in the cardboard. The cur- 
 
344 
 
 Winter. 
 
 tain will fall around and conceal your hand, leaving the three 
 heads appearing above (Fig. 251). On these heads place any 
 kind of head-dress you choose, making them of paper ; or 
 
 caps 
 Worn 
 
 Fig. 250 Nodding Fairies. 
 
 of white swiss look quaint, and wee doll hats may be 
 rn. 
 It is best to use a little mucilage or paste in fastening the hats 
 
Amusements and Games. 
 
 345 
 
 on, that there may be no danger of their falling off with the 
 movement of the fingers. 
 
 The hair may be inked, or little wigs made of cotton can be 
 used. 
 
 Fig. 251. Living Puppets. 
 
 If the little faces are painted with water colors, giving color 
 to the cheeks and lips, the life-like appearance will be enhanced. 
 
 These little personages can be made to carry on absurd 
 conversations, and a great deal of expression be given to the 
 bobbing and turning of their heads. One person can easily 
 manage the whole thing, and entertain a roomful with the per- 
 formance of the living puppets. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 s 
 
 NEW YEAR'S AND A LEAP YEAR PARTY. 
 
 earliest recollection of Nevr 
 Year's day is of being 
 awakened at midnight by 
 the clangor of the fire 
 bells, and the ringing of 
 the church bells, as they 
 swung and rocked in their 
 high steeples and cupolas, 
 shouting, Happy New 
 Year ! from their brazen throats to all the sleeping town. Not 
 being thoroughly conversant with bell language, I was very 
 much alarmed because they seemed to say " Come, get up 
 Come, get up House on fire House on fire ! " but, upon 
 opening my eyes, I was assured that they were ringing in the 
 New Year, and, as I again fell asleep, the bells were saying 
 distinctly, "Wish you Happy New Year Wish you Happy 
 New Year." 
 
 Next day the table was decked with flowers, and was laden 
 with roast turkey, fruits, salads, and mince-pies. Oh, my ! what 
 delicious mince-pies they were ! None since have ever tasted 
 as good as those made and baked by my grandmother. 
 
 I often wonder if the next generation of grandmammas will 
 make such cookies, mince pies, and doughnuts as ours did ; 
 but this was in Kentucky, and vou know that we still observed 
 
348 
 
 the old-fashioned customs, and all day long the gentlemen came 
 dropping in by twos and fours, and such handshaking and 
 laughing, and such courtly compliments, and such a bowing and 
 a wishing of Many Happy New Years, it does me good to think 
 of. Who knows but that so many kind wishes of a long and 
 happy life, sincerely given, may really help to bring it to pass. 
 
 Small as I was at the time, and little as I understood the 
 customs or conversation, the spirit of the whole day was intel- 
 ligible and appealed to the little child, perhaps more forcibly 
 than to the grown-up people. 
 
 It is really too bad that the crowded states of our large cities 
 tend to lead to the gradual decline of the custom of New Year's 
 calls, so that now many people confine themselves to sending 
 and receiving cards, making the always stiff and formal bits of 
 engraved pasteboard, do all the calling and receiving ; but 
 
 New Year's Parties 
 
 are not out of date, so we will have one on New Year's Eve, be- 
 cause then young and old are privileged to sit up all night, that 
 is, until after twelve o'clock midnight, and have all the fun pos- 
 sible. Let us begin our frolic with a 
 
 Pantomime of an Enchanted Girl. 
 
 For this a damp sheet must be fastened up across the room 
 or between the folding doors of the parlor. First, fasten the 
 corners of the sheet, next, the centre of each of the four sides, 
 in order that the cloth may be perfectly smooth ; then place a 
 lighted candle on the floor, about four or five feet from the cen> 
 tre of the curtain. When the lights in the room occupied by 
 the audience are turned out, leaving it in total darkness, so the 
 shadows of the actors behind the curtain may be seen on the 
 screen, someone, standing outside of the curtain and facing the 
 
New Year's Party. 349 
 
 audience, should explain or relate the story of the play : of how 
 a young girl, while walking out on the last day in November, 
 meets Halloween, who presents her with three gifts to try her 
 fortune, and how, when she is about to do so, a witch enchants 
 her, etc. After the story is finished, and a lively overture has 
 been performed on some musical instrument, the pantomime is 
 played as follows : 
 
 The young girl personating the enchanted one, comes gayly 
 forward from the side, when almost across the curtain she meets 
 Halloween, who approaches from the opposite side, arrayed in 
 short dress, with wings made of newspaper folded fan fashion, 
 and fastened on the shoulders ; in her hand she carries a cane 
 with a silhouette of a cat, or two or three stars and a crescent cut 
 of stiff, brown paper and pasted on the end ; the cane is so held 
 that the profiles of the figures are kept toward the curtain. 
 Seeing this queer being the young girl clearly demonstrates, by 
 her actions, that she is alarmed. When Halloween quiets her 
 fears, by surely and plainly indicating with slow movements of 
 the head, and downward motions of the arms that no harm is 
 intended, they shake hands ; then Halloween shows the maiden 
 three gifts, an apple, a hand-mirror, and an unlighted candle. 
 Before presenting them she illustrates by gestures, the use to be 
 made of each. Holding the mirror in front of her face, she bites 
 the apple, then looks quickly around, as if expecting to see 
 someone, and, again holding up the mirror in one hand and the 
 candle in the other, she takes a few steps backward, when a boy 
 enters by jumping over the light, which gives the appearance of 
 his having fallen down from the sky, Halloween looks around, 
 and the boy quickly disappears in the same manner as he came. 
 
 All this time the girl stands transfixed, with her hands raised 
 and all the fingers spread out in astonishment ; she receives the 
 presents which are given with many nods and gestures. As Hal- 
 loween walks away the fortune-seeker turns and watches her 
 
350 Winter. 
 
 with a telescope made of a roll of paper she finds at her feet on 
 the floor. The maiden then proceeds to examine the gifts ; aa 
 she takes up the apple and mirror, her hand is stayed by a 
 witch with flowing hair, who has approached unperceived, 
 carrying under one arm a broom, and wearing on her head an 
 ordinary hat with a piece of newspaper rolled up and pinned on 
 to form a peaked crown. She motions to the girl to be seated ; 
 then stands over her and makes passes in the air, and taking up 
 her broom from the floor makes grand flourishes and departs 
 walking back towards the candle, which causes her shadow to 
 grow larger and larger. The poor girl looks anxiously around 
 and discovers she has been enchanted, for there are three girls 
 instead of one; this effect is produced by two more lighted 
 candles being placed on the floor on either side of the first can- 
 dle, and every movement the girl makes is mimicked by her 
 other selves. The candles are removed and the Old Year in- 
 stantly appears, his figure bent, a piece of fringed paper pasted 
 on his chin for a flowing beard, and carrying in his hand a cane 
 with a piece of stiff paper fastened on to represent a scythe. 
 Discovering him the girl runs forward to tell her sorrows, and 
 finds that it is only when alone that she is enchanted, for when 
 she attempts to point out her other selves they have dis- 
 appeared ; making many gestures she looks here and there for 
 them, but in vain, then as the Old Year leaves she bids him a 
 sorrowful adieu. Again alone, the facsimiles reappear and she 
 grows desperate, so do the other two selves, she throws her arms 
 about, skips, jumps, and dances wildly around, the other selves 
 do likewise, and at the same time they are made to pass and 
 repass her, by two persons taking up the two extra lights, and, 
 keeping the lights facing the curtain, walking back and forth, 
 passing, and repassing each other but never stepping in front of 
 the candle on the floor. In the midst of the dancing the two 
 extra candles are taken away and immediately the little Nevr 
 
New Year's Party. 351 
 
 Year enters, crowned with a paper star and wearing wings of 
 paper. The young girl rushes to meet the New Year with a 
 hearty greeting, she then tells him of her enchantment, counting 
 the three selves by holding up the first finger of the right hand 
 three times in succession, and while the New Year makes gest- 
 ures that indicate advice the maiden listens with her hand to 
 her ear, and, promising by signs to be a good girl, she kneels 
 down, and the little New Year raises both hands above her 
 head, then, kissing her hand to the maiden, departs. 
 
 The glad New Year has disenchanted her, she carefully 
 looks this way and that, but seeing all is well she tosses her 
 head, dances around, makes a courtesy, kisses both hands to 
 the audience and disappears. 
 
 When the play is over, and just as the clock strikes twelve, 
 the party can instantly change its character if it is leap-year 
 and become a 
 
 Leap-Year Party 
 
 for the remaining hour or so, thereby creating a great deal 
 more merriment and sport ; the novelty of the fact that the girls 
 exchange places with the boys makes everything appear 
 strange. And when the music commences for dancing the 
 girls look from one to another, no one at first having the cour- 
 age to invite a partner to dance, so unaccustomed are they to 
 even the thought of such a thing. The boys of course laugh, 
 and make no move to assist their timid, would-be partners in 
 the part they must play, but quietly await the expected invita- 
 tion. When, however, someone takes the initiative step, the 
 others follow, and all goes merrily. 
 
 The supper presents a new phase, but here the girls do their 
 part perfectly, providing all the boys with a plentiful repast, and 
 each one is made to feel that his presence is necessary to the suc- 
 cess of the party, thereby insuring a happy, pleasant time for alL 
 
352 IVinter. 
 
 In giving a leap-year party it is very essential that all the 
 guests understand perfectly that the idea of the entertainment 
 is to have the girls take upon themselves all the duties and 
 courtesies properly belonging to the boys, and that the boys 
 shall wait for an invitation before dancing, promenading, or 
 partaking of refreshments, and that a boy should not cross the 
 floor unattended, but wait for some fair friend to escort him. 
 The girls are at liberty to go and come as they like, though they 
 must remember not to leave a partner standing after the dance 
 is over, but politely conduct him to a seat, and the girls must 
 also endeavor to make the party pleasant and agreeable to all. 
 The chaperons, of course, should have charge of the boys dur- 
 ing the entertainment. 
 
 The leap-year party need not necessarily be a dancing 
 party, as any social gathering can take the form of a leap-year 
 party. 
 
 When an entertainment is given on the eve of a new leap* 
 year, with a view to dancing the old year out and the new year 
 in, just as the clock strikes twelve the party can immediately 
 change into a leap-year party as described, or should the New 
 Year be a common year, then as the time flies and the hands 
 of the clock approach the hour of twelve all are on the qui vive 
 to be the first to have the pleasure of greeting their friends with 
 a Happy New Year. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 HOME GYMNASIUM. 
 
 VERYONE must exercise to keep healthy 
 and strong, for life is motion and activ- 
 ity. It is natural to be well and happy, 
 and to keep so we must exercise all our 
 muscles, as well as our moral and intel- 
 lectual faculties, or they will dwindle 
 and wither. The arm of the Hindoo 
 devotee, not being used, at length be- 
 comes completely paralyzed, and fish in the Mammoth Cave 
 having no use for eyes pass their life without them ; so we find 
 that use is the foundation of all things, otherwise they would 
 cease to exist ; then, girls, it lies within your power to become 
 stronger and more graceful each day by regular and graduated 
 bodily exercise, which will bring life and energy to every part 
 of your system by causing the blood to circulate freely through 
 all the body. 
 
 There are some simple methods of carrying this into effect 
 in the most agreeable and salutary manner, but the exercises 
 must be very light at first, and as you advance they may be 
 increased a little each time, but always stop before you feel 
 fatigued, for when the calisthenics cease to give pleasure it is 
 doubtful if they are beneficial. 
 
 The best time for exercising is in the morning after having 
 partaken of some light refreshments, though any time will do 
 
Home Gymnasium. 355 
 
 except directly after hearty meals. Try and have a regular 
 time set apart each day for your physical culture. Commence 
 by exercising five or ten minutes, then for a little longer period 
 next time, and so on until you can exercise with ease for half an 
 hour or longer. You will feel refreshed, invigorated, and better 
 prepared for the duties and pleasures which await you. Your 
 clothing must not incommode the free action of the body, and 
 it is essential that it be comfortable. What is suitable for lawn 
 tennis is also well adapted for the gymnasium. An ordinary 
 bathing-dress answers the purpose very well, as it is made for 
 exercise. 
 
 The Egyptian water-carrier, with the jug of water poised so 
 prettily on her head, and her figure so straight and beautiful, 
 has always challenged admiration ; her carriage is dignified, 
 erect, and graceful, something worth striving for, especially 
 when we have the certainty of success if we will only be faith- 
 ful and persevering. The peasantry of foreign countries who 
 carry all their burdens balanced on their heads have their 
 reward in healthy, strong, straight figures, even in old age 
 they do not stoop. Witness the emigrants landing at Castle 
 Garden who carry their possessions done up in huge bundles 
 on their heads with the utmost ease ; of this class, three gen- 
 erations a grandmother, mother, and grown daughter with 
 baggage of the same weight on their heads, were lately seen 
 at a New York ferry, each equally upright, strong, and vig- 
 orous. 
 
 A good straight back is an excellent thing ; and when the 
 head is properly carried and all the movements are buoyant 
 and elastic, then we may walk as it was intended we should, 
 every step bringing a glow to the cheek and a sparkle to the 
 eye. It requires only a few minutes' regular daily exercise for 
 any girl to attain a carriage equal to that of the Egyptian 
 water-carrier, and the only apparatus needed for 
 
356 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Exercise First 
 
 is a roll of paper. Now stand with your heels together, toes 
 out, and shoulders well back ; then place on your head the roll 
 of paper ; if your position is not perfectly erect the roll will fall 
 off; keep your chin straight and back against your neck, for it 
 is the chin which determines the poise 
 of the body. You cannot stand straight 
 unless the chin is straight ; throw out 
 your chin and your shoulders will stoop 
 forward, have your chin straight and 
 your back will be straight ; bear this in 
 mind in all your exercises. Now walk, 
 keeping the roll balanced on your head 
 (Fig. 252). Practice this walking back 
 and forth until you can do so without 
 the paper rolling off; then try a tin cup 
 full to the brim with water. Walk erect 
 or the water will wash over, down on 
 your head, and it will feel cold as it 
 trickles through your hair ; soon, how- 
 ever, you will be able to carry the cup 
 of water with ease and no danger of its 
 spilling. But do not discontinue the 
 practice on that account ; try something 
 
 Fig. 252.-Balanring a Roll of ^ j fl j ts ^^ untU yQU ^ Q ^^ ^ 
 
 carry anything you wish on your head 
 
 with no fear of it falling. The exercise affords amusement, and at 
 the same time you will be acquiring a beautiful, dignified, and 
 graceful carriage. 
 
 Exercise Second 
 
 is for gaining agility, suppleness, quickness of eye, hand, and 
 foot. Standing as far from the wall as possible, take a common 
 
Home Gymnasium. 
 
 357 
 
 rubber hand-ball and toss it against the wall, catching it as it 
 rebounds (see illustration), and again toss it against the wall. 
 Vary this by allowing the ball to strike the floor, catching it 
 on the rebound ; then try keeping the ball in constant motion 
 by using first one hand and then the other as a bat for return- 
 ing the ball to the wall. The exer- 
 cise can also be changed by striking 
 the ball against the floor, and on its 
 return bound again striking it, thus 
 keeping it in motion. You will find 
 that activity is necessary, and the 
 work so quick that it will keep you 
 on the jump all through the exercise. 
 
 Exercise Third 
 
 is with a broom-handle. Saw or cut off 
 the broom and smooth down the sharp 
 ends of the handle, and it will be ready 
 for use. Stand erect, heels together, toes 
 out, chin well back and straight, so as to 
 throw out and expand the chest. Now 
 grasp firmly each end of the broomstick 
 and bring it up over the head (Fig. 253) ; 
 repeat this motion six or seven times ; 
 then change by carrying the broomstick rig. 253. Broom- 
 over back of the head down across and 
 
 back of the shoulders ; then up above the head again, repeat- 
 ing this, and all other motions in your calisthenics, half a 
 dozen times. Another exercise is holding the stick down in 
 front of you with both hands and bringing it up over the head 
 and down back of the shoulders without stopping. 
 
 The side motion is made by grasping the broomstick at 
 each end, holding it down in front of you, and swinging it side- 
 
358 Winter. 
 
 ways, thus bringing the right hand up when the left is down, 
 and vice versa. Another way is to hold the stick by both ends 
 above your head and swing it from one side to the other, 
 which will cause the right arm to come in contact with the 
 right side of the head, while the left arm is extended out hori- 
 zontally to the left. Next carry the stick back of and against 
 the shoulders ; then swing it from right to left, which gives 
 another side movement. Vary all the movements in as many 
 different ways as you can think of. 
 
 Exercise Fourth. 
 
 Stand erect always when in position for exercising, accord- 
 ing to the directions given heels together, toes out, etc. Now 
 allow your arms to hang naturally down at your sides, raise 
 your heels, and stand on your toes ; now lower the heels and 
 repeat the motion ; then close your hands tightly and raise 
 your arms out sideways at right angles with your body, next up 
 straight above your head, and down again to the level of the 
 shoulders, then back down to your sides as at first. 
 
 Again take position, close your hands tightly, and raise them 
 up under the arms, bringing the elbows out to a level with the 
 shoulders ; then bring your hands down at your sides again and 
 repeat the movement vigorously ; resume position, firmly close 
 your hands and carry them up to the shoulders, next extend 
 them up straight above your head, down again to your shoul- 
 ders, and back to the first position. A very good exercise is to 
 extend both arms straight out in front of you, close your hands 
 and bring them back to your chest, which will cause the bent 
 elbows to project beyond your back. 
 
 Exercise Fifth. 
 
 Assume position, close your hands, and take one long step 
 forward with your right foot, bend the right knee and stand 
 
Home Gymnasium. 
 
 359 
 
 with your weight resting on the right foot ; then extend your 
 
 arms out sideways straight from the shoulders, now bring your 
 
 hands together in front of you, still 
 
 keeping the arms on a level with the 
 
 shoulders, and while doing so throw 
 
 the body back, straightening the 
 
 right knee and bending the left so 
 
 the weight of the body will rest on 
 
 the left foot ; repeat this and vary it 
 
 by taking one step forward with the 
 
 left foot and going through with the 
 
 same motions. 
 
 Resume position, and place your 
 hands on your hips, with your thumbs 
 turned forward and fingers backward. 
 Now take a long step forward with your 
 right foot, throwing the weight on that 
 foot, then back again in position, and in 
 the same manner step forward with your 
 left foot and back again ; next take a step 
 backward with your right foot, resume 
 position, and then with your left. 
 
 Again stand with your hands on your 
 hips, thumbs turned forward, and without 
 bending your knees move the body, first 
 bending it forward, then backward, and 
 resuming an upright position, bend over to the right and to the 
 left. 
 
 Exercise Sixth. 
 
 In this the broomstick is used for balancing ; hold it in an 
 upright position, and first try balancing it on the palm of your 
 hand ; then on the back of your hand, next on each of the fingers 
 in succession, commencing with the first finger (Fig. 254) ; be 
 
 Fig. 254. Balancing 
 Broom-handle. 
 
360 Winter. 
 
 cautious, and when the stick wavers do not let it fall, but catch 
 it with the other hand, and again balance it. This is an inter- 
 esting, light, and diverting exercise, requiring all your attention, 
 and, for the time being, your thoughts are concentrated on the 
 effort to keep the broomstick properly balanced. 
 
 Exercise Seventh. 
 
 Pure blood means good health, and to purify the blood and 
 keep the complexion clear it is essential that you breathe a 
 sufficient quantity of pure air, and you cannot take in a proper 
 amount of air unless your lungs are wholly extended. So take 
 position with your hands correctly placed on your hips ; then 
 very slowly draw in your breath until your chest and lungs are 
 fully expanded ; next slowly exhale your breath, and repeat 
 the exercise. 
 
 Exercise Eighth. 
 
 Screw in two large, strong hooks in the woodwork on each 
 side of the doorway ; place the hooks as far above your head 
 as you can conveniently reach ; slide the broomstick in so that 
 it will extend across the doorway and be supported by the 
 hooks ; have the apparatus on that side of the doorway where 
 it will not interfere with the opening and closing of the door, and 
 be sure that it is perfectly secure before attempting to exercise ; 
 each time before commencing a new movement examine the stick, 
 and be certain that it is not in any danger of slipping from the 
 hooks. Unless you can be perfectly safe from liability to hurts 
 or falls, do not include this in your list of exercises. 
 
 For the first movement grasp the bar firmly with both 
 hands and swing the body forward and backward, standing first 
 on the toes, then on the heels ; next, still grasping the bar, raise 
 up on your toes, then back again. Change the movements in 
 
Home Gymnasium. 361 
 
 as many ways as you like, but do not try anything that may 
 strain or hurt you. Now screw in two more hooks, on either 
 side of the woodwork, below the first ones, placing them about 
 two feet and eight inches from the floor ; take the stick from 
 its elevated position and slide it across the doorway so it will 
 rest securely on the two lower hooks. Standing in front 
 of it, grasp the bar firmly with both hands and try to raise 
 yourself up, feet and all, from the floor by bearing your weight 
 down on the bar ; then 
 let yourself gently back 
 again. When you have 
 finished exercising, re- 
 move the stick and put 
 it away. 
 
 Exercise Ninth. 
 
 In the top part of 
 the framework of the 
 doorway fasten a very 
 strong hook by screw- 
 ing it into the wood ; 
 then take a broomstick 
 
 and, after shortening it rig 255 _ The gwing 
 
 so that when held in a 
 
 horizontal position it will readily pass through the doorway, 
 cut notches in each end and securely tie the two ends of a rope 
 across the notches ; suspend this swing by slipping the centre 
 of the rope over the hook in the doorway (Fig. 255); have 
 the apparatus strong and firm, capable of any amount of wear 
 and tear. Stand facing the stick, which should be at the height 
 of the chest, and take hold of it with both hands ; now bend 
 the knees until they are within a short distance of the floor, 
 
362 IVinter. 
 
 then rise and repeat the exercise. Next, with both hands on 
 the stick, take a long step forward with the right foot, throwing 
 the weight on that foot ; return to your position and go through 
 the same exercise with your left foot. Try different movements 
 which suggest themselves, and select those you like best. When 
 not in use the swing can be slipped off the hook and put out of 
 the way. 
 
 Exercise Tenth. 
 
 To develop a weak voice and make it clear and sweet, and to 
 strengthen the lungs, reading aloud is an excellent exercise ; as 
 it requires both mental and muscular exertion and performs a 
 double duty, it should receive a full share of time and atten- 
 tion. Begin with something you are interested in, then you 
 will find it much easier to read aloud than if you undertook a 
 book or an article which might be full of merit, but lack interest 
 for you. When commencing this exercise read only ten min- 
 utes or less at a sitting, increasing the time as you practise and 
 the reading grows less difficult. - Do not be discouraged if your 
 voice sounds a little husky while reading ; stop a moment, and 
 then go on again. After a few trials you will have no more 
 trouble in that way, for your voice will grow clear and distinct, 
 and the exercise will become a great pleasure as well as an at- 
 tractive, useful accomplishment. 
 
 Let your reading matter be very choice and of the best ; do 
 not condescend to waste your time on other writings. 
 
 From the ten different exercises given, select those best 
 adapted to your size, age, and liking, and practise them for a 
 short time daily ; you can hardly realize the great advantage they 
 will prove to be. In this way all parts of the system may be 
 strengthened and harmoniously developed. But the constitu- 
 tion cannot be hurried : all must be accomplished little by little. 
 Allow yourselves to be happy and merry; be ready to enjoy 
 
Home Gymnasium. 
 
 363 
 
 the little pleasures of life, and this, with kind and generous feel- 
 ings for others, will do a great deal toward keeping you well 
 and strong. 
 
 Out-of-door exercise is always to be preferred to in-door 
 when one has a choice. Walking, tennis, archery, horseback, 
 and swimming are some of the athletic sports for girls, and they 
 all have their attractions. But there are times when we are de- 
 nied the pleasure of these pastimes, and then we are glad of a 
 little exercise in-doors, which also affords enjoyment and recre- 
 ation. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 A DECORATIVE LANGUAGE. 
 
 HEN in olden times the warriors went 
 around the country dressed in suits of 
 clothes made by a blacksmith instead 
 of a tailor, their hats were manufact- 
 ured at the forge also, and had iron 
 front doors that moved upon hinges. 
 When danger was nigh these doors 
 were closed, locked, and barred over 
 the poor men's heads, leaving only a 
 
 loop-hole or two for them to peep through. At such times in 
 meeting Mr. Brown it was impossible to distinguish him from 
 Mr. Smith, who was arrayed in like manner, and it might hap- 
 pen that Mr. Smith was the last man in the world that one 
 cared to meet, not being on speaking terms or some such 
 reason. Well, as we were saying, there was no chance what- 
 ever of telling one man from another unless he wore a dis- 
 tinguishing mark of some kind. 
 
 So to prevent such uncomfortable mistakes and to distin- 
 guish friend from foe, every gentleman had to be marked and 
 labelled, like an express package, so one might read as he ran, 
 " I am Earl Jenkins, of Thunderland, who married a Rhazor, of 
 Stropshire." These names and addresses were not painted in 
 words on their owners with a marking-brush, but worked and 
 embroidered in translatable designs on cloaks, saddle-housings, 
 
A Decorative Language. 365 
 
 and silken banners, or emblazoned on the shield they carried 
 with which to meet the advances of their neighbors. Since that 
 time our more recent ancestors in England have taken great 
 pride in preserving and handing down from generation to gen- 
 eration these distinguishing marks, as a guarantee to their chil- 
 dren that they came of gentle birth, which is very interesting 
 and gratifying for European girls, but American girls need 
 nothing of the kind ; it is sufficient that we are Americans. 
 
 Of course, some of us do take pleasure in knowing that our 
 great-great-grandparents came over in the Mayflower, or that 
 the name of an ancestor is among the signatures upon that Dec- 
 laration of Independence which made such a stir a century ago, 
 for that proves us to be Columbia's daughters. 
 
 When there was no other method of distinguishing a man 
 his label became a very important item ; so these family devices 
 were reduced to a science and protected by law. 
 
 The old countries' coats of arms may remain abroad, where 
 they belong, but the ingenious scheme, that was gradually 
 evolved, of picturing ideas, mottoes, and pretty sentiments we 
 will adopt as our inheritance, with many thanks to our medi- 
 aeval ancestors with the metallic clothes, who bequeathed them 
 to us. 
 
 We propose to revive enough of this neglected knowledge 
 of chivalry to serve our purpose in suggesting a method of de- 
 signing devices which will not only be artistic decorations, but 
 to the initiated can be made to portray almost any sentiment 
 or set of principles the artist may choose. 
 
 The many uses to which these designs can be applied will, 
 we hope, at once be seen by the quick-witted American girls, 
 and we trust will interest the reader as much as they do the 
 writer, who in this chapter can only give a few necessary, brief 
 hints upon the subject, sufficient, however, to explain the appli- 
 cation that can be made of this beautiful and perfect system of 
 
3 66 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Decorative Language. 
 
 In the following directions anyone can learn how to make 
 a device which will not only be a decoration, artistic in form and 
 color, but will at the same time express the peculiar traits, char- 
 acteristics, and virtues of the friend for whom it is intended, or 
 the precept, code, proverb, or creed of the designer. All tech- 
 nical terms, as far as practicable, are discarded, but the rules of 
 
 ^- y heraldry strictly adhered to, with such simplifi- 
 
 fj cations as are necessary to render it intelligible. 
 
 Fig. 256.-The Field. 
 
 The Field. 
 
 The surface on which the design is portrayed 
 
 originally it wat supposed to represent a warrior's shield, but 
 you may use a circle, oval, square, diamond, or any other form. 
 
 The Points 
 on the surface of the shield locate the exact spot where a 
 
 design or object in 
 Refer by numbers to 
 
 1. Fess point. 
 
 2. Honor point. 
 
 3. Nombril point. 
 
 4. Dexter chief point. 
 
 Fig. 257. Points. 
 
 heraldry may be placed. 
 Fig. 257. 
 
 5. Middle or chief point. 
 
 6. Sinister chief point. 
 
 7. Dexter base point. 
 
 8. Middle base point. 
 
 9. Sinister base point. 
 
 If you desire to place a flower on the fess point, you find 
 that it means the exact centre of the shield, and so on. 
 
 The devices take significance in accordance with the more 
 or less importance of their position on the shield ; the honor 
 
A Decorative Language. 
 
 367 
 
 point holds the highest grade, next to it the middle or chief 
 point, and the right or dexter side is of more importance than 
 the left or sinister. 
 
 The field may be divided, if desired, in any of the following 
 
 Divisions, 
 
 each of which has a significance, suggested generally by the 
 form : 
 
 Fig. 258, the Chief, occupying the top or head of the 
 
 Fig. 258. Chief. 
 
 Fig. 259. Fess. 
 
 Fig. 260. Farted per Fess. 
 
 shield, indicates pre-eminence, main object, intelligence, first 
 principle. 
 
 Fig. 2 59> tne Fess, denotes cause and effect, the central 
 band containing the mean? by which the ends, in the other 
 spaces, are accomplished. 
 
 Fig. 261. Pale. 
 
 Fig. 262. Parted per Pale. 
 
 Fig. 263. Bend. 
 
 Fig. 260 is a partition, and partakes of the meaning of the 
 division, it is denoted by the term, parted per fess. 
 
368 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Fig. 261, the Pale, represents rectitude, uprightness ; also 
 union, the object in the central division uniting whatever occu- 
 pies the dexter and sinister sides. 
 
 Fig. 262 is parted per pale. 
 
 7 
 
 Fig. 264. Parted per Bend. 
 
 Tig. 265. Chevron. 
 
 N 
 
 Fig. 266. Cross. 
 
 Fig. 263, the Bend, is auspicious, meaning prosperity, suc- 
 cess. 
 
 Fig. 264 is parted per bend. 
 
 Fig. 265, the Chevron, is indicative of aid, assistance, support. 
 
 Fig. 266, the Cross, suggests humility, devotion, patience, 
 perseverance. 
 
 Fig. 267. Saltire. 
 
 Fig. 268. Pile. 
 
 Fig. 269. Canton. 
 
 Fig. 267, the Saltire, a variation of the cross, is recognized 
 as order, discipline. 
 
 Fig. 268, the Pile, being in the form of a wedge, means 
 penetration, incision, entering to divide or distribute. 
 
 Fig. 269, the Canton, denotes an additional, separate idea 
 or principle ; also some characteristic that is added to the orig- 
 inal design. 
 
Decorative Language. 
 
 369 
 
 Colors. 
 
 These also have symbolical meanings. 
 
 Fig. 270. Gold or yellow is expressed in black and white 
 by means of dots, and is used in the sense of wealth, ability, 
 or knowledge. 
 
 Fig. 271. Silver or white is represented by a plain white 
 
 Fig. 270. -Gold. Fig. 271. Silver. Fig. 272. Red. 
 
 surface, and being the color of light, signifies brightness, pur- 
 ity, virtue, innocence. 
 
 Fig. 272. Red, represented by perpendicular lines, means 
 ardent affection, love. 
 
 Fig. 273. Blue is represented by horizontal lines ; like the 
 color in the heavens, it is truth, freedom, eternity. 
 
 Fig. 274. Purple, represented by diagonal lines from sinister 
 
 Fig. 273. Bine. Fig. 274. Purple. Fig. 275. Green. 
 
 chief to dexter base, being the royal color, is understood as 
 authority, power, grandeur. 
 
 Fig- 2 75- Green is represented by lines running diagonally 
 across the shield from dexter chief to sinister base. Like 
 spring foliage, it suggests hope, life, vitality, youth, freshness. 
 24 
 
370 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Fig. 276. Orange is represented by horizontal lines crossed 
 by diagonal lines from dexter base to sinister chief. It is the 
 color of the king of beasts and signifies strength, honor, gen- 
 erosity. 
 
 Fig. 277. Crimson, or blood-color, is represented by dia- 
 
 Fig. 276. Orange. 
 
 Fig. 277. Crimson. 
 
 Fig. 278. Black. 
 
 gonal lines from dexter chief and sinister chief, crossing each 
 other. It denotes boldness, enthusiasm, impetuosity. 
 
 Fig. 278. Black is represented by horizontal and perpen- 
 dicular lines crossed. It means darkness, doubt, ignorance, 
 uncertainty. 
 
 To the principal design portrayed on the shield can be 
 added such appendages as are appropriate crest over the top 
 and a scroll with a motto beneath the shield but they are sup- 
 plementary, and not of great importance ; their colors should be 
 those of the shield. 
 
 Thus far our plans have followed the exact science of 
 heraldry, but at this point comes a departure, for in the place 
 of other armorial devices we shall place Dame Nature's sweet- 
 est thoughts flowers. 
 
 If we now add to the significance of the forms and colors 
 already given the accepted and authentic language of flowers, 
 we shall have a possibility of combinations practically inex- 
 haustible, and with such a dictionary of symbols to draw upon, 
 we can successfully translate almost any terse sentiment into a 
 unique decorative design. 
 
A Decorative Language. 
 
 371 
 
 In order to give all the assistance in our power we have 
 culled from the most generally accepted authorities and authentic 
 sources a short floral vocabulary, and now that we have the 
 material at hand let us test the system and learn 
 
 How to Make a Design in Decorative Language. 
 
 Suppose our Natural History Society desires an appropriate 
 pin or badge. 
 
 First we turn to the floral vocabulary and there find that 
 the magnolia means love of nature. The flower has a good 
 decorative form, its senti- 
 ment is exactly appropri- 
 ate, and we unhesitatingly 
 adopt it. 
 
 After trying various 
 forms for the shield, we 
 select a very plain one that 
 the effect of the decorative 
 form of the magnolia may 
 not be lessened by too or- 
 nate surroundings, and to 
 show the large size of the 
 blossom we must have it 
 occupy the entire field 
 without any divisions. 
 Next, as to color ; let us 
 think. White, meaning 
 brightness, purity, etc. ? 
 No. Yellow or gold, sig- rig. 279. 
 
 nifying wealth, ability, or ah ! here we have it knowledge? 
 Yes, that will do nicely a love of nature on a field of knowl- 
 ledge ; that certainly is appropriate. But the top of the shielcj 
 
372 Winter. 
 
 being so square and plain gives the device an unfinished appear, 
 ance. Suppose we try a bar over it, and something not a flower. 
 As we wish this design to remain simple, a leaf of some kind 
 would be best ; so we return to the floral vocabulary, and after 
 trying many and almost taking several, finally decide that the 
 oak leaf is just the form needed to give a finish to the top, and 
 its meaning, strength, will be an excellent element in the society. 
 There, our insignia is complete, good inform, attractive in color, 
 and appropriate in its meaning ; but some of us prefer having 
 the motto written out in plain English, so we will add a decora- 
 tive scroll, with the meaning of the design inscribed " True Love 
 of Nature." (See Fig. 279.) 
 
 To familiarize ourselves with the working of the method let 
 us try another experiment, and take the sentiment, " Wealth is 
 the Reward of Industry," to illustrate. 
 
 After deciding on the form of the shield, we turn to the divis- 
 ions, and running them slowly over for something suitable, stop 
 at Fig. 259, the Fess, meaning cause and effect. That sounds 
 promising. Industry is the means by which the end, wealth, 
 is accomplished. Good so far. We can now see that a floral 
 emblem to represent industry should be placed in the central 
 division, and whatever signifies wealth on the other two spaces. 
 Among our legends of flowers we find industry portrayed by the 
 bee orchid, and wealth and prosperity are symbolized by wheat. 
 That is plain and easy. Now we have only to decide upon ap- 
 propriate colors for the field to complete the design. Gold 
 would mean wealth, but that we have in the wheat ; besides the 
 yellow of the wheat would not show well on the gold background, 
 while on white or silver the contrast is strong and the appear- 
 ance agreeable. Silver denotes innocence and virtue, which 
 are so necessary that without them wealth would be undesirable. 
 Therefore silver or virtue shall be the groundwork for our wealth, 
 and for industry we will select purple as meaning power. In- 
 
Decorative Language. 
 
 373 
 
 dustry possesses the power to acquire wealth. Thus we com- 
 plete the emblematical design, as seen in Fig. 280. 
 
 The following is a problem given to us for solution : On a 
 
 gold chevron in a black field 
 is a scarlet lily, to which is 
 added as a crest a sunflower, 
 and under all a blank scroll. 
 On this we must write a motto 
 that will be appropriately sym- 
 bolized by the design. 
 
 It would be excellent prac- 
 
 Fig. 280. 
 
 tice for the student in this 
 new motif in decorative art 
 to try, by application of the 
 foregoing instructions, to de- 
 cipher the meaning of this 
 design before reading the 
 analysis. 
 
 SOLUTION OF FIG. 281. 
 We do not think this is 
 put together as scientifically 
 as the system would admit of, 
 but still it can be deciphered. rig. 281. 
 
 The scarlet lily (high- 
 
 souled aspirations) on a gold (knowledge) chevron, which is 
 aid, assistance, in a field of black (ignorance), surmounted by 
 
374 
 
 Winter. 
 
 the sunflower (pure and lofty thoughts), freely translated, might 
 be read : Aspirations after knowledge help to illumine the 
 
 '^ darkness of ignorance 
 with pure and lofty 
 thoughts. Aspirations 
 (lily) after knowledge (gold) 
 help (chevron) to illumine 
 (the gold chevron and lily 
 brighten up the dulness of 
 the black field) the darkness 
 of ignorance (black) with 
 pure and lofty thoughts 
 (sunflower). 
 
 For younger girls the 
 
 rig. 282. plain shield of one color with 
 
 an appropriate flower had 
 best be used, which they may vary ad infinitum. A simple 
 yet pretty shield can be made by placing a four-leaved clover, 
 symbolical of good-luck, on a shield of one color, silver, mean- 
 ing purity, innocence, showing that innocence, combined with 
 the language of the clover, expresses good-fortune. 
 
 Fig. 283. 
 
 Fig. 284 
 
 We might go on forming innumerable designs, each more 
 beautiful than the last, but enough hints have been given to en 
 
A Decorative Language. 
 
 375 
 
 able the young people to make any style of design in this deco- 
 rative language which may best suit their purpose. Young 
 
 Fig. 283. 
 
 girls can decorate menu cards, having 
 each motto exactly suited to every sep- 
 arate guest, the sentiment being indica- 
 tive of some feeling or quality peculiar 
 to each person. Invitations for parties, 
 also orders of dances or games, may be 
 designed in the same way. 
 
 This beautiful combination of flow- 
 ers and heraldry is appropriate for orna- 
 mental needlework, to be embroidered 
 on chairs, worked on screens, painted 
 
 on velvet, wrought on scarfs, and adapted in innumerable ways 
 to add to the refinement and attractiveness of home. 
 
376 JVinter. 
 
 The idea can be utilized in stained-glass effects and in china- 
 painting. 
 
 The chosen motto may be a decoration in marking personal 
 
 Fig. 287. Fig. 288. 
 
 possessions, such as table china (Figs. 282, 283, 284), fan (Fig. 
 285), chair-back (Fig. 286), travelling satchel (Fig. 287), tidy 
 (Fig. 288), handkerchief (Fig. 289), and sofa-cushion (Fig. 290). 
 
 Fig. 289. Fig. 290. 
 
 These are only a few examples of the many articles which 
 can be beautified and stamped with your individual mark. Por- 
 tieres offer a good ground for applique or embroidery in deco- 
 rative language. 
 
A Decorative Language. 
 
 377 
 
 Book-Plates 
 
 seem to be regaining their popularity and usefulness. These 
 
 book-plates are tablets in any 
 
 style, which, when gummed 
 
 inside on the front covers of 
 
 books, have been used for 
 
 many years to designate to 
 
 whom the books belong. 
 
 There is a certain book- 
 plate more interesting to us 
 than all others. To the design 
 on it we are indebted for our 
 national shield and our Stars 
 and Stripes. It was used by 
 the Father of our Country, and 
 we are glad to be able to give 
 a print of the original in Fig. 
 291. 
 
 In the decorative language Fig. 291. 
 
 any style of book-plate can be 
 
 designed, which, when pasted in a favorite book, will add to the 
 value of the already treasured volume. 
 
 Floral Vocabulary. 
 
 Apple-blossom Preference. 
 
 Almond Hope. 
 
 Acanthus Art. 
 
 Arbor vitae Unchanging friendship. 
 
 Bulrush Docility. 
 
 Balm Social intercourse. 
 
 Balsamine Impatience. 
 
378 Winter. 
 
 Blue violet Faithfulness. 
 
 Bay wreath Glory. 
 
 Box ........ Constancy. 
 
 Broom Humility. 
 
 Buttercup Riches. 
 
 Camellia japonica ... Unpretending excellence. 
 
 Cherry A good education. 
 
 Canterbury-bell Gratitude. 
 
 Chestnut Do me justice. 
 
 China aster Love of variety. 
 
 Cabbage Profit. 
 
 Coreopsis Always cheerful. 
 
 Clover, red Industry 
 
 Cowslip Winning grace. 
 
 Clover, white I promise. 
 
 Daffodil Uncertainty. 
 
 Dahlia Elegance and dignity. 
 
 Dandelion Coquetry. 
 
 Fennel Strength. 
 
 Geranium Gentility. 
 
 Grass Submission. 
 
 Heliotrope Devotion. 
 
 House-leek Domestic economy. 
 
 Hollyhock Ambition. 
 
 Ivy Dependence. 
 
 Laurestine A token 
 
 Lichen Solitude. 
 
 Lettuce Cold-hearted. 
 
 Lemon-blossom Discretion. 
 
 Lilac, purple Fastidiousness. 
 
 Lily, white Purity. 
 
 Mullein Good-nature. 
 
 Mignonette Worth. 
 
A Decorative Language. 
 
 379 
 
 May-flower Welcome. 
 
 - Nasturtium Patriotism. 
 
 Oats Music. 
 
 Olive \ Peace. 
 
 Ox-eye Patience. 
 
 Poppy, white Dreams. 
 
 Snowdrop Consolation. 
 
 Straw United. 
 
 Sensitive-plant Sensitiveness. 
 
 Star of Bethlehem Reconciliation. 
 
 Sweetbrier Simplicity* 
 
 Thyme Thriftiness. 
 
 Thorn-apple Disguise. 
 
 Tulip-tree Fame. 
 
 Witch-hazel A spell. 
 
 Winged seeds of all kinds Messengers. 
 
 White violet Modesty. 
 
 , White rose Silence. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 A FEW ITEMS ON OLD-FASHIONED NEEDLE* 
 WORK, WITH SOME NEW' AND ORIGINAL 
 PATTERNS. 
 
 OME around early this afternoon and bring 
 fff* your fancy-work ; we will have a nice, 
 cosey time ; all the girls will be there, and 
 we can read that last new book." Such 
 is the familiar and welcome invitation 
 given and received, from time to time, by 
 most young girls, and they find quiet but 
 real recreation in these informal meetings, 
 where, while listening to a friend read 
 
 aloud, they believe it much easier to keep their minds on the 
 subject if their hands are employed with dainty needle-work. 
 Then, too, sewing is a real pleasure when one becomes inter- 
 ested in the work, and anyone who thoroughly understands 
 plain sewing can with ease learn fancy stitches of all kinds, for 
 good old-fashioned 
 
 Plain Sewing 
 
 is the foundation the A B C of all the more elaborate drawn 
 work, embroideries, and some of the laces. As a rule we think 
 
 OVERHANDING. 
 
 comes first on the list of plain stitches ; this is exactly the same 
 as sewing over and over. Hold the two edges of the material 
 
Old- Fashioned Needle-work. 
 
 firmly together between the first finger and thumb of the left 
 hand, while with the right hand you take the stitches very close 
 together and as near the edge as possible, sewing from right 
 to left (Fig. 292). It is well to keep the edge nearest to you a 
 little tighter than the outer edge, to prevent its puckering. 
 Always baste the seam before sewing, and when the seam is 
 finished open it and flatten out the stitches (Fig. 293), so that 
 
 Fig. 292. Overhanding ; or Sewing 
 over and over. 
 
 Fig. 293 Overhanding. The seam opened with 
 stitches flattened out. 
 
 the edges of the material will not overlap, but just meet to- 
 gether and lie smooth and flat. 
 
 OVERCASTING 
 
 is the same as Overhanding, except the stitches slant, are farther 
 apart, taken down deeper in the material, and the seam is not 
 opened. 
 
 HEMMING. 
 
 First turn in the raw edge four or five threads, according to 
 the kind of goods to be hemmed, then turn it down again to 
 the desired width ; this done, baste the hem down evenly and 
 neatly it must be of the same width throughout hold the 
 
382 Winter. 
 
 sewing over the first finger of your left hand, and have the 
 
 stitches small, even, and 
 very near the edge of the 
 
 hem (Fig. 294). 
 
 Fig. 294. Hemming. 
 
 RUNNING. 
 
 Pass the needle in and 
 out of the material in a 
 straight line (Fig. 295), 
 making all the stitches 
 the same size. We believe the rule is to take up two threads 
 and leave two ; but the length of the stitch should be regulated 
 by the kind of material used. 
 
 BASTING 
 
 is to take long stitches in the same manner as running. 
 
 GATHERING 
 
 does not differ much from running ; the stitches are taken on the 
 needle in the same manner, but in this case two threads are 
 taken up and four left ; the line should be kept perfectly straight. 
 
 If you wish to gather 
 an apron or a skirt di- 
 vide it into halves, then 
 into quarters, in order 
 to make the fulness 
 even on each half of the 
 band ; mark the four 
 places and gather on the 
 
 right side; when fin- Fig 295 ._ Running . 
 
 ished draw the stitches 
 
 tightly together on the thread and stroke down evenly with a 
 
Old-Fashioned Needle-work. 
 
 383 
 
 needle. To sew in the 
 gathers, back-stitch each 
 one in separately. 
 
 STITCHING. 
 
 Take two threads 
 back of the needle and 
 two before, having each Fig. 296.-stitchin g . 
 
 stitch meet the last one, as in Fig. 296 ; keep the stitches even 
 and in a straight line. 
 
 BACK-STITCHING. 
 
 Proceed as in stitching, only make the stitches longer and 
 do not have them meet. 
 
 FELLING. 
 
 First baste up the seam, allowing the upper edge to extend 
 five threads beyond the lower edge (Fig. 296) ; then back- 
 stitch or stitch the two edges together ; next turn the upper 
 edge down over the lower one and lay open the seam so that 
 
 the fell will lie down flat 
 like a hem (Fig. 297) ; 
 then hem it down neatly. 
 
 Button-holes. 
 
 Fig. 298 shows how 
 to take the proper stitch. 
 Be careful in cutting 
 button-holes to make the 
 slit even to a thread and cut the outer corner rounded ; bar 
 the inner corner by taking two stitches across it, and overcast 
 
 Fig. 297. Felling. 
 
384 
 
 Winter. 
 
 the button-hole around three or four threads deep from the 
 edge, or if the material is not inclined to ravel run it with 
 
 thread, either double 
 or single, drawing it 
 a trifle tight ; then 
 begin at the left-hand 
 corner to work the 
 button-hole, leaving 
 ng. 298.-Button.hoie stitch. one thread between 
 
 each stitch ; keep the stitches exactly the same depth and the 
 loop or pearl of the button-hole on the upper edge. 
 
 HERRING-BONE OR CAT'S-TOOTH STITCH 
 
 is used to keep the seams in flannel spread open and fastened 
 neatly down. Fig. 299 shows how to take the stitch ; make the 
 stitches all even and of the same size. 
 
 We have now given all the stitches which properly belong 
 to plain sewing, and 
 our next step will be 
 
 Darning and Mend- 
 ing. 
 
 " A stitch in time 
 " this much 
 
 Fig. 299. Herring-bone Stitch. 
 
 saves nine m 
 
 most of us know from 
 experience, and it is 
 wise to devote a little time on a certain day each week to look- 
 ing over the wardrobe and making any repairs that may be 
 needed ; the little care and time thus bestowed will prove a 
 true economy, and it is a real comfort to hav* all one's cloth- 
 ing in perfect order. 
 
Old-Fashioned Needle-work. 
 
 385 
 
 Fig. 300. Jersey or Stocking Darn. 
 
 TO DARN A JERSEY OR A STOCKING. 
 
 With a needle and thread carefully draw out the uneven 
 ravelled edges of the hole, in order to diminish its size as much 
 as possible, and bring the loops and 
 ends back in their proper places ; 
 then place under it a wooden egg or 
 anything that will answer the pur- 
 pose, and using thread of the same 
 texture and shade of color as the 
 garment to be mended, run back 
 and forth across the hole as far as 
 the material is worn thin, leaving a 
 loop at the end of each turn. In crossing the threads, take up 
 every other thread alternately each way (Fig. 300), and make 
 the darn of an irregular shape, as one of an even outline does 
 not wear well ; when the weaving or darning is finished the loops 
 can be cut off. 
 
 TO DARN A TEAR. 
 
 Carefully bring the ragged edges together and baste the 
 tear as nearly as possible in its original position ; then, if it is 
 
 delicate muslin or dress material 
 to be mended, use ravellings of 
 the same instead of thread to 
 darn with, and weave it in and 
 out across the edges of the rent, 
 as in Fig. 301 ; if the darn needs 
 strengthening, baste a piece of 
 the same material under the rent 
 before darning, and catch down 
 the edges of the piece on the under side of the goods. In 
 mending broadcloth or like material, darn it on the wrong 
 
 Fig. 301. Tear Darn. 
 
386 JVinter. 
 
 side, and when the darn is finished, ruff up the nap with the 
 point of the needle at the edges of the tear on the right side to 
 cover the stitches ; then dampen the darn, and after laying a 
 thin clean cloth over it, press with a moderately hot flat-iron ; 
 this should make the darn almost, if not quite, imperceptible. 
 
 How to Patch. 
 
 If possible cut the piece intended as a patch of the same 
 goods as the garment to be mended, and if there is a pattern 
 be careful to so cut and place the patch that it will match ex- 
 actly ; baste and hem down the patch on the right side of the 
 worn part of the garment ; then cut out the old material on the 
 wrong side, leaving enough edge to form a firm hem ; sew this 
 to the patch, taking care that the stitches do not show on the 
 right side. 
 
 How to Sew on a Button. 
 
 Should much strain come on the button, as in little chil- 
 dren's clothes, first hem down a small double piece of muslin, 
 on the wrong side of the garment, at the exact spot where the 
 button is to be placed, and with strong thread take a stitch on 
 the right side ; then sew the button through about four times, 
 being careful not to let the stitches spread on the wrong side ; 
 wind the thread three times around the shank of the button 
 formed by the stitches, drawing the thread a little tight, pass 
 the needle through and fasten the thread neatly on the wrong 
 side ; the extra piece of muslin can be omitted when not needed. 
 
 To Mend a Kid Glove. 
 
 If the glove is merely ripped, and there is no strain on the 
 portion to be mended, sew the two edges together over and 
 over on the right side with fine thread or sewing-silk matching 
 
Old-Fashioned Needle-work. 
 
 387 
 
 in color the glove to be mended ; if, however, there is liability 
 of its tearing out again, strengthen the edges by first working a 
 button-hole stitch on each ; then sew them together over and 
 over, passing the needle in and out of the loops of the button- 
 hole stitch, so forming a narrow net-work of thread between the 
 two pieces of kid. Should the glove need a patch, carefully cut 
 a piece of kid out of the best part of an old kid glove corre- 
 sponding in color to the 
 one needing repairs ; 
 make the patch exactly 
 the shape and size of the 
 hole, and button-hole 
 stitch all around the edge 
 of the hole and the edge 
 of the patch ; then sew in 
 the patch over and over, 
 catching together the 
 loops of the button-hole stitches this makes the mending firm, 
 neat, and strong. 
 
 Fancy Stitches. 
 
 These are in many varieties of style ; one of the most useful 
 is known as the 
 
 FEATHER STITCH. 
 
 Fig. 302 gives the position of the needle and the manner of 
 taking the stitch. Remember to make all the stitches of an 
 exact length and the same distance apart, first one on this side 
 and then one on that, keeping them in a straight, even line. 
 
 CHAIN STITCH 
 
 sometimes takes the place of braiding ; it is the same stitch 
 as that used in the old-fashioned tambouring (Fig. 303) ; 
 
 Fig. 302. Feather Stitch. 
 
388 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Pig. 303. Chain Stitch. 
 
 many Persian embroideries are made in silk with the chain- 
 stitch. 
 
 A NEW IDEA IN OUTLINE STITCH. 
 
 The stitch (Fig. 304) is used for outline embroidery, and 
 when made with fine black sewing-silk resembles pen-and-ink 
 
 work. We have seen 
 figures outlined on linen 
 with the drapery worked 
 in colors, while the face, 
 hands, and feet were 
 simply in black and 
 white ; being finely outlined, the effect was novel and artistic, 
 for in this way the features were made as true as if drawn on 
 paper with a pencil. 
 
 For filling in the solid colors take the common running 
 stitch, but make the stitches long on the right side of the em- 
 broidery and very short on the wrong side, so as to give the 
 appearance of 
 the colored 
 fabric copied. 
 Use filo- 
 silk ; and Eng- 
 lish or French 
 embroidery 
 cottons, when 
 
 colors are needed in the work. Always soak the silks and 
 cottons in strong salt and water before using ; this sets the 
 color and keeps it from running when washed. 
 
 Fig. 304. Outline Stitch. 
 
 HEM-STITCHING. 
 
 Decide upon the width of the hem and the width of the 
 space for drawn threads ; carefully draw out the thread at one 
 
Old- Fashioned Needle-work. 
 
 389 
 
 Drawn Work 
 
 edge of the space, then the thread at the other edge ; next 
 all the intervening threads ; this finished, fold and baste down 
 the hem, allowing it to meet the edge of the drawn work, and 
 taking five threads running 
 lengthwise in the space, bind 
 them together at the edge of 
 the hem ; at the same time 
 stitch them to the hem, as in 
 Fig. 305. 
 
 Fig. 305. -Hem-stitching. 
 
 always looks well and is very 
 serviceable when made of 
 linen. Scarfs for buffets, bureaus, or tables, and tea-cloths, 
 tidies, or chair-backs, can be made of crash, butchers' linen, 
 and linen sheeting ; it is better to have doylies of very fine linen. 
 In making drawn work, if the article is to be fringed, first 
 draw out a few threads to measure the depth of the fringe, 
 and at the opening thus made hem-stitch all around the edge 
 
 of the material, leaving the 
 ravelling out of the fringe un- 
 til the drawn work is finished ; 
 proceed to draw the threads 
 wherever spaces are desired, 
 and before working the pat- 
 tern always hem-stitch both 
 edges of the spaces. In Fig. 
 306 the pattern marked B 
 shows the stitch called fagotting, made by crossing every other 
 group of threads back over the one preceding and drawing the 
 linen thread through in such a way as to keep the groups 
 twisted ; the two lines marked A, in the Fig. 306, are intended 
 
 JB' 
 
 Fig. 306. Fagotting Stitch. 
 
39 
 
 Winter. 
 
 more as a finish to some elaborate design than as a pattern in 
 
 themselves ; these are made by 
 hem-stitching down a number 
 of threads to each group. Fig. 
 307 gives a favorite pattern ; for 
 this count the threads, so that 
 the spaces may be equal and 
 regular ; draw the threads in 
 all the spaces running one way 
 first; then draw the threads in 
 the spaces crossing the first one 
 
 Fig. 307 Drawn Work. 
 
 and run linen threads diago- 
 nally across from the top of the 
 
 right-hand corner to the bottom of the left, dividing each 
 
 linen square into two 
 
 equal parts ; cross these 
 
 by threads also running 
 
 diagonally across from the 
 
 top of the left-hand corner 
 
 to the bottom of the right, 
 
 again dividing the linen 
 
 squares, making four equal 
 
 parts; then weave threads 
 
 through all the spaces running both horizontally and perpendicu- 
 
 l n larly, using the fagotting stitch 
 
 (Fig. 306), and when crossing the 
 threads in the open spaces tie the 
 centres of each in turn, as in Figs. 
 308, 309; finish the pattern by run- 
 ning a thread in and out several 
 times around the knots in the 
 fasten the ends by tying neatly. 
 
 Fig. 308. First Knot. Fig. 309. Second Knot. 
 
 Fig. 310- Border in Drawn Work. 
 
 centres of the wheels and 
 Another pattern is given in Fig. 310. 
 
Old- Fashioned Needle-work. 391 
 
 Outline work is often combined with drawn work ; fast colors, 
 in either cotton, linen or silk, are used for the outline design. 
 When the article worked is intended for daily use and must 
 frequently be laundried, it is better to substitute in place of the 
 fringe a wide hem-stitched hem edged with firm linen lace. 
 
 Very dainty fancy aprons are made of common scrim with 
 spaces drawn and narrow ribbons of different colors simply 
 woven in and out of the threads, running crosswise through the 
 spaces. 
 
 Applique and Original Designs for Portieres. 
 
 The pattern in this work is cut from one material and sewed 
 on another. 
 
 Almost any kind of fabric can be used as either applique or 
 foundation ; velvet and plush are suitable for applique, but 
 make poor groundwork, owing to the long nap ; both ma- 
 terials in dark rich colors are handsome when used as a border 
 on portieres or table-covers. To applique a pattern of velvet 
 or plush cut the design very exact and cover the wrong side 
 with a slight coating of gum, being careful to have the gum 
 thin on the edges so that it will not spread on the ground- 
 work ; then lay the velvet on the place it is to occupy, and 
 after pressing it down very gently and lightly with your hand, 
 allow it to dry ; this accomplished, the edges of the pattern 
 may be hemmed down neatly on the foundation. If a further 
 finish is desired, outline the design by sewing all around the 
 edge a small gold or silken cord. 
 
 Portieres. 
 
 We give an original applique design for a portiere in Fig. 
 311, representing Day. The foundation is of soft dark-blue 
 momie-cloth, the sun a round piece of bright yellow or orange 
 
392 
 
 Winter. 
 
 satin, and the rays are of gold or heavy yellow silk thread 
 merely run in stitches of various lengths ; the cloud is of light 
 blue crape or crazy cloth, and the bird is one of those which 
 come prepared expressly for applique by the Japanese, and can 
 be purchased at almost any Japanese or fancy store ; if possible 
 a lark should be selected in preference to other birds. The 
 border is a band of old gold velvet. Our other design (Fig. 
 
 DARK BLUE MOMIE CLOTH 
 
 OLD GOLD VELVET 
 
 Fig. 311,-Portiere. Day. 
 
 Fig. 312. -Portiere. Night. 
 
 312) represents Night ; the foundation and band are the same as 
 those for the " Day " portiere ; the star is of white silk, the 
 moon of very pale Nile green silk, and the cloud of dark pearl 
 gray crape or crazy cloth, much darker than the blue momie- 
 cloth. 
 
 The applique work must be done very carefully. First cut 
 out the designs, next turn in the raw edges evenly and smoothly, 
 and with a very fine thread and needle baste the edges down ; 
 
Old- Fashioned Needle-work. 393 
 
 then baste the designs carefully on the foundations, and, with a 
 fine needle and sewing-silk matching in color the piece to be 
 appliqued, hem each one down neatly, making the stitches 
 almost invisible. The band of velvet can be sewed on the bot- 
 tom edge of the momie-cloth, then turned up like a hem and 
 hemmed down. 
 
 Lace. 
 
 Very beautiful lace is made by cutting out the heavy pat- 
 terns which are still perfect, from old and worn laces and em- 
 broideries, and transferring the designs to new fine wash-net. 
 After first basting them on, hem them down to the netting with 
 a fine needle and thread ; in this way the embroideries last as 
 long again and look as well as when new. 
 
 Ribbon Embroideries. 
 
 We can give a clearer idea of this work by means of an ex- 
 ample, and we will take the common white daisy as an illustra- 
 tion. 
 
 Thread a long-eyed coarse needle with very narrow white rib- 
 bon, and beginning at the centre of the flower, pass the needle 
 from the wrong side up through your material, drawing the 
 ribbon out nearly its full length and leaving only a short piece 
 on the wrong side to be fastened down ; now take a stitch 
 straight out the length of a daisy petal and pass the needle 
 through to the wrong side ; then, taking a very short stitch, 
 draw the needle out through on the right side ; next take an- 
 other long stitch back to the centre of the daisy, thus forming 
 the second petal ; continue in the same manner, making the 
 petals radiate out in a circle from the centre of the flower. Work 
 the centres of the daisies with yellow silk and the stems in 
 dark-green silk ; the leaves can be either worked or appliqued. 
 
394 
 
 Winter. 
 
 For half-blown daisies make only about a quarter of a circle of 
 petals, and in place of the yellow centre, work a green calyx. 
 Ox-eyed daisies can be made in the same way with soft, thin 
 yellow ribbon, a little broader than the ribbon used for white 
 daisies. The work is rapid and pleasing, and almost any 
 flower can be imitated very perfectly with ribbon embroidery. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 SCRAP-BOOK AND HOME-MADE BOOK-COVERS. 
 
 fashion of collecting pictured adver- 
 tising cards, so much in vogue among 
 the children a few years ago, seems to 
 have run its course, and dying out, it 
 has left on the young collectors' hands 
 more cards than they know well what 
 to do with. Many of the collections 
 have been pasted in scrap-books, of 
 which the children have long since tired. While examining 
 one of these volumes with its row after row of cards, it oc- 
 curred to me that these advertisements might be utilized in a 
 new way by dividing and combining them. The experiment 
 proved a success, and I will now try to show you how, with 
 the aid of scissors and mucilage, the pictures which have be- 
 come so familiar may be made to undergo changes that are 
 indeed wonderful, and how from them may be formed a 
 
 Mother Goose Scrap-book. 
 
 The nursery scrap-books made of linen or paper cambric 
 are, perhaps, familiar to most of our readers ; but for the bene- 
 fit of those who may not yet have seen these durable little 
 books, we will give the following directions for making one : 
 Cut from a piece of strong linen, colored paper cambric, 'or 
 
396 
 
 Winter. 
 
 white muslin, four squares twenty-four inches long by twelve 
 inches wide. Button-hole-stitch the edges all around with 
 some bright-colored worsted, then place the squares neatly to- 
 gether and stitch them directly through the centre with strong 
 thread (Fig. 313). Fold them over, stitch again, as in Fig. 
 314, and your book is finished and ready for the pictures. 
 
 It is in the preparation of these pictures that you will find 
 the novelty of the plan we propose. Instead of pasting in those 
 cards which have become too familiar to awaken much interest, 
 let the young book-makers design and form their own pictures 
 by cutting special figures, or parts of figures, from different 
 
 Fig. 313. Scrap-book Opened and Stitched through 
 the Centre. 
 
 Fig. 314. Scrap-book Fold- 
 ed and again Stitched. 
 
 cards, and then pasting them together so as to form new com- 
 binations. 
 
 Any subject which pleases the fancy can be illustrated in 
 this way, and you will soon be deeply interested in the work 
 and delighted at the strange and striking pictorial characters 
 that can be produced by ingenious combinations. 
 
 Stories and'little poems may be very nicely and aptly illus- 
 trated ; but the " Mother Goose Melodies " are, perhaps, the 
 most suitable subjects with which to interest younger children, 
 as they will be easily recognized by the little folk. Take, for 
 instance, the " Three Wise Men of Gotham," who went to sea 
 in a bowl. Will not Fig. 315 serve very well as an illustration 
 
Scrap-books. 
 
 397 
 
 of the subject ? Yet these figures are cut from advertising 
 cards, and no 
 two from the 
 same card. 
 Fig. 316 shows 
 the materials, 
 Fig. 315 the 
 result of com- 
 bining them. 
 
 Again, the 
 little man 
 dancing so 
 gayly (Fig. 
 317) is turned 
 
 -,c-.r-^^r.or>^r-o- 1 r-,^-,rxRT^ E ..fff^ 
 
 
 Fig. 315. "Three Wise Men 
 of Gotham. ' ' 
 
 Fig. 318." Little Jack Homer.' 
 
 into "Little Jack Horner" eating his Christ- 
 mas pie (Fig. 318), by merely cutting off his legs 
 and substituting a dress-skirt 
 and pair of feet clipped from 
 another card. The Christmas 
 pie in his lap is from still an- 
 other card. 
 
 In making pictures of this 
 kind, figures that were origi- 
 nally standing may be forced to 
 sit ; babies may be placed in 
 arms which, on the cards they 
 were stolen from, held only 
 cakes of soap, perhaps, or 
 boxes of blacking ; heads may Fig. si?. Figures cut 
 be ruthlessly torn from bodies from Christmas Oards - 
 to which they belong, and as ruthlessly clapped 
 upon strange shoulders ; and you will be sur- 
 prised to see what amusing, and often excellent, illustrations 
 
 cards. 
 
398 
 
 Winter. 
 
 present themselves as the result of a little ingenuity in clipping 
 and pasting. Another kind, which we shall call the 
 
 Transformation Scrap-Book, 
 
 will be found exceedingly amusing on account of the various 
 and ever-changing pictures it presents. 
 
 Unlike any other, where the picture once pasted in must 
 remain ever the same, the transformation scrap-book alters 
 
 one picture many times. 
 To work these transfor- 
 mations a blank book is 
 the first article required ; 
 one eight inches long by 
 six and a half or seven 
 wide is a good size. 
 
 Cut the pages of this 
 book across, one-third of 
 the way down. Fig. 319 
 shows how this should be 
 done, The three-cornered piece cut out near the binding allows 
 the pages to be turned without catching or tearing. Leave the 
 first page uncut ; also the one in the middle of the book. 
 
 Cut from picture-cards, or old toy-books which have colored 
 illustrations, the odd and funny figures of men and women, 
 boys and girls, selecting those which will give a variety of cos- 
 tumes and attitudes. 
 
 Paste a figure of a woman or girl on the first page, placing 
 it so that when the lower part of the next page is turned, the 
 upper edge of it will come across the neck of the figure where it 
 is joined on to the shoulders. 
 
 Cut the heads from the rest of the pictured women, and 
 choosing a body as different as possible from the one just used, 
 
 Fig. 319. Transformation Scrap-book with Pag 
 cut. 
 
Scrap-books. 
 
 399 
 
 Leaves from a Transformation Scrap-book. 
 
 paste it upon the lower part of the next page, directly under 
 the head belonging to the first body. Upon the upper part of 
 
400 Winter. 
 
 the same page paste any one of the other heads, being careful 
 to place it so that it will fit the body. Continue in this way, 
 pasting the heads upon the upper, and the bodies on the lower, 
 part of the page, until the space allowed for the women is filled 
 up ; then, commencing at the page left in the middle of the book, 
 paste upon it the figure of a man, and continue in the same man- 
 ner as with the woman, until the spaces are all used and the 
 book is complete. 
 
 The combinations formed in this way are very funny. Old 
 heads with young bodies ; young heads with old bodies ; then 
 one head with a great variety of bodies, and so on. 
 
 The first picture may represent a man, tall and thin, dressed 
 in a rowing costume, as shown in the illustration. Turn the 
 lower part of the next page, and no longer is he thin and tall, 
 but short and stout, the position of this body giving the expres- 
 sion of amazement, even to the face. The next page turned 
 shows him to be neither tall nor short, thick nor thin, but a 
 soldier, well-proportioned, who is looking over his shoulder in 
 the most natural manner possible. 
 
 The figures in the illustration were cut from advertising cards, 
 and the head belongs to none of the bodies. 
 
 A curious fact in arranging the pictures in this way is that 
 the heads all look as though they might really belong to any of 
 the various- bodies given them. 
 
 Instead of having but one figure on a page, groups may be 
 formed of both men and women, and in the different arrange- 
 ment of the figures they can be made very ludicrous indeed. 
 
 A scrap-book for older girls, which might be termed more 
 fitly 
 
 An Album, 
 
 can be made by mounting engravings, wood-cuts, photographs, 
 and water-colors on pieces of thin card-board all of the same size. 
 
Scrap-books. 
 
 401 
 
 If any one subject be chosen, and such pictures selected as tend 
 in some way to illustrate that subject, the book will prove more 
 interesting in the making, and will be quite valuable when fin- 
 ished. 
 
 There will be no difficulty in mounting the pictures ; simply 
 paste them on the card- board with good flour-paste, and press 
 under a heavy weight, keeping them perfectly neat and free 
 from smears of paste on the edges. When two or more are 
 mounted at the same time, place clean pieces of blotting-paper 
 between, pile one upon another, and put the heavy weight on 
 top. 
 
 Such a scrap-book should be bound in a 
 
 Home-made Book-cover, 
 
 which is made in this way : 
 
 Take two pieces of heavy card-board a trifle larger than the 
 book you wish to cover, make three holes near the edge of 
 each (Fig. 320) and corresponding holes in the edges of the 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 Fig. 320. One Side of Book-cover 
 with Holes cut near the Edge. 
 
 Fig. 321. Book- cover 
 Tied with Ribbons. 
 
 Fig 322. Book-cover 
 Laced together with 
 Silk Cord. 
 
 book, which must not be too thick that is, contain too many 
 leaves ; pass narrow ribbons through these holes and tie in 
 bow-knots, as in Fig. 321. If the leaves of the book are thin, 
 26 
 
402 Winter. 
 
 more holes can be made in the back and the covers laced to- 
 gether with silk cord (Fig. 322). 
 
 These book-covers may be beautifully decorated by anyone 
 who can paint in water-colors, and tinted card-board can also 
 be used for them. They are pretty, and suitable as covers for 
 manuscript poems or stories, or for a collection of autographs. 
 
 In making any kind of scrap-book it is very necessary that 
 the paste used should be good. If the paste is poor, the pict- 
 ures will peel off or the paste turn sour. The recipe given 
 below we can recommend as an excellent one for 
 
 Flour-paste. 
 
 Mix one-half cup of flour with enough cold water to make a 
 very thin batter, which must be smooth and free from lumps ; 
 put the batter on top of the stove not next to the fire in a tin 
 sauce-pan, and stir continually until it boils ; then remove from 
 the stove, add three drops of oil of cloves, and pour the paste 
 into a cup or tumbler. This will keep for a long time and will 
 not become sour. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A HEAP OF RUBBISH, AND WHAT TO DO 
 WITH IT. 
 
 N almost every house there is an attic, and in al- 
 most every attic may be found a room where 
 trunks are stored, where broken toys and dis- 
 abled furniture are put out of sight, and where 
 all articles not worth selling or giving away 
 gradually accumulate until this attic room con- 
 tains, literally, a heap of rubbish. Entering one 
 of these lumber-rooms not long ago, and glancing over the 
 medley which comprised so much, from a tin can to a piece of 
 broken bric-a-brac, the thought occurred to me that something 
 might be done with it, some use be made of at least a few of 
 the articles consigned to the place as utterly useless. 
 
 That was rather a thrifty thought. Do you not think so, 
 girls ? Then let us make the most of it and together venture 
 back into that mysterious and somewhat dusty chamber, and 
 see if there really is anything there worth the making over. 
 
 In imagination we will stand in our attic lumber-room and 
 begin to look about us with eyes and mind open to perceive 
 possibilities. 
 
 On one side of the room, leaning against the wall, we see 
 what was once a handsome old-fashioned mirror, quite large and 
 of heavy plate-glass. It's poor dusty face, reflecting dimly its 
 barren surroundings, is shattered in many pieces, and at first 
 
404 Winter. 
 
 sight it seems hopeless to attempt to restore it to the plane of 
 beauty or usefulness ; but do not let us be hasty ; we will ex- 
 amine it more closely. Yes, here is a piece of glass large 
 enough to frame. Never mind its uneven shape and rough 
 edges ; we will work out that problem later. Now we must put 
 it carefully aside and continue our investigations. 
 
 Here is a large tin can, which can be made into a lantern to 
 hang in the hall, and this baking-powder can may be of some 
 use, so we will take it also. 
 
 The tops of three cheese-boxes ; something should be done 
 with them. Perhaps they can be used for a table ; put them 
 with the other chosen things. 
 
 A croquet-ball ! That will make a fine key- rack. This box 
 of silks and ribbons we may need, and the large pasteboard- 
 box will do for the foundation of our mirror frame. 
 
 We must have this piece of old brass chain this handful of 
 large nails, the pasteboard roll which has been used for send- 
 ing engravings through the mail, and that old broad-brimmed 
 straw hat ; also these three broomsticks and the piece of nice 
 dark-gray hardware paper. 
 
 Now, seated in our own room, let us see what we can do with 
 this rather unpromising array of objects spread around us. 
 First we will try 
 
 The Mirror, 
 
 and must cast about us for the ways and means of framing it. 
 The large pasteboard-box we have already decided will make a 
 good foundation. After tearing off the sides, we will cut an 
 even square from the bottom, which is smooth and unwarped. 
 
 Next laying the piece of mirror on the square of pasteboard 
 we must cut, out of ordinary brown wrapping-paper, a square 
 two inches larger all around than the pasteboard, make a hole 
 in the centre as large as the shape of the mirror will allow, and 
 
What to do with Rubbish. 
 
 45 
 
 Fig. 324. Bevel of 
 Hardware Paper 
 en Frame. 
 
 paste it down on the mirror and paste- 
 board (Fig. 323). Then, after clipping 
 out the corners, we will turn the edges 
 over on to the back of the pasteboard 
 foundation and paste them down. Cut- 
 ting four strips of the hardware paper, 
 about two inches wide, we will fold them 
 through the centre lengthwise and paste 
 
 Fig. 323. Brown Paper Pasted , , j . , , 
 
 on Mirror and Pasteboard for them arOUnd the glaSS, 
 Home-made Mirror-frame. lapping them just a lit- 
 tle over the edge of the other paper, the folded 
 
 side being next to the glass (Fig. 324). This 
 
 will form a bevel for our frame. From the 
 
 same paper we will now cut a square, three 
 
 inches larger on all 
 sides than the foun- 
 dation ; then, exact- 
 ly in the centre, mark a square half an 
 inch larger all around than the square 
 of mirror showing. In the centre of 
 the square marked out we must insert 
 our scissors, cut it like Fig. 325, and 
 after clipping off the points, as indi- 
 cated by the dotted lines L, M, O, N, 
 turn back the four 
 
 pieces at the dotted lines, P, Q, R, S, leaving 
 
 an open square. Then placing it over the 
 
 mirror so that the same width of bevelled 
 
 edge shows on all sides of the mirror, we 
 
 must paste it down. Clipping out the cor- 
 ners, as shown in diagram, we will bring the 
 
 edges over and paste them down securely to 
 
 the back of the frame. A piece of hardware paper, cut in a 
 
 Fig. 325. The Outside Covering 
 for Mirror-frame. 
 
 Fig. 326. -Back of 
 Frame with Tape 
 Attached. 
 
406 
 
 Winter. 
 
 square one inch smaller than the frame, we will paste on the 
 
 back to finish it off and hide the edges of the paper where they 
 
 have been turned over 
 (Fig. 326). 
 
 We must fasten 
 on a piece of tape by 
 which to hang the 
 mirror, by pasting 
 down the ends of the 
 tape on the frame 
 (letter T, Fig. 326), 
 and pasting over each 
 a strip of the hard- 
 ware paper (letter 
 U, Fig. 326). When 
 the frame is quite dry 
 we will paint a branch 
 of dog-wood or some 
 light-colored flower 
 
 across it, and have as pretty a little mirror as anyone could 
 
 wish for. 
 
 The next thing to commence will be 
 
 Home-made Mirror-frame. 
 
 The Table, 
 
 which you can make yourselves by following these directions : 
 The three cheese-box lids will answer nicely as shelves for 
 a work- or bric-a-brac table, and the broomsticks, which are 
 all the same length, will do for the legs. 
 
 Upon each broomstick mark the distances for placing the 
 shelves, allowing six inches from each end of the stick for the 
 top and bottom, and the exact centre between these points 
 for the middle shelf. With a pocket-knife cut narrow grooves 
 
What to do with Rubbish. 
 
 407 
 
 Fig. 327. --Narrow 
 Grooves Out 
 around Broom- 
 stick for Table- 
 leg. 
 
 around each stick, one-half inch on either side of 
 the points marked on them (Fig. 327). This will 
 make six grooves on each stick. Now measure 
 the box-lids to find their circumferences, and di- 
 vide them into thirds, 
 marking the distances 
 on the rim to obtain 
 the true position for the 
 legs. At these points 
 bore four holes with a 
 gimlet, one inch apart, 
 two above and two be- 
 low (Fig. 328). Through 
 one of the top holes 
 pass a piece of pliable 
 wire, place one of the 
 broomsticks against the 
 rim of the lid, pass the 
 wire back through the 
 other upper hole (Fig. 
 329), fit it into the 
 upper groove of the 
 stick, and draw it tight. 
 Twice the wire must be 
 put through the upper, 
 holes and around the 
 stick in the top groove ; 
 
 Fig. 328. Holes 
 Bored in a Box- 
 lid Used as a 
 Table-shelf. 
 
 Fig 329._Man- 
 ner of Fasten- 
 ing a Shelf to 
 Table-leg. 
 
 Fig. 330. Table- 
 sheli and Leg 
 Fastened se- 
 curely together 
 by Wire. 
 
 Bric-a-brac Table. 
 
 then, bringing it down 
 on the inside of the lid, you must put it twice 
 through the lower holes and around the stick in 
 the lower groove ; then twist the ends and tuck 
 them under the wire on the inside of the lid (Fig. 
 330). In this way each leg will have to be fast- 
 
408 Winter. 
 
 ened to each shelf. When the table is all put together paint it 
 black, and, as soon as it is dry, tie a bright ribbon on one of the 
 sticks at the top, and a charming little bric-a-brac table will be 
 the result of your labor. 
 
 You can make a very pretty 
 
 Lantern 
 
 of the old tin can ; but first you must have some tools to work 
 with ; not many, only a piece of wood, rounded on one side to 
 fit into the can, a hatchet or heavy hammer, and a few wrought 
 iron nails. If the piece of wood is not large enough to fit the 
 can, another stick can be put in to hold the first one firmly 
 against the can. That being arranged, you must decide upon 
 some kind of a pattern to be made by the holes, and indicate 
 it on the can with a small paint-brush and paint or ink ; then, 
 laying the can on its side, the rounded piece of wood being at 
 the top, with one of the wrought iron nails puncture the holes 
 where you have indicated the pattern. With the hammer drive 
 the nail through the tin into the wood ; then draw it out, make 
 another hole, and so on until all the holes you wish are driven 
 through that part of the can held in place by the rounded 
 piece of wood. 
 
 This wood, you see, keeps the can from bending when the 
 nail is being driven through. In moving the wood as the work 
 progresses, you must always keep it under that part of the can 
 being punctured. To make the large hole, you will have to put a 
 number of the small holes close together, and then drive the nail 
 through the partitions, cutting them away. The pattern being 
 completed, puncture three holes, close to the top of the can, at 
 equal distances apart. These are for the chains to pass through, 
 by which to suspend the lantern. In the cover of the baking- 
 powder can make three holes at equal distances ; then divide 
 
What to do with Rubbish. 
 
 409 
 
 the chain, which is about one yard and a quarter long, into 
 three equal lengths, separating the pieces by prying open the 
 links. Put an end of each piece through the holes made for 
 them at the top of the can, and fasten them 
 by hooking the open links through the links 
 of the chain a little farther up, and hammer- 
 ing them together again. 
 
 Now pass the ends of the chains through 
 the holes made in the lid of the baking- 
 powder can, and, bringing the ends together, 
 fasten them by joining the 
 
 Fig. 331. Fig.332. links> 
 Stand in Lantern, with 
 
 Nails for Holding can- Paint the lantern, chain 
 
 ***' and all, black, and while it is 
 
 drying make a stand for the candle which is to 
 furnish the light. A square piece of thin board, 
 just large enough to fit into the can without 
 touching the sides will do for the stand. Drive 
 four small nails in the centre to hold the candle 
 (Fig. 330. 
 
 Make handles for lifting the stand in and 
 out of the lantern, by bending two pieces of 
 wire like Fig. 331, and fastening them to the 
 board with staple tacks (Fig. 332). 
 
 When the paint on the lantern is dry, paste 
 red tissue-paper all around the inside to give a 
 cheerful red glow to the light, which will shine 
 through it. If you would like it to resemble a 
 jewelled lantern, paste different colored papers 
 over the large holes and leave the small ones 
 open. An S hook passed through the loop 
 made by the three chains will serve to connect them to the 
 chain which should suspend the lantern from the ceiling. 
 
 Lantern. 
 
Winter. 
 
 A Music-Roll 
 
 can be made of the pasteboard roll. 
 
 Cut a round piece of pasteboard just the size to fit into one 
 
 end of the roll ; then cut out another round piece, this time of 
 
 paper, one inch larger than that made of pasteboard. Clip the 
 
 edges (Fig. 333) and paste it over 
 the end of the roll which is filled 
 in with the round of pasteboard 
 (Fig. 334). 
 
 Among the scraps of silk and 
 
 Fig. 333. Paper Fig. 334. Pa- r ibbons you will, perhaps, find a 
 
 Covering for per Pasted 
 
 End of Music- over End of good-sized piece of dark-green or 
 
 rolL Music-roil, brown silk ; use this for the case, 
 
 which must cover the roll neatly. To make the case fit the 
 end of the roll you have just filled up, mark on a piece of the 
 silk a circle the size of that end of the roll. This can be 
 done by standing the roll on the silk, and running a pencil 
 around the edge. When cutting out the silk leave a margin of 
 a quarter of an inch on the outside of the pencil-mark for the 
 seam. Cut the silk for cover- 
 ing the roll three inches longer 
 than the roll, 
 and wide 
 enough to 
 allow for a 
 quarter of an 
 inch seam. 
 
 Sew up the long seam, and then sew the round of silk into the 
 end of the case. Hem the other end of the case, and run in a 
 narrow ribbon about an inch from the edge. This is for a 
 draw-string. 
 
 When the roll is fitted snugly in its case, tie a ribbon, 
 
 Music-roll. 
 
What to do with Rubbish. 
 
 411 
 
 matching it in color, around the roll, making a loop to form 
 the handle. Fasten the ribbon by taking a few stitches under 
 the bows, catching them on to the silk. 
 
 The old straw hat can be transformed into a dainty 
 
 Work-Basket. 
 
 It is stiff and harsh at present, but pour boiling water over 
 it and the straw will become soft and pliable, and can be bent 
 into any shape you like. When dry, it will be again stiff, and 
 will retain the form you have given it. After scalding the hat 
 bend the brim in toward the centre, in four different places, at 
 equal distances apart. This will make a fluted basket. You 
 
 Fig. 335. Straw Hat Tied in Shape for a 
 Work-basket. 
 
 Work-basket. 
 
 must tie it in shape (Fig. 335) and leave until perfectly dry; 
 then bronze the basket, line it with silesia, and sew silk or 
 satin around the top to form a bag. Run a draw-string of 
 narrow ribbon near the top of the bag, and the pretty little 
 work-basket is finished. 
 
412 
 
 Winter. 
 
 The croquet ball you can make into a 
 
 Key and Button-Hook Rack. 
 
 First you must gild it, and then around the middle of the 
 ball, at regular intervals, insert small brass hooks. A yellow rib- 
 bon and bow, tacked on the top with small tacks, 
 will serve to suspend it by, and completes the rack. 
 With the gilt left from gilding the ball, and a 
 piece of bright ribbon you can make a 
 
 Paper- Weight 
 
 of six of the large nails. Gild each nail separate- 
 ly, let them dry, and then tie them securely to- 
 gether with a piece of ribbon. 
 
 Rack. 
 
 Paper-weight. 
 
 All the articles brought from the attic have now been turned 
 to some use, but there are many other things to be found there 
 which we have not space to mention, and which with little 
 trouble can be so transformed that no one would ever suppose 
 they were taken originally from a heap of rubbish. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE ATTRACTIVE BOOTHS AT A 
 FAIR A NEW KIND OF GRAB-BAG. 
 
 ECIDING to have our fair un- 
 like those which have preced- 
 ed it, we must do away with 
 monotony and introduce not 
 only variety, but originality as 
 well. New ideas, something 
 different from that which has 
 served us heretofore, 
 is what we strive for. 
 Novelties are always 
 attractive, let them 
 be decorative also, 
 and help to make the room or hall as inviting as possible. 
 
 The Tables 
 
 being the most important item, we will give them our first 
 attention. Have each table or booth canopied in a style dif- 
 fering from all others, and make the canopy extend up as high 
 as practicable, in order to avoid the flat, blank appearance so 
 common in small fairs. If tables are arranged in this fashion, 
 they will go far toward decorating the hall. Fig. 336 shows 
 one style in which a framework for the roof or covering may 
 be constructed. At the four corners of the table, where the 
 top projects over the sides, fit in blocks of wood according to 
 - 337 J the dotted lines represent the block. Nail the wood 
 
The Fair. 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 
 
 415 
 
 fast to the table, so that the uprights may stand perfectly 
 straight. Use laths or similar sticks for the four uprights, and 
 screw or nail them at the corners 
 of the table according to Fig. 
 336 ; then with small screws fast- 
 en a stick across the top of the 
 laths at each side, and at the top 
 of the sticks on the front of the 
 table tie the two ends of a barrel- 
 hoop to form the arch ; also at- 
 tach another hoop at the back to 
 the other two uprights, and con- 
 nect the top centre of each by a 
 wire running across. The hoops 
 are fastened to the laths by bind- 
 ing the ends of the hoops to the 
 ends of the laths with strong 
 twine, or wire, wound around in 
 notches which have previously 
 X been cut 
 
 x^ in the ends of both sticks and hoops. 
 
 Should the barrel-hoops be too short for 
 
 the arch, take children's large-sized toy 
 
 Fig. 337. Block of wooden hoops, and fasten them up in the 
 
 Lta/o a f !e. " same manner - Fi S- 338 is another way 
 to arrange the framework. The four up- 
 right sticks are attached to the table as described in Fig. 
 336 ; then in the top of each is driven a very large- 
 sized tack, and a strong flexible wire is stretched from 
 lath to lath and wound around each tack, thus connecting the 
 four uprights together.* Flags, shawls, drapery curtains, sheets, 
 
 Fig. 336 Framework for the Canopy of 
 a Booth at a Fair. 
 
 * If the uprights seem to need it, brace them with cross-sticks in place of wire. 
 
416 
 
 IVinter. 
 
 and inexpensive cheese-cloth make good canopies ; undressed 
 cambric and canton flannel in desirable colors drape nicely, 
 
 and can also be used for the purpose. 
 Where you wish to produce light, 
 airy effects, tarlatan, in one or more 
 colors, will be found useful ; again, 
 let some of the tables have only a 
 suggestion of a roof, made by orna- 
 menting the framework with flowers, 
 or whatever is most suitable, accord- 
 ing to the style of table and the place 
 it is to occupy. 
 
 Try and have a variety of shapes 
 and sizes in the booths, and avoid 
 sombre dulness and monotony. Let 
 LL "~ the room fairly sparkle and shine 
 
 C lor ' 
 
 Fig. 338._Construction of Frame- 
 
 work for the Canopy of a Table To make a tent-like covering, 
 
 firmly bind a large-sized Japanese 
 
 umbrella to a pole, and fasten the pole in the centre of the 
 table. To hold it securely, make a bench of two pieces of 
 board, with a hole through the centre of each, and join them 
 together by a block of 
 wood nailed in each end 
 (Fig. 339). The bench 
 can be made fast to 
 the table by screws put 
 through from the under 
 side of the top of the 
 
 table. 
 
 Fig. 339. Bench for Holding a Pole as a Support fof 
 a Canopy of a Booth. 
 
 In erecting the can- 
 opy place the end of the pole in the bench and it will be steady 
 and firm. Attach pieces of string to several ribs on each side 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 417 
 
 of the umbrella, stretch the strings down and fasten the ends 
 securely to the table ; paste over the strings bright-colored 
 tissue-paper fringe (Fig. 340). Cut the paper four or six thick- 
 nesses, and when pasted on turn the fringe part uppermost, so 
 it will look fluffy and not hang down in a tame, fringe fashion. 
 When a red umbrella is used, and the strings are covered with 
 fringe of the same hue, it looks very pretty. Be extremely care- 
 ful that no light comes dangerously near the tissue-paper, or 
 any other inflammable material ; all the decorations must be 
 arranged with a view to perfect safety from contact with gas, 
 lamp, or candle. 
 
 In decorating the room remember to mass your color so the 
 effect may . 
 be broad. 
 
 If the colors are too much 
 mingled the effect will be 
 
 Fig. 340 Tissue-paper Fringe. 
 
 weakened, and in some cases 
 lost entirely. 
 
 Paper-flowers and plants 
 in great abundance will be 
 needed, and if you can per- 
 suade all your friends, as well as those actively interested in the 
 fair, to make paper-flowers or plants, they will prove very ac- 
 ceptable, and after the fair is over the floral decorations can 
 be safely stored away to do service again on like occasion. 
 Large, showy flowers, like peonies, dog-wood, and magnolias, 
 as well as large-leaved plants, are best to use, though the 
 smaller ones look well in a few places. 
 
 In making 
 
 Flowers for Decorations 
 
 we aim at general effect, with less regard to detail than if the 
 blossoms were to be used in other ways. Fig. 341 is a pat- 
 27 
 
4i8 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Tig. 341. Dog-wood. 
 
 tern of the dog- wood. Cut the flowers of white writing paper 
 and make them quite large. Use wire to fasten them to a 
 natural branch, and imitate nature as 
 nearly as possible in the arrangement of 
 the blossoms. 
 
 If you fold the paper a number of 
 times and then place your pattern over 
 it, you can cut out six or eight flowers 
 at once, and save both time and labor. 
 
 Peonies are made of white, pink, or 
 red tissue-paper, cut in squares of about 
 eight inches each and pinked on the two 
 opposite edges. Twelve squares are needed 
 for one flower. With your fingers gather the 
 squares up in the centre (Fig. 342) ; then fold 
 over the pieces, as in Fig. 343 ; when all are 
 ready string them on a wire and shape the 
 bunch to resemble a peony ; twist the wire 
 up tight and fasten the petals together, leav- 
 ing a length of wire for a stem. 
 
 Make the cherry-blossoms (Fig. 3 44) in p . g 342 _ peony Petal 
 clusters of five or seven each, and attach green Gathered through the 
 leaves (Fig. 345) cut in different sizes. Fig. Oentre< 
 
 346 shows the method of giving the leaf a 
 pretty, crimped appearance. By holding 
 the point of the leaf firmly under the head 
 of the pin with your left hand, and with 
 the right hand pushing the leaf up toward 
 the head of the pin, you can crimp the 
 leaves very rapidly, and they look much 
 more natural than when left plain. 
 All the materials necessary for the manufacture of flowers 
 for fair decorations will be paper, wire, and paste. The buds 
 
 Fig. 343. Peony Petal 
 Folded over. 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 
 
 419 
 
 of different flowers can be imitated by pinching together the 
 petals of open blossoms. Figs. 347, 348, 349 are the petals 
 of the magnolia ; the inside petals are five and one- 
 half inches long, the others in proportion. Cut three 
 of each size. No. 347 forms the innermost petals, 
 No. 348 the next, and No. 349 the outer- 
 most ; these last should be double ; make 
 the outside of pink tissue-paper and the 
 inside white, all the other petals are white ; 
 cut three, from Fig. 350, of green paper to 
 form the calyx. 
 
 Other ornamental flowers may be manu- 
 factured from these hints. Patterns can 
 be cut from any natural flowers, and 
 
 they may be 
 made without 
 the aid of fur- 
 
 Fig. 344. 
 Cherry 
 Blossom. 
 
 Fig. 346. Method of Crimping Leaf. 
 
 ther directions. When natural blossoms can be obtained, they 
 are far preferable, 
 though the paper 
 plants make splen- 
 did substitutes and 
 at a little distance 
 cannot be distin- 
 guished from the 
 natural ones. 
 
 If the fair comes 
 off in the season 
 when the trees are 
 1 e afles s , bare 
 branches with green paper leaves wired on will help very much 
 where foliage is needed. 
 
 An excellent scheme in the arrangement of a fair is to divide 
 
 Fig. 347. 
 
 Fig. 348. 
 
 Fig. 349. Fig. 350. 
 
420 Winter. 
 
 the tables into twelve separate booths and let each one represent 
 one month in the year. They should contain articles appropri- 
 ate only to the month represented, and when planned in this 
 way each month should be of appropriate color. For example : 
 
 December 
 
 can be all white, with tufts of cotton scattered about for snow, 
 and mica or isinglass sprinkled around and over places to rep- 
 resent frost and ice. Icicles, varying in size, depending from 
 the arch or canopy, add to the effect. The icicles are made of 
 strips of paper first rolled up like paper-lighters, then com- 
 pletely covered with tallow from the dripping of a lighted 
 candle ; the tallow being allowed to harden on in raised places 
 makes the twisted paper resemble in form a real icicle ; the 
 tallow icicle is next covered with a wash of mucilage, and 
 powdered mica or isinglass is sprinkled all over it, so that it 
 sparkles and shines. 
 
 In place of the usual grab-bag at this booth, there should be 
 a Christmas-tree without lights and burdened with little gifts 
 tied up. in colored tissue-paper. Santa Glaus must have charge 
 of the tree. 
 
 July 
 
 calls for flags and decorations of red, white, and blue, as well as 
 flowers, fruits, and green foliage ; the table should be presided 
 over by Columbia. 
 
 May. 
 
 Deck this table in spring blossoms and make the canopy of 
 a slender May-pole. Pass the pole through the holes in the 
 bench (Fig. 339) and screw the bench tight on the centre of 
 the table ; fasten a wreath of flowers and the ends of a number 
 of ribbons at the top of the pole ; bring the ribbons down and 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 421 
 
 tack them to the sides of the table. Give the Queen of May 
 care of the booth. 
 
 November 
 
 may be gay with late fall leaves and berries, and a very large 
 pumpkin, which has been previously scraped out and lined 
 with paper, can serve as a receptacle for odds and ends. A 
 little Puritan maid should be in charge of the booth. 
 
 June 
 
 is all rose color, with the queen of flowers, the rose, holding the 
 post of honor. This month is very suitable for the flower-table, 
 and Flora, the Goddess of Flowers, may preside over it. 
 
 We have chosen these few months only as suggestions of 
 the manner in which the idea can be carried out. 
 
 Those in charge of the different booths might wear as a 
 badge a conspicuous sign of the zodiac appropriate to the 
 month represented. 
 
 The Five Senses 
 
 can be illustrated by five booths, each one bearing its proper 
 symbol as a sign. To represent 
 
 HEARING, 
 
 make a large pasteboard ear-trumpet and cover it with silver 
 paper ; fasten this on the highest point of the booth and place the 
 word Hearing in large letters under the trumpet; have these 
 signs in plain sight, where none can fail to see and read. The 
 articles on the table should consist of everything pertaining to 
 the sense of hearing, such as sheet-music, musical instruments, 
 telephones, and suitable toys. 
 
 It would be a great addition if a phonograph could be 
 
422 Winter. 
 
 rented or borrowed for the occasion, and a certain sum charged 
 to each one speaking in the instrument and hearing the echo of 
 his own words and tones ground out to him again. 
 
 An oracle would be a capital thing at this table, each per- 
 son consulting it paying so much a question. 
 
 SEEING 
 
 likewise must be labelled with a sign in the shape of a very large 
 pair of spectacles cut out of stiff pasteboard and placed over the 
 lettering. 
 
 The goods offered here for sale should pertain to the sense 
 of sight ; and could be such articles as pictures, decorated 
 candles, kaleidoscopes, and common blue glasses. All things 
 pleasing to look upon may find place at the Seeing Table. 
 Any kind of a peep-show can be used, five cents being required 
 from every curious person wishing for a peep behind the cur- 
 tain. 
 
 FEELING 
 
 is more difficult to portray. Perhaps an ordinary riding-whip 
 will answer the purpose, with the word Feeling in large type 
 under it. 
 
 Sofa-cushions, quilts, mittens, canes, muffs, fancy toilet 
 articles, and almost anything adding to our personal comfort, 
 or pleasant to handle, are suitable for the Feeling booth. 
 
 TASTING. 
 
 As an emblem for this booth make a huge cornucopia for 
 candy, with the sign " Tasting " beneath, and the booth can be 
 the candy-table. 
 
 SMELLING 
 
 naturally suggests perfumes and sweet-scented flowers. This 
 sense will most fitly be represented by an immense bouquet 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 423 
 
 fastened up over the table. The booth, of course, must be the 
 flower-table. 
 
 If you have only a few tables, make four booths of them, and 
 let each booth represent a season. They should be decorated 
 in keeping with the time represented, and the idea fully car- 
 ried out in all the details. 
 
 When the booths stand for different nations there is a great 
 field for variety and beautiful decoration. But in this, as in all 
 cases where an attempt Is made to carry out an idea, it must be 
 faithfully adhered to, or the effect will not be that intended. 
 
 When it is necessary to decorate the 
 
 Walls 
 
 use flags, bright, soft draping cloth, and large palm leaves ; 
 
 also branches of leaves, showy flowers, and anything that can 
 be arranged to look well. As rooms differ so 
 much in size and style, it is impossible to give 
 any but general directions, leaving it to the taste 
 of the decorator to carry out the 
 details. 
 
 Grab -Bags. 
 
 On a narrow sheet hung up in 
 a door-way, and fastened secure- 
 ly at the sides, or attached to a 
 frame, cut a hole large enough to 
 allow of a false face being fitted 
 in (Fig. 351 A). The flaps of the 
 for pasting inside the face ; now 
 
 holes for the arms to pass through 
 In these holes sew sleeves of the same material 
 
 which is made of bright-colored cambric in the 
 
 Fig. 351. Grab- 
 bag of a Sheet 
 with Holes Cut 
 for Face and 
 Arms. 
 
 cloth are left 
 cut two more 
 (Fig. 351 B). 
 as the skirt, 
 
 Fig. 352 Apron 
 Skirt Sewed on 
 Sheet. 
 
424 
 
 Winter. 
 
 form of an apron, and 
 sewed on the sheet 
 (Fig. 352). The sides 
 of the skirt are basted 
 down on the sheet. 
 When pasting in the 
 false face, first cover 
 the flaps, left at the 
 opening for the face 
 with stiff paste ; then 
 paste these flaps down 
 into the inside of the 
 false face, which will 
 bring it up close 
 against the sheet. If 
 small openings are left, 
 or the sheet puckers a 
 little after the face is 
 fastened on, never 
 mind, as all defects 
 can be covered by 
 sewing on a thin white 
 frill all 
 
 Fig. 353. Grab-bag. 
 
 o 
 
 o o 
 
 around 
 the face, 
 
 to form a cap, and making a collar of the same 
 material (Fig. 353). 
 
 Leave an opening, or pocket-hole, through 
 the sheet at one side of the dress, so that the 
 hand can be slipped through to get the packages, 
 which are placed within reach at the back of the 
 curtain. Fig. 354 shows the inside of the sheet, Fig.354.-inside of 
 
 Sheet for Grab- 
 
 and C the opening for the hand. Someone must bag 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 425 
 
 stand or be seated behind this curtain, and slip her arms into the 
 sleeves, then she can look out through the mask and see with 
 whom she is talking. In one hand she may hold a package, 
 while she receives the money with the other. 
 
 On the sheet print these words : " Five cents for what is in 
 my pocket." 
 
 The Lady of the Lake. 
 
 You will need a tin bath-tub for the lake, the longest one you 
 can find, and a toy boat which will not easily tip or turn over. 
 Place tiny flags in the bow and stern, and in one end of the 
 boat glue a doll dressed like the "Lady of the Lake" in Scott's 
 poem. Attach a pulley to each end of the tub, and fasten the 
 string to the boat, as it must be run back and forth by means of 
 the pulleys. Fill the tub nearly full of water, then cover the 
 edges with moss and vines. The bath-tub must be completely 
 disguised, and surrounded by plants and foliage, with an opening 
 left at one end for purchasers, and another small one near the 
 other end for the boat to pass through to those stationed be- 
 hind the shrubbery, who have charge of the boat, and where the 
 parcels are kept. At the store-room end the screen of vines 
 or leaves should be so arranged that those in charge can see 
 all that is going on outside without being seen themselves. 
 
 The boat should be stationed at the farther end of the lake, 
 and whoever wishes to make a purchase must give the doll five 
 cents ; then the boat may immediately leave, sail across the 
 lake, and disappear behind the screen, only to emerge again 
 laden with a parcel in place of the money, and lightly skimming 
 over the water arrive at her destination, when the purchaser 
 can relieve the " Lady of the Lake " of her package. 
 
 The Bubble Range described on page 335 can be used in a 
 fair with advantage. Unless the fair is very small, it is bet- 
 ter to have two Bubble Ranges, to prevent the tiresome waiting 
 
426 
 
 Winter. 
 
 for a turn, and give all who wish to try their skill the oppor- 
 tunity to enjoy the sport. 
 
 Fortune's Wheel 
 
 Cut of stiff pasteboard a large circle (Fig. 355) with a point 
 on the edge at the end of one of the spokes, for the circle must 
 be painted to resemble a wheel. With a large A 
 
 round nail fasten the wheel through the centre x^ ~^\ 
 to a board, which has previ- / \^ 
 
 ously had numbers painted / \ 
 
 on in -a circle somewhat I / 
 
 larger than the circumfer- \ J 
 
 ence of the wheel (Fig. 
 356) ; the wheel should ^tu^whee^ 
 turn around easily on 
 the nail. Hang the board up flat 
 against the wall. The gypsy in 
 charge of the Fortune's Wheel 
 should be stationed by its side, 
 holding a basket filled with many 
 envelopes numbered to correspond 
 to the figures on the board, each 
 envelope containing some appro- 
 priate fortune-telling lines ; and 
 when the people come to seek 
 their fortunes the gypsy must al- 
 low each in turn to give the wheel 
 a twirl, sending it around rapidly, 
 and then hand to the fortune- 
 seeker an envelope whose number 
 
 corresponds with the figure at which the wheel pointed when it 
 stopped turning. 
 
How to Make Attractive Booths. 427 
 
 Rag- Balls. 
 
 Prepare a number of carpet-rag balls with a small gift in the 
 centre of each one. These sell rapidly, and it is very amusing 
 to see the buyers unwinding their balls to discover the contents, 
 which may prove to be a thimble, a bundle of jackstraws, a 
 grotesque Japanese toy, or any little comical conceit which can 
 be hidden in the odd receptacle. 
 
 The same idea might be applied to the always pleasing pop- 
 corn balls ; then the knick-knacks must be first wrapped in soft 
 paper to protect them from the candy used in making the balls. 
 
 Pleasant mysteries and surprises are always popular at fairs, 
 and the more that can be invented the better. 
 
Window Decorated with Imitation St5'*ved Glass and Dutch Curtain. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 WINDOW DECORATION. 
 
 'OW, girls, we must have practicable 
 ideas in regard to our decorations ; 
 they should consist of something which 
 we know will be easy to make and at 
 the same time look well ; the ma- 
 terials employed must be within possi- 
 ble reach of all, and nothing expensive 
 or difficult to obtain allowed to enter 
 into their manufacture. What are com- 
 monly called Dutch curtains are very popular ; they are short 
 curtains of some thin, transparent fabric, fastened with rings to 
 a slender rod of bamboo, and when drawn, cover the lower part 
 of the window without intercepting the light. The curtains 
 are very useful, but, while they do not obstruct the light, they 
 do obstruct the vision. 
 
 We all know that the front window is just the place to sit 
 when sewing or doing fancy-work, and although few ladies care 
 to be seen by every passer-by, yet they all like to see what is 
 going on outside, and while their deft fingers ply the needle 
 their bright eyes take in the landscape out of doors and de- 
 rive amusement and entertainment from the birds and flowers, 
 if it be in the country, or the ever-moving throng, if in the 
 city. 
 
 An ornamental screen, therefore, that will shield one and 
 
430 
 
 Winter. 
 
 yet not interfere with the view is desirable. What might be 
 termed the 
 
 Oriental Window-Shade 
 
 not only comes up to the above requirements, but is inexpen- 
 sive, and not difficult to construct. 
 
 Make a small lawn-tennis net, long enough to reach across 
 the width of the window and about eight inches deep ; make 
 
 loops of the rope on the ends for 
 hanging the screen to knobs or 
 hooks screwed in the framework 
 of the window ; spread the net 
 out and fasten it up on a door, 
 between two chairs, or any convenient place ; 
 then cut a number of pieces of fine twine, about 
 
 Fig. 357. Manner of four feet long, and attach 
 
 SE I S them, a quarter of an inch 
 shade. apart, along the bottom rope 
 
 (Fig- 357) J A shows a loosened loop and B the 
 tightened ones. The ends of the twine hang 
 free. On each double strand string glass beads 
 and slender pieces of bamboo, reeds, painted 
 clay pipe-stems, or macaroni broken in pieces of 
 equal length and used in their natural color, or 
 painted with oil-paints to any desired tint. Have 
 the reeds four inches long, and thread them on 
 alternately with the beads (Fig. 358) ; or you can 
 form a design by cutting the reeds into different 
 lengths ; at the end of each strand fasten a large 
 bead or glass button. A very simple 
 
 Ribbon-Curtain 
 is of red, blue, yellow, and black ribbons all cut 
 
 ^i_ 1 ,.1 i i r 1 Fi S- 358. Fringe of 
 
 the same length and sewed, a quarter of an inch Macaroni and Beads, 
 
Window Decoration. 431 
 
 apart, on a narrow strip of black cloth long enough to reach 
 across the window. The strip may be used as a band, or at- 
 tached to a slender pole by means of small brass rings. 
 The ribbons should be silk, and thin enough to admit 
 of the light shining through ; they hang down fringe- 
 like, with three glass beads fastened on the end of 
 each ribbon (Fig. 359 or Fig. 360). If you 
 
 prefer to have the shade all one color make p . 35 *' 
 it yellow, which gives a pleasant, mellow 
 light. Any pattern you choose can be made by 
 taking short pieces of ribbon and joining them to- 
 gether with glass beads. In this way bits of ribbon 
 could be utilized, but those used must be semi- 
 
 FI seo transparent, showing the color when held up to the 
 Beads on the light. Even smooth pieces of silk with their edges 
 neatly hemmed might do service, only be very care- 
 ful to join either ribbon or silk with the beads in 
 
 such a manner as to prevent its twisting ; the beads must be 
 
 heavy enough to keep the fringe straight. 
 
 Nearly all homes have their bags of silk and worsted pieces, 
 
 and from these can be made a handsome 
 
 Drapery of Very Small Scraps. 
 
 Cut the pieces of silk or worsted into squares about an inch 
 each way, using any and all colors ; then take a piece of twine 
 of the length you desire your curtain, and with a large needle 
 string the bright bits on the twine until the whole string is 
 completely and closely covered ; next fasten the twine well to 
 prevent its slipping, and with a large pair of scissors trim off the 
 rough edges of the silken strand until the surface is rounded and 
 even ; on one end attach a small brass curtain-ring, and on the 
 other a heavy bead or button ; make as many strands as you 
 
432 Winter. 
 
 will need to hang across the window and fasten them to a pole 
 in which small hooks have been screwed. 
 
 This drapery resembles chenille ; it is rich in color, will wear 
 well, and is best adapted for full-length curtains. 
 
 As a substitute for stained glass we give directions for 
 
 Painting Window-Panes. 
 
 These are very pretty and satisfactory. If good designs are 
 chosen the window will surpass in beauty your expectations. 
 
 The materials necessary are : some of Winsor & Newton's 
 transparent colors, such as rose-madder, Prussian blue, raw 
 and burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine, gamboge, ivory- 
 black, viridian green, and orient yellow. Any transparent 
 color can be used. For purple, mix rose-madder with Prussian 
 blue. 
 
 Prepare the paints to be used by mixing each color sepa- 
 rately with a little oil and siccatif Courtray. Almost any brush 
 will do to paint with, but one of medium size made for oil- 
 colors is the best, and another smaller one is necessary for the 
 outlining, which takes the place of leading in stained glass. 
 The dabber is a ball of raw cotton tied in a piece of fine cotton- 
 cloth, and the manner of tinting or grounding is exactly the 
 same as in china-painting; lac-varnish will be needed as a wash 
 after the painting has dried. 
 
 When you have an opportunity, carefully examine real 
 stained-glass windows, and you will see that each window is 
 one complete design. The corners and borders are usually in 
 rich, dark colors, while the central portion is of lighter tints or 
 clear glass. 
 
 Always make your corners and borders first, and if you de- 
 sire a centre-piece, it should be placed in position next, and the 
 space between it and the border filled in afterward. A Gothic 
 
Window Decoration. 
 
 433 
 
 window may be imitated by painting the corners black, thus 
 making it arched at the top. Yery often good patterns can be 
 
 Fig. 361. Border Pattern. 
 
 found in the many art and fashion papers. One copy may 
 serve for an entire border, if it be pasted at the four corners to 
 one pane of glass, and, when that is outlined, removed and 
 gummed to the next, and so on until the border is finished. 
 Fig. 361 is intended as a border. 
 Fig. 362 is a very simple pattern 
 of cracked glass, which you can 
 readily make without any copy. 
 Place a ruler across the woodwork 
 of the window-pane, first one way, 
 then another, and with its aid paint 
 your straight lines, being careful 
 not to have any two run parallel. A conventional design is al- 
 ways to be preferred. Should any mistakes occur during the 
 28 
 
 Fig. 362. Cracked Glass. 
 
434 Winter. 
 
 progress of the work, remove the paint with a cloth dampened 
 with turpentine and try again. The painting is not difficult, 
 and the only delays are in waiting for the colors to dry. 
 
 First decide on your design, then trace it, making the out- 
 lines heavy and black ; gum the pattern by the four corners to 
 the outside of the window-pane, which it is essential to have 
 perfectly clean and dry ; close the window, and with a small 
 brush dipped in black paint follow the outlines of your copy, 
 keeping the lines of equal thickness throughout ; when this is 
 finished remove the pattern. In the same manner go over all 
 the outlines you wish to make on the window, then leave the 
 color to harden and dry, which will probably require hours. 
 Begin again by laying on flat washes of paint to match the pre- 
 vailing colors of the copy, and use the dabber in tinting each 
 color as it is applied, so the surface may be even and uniform. 
 While the decoration is drying it is best to protect it from dust 
 by pinning up a newspaper or a large piece of cloth on the 
 window-frame. When dry, the painting can be touched up if 
 necessary. 
 
 After the last color has entirely dried apply a wash of white 
 lac-varnish ; when this is dry give the window another coat of 
 lac-varnish and then it will be finished. Should your copies be 
 in black and white, use your own taste in coloring the glass. 
 
 Another method of imitating stained glass is 
 
 Painting on Lawn, 
 
 batiste, or any kind of sheer white muslin. For this you will 
 need the same paints that are used for painting on glass ; these 
 are mixed only with turpentine and the color put on as a stain. 
 Cut a piece of new thin white batiste large enough to cover 
 a window-sash, with a margin left for turning in, and make 
 an outline on it of the exact size of the sash ; then select 
 
Window Decoration. 435 
 
 your pattern and place the lawn over it, when the outlines 
 should show through ; trace these carefully with gum-arabic dis- 
 solved, but made very stiff, and when the entire design has been 
 traced let the gum dry ; then go over it with ivory-black un- 
 mixed ; this latter makes the leading ; be careful to keep the 
 lines even and of the same size. When the outlines have dried 
 fill in the spaces with the stains made of paint and turpentine ; 
 the gum prevents the colors from spreading. When the paint 
 has dried you may add a few touches where they are needed, 
 and the stained-glass design will be ready to place on the 
 window. Use stiff mucilage or tiny tacks to keep it in place, 
 having first turned in the margin left for the purpose. 
 
 An attractive window can be made with the upper sash of 
 imitation stained glass, while the lower one is screened by a 
 Dutch curtain, as in the illustration. 
 
 For the benefit of those who prefer sewing to painting we now 
 tell how to 
 
 Imitate Stained Glass 
 
 with a piece of stiff white rice-net, such as is commonly used for 
 bonnet-frames, and some pieces of thin batiste, or lawns, of the 
 requisite colors. Cut the rice-net the proper size and lay it over 
 your design ; then carefully trace off the pattern ; when all the 
 outlines are finished cut the different-colored lawns of the shape 
 and size to correspond to the different portions of the design ; 
 baste these on in the places they must occupy ; then sew them 
 on with the Automatic Sewing-machine, following with coarse 
 black thread the outlines on the wrong side of the foundation, so 
 that the chain-stitch will appear on the right side to form the 
 leading ; or the stitching may be made by hand, or a very narrow 
 black braid can be used as leading. When all the batiste is 
 sewed on, cut out the net back of the design to allow the light 
 to shine through. 
 
436 
 
 Fig. 363. Imitation of Ground Glass. 
 
 We have seen such an imitation of stained glass, and when 
 placed up against the window it was very good ; but care must 
 
 be taken to have the colored 
 lawns thin and of the right 
 shades ; if too heavy they ob- 
 struct the light and the colors do 
 not look bright. 
 
 For full-length window- 
 drapery of inexpensive material 
 there may be had at any of the 
 leading dry-goods stores beau- 
 tiful soft fabrics, in yellows and different colors, the designs 
 of which equal those of much higher-priced goods. These 
 draperies hang in graceful folds and come as low as ten cents a 
 yard ; some of them are also well adapted for the useful Dutch 
 curtains. 
 
 Windows of Imitation Ground Glass 
 
 can be made of white tissue-paper, cut in simple patterns and 
 fastened on the inside of the glass with white lac-varnish. 
 The window must be 
 perfectly clean and dry. 
 If possible have the 
 
 Fig. 364. Folded Paper with Diamond Pattern for 
 Imitation of Ground Glass. 
 
 pieces of tissue-paper 
 
 exactly the same size as 
 
 the window-panes, fold and refold the paper lengthwise until it 
 
 is an inch or so in width; 
 then cut from stiff card- 
 board your pattern. If it 
 
 Fig. 365. Paper Marked with Design for Imita- 
 tion of Ground Glass. 
 
 be a diamond, as in Fig. 
 
 363, have it exact, and 
 cut it in halves; use one-half as a pattern, place this on the 
 edge of the paper, as in Fig. 364, and with a lead pencil draw a 
 
Window Decoration. 
 
 437 
 
 line around it ; remove the pattern and place it lower down 
 about a quarter of an inch from the first tracing, and again 
 mark around the edge. Continue in the same way until you 
 have the pattern marked on the entire length of the tissue- 
 paper. Make the same pattern on the other edge of the paper 
 (Fig 365). Cut out the pattern, then unfold the paper and 
 smooth it free of wrinkles ; give the window-pane a thin coat- 
 ing of white lac-varnish, and apply the paper, being very care- 
 ful to have it perfectly smooth when on the glass. Sometimes 
 it is necessary to join two or more pieces of paper, but if you 
 are careful to make the edges come exactly together, the joins 
 will not be noticeable. 
 
 Lac-varnish dries very quickly, and it takes only a short time 
 to decorate a window in this manner. 
 
 When all the panes of glass are covered with tissue-paper, 
 finish by varnishing each one with the white lac-varnish ; at 
 a little distance it is difficult to distinguish a window so covered 
 from one really formed of ground glass. 
 
 For bath-rooms, or where the window is rather out of the 
 way and the outlook not agreeable, the imitation of ground 
 glass is suitable and useful. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 FURNITURE OLD AND NEW. 
 
 NLY the other day we were appealed to by 
 a friend for suggestions on how to furnish 
 a room prettily, and at the same time in- 
 expensively, and we know that there are 
 many girls like this friend who, loving to 
 surround themselves with beauty and com- 
 fort, have not the means of doing so in the 
 ordinary way ; but must depend largely 
 upon their own skill and ingenuity for the 
 gratification of this taste. After all, there 
 is more real pleasure in planning and contriving the furnish- 
 ing of one's room, even with only a small sum for outlays, 
 than there is in ordering a set from the furnishers which is 
 exactly like a hundred others. In the former case we make 
 our room expressive of our individuality ; in the latter we walk 
 in the beaten track of those who have little or no individuality 
 to express. 
 
 So much for the sentiment of the idea. Now let us turn to 
 the practical side, and find the best way of carrying it out, and 
 putting our theories into practice. 
 
 In mentioning old furniture in the heading of this chapter, 
 we do not allude to the antiques in such high favor just now; 
 they are unique and handsome enough in themselves, requiring 
 no contriving to beautify them ; but there are few families who 
 do not possess furniture that is out of date, old-fashioned without 
 
Furniture Old and New. 
 
 439 
 
 being antique ; furniture that time and hard usage has reduced 
 to a state of shabbiness anything but beautiful, yet not worth 
 sending to the cabinet-makers to be furbished up. It is the 
 renovation of such furniture that will help much toward making 
 a room pretty and attractive. 
 
 We need not attempt to restore the furniture to its original 
 state, that would be impracticable. But we can work wonders in 
 transforming it ; in turning a homely article into one that will 
 
 be an adornment instead of a blemish. 
 
 Bookcase. 
 
 Take, for instance, an old bureau 
 belonging to a cottage set. The mirror, 
 perhaps, is broken, or if it is not it can 
 be used to better advantage elsewhere. 
 Removing that, there is left merely a 
 chest of drawers, which we will proceed 
 to convert into a bookcase by the addi- 
 tion of shelves placed on top. If you 
 have a brother who is handy with his 
 tools the matter is simple enough ; 
 without him a carpenter may have to 
 be employed to make the shelves, or, 
 by taking the plan and measurements 
 to a carpenter-shop the materials can be obtained ready for 
 use, and all you will have to do will be to put them together. 
 Although there is a saying that "a girl can never drive a nail 
 straight," we have reason to believe the contrary, and feel sure 
 that a little practice will enable most girls to do many bits of 
 light carpentry work as well as the boys. Three feet is the 
 height of a bureau belonging to an ordinary set of cottage furni- 
 ture, so we will take that as our standard for measurement, and 
 make our shelves according to it. 
 
 Fig. 366. Diagram of Book- 
 shelves. 
 
440 Winter. 
 
 Fig. 366 is the diagram for the frame of the shelves. The 
 side pieces are made of boards three feet four inches long and 
 nine inches wide ; the top of each of these boards is sawed 
 into a point as shown in diagram. Four cleats made of sticks 
 eight inches long and one inch thick are nailed to the side of 
 each board, the distance between being nine inches. 
 
 The frame at the back is composed of two boards five and 
 one half feet long and seven inches wide, and two, three feet three 
 inches long (the width of the bureau) and seven inches wide. 
 One of these short boards is nailed across the top ends of the 
 long boards, and the other twenty-four inches below. The side 
 pieces are nailed to the back as shown in diagram, the nails 
 being driven through the back board into the edge of the side 
 piece. 
 
 When the frame is made it is placed on the bureau, the sides 
 resting on the top and the long back boards reaching down be- 
 hind where they are nailed or screwed to the bureau. The 
 shelves are thirty-seven inches long and nine inches wide. 
 They rest on the cleats and are not nailed to the frame. 
 
 Screws may in some places, answer better than nails. 
 
 When the shelves have been adjusted, the whole is painted 
 a dark olive green. 
 
 If the knobs are removed from the drawers before the 
 bureau is painted, and brass handles substituted afterward, it 
 will add materially to its appearance. 
 
 The bookcase shown in our illustration is finished off with 
 curtains, which hang by brass rings from a slender bamboo pole. 
 The pole is slipped through brass hooks screwed into the side 
 pieces near the top. 
 
 Curtains of canton-flannel, or any soft material, are suitable 
 for this bookcase. The colors may be a combination of olive 
 green with old blue, yellow, cherry, copper color, dark red, 
 or light brown. 
 
Furniture Old and New. 
 
 441 
 
 The Chair 
 
 in the same illustration is an ordinary rocking-chair painted 
 olive green, with cushions at the back and in the seat stuffed 
 
 Bureau Transformed into a Bookcase. 
 
 with excelsior, covered with bright cretonne, and tied to the 
 chair with ribbons. 
 
442 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Chairs of this kind look well painted almost any color ; one 
 of yellow, with yellow cushions and ribbons, is exceedingly 
 pretty. 
 
 If the chair to be remodelled is bottomless, reseat 
 it in this way: Cut some strips of strong cotton cloth 
 about one inch wide and sew them together, lapping 
 one piece over another, as in Fig. 367 ; fasten an end 
 on to the edge of the chair with a tack, and then pass 
 the cloth back and forth across, each time putting it 
 under and bringing it over the edge of the chair. 
 
 When the seat is filled up with the strips going one 
 way, cut the cloth and tack the end to the chair ; then, Fi s- 367 - 
 
 commencing at the side, cross 
 these strips, passing the cloth 
 in and out as if darning. Fig. 
 368 shows just how it is done. 
 Be sure to draw the strip as 
 tightly as you can every time 
 it crosses the chair, for if too 
 loose it will sag as soon as the 
 chair is used. The edge of the 
 chair may be covered with the 
 cretonne, or a ruffle which is 
 sewed around the cushion. 
 
 Fig. 369 is an old settee fitted 
 up with cushions, and a sociable, 
 comfortable seat it is. It offers 
 
 plenty of room for two, and ensconced thereon the girls may 
 rock and talk to their hearts' content. 
 
 These settees are not often seen in the city, but are to be 
 found in many a farm-house and country town. The one from 
 which our sketch is taken is painted black, but, like the chair, 
 it would look well any color., 
 
 Fig. 368. How to Reseat a Chair. 
 
Furniture Old and New. 
 
 443 
 
 Fresh, dainty prettiness should be the principal feature of a 
 young girl's room, and this can be obtained at very little ex- 
 pense, much less than most persons suppose. 
 
 Fig- 37 shows what can be done with the commonest 
 
 Fig. 369. Come and Sit Here. 
 
 kind of furniture. This can be bought at the manufacturer's 
 unpainted, and may be left its natural color and simply 
 varnished, or, following the present fashion, it can be 
 painted white, and decorated with slender bands or circles Q* 
 gold. 
 
444 Winter. 
 
 As in the illustration, 
 
 The Bedstead 
 
 should have drapery suspended over it. This gives a soft, 
 pretty effect, and takes away its stiffness. Dotted swiss or 
 thin cottage drapery answers the purpose nicely. 
 
 Ten yards of material cut in two breadths of five yards each 
 are required for these curtains. The breadths must be sewed 
 together lengthwise and then passed through a small wooden 
 hoop which has been gilded or painted white. 
 
 When the hoop is directly in the middle of the breadths, the 
 material must be brought together close to the hoop and two 
 of the edges sewed or basted together. This seam is to go 
 at the back and keep the curtain from parting and hanging 
 in two strips. 
 
 A ruffle of the same material, or lace, sewed on the edge 
 and across the ends of the drapery gives it a soft, lacy effect. 
 The ribbons which loop the curtains at either side should be of 
 the prevailing colors of the room. If the furniture is white and 
 gold, they should be yellow. 
 
 The hoop can hang from a brass chain fastened to a hook 
 in the ceiling. 
 
 The bureau belonging to this style of furniture is too clumsy 
 for our use, although without the mirror it will be convenient 
 as a chest of drawers. Brass handles in place of knobs will im- 
 prove it. 
 
 A Dressing-table 
 
 to take its place, like the one shown in Fig. 370, can be made 
 of a small kitchen-table. The mirror suspended over it should 
 have a broad flat frame of white pine, varnished or painted to 
 match the furniture. Almost any cabinet-maker can frame a 
 mirror in this way. Bracket candlesticks made of brass, which 
 
Furniture Old and New. 
 
 445 
 
 are very inexpensive, should be fastened to the frame on either 
 side of the glass with brass nails or brass-headed tacks.. 
 
 Fig. 370. What can be done with Common Unpainted Furniture. 
 
 With a brass handle on the drawer, a pretty scarf of linen 
 crash, ornamented with drawn work or outline, thrown over the 
 
446 
 
 Winter. 
 
 table and hanging down at each end, and the addition of pin- 
 cushion and toilet articles, this toilet-table looks very attrac- 
 tive and readily chal- 
 lenges admiration. 
 
 Washstand. 
 
 A piece of white mat- 
 ting bound at top and 
 bottom, with yellow cot- 
 ton cloth for a splasher, 
 as in Fig. 371, and a 
 pretty scarf and toilet- 
 set, presents this most 
 ordinary washstand in a 
 new light. 
 
 Three common kitch- 
 en-chairs and one rocker, 
 when painted white or 
 varnished, as the case 
 may be, and cushioned 
 in pretty light-colored 
 cretonne, completes this 
 novel, pretty, and re- 
 markably inexpensive set 
 of furniture. 
 
 The curtains next to 
 be of the same material as that used for 
 
 Fig. 371. The Ordinary Unpainted Washstand in a 
 New Light. 
 
 the windows should 
 the bed-drapery, with the inner one of cretonne like the chair- 
 cushions. 
 
 White matting is suitable for the floor in summer, and dur- 
 ing the cold weather it can be mostly covered with a pretty 
 ingrain rug or art square, as it is called. 
 
Furniture Old and New. 
 
 447 
 
 Instead of using gilt, the rings and bands on the furniture 
 may be blue or red, in which case the trimmings of the room 
 should correspond. 
 
 Fig. 372. Hall Seat Made of a Common Wooden Bench, 
 
 A Hail Seat. 
 
 As another illustration of what can be done with the most 
 ordinary piece of furniture, we have chosen a common wooden 
 bench, and by painting it black and giving it a dark-red cushion 
 with tassels at each corner, have transformed it into quite an 
 elegant hall-seat. Fig. 372 gives the effect. 
 
448 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Fig. 373. Window Seat and Book-shelves Combined, Made of Boxes. 
 
 Fig- 373 shows a 
 
 Window Seat and Book-shelves Combined, 
 
 made of boxes. Eight soap-boxes of the same size are required 
 for the shelves, and a packing-box about two feet high, two 
 
Furniture Old and New. 449 
 
 feet in width, and as long as the window is wide, for the 
 seat. 
 
 Remove the tops and two sides of the soap-boxes, and bore 
 holes with a red-hot poker in one corner of the bottoms of six 
 of the boxes, and in two of the tops which have been removed, 
 making the holes one inch from either edge (Fig. 374). In 
 the other two boxes bore in the same place, but not entirely 
 through, making the holes about half an inch deep. 
 
 Place these last two on the floor and pile the others on top 
 of them, three on each, nailing the 
 bottom of each box to the top edge 
 of the one beneath it. On the two 
 upper boxes nail the tops in which 
 the holes have been made. 
 
 Have ready two slender bamboo 
 rods about four feet long. Insert a 
 rod in the hole in the top of an 
 upper box and let it pass down, Fig. 374,-Hou, in comer of BOX 
 
 for Book-shelves. 
 
 slipping it through the holes in the 
 
 bottoms of the other boxes and fitting it in the c, avity in the 
 
 lower box. 
 
 In like manner put the other rod in place through the other 
 pile of boxes. 
 
 If the packing-box has a cover, it should be fastened on 
 with hinges, so that it may be used for a shoe-box as well as a 
 seat ; if it has not, turn it upside down, place the soap -boxes at 
 each end and nail them to it. 
 
 Paint the shelves black or the color of the wood-work in the 
 room, and upholster the seat and the boxes on either side of it 
 with cushions made of strong muslin stuffed with excdsior and 
 covered with cretonne. 
 
 Fasten the edges of the side cushions to the boxes with 
 gimp braid and tacks. Make a deep plaiting of the cretonne 
 29 \ 
 
450 
 
 Winter. 
 
 and tack it across the front of the large box. When there is a 
 lid a narrow plaiting must be tacked across its front edge, which 
 will, when the box is closed, lap over the top of the deeper 
 plaiting. 
 
 That this combination of window-seat and shelves is both 
 comfortable and convenient, one may easily imagine, and that 
 it adds not a little to the furnishing of a room, we leave to 
 our illustration to show. 
 
CHAPTER XL. 
 
 SOMETHING ABOUT MANTEL-PIECES AND 
 FIRE-PLACES. 
 
 HE spirit of hospitality and comfort pre- 
 sides over the ruddy blaze of an open 
 fire ; yet, as we gather cosily around and 
 bask in the delightful warmth and radi- 
 ance, its cheerful influence is too often 
 retarded by its very unattractive sur- 
 roundings. This lovely household spirit 
 should have a more fitting habitation than 
 the one frequently accorded it. The fire-place should at least 
 be pleasant to look upon, and not depend wholly upon the 
 bright fire to make it inviting. 
 
 The ordinary marble and marbleized slate or iron mantel- 
 pieces are the reverse of beautiful, but they may be very much 
 improved at the expense of a small outlay of money, time, and 
 trouble. 
 
 The examples we give here of the treatment of common- 
 place mantel-pieces are simple, and can easily be managed by 
 the girls themselves, with but trifling aid from a carpenter. 
 
 In a room occupied at one time by a young friend of the 
 writer, there was an old-fashioned white-pine mantel-piece. 
 It was stiff and plain, with no attempt at ornamentation, and 
 the border of white marble, about five inches wide around the 
 fire-place, was apparently inserted to protect the wood from 
 
452 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Fig. 375. Shelves over Mantel-Piece. 
 
Mantel-Pieces and Fire-Places. 453 
 
 the heat of the fire, and not for beauty. A hint from the 
 writer was sufficient to set this girl's brain and fingers to work. 
 Soon the white-marble border was transformed into a row of 
 blue and white tiles, which were not only pretty and appropri- 
 ate, but were also the means of dispelling the impressions of 
 coldness and hardness the marble gave. 
 
 The manner of effecting this transformation was simple 
 enough. First the marble was divided into squares, the lines 
 being painted black ; then conventional patterns were sketched 
 with a pencil on the squares and paired in blue, oil-paints 
 being used for the purpose. 
 
 How the mantel-piece was otherwise reformed, the writer 
 never saw, but it might have been greatly improved and altered 
 by the addition of shelves above, or a suitable lambrequin upon 
 the mantel-shelf. However that may or might have been, the 
 tiles were a successful bit of work, and the painting of them 
 within the capabilities of almost anyone. Then why should we 
 long in vain for a tiled mantel-piece, when we have it in our 
 power to gratify the wish ? 
 
 On a plain white-marble mantel a border around the fire- 
 place may be marked out, and a set of tiles painted, which will 
 look just as pretty as any that can be bought. 
 
 If the rest of the marble is painted black or brown, the tiles 
 will look as though they were set in, and the contrast will make 
 them more effective. 
 
 Fig. 375 illustrates our suggestion of putting shelves over 
 the mantel-piece. The braces can be bought at any hardware- 
 store, and the shelves may be of black-walnut or pine boards, 
 stained or painted to match the mantel-piece. 
 
 Fig. 376 shows the effect of a mantel-shelf covered with en- 
 amel-cloth made in imitation of leather. The color of the mate- 
 rial used for the one from which our sketch is taken is dark red, 
 and has a dull, soft finish like Russian leather. It is ornamented 
 
454 
 
 Winter. 
 
 with small brass curtain-rings sewed on in points or pyramids; 
 p. strip of enamel-cloth is also put behind the shelf, and at the 
 top edge a piece of narrow gilt moulding is tacked. 
 
 JPig. 376. Mantel-Shelf covered with Enamel-Cloth ornamented with Brass Curtain-Ring* 
 
 A mantel-board of pine, two inches longer and two inches 
 wider than the shelf, is always necessary when there is to be a 
 lambrequin, for upon this the lambrequin is tacked. 
 
Mantel-Pieces and Fire-Places. 
 
 455 
 
 First, the board must be neatly covered with the material, 
 enamel-cloth or whatever is used, the edges of the cloth being 
 brought over and tacked under the edge of the shelf; then the 
 strip composing the lambrequin must be turned in at the top 
 edge and tacked across the front and two ends of the board 
 with brass-headed tacks. It looks better if the corners of the 
 
 board are rounded as 
 shown in illustration. 
 The piece at the 
 back of the shelf 
 should be about 
 eighteen inches deep 
 and must be tacked 
 at top and bottom 
 with small tacks, the 
 edge at each end 
 being turned in and 
 tacked to the wall 
 with brass-headed 
 tacks. 
 
 Fig. 377 is the 
 diagram of enamel- 
 cloth ornamented with brass rings, and shows a section of the 
 pattern. The bottom row of rings should be sewed on first, 
 and the edge of the cloth turned up as the rings are fastened 
 on. The stitches which hold the rings catch the hem also. 
 This first row of rings should extend half way below the edge 
 of the cloth, as shown in Fig. 377. Strong yellow embroidery- 
 silk or saddlers' silk is the best to sew them on with. 
 
 The gilt moulding can be bought by the foot and small 
 headless nails are furnished to tack it with. 
 
 Another mantel is treated in very much the same manner 
 as Fig. 376, the difference being that, instead of enamel-cloth, 
 
 Fig. 377. Enamel- Cloth ornamented with Brass Rings. 
 
Winter. 
 
 the covering for the shelf and the piece at the back are dark-red 
 canton- flannel, and around the edge of the shelf is tacked a 
 worsted fringe, about six inches deep, matching the canton- 
 flannel in color. This has a warm, comfortable look and is quite 
 
 / ' '''',' .';,"""*. ** " V 
 
 Fig. 378. Shelves around Projecting Chimney. 
 
 appropriate for a bedroom, while the other should be used only 
 in a library or dining-room. 
 
 The writer was once invited into a young girl's room which 
 was very attractive in its daintiness. It was not pretty in shape, 
 and an uncompromising chimney, in which there was no fire- 
 
Mantel-Pieces and Fire-Places. 457 
 
 place, projected into the room ; but taste had overcome these 
 difficulties, and the effect produced was decidedly pleasing. 
 
 Pretty wall-paper and the arrangement of the furniture helped 
 very much, but the greatest triumph was in subduing the awk- 
 wardness of that chimney by surrounding it with a set of shelves 
 for holding pretty bits of bric-a-brac. 
 
 In case another girl may have the same difficulty to sur- 
 mount in decorating her room, we give an outline drawing o' 
 the shelves (Fig. 378) that she may see and profit thereby. 
 
CHAPTER XLI. 
 HOME-MADE CANDY. 
 
 E have noticed that in none of the 
 books we have seen, which were writ- 
 ten especially for the amusement and 
 entertainment of girls, has there been 
 any directions or recipes for making 
 candy. Knowing by experience that 
 most girls consider candy-making one 
 of their prime winter enjoyments, we 
 consider the omission to be quite an important one, and we 
 will in this chapter endeavor to supply the much-wished-for in- 
 formation. 
 
 Though cooking in general may not be regarded with much 
 favor by the average school-girl, she is always anxious to learn 
 how to make candy, and hails a new recipe as a boon. 
 
 The following recipes for peanut-candy, butter-scotch, and 
 molasses-candy were obtained from a friend who makes the 
 best home-made candy it has ever been our good-fortune to 
 taste, and as she recommends them, we may rely upon their 
 being excellent. We give them, with her comments, just as she 
 wrote them. 
 
 Delicious Peanut-Candy. 
 
 Shell your peanuts and chop them fine ; measure them in a cup, and 
 take just the same quantity of granulated sugar as you have peanuts. Put 
 the sugar in a skillet, or spider, on the fire, and keep moving the skillet 
 
Home-made Candy. 459 
 
 around until the sugar is dissolved ; then put in the peanuts and pour into 
 buttered tins. 
 
 This is delicious, and so quickly made. 
 
 Butter-Scotch. 
 
 2 cups of brown sugar. 
 
 \ cup of butter. 
 
 4 tablespoonfuls of molasses. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of water. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar. 
 
 Boil until it hardens when dropped into cold water, then pour into but* 
 tered tins. 
 
 Molasses-Candy. 
 
 2 cups of brown sugar. 
 
 \ cup of New Orleans molasses. 
 
 f cup of vinegar and water mixed. 
 
 A piece of butter half the size of an egg. 
 
 When the candy hardens in cold water, pour into shallow buttered tins? 
 and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, pull it until it is of a straw-color. 
 Splendid! 
 
 Here are two recipes which another friend has kindly sent 
 us : 
 
 Chocolate- Creams. 
 
 To the white of I egg add an equal quantity of cold water. Stir in I 
 pound of confectioner's sugar. Flavor with vanilla. Stir until fine and 
 smooth ; then mould into balls and drop into melted chocolate. 
 
 To melt the chocolate, scrape and put it in a tin-cup or small 
 sauce-pan over a kettle where it will steam. Let the chocolate 
 be melting while the cream is being prepared. , 
 
 Walnut-Creams. 
 
 Make the cream as for chocolate-drops and mould into larger balls. 
 Place the half of an English walnut on either side and press them into the 
 cream. 
 
460 IVinter. 
 
 The cream prepared in this way, we have found, can be used 
 for various kinds of candy. 
 
 Small pieces of fruit of any kind and nuts can be enclosed in 
 the cream, making a great variety. Chocolate may be mixed 
 with it ; and if strong, clear coffee is used in place of the water, 
 the candy will have the coffee flavor and color which some 
 people like. 
 
 Walnut and Fruit Glac6. 
 
 Put I cup of sugar and ^ cup of water in a sauce-pan and 
 stir until the sugar is all dissoh ed ; then place it over the fire 
 and let it boil until it hardens and is quite crisp when dropped 
 in cold water. Do not stir it after it is put on the fire. 
 
 When cooked sufficiently, dip out a spoonful at a time and 
 drop in buttered tins, leaving a space of an inch or so between 
 each spoonful. Place on each piece of candy the half of a wal- 
 nut, or the fruit which has previously been prepared, and pour 
 over them enough candy to cover them, always keeping each 
 piece separate. 
 
 Any kind of fruit can be made into glace. When using 
 oranges, quarter them and remove the seeds. Strawberries, in 
 their season, and peaches also make delicious glace. 
 
 The remainder of our recipes have been taken from family 
 recipe-books, and although we have not tested them ourselves, 
 we think it may be safely said that they are good ones. 
 
 Marsh-mallow Paste. 
 
 Dissolve I pound of clean white gum-arabic in one quart 
 of water ; strain, add I pound of refined sugar, and place over 
 the fire. Stir continually until the syrup is dissolved and the 
 mixture has become of the consistency of honey. Next add 
 gradually the beaten whites of 8 eggs ; stir the mixture all 
 
Home-made Candy. 461 
 
 the time until it loses its thickness and does not adhere to the 
 finger. Flavor with vanilla or rose. Pour into a tin slightly 
 dusted with powdered starch, and when cool divide into squares 
 with a sharp knife. 
 
 Toasted Marsh-mallows. 
 
 Tie a string on the end of a cane or stick, fasten a bent pin 
 on the end of the string, and stick the pin into a marsh-mallow- 
 drop. Hold the marsh-mallow suspended over an open fire and 
 let it gradually toast. When it begins to melt and run down it 
 is done. 
 
 For a small party toasting marsh-mallows will be found quite 
 a merry pastime, and a great many persons consider the candy 
 much better for being thus cooked the second time. 
 
 Molasses Peanut-Candy. 
 
 2 cups of molasses. 
 I cup of brown sugar. 
 I tablespoonful of butter. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of vinegar. 
 
 While the candy is boiling remove the shells and brown 
 skins from the peanuts, lay the nuts in buttered pans, and when 
 the candy is done pour it over them. While it is still warm cut 
 in blocks. 
 
 Chocolate-Caramels. 
 
 2 cups of sugar. 
 
 I cup of molasses. 
 
 I cup of milk. 
 
 I tablespoonful of butter. 
 
 I tablespoonful of flour. 
 
 j pound of Baker's chocolate. 
 
 Grease your pot, put in sugar, molasses, and milk ; boil fif- 
 
462 
 
 Winter. 
 
 teen minutes, and add butter and flour stirred to a cream. Let 
 it boil five minutes, then add the chocolate, grated, and boil un- 
 til quite thick. Grease shallow pans and pour in the candy 
 half an inch thick, marking it in squares before it becomes 
 hard. 
 
 Pop-Corn Balls. 
 
 6 quarts of popped corn. 
 
 I pint of molasses. 
 
 Boil the molasses about fifteen minutes ; then put the corn 
 into a large pan, pour the molasses over it, and stir briskly un- 
 til thoroughly mixed. Then, with clean hands, make into balls 
 of the desired size. 
 
aaint Valentine. 
 
CHAPTER XLII. 
 Saint Valentine's Day. 
 
 ID it never occur to any of you to wonder who 
 Saint Valentine was, and why we should 
 commemorate his day by sending cards or 
 letters containing all sorts of nonsense, like 
 true-lovers' knots, hearts pierced with ar- 
 rows, etc. ? 
 
 It is easy enough to tell you about the 
 saint, but what he had to do with the popu- 
 lar observances of the day dedicated to him is a matter for 
 conjecture. 
 
 Saint Valentine, they say, was a grave and earnest bishop, 
 who was put to death in Rome on the fourteenth day of Feb- 
 ruary, about the year 270 A.D., for his too zealous efforts in 
 converting the heathen. When he was canonized, the day of 
 the month on which he died was dedicated to him. 
 
 The customs of Saint Valentine's Day are, no doubt, de- 
 rived from those practised at some of the Pagan festivals, for 
 they are of very ancient origin. In olden times, in England, it 
 was kept as a great gala day, and all the houses were decked 
 with evergreen in honor of it. Ben Jonson says : 
 
 " Get some fresh hay, then, to lay under foot, 
 Some holly and ivy to make fine the posts ; 
 Is't not Saint Valentine's Day ? " 
 
Saint Valentines Day. 465 
 
 ' ^- ,, , 
 
 The principal feature of the ceremonies was always the 
 choice of a valentine for the ensuing year. ' The cavalier was 
 expected to wait upon his lady, execute all of her commands, 
 and act as her escort at all social gatherings. 
 
 The choice of a valentine was generally left to chance, 
 one of the methods being that the first unmarried member of 
 the opposite sex a person saw on Saint Valentine's morning 
 should be his or her valentine. 
 
 Of course you have all had some experience in sending and 
 receiving valentines, and perhaps consider that the only way of 
 celebrating the day ; but don't you think it would be a good 
 idea to invite some friends to your house and have a 
 
 Valentine-Party ? 
 
 We will give several suggestions upon what to do at a valen- 
 tine-party, that you may have some idea how the affair should 
 be conducted. 
 
 In the first place, let each guest, upon his or her arrival, de- 
 posit a valentine in a large bag placed in the hall for that pur- 
 pose. The valentines must be addressed to no particular per- 
 son, but the girls should write on theirs, " To my cavalier," 
 and the boys address the ones they send, "To my lady." On 
 one corner of each valentine (not the envelope) the sender's 
 name must be written. 
 
 When all the guests have assembled, someone disguised as 
 Saint Valentine, in a skull-cap, long white beard, made of cotton 
 or wool, and long cloak, should enter the parlor, carrying on his 
 back the sack of valentines. He must stand in the centre of 
 the room and auction off each valentine as he takes it from hfr 
 pack. 
 
 All sorts of bids can be made, such as the promise of a dance, 
 a necktie, her share of ice-cream at supper, by a girl. A com- 
 30 
 
466 Winter. 
 
 pliment, the first favor asked of him, a paper of bonbons, by a 
 boy. To make fuif the bids should be as ridiculous as possible. 
 Saint Valentine is to be at lib- 
 erty to accept whatever bid he 
 chooses. The payment of the 
 debt must be rigidly exacted 
 by the sender of a valentine, 
 whose identity is revealed when 
 the valentine is opened. 
 
 If unable to comply immedi- ri s- 379.-o up id's BOW and Arrow, 
 ately with the demand, the debtor must give the creditor a card 
 or slip of paper on which is written " I O U a favor," or what- 
 ever it may be that is owed. This I O U entitles the creditor 
 to claim payment of the debt at any time during the year. 
 
 Another feature of the party should be Cupid's bow and ar- 
 row, which must be suspended from the chandelier or placed 
 in some prominent position. The device is to be used for de- 
 livering such valentines as may be addressed to particular per- 
 sons. The valentine must be stuck onto the 
 point of the arrow, and no one may remove it 
 save the person to whom it is addressed. At 
 any time during the evening the arrow may be 
 found to bear a missive, and we would advise 
 the hostess to provide a valentine, to be delivered 
 in this way, for each of her guests, that none may 
 feel neglected. The rest of the party can, to be 
 sure, send as many valentines as they like. 
 
 Make Cupid's bow and arrow of heavy paste- 
 board, like Fig. 379. Let the bow measure about 
 Fig. 380. Notch in sixteen inches from tip to tip. Make the arrow 
 *"* twelve inches long, with a point or head three 
 inches, and the feathers two inches, in length on the outside 
 edge. Cut a notch in the feathered end, as shown in Fig. 380* 
 
Saint Valentine s Day. 
 
 467 
 
 Fig. 381. Man- 
 ner of fasten- 
 ing Needle in 
 Arrow-head. 
 
 Strengthen the arrow by gluing a thin stick of wood along 
 it to within one inch of the point. Gild both the bow and ar- 
 row, tie a silk cord to the tips of the bow, leaving 
 it slack, and force the head of a worsted-needle 
 into the point of the arrow (Fig. 381). Adjust 
 the arrow by fitting the cord in the notch and 
 pulling it back until the cord is taut ; then fasten 
 it to the bow by taking a few stitches with yellow 
 silk through the bow and over the arrow. Fig. 
 382 shows how it should appear when in place. 
 
 To determine how the guests shall be paired 
 off for supper, place the names of all the girls, 
 written on slips of paper, in a bag ; then let each 
 boy in turn take out a slip, and the girl whose 
 name it bears he shall escort to the supper-room 
 and serve like a true cavalier. 
 
 At a valentine-party the valentines should, if 
 possible, all be original, or at least contain appropriate quota- 
 tions. The more absurd the rhyme, the more fun it will cre- 
 ate, and when one is unable to make a rhyme a bit of prose 
 can be made to serve. As 
 funny as you please let the val- 
 entines be, but remember to 
 omit anything that is in the 
 least rude, or calculated to hurt 
 another's feelings. 
 
 With Saint Valentine's Day 
 ends our vacation-calendar and 
 with it we also bring this book Fi &- 382._cu P id's BOW with Arrow in 
 
 , Position. 
 
 to a close, for a whole year of 
 
 holidays, sports, and entertainments are now contained within 
 
 its covers. If we may hope that our work has not been with- 
 
468 
 
 Winter. 
 
 out profit, as well as entertainment, if we have been successful 
 in opening any new avenues of enterprise and enjoyment for 
 you, we are satisfied. If we have done more, and with any of 
 our suggestions have prompted the thought of adding to the 
 comfort and happiness of others, we have achieved a success,, 
 and the mission of the AMERICAN GIRL'S HANDY BOOK is 
 accomplished. 
 
Additional Suggestions for the 
 Four Seasons. 
 
Additional Suggestions for the 
 Four Seasons. 
 
 SPRING. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 BICYCLING. 
 
 LL the world is awheel, and the American 
 girl forms not the least part of it. You 
 ride, do you not ? is now one of the first 
 questions asked of a new acquaintance, 
 and to ride means always to ride a bi- 
 cycle ; no one ever makes the mistake of 
 supposing a horse is referred to. Almost 
 everyone rides, but a close observer soon 
 perceives that all do not ride alike, nor all 
 equally well. 
 
 As we watch the procession of bicyclists 
 glide past us in park or village street, our 
 
 eyes rest with delight upon the trimly clad, graceful rider who, 
 sitting erect, seems almost to stand on her pedals as she moves 
 along with scarcely a flutter of her well-hung skirt, and our 
 enthusiasm grows as she heightens her speed and fairly skims 
 over the ground with no apparent effort. 
 
 How many times we have heard the remark, or thought to 
 ourselves : " If I could ever ride like that, I would learn to-mor- 
 row." Behind this model rider, perhaps, will come the other 
 
 469 
 
Bicycling. 471 
 
 extreme. She can balance her wheel, this other girl, it does 
 not " wabble," and she seems well able to guide it aright and 
 take good care of herself generally ; but how awkwardly she 
 rides, how high her knees rise on each upward turn of the 
 pedal, how far she has to reach for the handle-bar, and how 
 hard she is apparently working. " If I am to look like that, I 
 will never learn to ride," is our next thought. 
 
 Correctly and Incorrectly. 
 
 Learn ? Yes ; that is just where the difference arises. The 
 first girl has learned to ride correctly ; the second has been badly 
 taught or has not really learned at all ; that is, she has not 
 learned to adjust her saddle and handle-bar, to sit her wheel, 
 nor to pedal as she should. There are many degrees between 
 these two examples, and, of course, there is individuality shown 
 in riding a bicycle, as in everything else ; but there is really 
 no good reason why every girl should not become a graceful 
 rider. 
 
 The learning to ride comes easier to some than to others, 
 much depending upon the previous training and the physical 
 strength of the learner. 
 
 As a rule, those accustomed to athletic sports, skating, 
 tennis, and golf-playing, and all out-door exercise where 
 skill, self-reliance, and quick decision are necessary take to 
 wheeling easily, naturally, and fearlessly. Others, who really 
 need the exercise and training most, who take no part in ath- 
 letic sports, and who are naturally nervous and timid, do not 
 learn so readily ; but, when these last finally do gain the mas- 
 tery over their wheels, they discover a new world has been 
 opened to them. An out-door world of sweet country air, 
 where mingle the perfume of flowers, of freshly turned earth 
 and growing things ; of ripening fruit and hay just cut ; of 
 
47 2 Spring. 
 
 country sights, and sounds, and smells ; a world of panoramas, 
 where the scene is ever changing, and a world of freedom and 
 independence. 
 
 Ah ! that, after all, is, perhaps, the greatest charm the 
 freedom to go where one will, on a tireless steed, which seems 
 almost to obey one's thought, so much a part of the rider does 
 it become. 
 
 Do not allow yourselves to become discouraged if this 
 delight in riding does not come at once ; remember, you 
 must learn to ride and have perfect control of your wheel, and 
 to do this easily without centring your whole attention upon 
 it, before the joy and exhilaration will be felt. To expect it at 
 first the writer found to be a mistake, for she was sadly disap- 
 pointed and discouraged after reading the rhapsodies of full- 
 fledged wheelwomen, to find in her own experience only 
 fatigue and discomfort. An implicit belief in the beneficial 
 effects of the exercise and a determination to succeed were all 
 that sustained her, until, one bright and beautiful morning in 
 June, she took her first long ride and learned from experience 
 that what she had read of the buoyancy of spirit, the delight 
 and joy to be found on the wheel, was every bit true ; and now, 
 though remembering the falls and consequent bruises, the 
 fatigue and discouragement, she can still say with enthusiasm : 
 "Girls, learn to ride." 
 
 The Choice of a Bicycle. 
 
 In the choice of a bicycle, the best advice is to select one of 
 good make. Better a last year's wheel of high grade than one 
 of this year's manufacture which has little else to recommend 
 it. The best is none too good to risk life and limb upon, and 
 certainly the cheap wheel, with its necessities for frequent re- 
 pairs, is poor economy. Many persons will not use their own 
 wheels while learning, for in the struggles of early practice there 
 
Bicycling. 473 
 
 is, of course, a great strain imposed upon the machine, and, un- 
 less one's instructor is always at hand to catch it, the wheel 
 has many falls, even though, by stepping off, the rider herself 
 escapes. Professional teachers usually furnish bicycles for their 
 pupils, and for practising alone one may hire a wheel for an 
 hour or two at a low rate. 
 
 Do not think, however, any kind will do to learn on. Be 
 sure the one assigned you is in good repair ; insist upon hav- 
 ing a machine that will run easily, though it may be heavier 
 than the one you intend eventually to ride ; see that its pedals 
 spin readily upon their axles ; that none of the nuts are loose, 
 and, finally, that the saddle and handle-bar are perfectly straight 
 and not twisted to one side. Always refuse to hire a bicycle 
 which is not in perfect order. 
 
 In purchasing a bicycle, go to a reliable dealer whom you 
 can trust, or induce some competent person to select your 
 wheel for you. 
 
 You will find your saddle a very important item, for upon 
 it will depend much of your comfort and pleasure in riding. 
 When buying her own wheel, the writer arranged with the 
 dealer to have various makes of saddles on trial until she be- 
 came suited, and in this way was able to secure a comfortable 
 one. This trial of saddles is best in all cases, as it is impossible 
 for one person to tell what model would prove easiest for an- 
 other. The general rule is that a very soft or an inflated saddle 
 is not good on long rides, and a saddle with too short a pommel, 
 or none at all, gives an insecure feeling, or as though one were 
 slipping off, making it necessary to bear heavily upon the 
 handles in order to maintain one's position. 
 
 Select the most comfortable the perfect saddle is yet to 
 be invented and remember it will grow easier as you become 
 more accustomed to riding and learn to adjust it to your own 
 requirements. 
 
474 Spring. 
 
 Weight and Gear of Bicycle. 
 
 Since this chapter is intended for girls of all ages requiring 
 wheels of various sizes, no rules can be laid down as to proper 
 weight and gear, but for a girl who has almost or quite 
 reached womanhood, a twenty-six pound wheel is light enough, 
 and the gear should not be over sixty-three or sixty-four. 
 
 Bicycle Accessories. 
 
 There are many attachments for the bicycle, all more or less 
 useful, but, if you are wise, only those absolutely necessary will 
 encumber your wheel. A bell is indispensable as a means of 
 safety to yourself and others, so also is a lantern when riding at 
 night. A cyclometer is not a necessity, yet it is well to carry 
 one, not only for the satisfaction of knowing the distance trav- 
 elled, but, with beginners, as a means of regulating the rides 
 to gradually increasing distances. 
 
 A luggage-carrier will often be found convenient for carry- 
 ing extra wraps as well as parcels, and the bicycle-watch is a 
 good thing for the rider to whom the knowledge of passing 
 time is important. 
 
 Leave your lantern at home on your daylight rides, unless 
 you expect to remain out after dark. It adds to the weight 
 of your wheel, and is in constant danger of being injured. 
 As this is a list of accessories for a girl's wheel, it will not do 
 to leave out the coasters, but these are not needed at first. 
 
 Adjustment of Saddle and Handle-Bar Correct Position 
 on the Bicycle. 
 
 It is said to be easier to learn to ride with the saddle rather 
 low ; but, though perhaps easier, it is not advisable, for 
 faulty habits are formed in this way difficult to overcome. 
 
Bicycling. 475 
 
 The low saddle, and the one too far back from the handle-bar, 
 causes the awkward pumping of the knees, wastes strength, 
 and produces bad ankle-action. Instead of bending the ankle 
 gracefully with the turn of the pedal, the rider on the low 
 saddle is obliged to keep it stiff and unyielding, which gives 
 the flat-footed appearance so much to be avoided. Then, too, 
 the necessary high-lifting of the knees causes the skirt to pull 
 up, draw back, and flutter out at the sides. 
 
 On the other hand, when the saddle is too high, there is too 
 much strain on the ankle in endeavoring to keep the foot on 
 the pedal, and the rider is unsafe, for the pedals are apt to be 
 lost in fast riding, crossing rough places in the road, and in go- 
 ing down hill. 
 
 One test of a good height for the saddle is to have it as far 
 forward as will admit of easy mounting well over the pedals, 
 in fact ; then, when on the saddle, with someone holding the 
 wheel, reach down with your foot until your toes slide un- 
 der the pedal, which must be at its lowest point. If the pedal 
 rests easily upon the toes, touching the instep, your saddle is at 
 a good height. In other words, when your foot is on the pedal 
 and the pedal is at its lowest point your knee should be slightly 
 bent. This allows for the necessary pressure on the pedal, and 
 gives a firm footing. 
 
 The handle-bar, for the average rider, should be but little 
 higher than the saddle. When the handle-bar is very high, 
 the arms are bent too much, which causes a lack of firmness, 
 or the shoulders are forced up under the ears in a position 
 they should never assume. 
 
 Then, again, the handle-bar should not be so low that the 
 rider must bend over to reach it. Such a position, we are told 
 by physicians, is injurious. The correct height is attained when 
 the hands fall easily upon the handles without straightening the 
 arms stiffly or bending the elbows at too sharp an angle. 
 
476 Spring. 
 
 If you would sit firmly and gracefully on your wheel, turn 
 your toes a little inward, rest the ball of your foot on the 
 pedal, and never be tempted to ride, even at the beginning 
 with the pedal under the hollow of your foot. Sit erect with- 
 out stiffness, bending neither backward nor forward, and do 
 not try to balance yourself by swaying your body from side 
 to side. 
 
 Mounting. 
 
 It is well to learn to mount as early as possible in your 
 bicycling career, for the inconvenience of having to depend upon 
 some other person to hold the wheel until you are seated will 
 be keenly felt. One of the most helpless of creatures is a 
 bicycle rider who cannot mount alone. 
 
 To mount gracefully and surely, see first that your pedals 
 are in the correct position. The right pedal should be almost 
 at its highest point, but a little nearer the front wheel ; the left 
 will then be near the ground. Grasp the handles firmly, 
 place your right foot on the high pedal, standing with your 
 left foot far enough away to prevent the left pedal striking 
 the ankle. Draw back the right foot just a little, give a push 
 with the left foot, at the same time bearing your weight on 
 your right pedal and rising to the saddle. Catch your left 
 pedal with your left foot when it rises, push down on it, and 
 you are " on." Do not be in too great a hurry in mounting ; and, 
 if you do not catch the left pedal at first, no harm is done, it 
 is quite easy to maintain a balance with but one foot on the 
 pedals, provided you keep that foot working. 
 
 Dismounting. 
 
 We may mount the wheel correctly and ride fairly well, but 
 how few of us know how to dismount with either grace or 
 ease. We jump, we tumble, or we step off, as the case may 
 
Bicycling. 477 
 
 be, and we seldom manage it twice in the same fashion ; yet, 
 after all, there is a way to dismount prettily and easily, and 
 with no danger of falling or uncertainty as to where we will 
 land when we finally reach the ground. 
 
 As you near the place where you wish to dismount, slow up 
 gradually, calculate your distance, remembering your left pedal 
 must be down when you stop. While your left pedal is still up, 
 but on its last downward turn, press heavily upon it, rising 
 from your saddle as you do so, and, as your wheel comes to a 
 full stop, bring your right foot across and step lightly to the 
 ground on that. 
 
 Riding. 
 
 It is said, all that is needed in learning to swim is confidence, 
 and that is also true in learning to ride the bicycle. It is all 
 very simple if one has no fear, and the surest way to overcome 
 your nervousness is to realize that it is you who are the master 
 and the wheel the slave ; that, if you are firm and keep cool, 
 the wheel will certainly obey you. 
 
 It is strange, but, while learning to ride a bicycle, one feels it 
 is almost a conflict of two wills, so full of life and waywardness 
 does the machine appear to be ; and if for a moment you give 
 up to fear and relax your own will, the bicycle will play some 
 prank which could easily have been avoided by coolness and 
 presence of mind on your part. 
 
 The street where there is not much passing of vehicles, or a 
 smooth country road, is the best place for learning, for then 
 you may become accustomed gradually to travelling the road 
 with others, and to crossing rough and uneven places. The 
 bicycling academy does not furnish these experiences, and 
 many graduates from that school find themselves entirely un- 
 fitted to cope with the difficulties of outdoor riding. 
 
 Once you are well seated and have your feet on the pedals, 
 
4/8 Spring. 
 
 be sure to keep them there. Never relax the pressure of your 
 feet on the pedals, and never cease pedaling from fear. Re- 
 member your hands are on the handle-bar, your feet on the 
 pedals, and, under these circumstances, the wheel may always 
 be guided, even when going rapidly. Many a difficulty is over- 
 come and fall escaped by persistency in pedaling until one has 
 moved out of danger. 
 
 Should the wheel seem determined to run into the gutter, 
 do not try to turn suddenly ; indulge it a little, and allow it to 
 go, keeping up your pedaling and guiding it gradually to the 
 middle of the road again. 
 
 Learn to pedal slowly ; many falls occur from riding too 
 rapidly and being unable to stop until thrown from the wheel 
 by striking some obstacle. 
 
 In going over uneven or rough places, such as street-cross- 
 ings, cobblestones, or railroad tracks, increase your speed 
 slightly, and press heavily on pedals and handle-bar. This will 
 prevent your being unseated by the jolts of the wheel. 
 
 As far as possible, avoid riding over muddy streets or roads. 
 Mud is very slippery and treacherous, and will often bring a 
 bicycle to the ground with no warning whatever. Never make 
 a quick turn in a muddy place, as that is almost sure to occasion 
 a fall. 
 
 Going Up Hill. 
 
 It is claimed by some that riding up hill is made easier by 
 lifting the front wheel slightly, which is done by pulling the 
 handle-bar up and toward you ; while others think bending 
 forward and resting most of one's weight upon the pedals is a 
 great help. Either way is the better which proves the easier to 
 the individual rider. The writer's advice is to walk up all steep 
 hills, and never ride up any when you are tired. Of course, you 
 must learn to travel both up and down hill on your wheel, but 
 this should come slowly and by degrees. Little by little, muscles 
 
Bicycling. 479 
 
 will strengthen, lungs expand and breath come more freely, 
 and, after a while, it will seem nothing to " take a hill," which 
 at first appeared an impossible achievement. 
 
 Going Down Hill. 
 
 At first, to give confidence and do away with the feeling that 
 your machine has, as it were, taken the bit between its teeth, it 
 is well to use the break in descending a hill. Be careful not to 
 put it on suddenly, however, for to check your speed sharply 
 and quickly may have the effect of throwing you headlong 
 over your handle-bar. Let your hand rest on the break vhen 
 you begin the descent, and apply it gradually, with a gentle 
 pressure, as your speed increases. You can in this way regulate 
 your pace to suit yourself. 
 
 Learn to back-pedal as soon as possible, and when that is 
 achieved you will seldom need a break. Back-pedaling comes 
 naturally to almost everyone, and it consists in pressing heavily 
 on the pedals, holding them back rather than pressing them for- 
 ward. Back-pedaling is also useful when, in riding at a rapid 
 pace, you are obliged to check your speed and slow up suddenly. 
 
 Do not attempt to coast until you have your wheel under 
 perfect control, and not even then if you feel nervous about rid- 
 ing. Never coast down a hill having cross-streets along the 
 way, or one you are not acquainted with, sharp turns may oc- 
 cur and obstacles have to be met you do not know of and are 
 not prepared for. Coasting over unknown ground is exceed- 
 ingly dangerous, and some prudent people hold that coasting 
 should never be indulged in at all. 
 
 Rules of the Road. 
 
 I. In meeting approaching wheelmen or vehicles, keep to 
 the right. In passing anything going in the same direction as 
 yourself, keep to the left. 
 
480 Spring. 
 
 2. When riding straight ahead, never vary your course sud- 
 denly to right or left, and never turn without first being sure 
 no vehicle or other rider is close in your rear on the side tow- 
 ard which you turn. 
 
 3. Do not cross in front of a rapidly approaching horse or 
 electric car. Slow up and allow it to pass you, and never ride 
 rapidly by an electric car standing to unload passengers. 
 
 4. Do not ride too close to a novice. 
 
 5. Ring your bell when approaching anyone from behind. 
 
 6. Ring your bell at crossings where there are pedestrians. 
 
 7. Never ring your bell except to give notice of your ap- 
 proach. 
 
 8. Always dismount when you see risk ahead to yourself or 
 someone else, and in passing a bad piece of road. 
 
 Care of the Wheel. 
 
 Every girl should know and, as an aid to memory, write 
 down the make, number, gear, and weight of her wheel. This 
 is for identification, in case the wheel is lost or stolen. 
 
 She should learn how to handle all the tools in the tool-bag, 
 and should understand how to oil and clean the entire ma- 
 chine. 
 
 The gear of a bicycle is found by multiplying the diameter 
 of the wheel by the number of teeth in the front sprocket, over 
 which the chain runs, and dividing by the number of teeth in 
 the rear sprocket, belonging to the rear wheel. 
 
 If you wish to keep your bicycle in good order and looking 
 new, rub it off carefully each time after riding, and give it 
 a thorough cleaning frequently. Girls who are accustomed to 
 the use of the sewing-machine need scarcely be urged to keep 
 their wheels clean, and well oiled, for they know they will be 
 repaid many times for the labor expended. No machine can 
 
Bicycling. 481 
 
 run easily when choked with dust and grime, or when its bear- 
 ings are rusty and dry. Unless your bicycle is well rubbed 
 and cleaned, the frame and spokes lose their polish, the 
 chain becomes so filled with dust and grit it wears itself out, 
 and the force necessary to drive the wheel is fifteen to thirty 
 per cent, more than when the machine is in good order. 
 
 Turn your wheel upside down when you are giving it a 
 thorough cleaning, and with a soft cloth rub all its parts. To 
 clean the narrow spaces around the axles and joints, where 
 sand and dirt is sure to collect, slide the edge of the cloth in 
 and draw it back and forth, holding the cloth at either end 
 Rub the chain well, turning the back wheel that you may 
 reach all its joints, and when the machine is quite clean apply 
 the oil. 
 
 When the chain becomes very dirty, as should not often be 
 the case, remove it from the wheel by unscrewing it where you 
 see the small nut, and soak all night in a pan of kerosene. 
 After it is quite dry, replace it on the wheel and lubricate it. 
 
 Oiling. 
 
 The arrangement of the holes for oiling of bicycles varies 
 with each make ; but, bear in mind, wherever there is friction, oil 
 is needed, and if you examine your wheel carefully you will find 
 this has been provided for. Sometimes the holes are covered 
 with caps, which must be pushed aside for oiling, and then 
 replaced ; sometimes there is a spring cover which is to be 
 forced down with the nozzle of the oil-can, and sometimes the 
 holes are left open. 
 
 Look for oiling points on 
 
 1. Front and rear wheel axles. 
 
 2. Crank-axle bearings. 
 
 3. Pedals. 
 
482 Spring. 
 
 4. Steering-head. 
 
 5. Brake-lever. 
 
 6. Brake-spoon. 
 
 7. Chain at joints, if oil is used on the chain. 
 
 There are various lubricants for the chain, the easiest to 
 apply being a kind of paste, which is rubbed on the inner side 
 of the chain. 
 
 While oiling, spin the. pedals, turn the wheels and work the 
 brake that the oil may sink in and not remain at the surface. 
 
 After the work of cleaning is done, try all the nuts, to be 
 sure they are screwed on tightly. 
 
 Something Wrong with Your Bicycle. 
 
 Never attempt to ride your wheel, even for a short distance, 
 with anything about it out of order. Keep your tires well 
 inflated; a soft tire makes hard riding, while one too hard 
 makes it rough. 
 
 Wrap your tools in paper or cloth, that they may not rattle 
 in their bag ; then you will know that any kind of noise from 
 your bicycle while being ridden means something wrong. 
 
 When spokes have loosened from their fastenings at cross- 
 points, there is a jingling sound. 
 
 When spokes are loosened at the rim, there is a distinct 
 click. 
 
 When the chain is dry, there is a loud snapping. 
 
 When the chain is too loose, there is a jerking sensation and 
 a jar on the pedals. 
 
 General Rules of Health to be Observed while Riding. 
 
 Breathe through your nose always ; never ride with your 
 mouth open. 
 
 Begin by riding short distances at first, and never go so far 
 
Bicycling. 483 
 
 as to over-fatigue yourself. Try to remember this : Though 
 you are " not in the least tired" when the time comes to turn 
 back, you still have the same distance to traverse that you 
 had going, and a five-mile goal makes a ten-mile ride. 
 
 When thirsty while riding, drink water, and that sparingly. 
 A little cold tea, with lemon and no sugar, is found to quench 
 thirst when nothing else will, but that may not always be ob- 
 tained. 
 
 Be cautious how you drink from unknown wells ; better bear 
 your thirst awhile until pure water can be reached than to 
 risk the poison of an impure well. 
 
 Do not ride directly after a hearty meal, and avoid sweets 
 while on the wheel. 
 
 Always take wraps with you when going on a long ride. 
 
 All physicians agree that bicycling is the best of exercise 
 for girls, when taken in moderation, and that no ill effects need 
 be felt if one is guided by common-sense and the well-known 
 laws of health. 
 
 The Bicycle Costume. 
 
 Dress comfortably and suitably, and then add all the style 
 you wish. 
 
 Woollen underwear, even in the summer, is best, as it les- 
 sens the risk of taking cold when dismounting in a cool place 
 after a warm ride. 
 
 If you must wear corsets, let them be loose, and do not 
 have any tight bindings which will hamper your movements. 
 To burden one's self with too much clothing is a mistake ; 
 rather let it be light and warm. Underskirts are out of place 
 and should not be worn ; wear knickerbockers instead. Make 
 your knickerbockers of silk, or of the same material as your 
 dress ; but, if they are of wool, the skirt must be lined with a 
 smooth material, for when the two wool surfaces are allowed 
 
484 
 
 Spring. 
 
 to come together they cling, and the skirt works up with the 
 motion of the knees. 
 
 Never bind a bicycle-skirt at the bottom. A ripped bind- 
 ing is exceedingly dangerous on the wheel. Turn up a deep 
 hem, and stitch securely on the sewing-machine. 
 
 Among the various patterns now used, the one which allows 
 the skirt to drop over the wheel on each side, and retain that 
 position, is decidedly the best and most becoming to all figures. 
 A jacket to match the skirt is decidedly comfortable for cool 
 days, and a costume of one material is always best. Colors 
 which show dust least, such as tans and grays, are most ser- 
 viceable. Hats severely plain should be worn on the wheel ; 
 nothing is more out of place than floating plumes or gay 
 flowers and ribbons on a bicycle-hat. 
 
 Let the soles of your shoes be broad and light enough to be 
 pliable. It is folly to cramp one's feet when so much depends 
 upon their being able to move with freedom. Low shoes are 
 comfortable and allow the ankles to move freely. It is said, 
 the correct ankle-motion can be acquired only in low shoes. 
 
 Let your costume be of any material, style, or color, but 
 have it neat, trim, compact, and fastened with buttons securely 
 sewed on, and have your skirt short enough to be safe and 
 comfortable on the wheel. 
 
SUMMER. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 A NEW SEA-SHORE GAME. 
 Tit, Tat, Toe Played with Living Figures. 
 
 ANY of our readers will, no 
 doubt, some time during the 
 summer, find themselves on 
 the beach at one of our numer- 
 ous sea-side resorts. Some 
 will be there just for the day, 
 others for a week perhaps, and 
 there are still others who will 
 spend the whole, long, beauti- 
 ful summer in close compan- 
 ionship with the great and 
 wonderful ocean, whose ever- 
 changing face is a constant source of interest to its lovers. 
 
 It is sufficient for the enjoyment. of some people simply to 
 sit and watch the ocean, to note its every change, and to drink 
 in the life-giving salt breezes which come to them across its 
 surface ; but there are not many young folks who, after a short 
 period of wondering admiration, are not ready for some more 
 active enjoyment. There is the bathing, to be sure, but one 
 cannot bathe all day long. Wandering about and sitting on the 
 sand grows monotonous after awhile, and at the more quiet 
 
 485 
 
 X 
 
A New Sea-shore Game. 487 
 
 resorts there seems to be little else to do. Seems that is just 
 the word, for in reality no better playground can be found than 
 the beach at low tide. 
 
 Good Beach Needed. 
 
 Hard, firm, and smooth, the surface is fine for almost any 
 game ; and, though it is both firm and smooth for walking or 
 running, it is also so yielding that one may, without trouble, 
 dig holes or mark with sticks the boundary-lines for games 
 which need them. 
 
 You have all heard of the game of chess, if you have not 
 seen it played, and perhaps you know there have been such 
 things as living chessmen, who move over the ground, check- 
 ered off like a chess-board, at the order of the two players, 
 just as the small ivory chessmen are .moved over the ordinary 
 chess-board. And I am sure all know very well the game 
 school children play on their slates, "Tit, tat, toe. Three in 
 a row." Well, the new beach game is the old " Tit, tat, toe. 
 Three in a row," with girls, and perhaps boys, to take the place 
 of the X's and O's . 
 
 The Sides. 
 
 Nine players are required for this game, two of whom are 
 captains. These captains are chosen by the other players, and 
 sides are formed by each captain in turn choosing a member 
 for her band. As there are nine players, one side will have 
 five, the other four members, and to equalize this, the side hav- 
 ing fewest members may play first or second, as the captain 
 prefers. 
 
 Fig. 383 you will recognize as the " Tit, tat, toe " cross. This 
 figure must be drawn on the sand with a stick, the grooves 
 
Summer. 
 
 being deep enough to be plainly seen and not easily erased, 
 and each space should be about four feet square. 
 
 The game is played just as it is on the slate, and the players 
 
 Fig. 383. 
 
 on each side must have a distinctive badge or mark, which 
 must be prominently worn, so that a member of either side may 
 be recognized at a glance. For example, the band of O's may 
 tie handkerchiefs on their left arm, and the X's go hatless. 
 
 The Game. 
 
 Unlike the game of chess with living chessmen, the captains 
 in " Tit, tat, toe " do not have entire control over the members 
 of their bands, and may not even give advice, though requested 
 to do so, but they must watch the game closely, and at any 
 time take position in the cross themselves when they consider 
 a critical point has been reached ; or a captain may begin 
 the game herself. 
 
New Sea-shore Game. 
 
 489 
 
 Each captain must number the members on her side in the 
 order in which they are to play. For instance, the X's are 
 numbered one, three, five, seven ; the O's two, four, six, the 
 captains taking no numbers. 
 
 To begin the game, Number One is called by her captain. 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 
 X 
 
 O 
 
 
 4- 
 
 o 
 
 f 
 X 
 
 
 3 
 
 <0 
 
 C!cxpt f 
 
 X 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 Fig. 384. 
 
 and takes her stand in any one of the squares of the cross. 
 As in Fig. 384, the captain of the O band then calls Number 
 Two, who takes her position in the square, next to Number 
 One, perhaps, to prevent the X's from forming a row in that 
 direction (see Fig. 384). Number Three is called, and thinks 
 she sees advantage in occupying the lower-corner square, 
 but Four is quick to perceive that, to save the game, she must 
 step between One and Three, and this she does as soon as her 
 number is called. 
 
49 Summer. 
 
 The Next Move 
 
 is of great importance to the X side, and the captain of the 
 X's, realizing this, avails herself of the privilege of entering the 
 game at any time, and steps into the corner-square diagonal 
 from the one occupied by Number One. This move makes 
 certain the triumph of the X's, for, though Number Six takes 
 the square between the captain of the X's and Number Three, 
 Five, being an X, will surely see that there will be "Tit, 
 tat, toe. Three in a row," if she takes her place in the middle 
 square. 
 
 The game played in this way is so very short, it is best, when 
 there is time, to count each game a point, and decide upon the 
 number of points which shall constitute the losing game. The 
 score may be kept on the sand by marking with a stick under 
 the heading X and O, one stroke for each point. 
 
 A point is made when either side succeeds in forming a row 
 of three, and, since this is frequently done before all the players 
 have a chance to enter the cross, the numbers of the players 
 should be changed after each point is played, each side, how- 
 ever, keeping to odd or even numbers, as it began. 
 
 Each player is allowed but one move during the making of a 
 point, and before taking her stand, must tell which square she 
 will occupy, and, after deciding, she may not change her mind. 
 Though a captain may enter the game at any period of its 
 progress, she, like the others, shall have but one turn during 
 the making of a point, and she may enter only when it is the 
 turn of her side to play. 
 
 Many mistakes will probably be made in this game, and a 
 thoughtless player will sometimes give the point to her oppo- 
 nents by failing to perceive her advantage ; but a captain must 
 have sufficient self-control to keep cool and make no sign, 
 
New Sea-shore Game. 
 
 49 i 
 
 though she sees the move about to be made by one of her own 
 band will lose them the game. 
 
 Although especially adapted to the beach, the game of " Tit, 
 tat, toe " may be played wherever the cross can be marked on 
 ground or floor, and with a little practice the players will be- 
 come quite expert, and be able to furnish amusement not only 
 for themselves, but for those who only look on at the sport. 
 
CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 SWIMMING. 
 
 |OYS know the delight of the quick 
 drop into cold water and the ex- 
 hilaration of the swim with jolly 
 companions shouting and laughing 
 in the exuberance of their glee, 
 but not so many girls have experi- 
 enced it, though nowadays girls are 
 fast becoming experts in games and 
 sports which the boys formerly con- 
 sidered exclusively their own. Be- 
 sides the enjoyment to be derived from this pleasant exercise, 
 there is another reason why all girls as well as boys should learn 
 to swim, and it is that they may be able to take care of them- 
 selves should they ever be thrown into the water by accident. 
 We are so constantly on the water in ferries, steamboats, 
 and pleasure-craft, we surely ought to provide against acci- 
 dents by becoming as much at home in the water as on it. 
 So much at home as to be able to swim as long as we like, 
 then, stopping to rest, stand upright in the water, lie down, or 
 assume a sitting position, all this in water deep enough to be 
 much over our heads. 
 
 Desirability of Confidence. 
 
 Confidence in your ability to learn to swim, confidence in 
 your power to keep afloat until you do learn, is a great help, 
 and it is safe to say you cannot make much progress until you 
 
 492 
 
Swimming. 493 
 
 have gained this confidence. Remember, you will not sink if you 
 keep calm and move only your hands slightly underwater, with 
 a paddling movement. Do not be afraid to allow the water to 
 cover you, reaching and partially covering your chin, for every 
 inch above water does but add to the weight to sink you lower, 
 and to throw up your arms is a sure way to go straight to the 
 bottom. 
 
 Fresh and Salt Water. 
 
 Do not attempt to learn to swim where there is surf ; only 
 the most expert swimmers should venture beyond the breakers, 
 where alone it is possible to swim ; learn rather in still water, 
 either salt or fresh. Some swimmers hold that to learn in fresh 
 water is best, though not easiest, for, salt water having more 
 buoyancy, it is less difficult to keep afloat in that than in fresh 
 water, and, consequently, one can contrive to paddle about, with 
 head above water, and yet not be able to swim well enough to 
 manage fresh-water swimming at all. However, if you learn to 
 swim correctly in salt water, the fresh need have no terror for 
 you. 
 
 Of the Various Methods of Keeping Afloat while Learning, 
 
 the best is to have some friend place a hand under your chin ; 
 this will give you a feeling of security, and can be removed at 
 intervals to allow you to try alone. This friendly help is better 
 than the life-preserver, swimming-belt, or any like contrivances, 
 for the support is so slight you learn almost immediately to 
 manage your own weight in the water, and at the same time 
 have the feeling of being upheld. 
 
 When a Life-preserver Is Used 
 
 it is difficult to dispense with it, one becomes so dependent 
 upon it for support 
 
494 Summer. 
 
 Boys, in their off-hand fashion of employing whatever they 
 find at hand, often make use of a short board to keep them 
 afloat ; this the swimmer places beneath him, just below his 
 chest, and, being upheld by it, flounders about until he 
 gradually learns to make the necessary stroke and begins to 
 swim. The board has the advantage over the life-preserver in 
 that it may be pushed aside at any moment for a trial of cour- 
 age and skill and then resumed without trouble. 
 
 Movements in Swimming. 
 
 For the first position in swimming, the body must lie out 
 perfectly straight in the water, feet together and arms extended 
 forward, with palms of the hands together. The first move- 
 ment is separating the hands and bringing the outstretched 
 arms in a half-circle around until they extend straight out from 
 the sides, pushing the water back with the hands. The second 
 movement brings the arms down, elbows bent, and hands, 
 palms together, under the chin, and at the same time draws the 
 legs up under the body, with knees and feet still held close 
 together. The third movement sends the arms shooting out 
 straight ahead ; the legs, separating, describe a half-circle ; the 
 feet, pushing against the water, force the body forward, and 
 then, coming together again, take their original position. 
 
 The most important thing to remember in learning to swim 
 is to always thrust out your hands and feet at the same time ; 
 take the second movement (when you draw in your hands and 
 feet) slowly, and then take the third movement quickly, sud- 
 denly thrusting out hands and feet, pushing against the water, 
 and stretching yourself out as far as you can reach. If you have 
 never seen a frog swim, try to find an opportunity for doing so ; 
 he will give you an excellent idea of how the leg-strokes 
 should be made. The frog swims only with his long hindlegs, 
 keeping his short forelegs close to his sides. 
 
Swimming. 495 
 
 Floating. 
 
 It is very necessary every swimmer should understand how 
 to rest in the water ; therefore, learning to float is most essen- 
 tial. 
 
 Again the friendly hand, held this time under the back of 
 the head, is a great aid to a beginner, for the easiest position 
 for floating is lying flat on your back, and a feeling of confi- 
 dence is gained by the knowledge that a hand is beneath your 
 head, to keep it from going below water. Lying on your back, 
 legs straight before you and feet together, arms close at your 
 sides and head thrown back all that is necessary to keep afloat 
 is a constant rotary motion of your hands under water. Very 
 soon even this movement may be dispensed with, and you may 
 lie as easily on the water as on your bed. This is the most rest- 
 ful manner of floating, but one can float also by standing erect, 
 with head just above water, and treading with the feet. When 
 this is done vigorously, it is said to be most excellent exercise. 
 Again, a sitting position may be taken with hands on hips, 
 elbows out, knees up in front and spread far apart, and feet 
 treading the water. 
 
 One of the greatest agents in the perfect control of the body 
 under water is the faculty of keeping one's equipoise of re- 
 maining always perfectly balanced. It is the same faculty 
 that is required in riding the bicycle, which does not come to 
 all at first, but which, once gained, is never lost. 
 
 Diving. 
 
 Having learned to swim and to float, the next step is learning 
 to dive ; that attained, one is, indeed, at home in the water. 
 Throw a frog into a pond or lake and see how quickly he 
 strikes out, thorough master of himself and the situation; just 
 
496 
 
 Summer. 
 
 so is the swimmer who has learned to dive properly. No mat- 
 ter how suddenly or unexpectedly she may be plunged into 
 
 the water, she will re- 
 tain her self-posses- 
 sion and be able to 
 strike out and swim 
 away as would the 
 frog. 
 
 Do not dive in 
 shallow water if you 
 would not come to 
 grief, and do not dive 
 in unknown waters. 
 If you are to dive 
 from a board consid- 
 erably above the wa- 
 ter, stand on the 
 edge, allowing your 
 feet to extend two or 
 three inches over it, 
 straighten your arms 
 out before you, with 
 palms of hands to- 
 gether, and raise them 
 until your ears are 
 covered, as in illus- 
 tration. Keep your 
 knees stiff and allow 
 your body to fall for- 
 ward, as you would 
 
 t j p ft j og off the 
 
 Portion for Diving. 
 
 plank. Do not jump. Do not separate your hands, but let 
 them part the water before you ; and, as soon as your body is 
 
Swimming. 
 
 497 
 
 in the water, curve your spine inward, keep your head up, and 
 thus make a curve through the water to the surface. 
 
 Breathing. 
 
 Correct breathing is necessary in swimming, as in all other 
 exercise. It is said that if you breathe properly you will swim 
 quickly and well. Breathe through your nose, if you do not 
 want to swallow a pint --or -two- -of- water. Let your breath fol- 
 low your hands ; that is, exhale your breath as you thrust your 
 hands forward, and inhale it as you bring them backward. As 
 someone has aptly put it : " Blow your hands from you." 
 
CHAPTER XLVL 
 APPLE TARGET-SHOOTING. 
 
 HEN the children in our 
 public schools are about 
 to take a lesson in draw- 
 ing an apple, they are 
 asked by the teacher all 
 manner of questions 
 concerning apples; how 
 they grow, what they 
 are used for, and, final- 
 ly, how they look. The 
 answers come quick and 
 fast, for apples are dear 
 to the heart of the small 
 girl as well as to the 
 small boy, and both 
 girls and boys can tell a great deal about them. Some say they 
 are best eaten raw, but are also very good baked, made into 
 apple-sauce, pies, and cider. Among all the answers given to 
 questions on the uses of the apple, I am sure no mention was 
 ever made of apple target-shooting, and yet most children who 
 have ever spent any time in the country have had great fun 
 in shooting green apples from the end of a stick, and they are 
 well aware that apples can be thrown in this way very swiftly 
 and to a great distance. 
 
 If you know anything of this sport you will be glad to learn 
 about the target-shooting. This is greater fun than it is to send 
 
 499 
 
500 
 
 Summer. 
 
 the apples straight up into the air, or even across a creek or 
 narrow river, or away out into the depths of the lake. There is 
 always room for doubt as to the exact distance the apple has 
 travelled in all these shots, but when one has a target at which 
 to aim, there can be no question as to whether the apple has 
 reached the mark. 
 
 The Target. 
 
 Fig. 385 shows the kind of target to use in apple target- 
 shooting. Make this of boards, not necessarily smooth ones, 
 of the right length, when placed together, to form a square 
 
 measuring about three 
 feet across. Lay the 
 boards side by side, and 
 on the surface thus 
 formed draw three cir- 
 cles, one within the 
 other, as shown in the 
 diagram. On a line 
 through the middle of 
 each circle, and within 
 the inner circle, drive 
 good-sized wire nails at 
 equal distances apart. It 
 is best to have the boards 
 flat on the ground when 
 doing this, as the nails 
 
 Fig. 385. 
 
 must be driven in up to their heads, to force the points out on 
 the other side as far as possible. While these boards are in po- 
 sition on the ground, take other boards of the same length and 
 nail them to the first, placing them crosswise, as shown in 
 Fig. 386. 
 
Apple Target-shooting. 
 
 How Painted. 
 
 This makes the target of two thicknesses of boards, which 
 prevents the nails from being pushed out at the back when 
 
 struck with much force 
 by an apple. Turn the 
 target over, the right side 
 up, and directly over the 
 outer row of nails paint 
 or whitewash a circle 
 about six inches wide ; 
 whitewash within the in- 
 ner circle also. This will 
 give you one white circle, 
 one dark or unpainted 
 circle, and a white centre, 
 which is called the bull's- 
 
 eye 
 
 Fig. 386. 
 
 n 
 
 Fig. 387. 
 
 A roughly con- 
 structed easel, to 
 hold the target, can 
 be made like Fig. 
 387. The easel is 
 held upright by 
 resting the top 
 cross-piece in the 
 crotch of a forked 
 stick (Fig. 388). 
 
 Fig. 388. 
 
502 
 
 Summer. 
 
 The Sticks and Apples. 
 
 When your target is made and ready for use, find some 
 nice, smooth, slender sticks which, though pliable, are strong. 
 Let the sticks measure between three and five feet, according 
 to the height of the players, and have them sharp-pointed at 
 one end. Gather your ammunition of green apples, which, in 
 season, are always to be found on the ground in the orchard, 
 set up your target in an open space, and, by thrusting the 
 
 sharp end of your stick into an apple 
 (Fig. 389), prepare to try your skill in 
 striking the target from a distance of 
 thirty yards. Thirty yards is not a 
 long distance, but it may be increased 
 as you grow more expert. 
 
 The green apple target-shooting 
 should be carried on according to the 
 rules of archery, and each player 
 should have a small book for keeping 
 her score. When an apple strikes the 
 target, it must stick fast on a nail in 
 the target ; otherwise the shot counts 
 for nothing. As there is no way of 
 distinguishing one player's apple from 
 another, all the apples on the target shot by one player must 
 be removed before another has her turn. 
 
 Fig. 389. 
 
 How to Score. 
 
 An apple in the outer, or white, circle counts fifteen ; in 
 the dark circle, twenty-five ; in the bull's-eye, fifty. The 
 shooting may be carried on from day to day, and scores com- 
 pared at the end of the week, or you can institute a series of 
 
Apple Target-shooting. 
 
 503 
 
 tournaments. In a tournament, a number of apples must be 
 equally distributed among the contestants, and each in turn 
 must shoot her apples, one after another, until her supply is 
 exhausted. The player having the highest score at the end 
 of the contest wins a prize. 
 
AUTUMN. 
 CHAPTER XLVIL 
 
 GOLF. 
 
 LAYING little balls, with the least number 
 of strokes, into little holes made in the 
 ground for the purpose, is the sum and 
 substance of the game. 
 
 How the sport originated is not posi- 
 tively known, though all agree that it is 
 more than four hundred years old, and that 
 we owe the pastime to Scotland, where, in 
 mediaeval days, high and low, rich and 
 poor, devoted so much time to the recreation, to the entire 
 neglect of archery, that a royal decree was proclaimed by the 
 Scottish Parliament "That golf be utterly cryit down and 
 nocht usit." 
 
 Some assert that golf was invented in ancient times by a 
 lonely shepherd who knocked round stones into rabbit-holes 
 with his crook. 
 
 The martyred Queen Mary was the first woman of note 
 which record gives us as an earnest golf-player ; and most of the 
 young women of Musselburgh, Scotland, where the queen lived, 
 seem to have understood and practised the game in days of 
 yore. So we find that, though golf has been claimed essen- 
 tially a man's pastime, women participated in the sport long 
 years ago. 
 
 504 
 
Golf. 505 
 
 To-day, golf is the most popular and fashionable of out-door 
 games ; it is not unusual to see girls riding merrily off to the 
 links with their golf-clubs held across the front of their wheels, 
 or hung on their backs in a case called a caddy- bag. Girls of 
 all ages join in the play, beginning when they are hardly large 
 enough to wield a golf-club, for it is a simple game and easy 
 to learn. 
 
 As golf is played on the ground, the attention must first be 
 given to the 
 
 Links. 
 
 The term means a stretch of country differing in extent 
 with different golf clubs ; generally somewhat undulating or 
 hilly. No two links are alike, because no two pieces of land lie 
 exactly alike. All links include obstacles of some nature, 
 which are known as 
 
 Hazards, or Bunkers. 
 
 Strictly speaking, bunkers mean sandpits, but this word, as 
 well as hazards, is commonly used for hedges, walls, and ditches, 
 long grass, trees, roads, water, or other bad ground. 
 
 Hazards are very necessary ; they add much to the interest, 
 and give spice to the game. When natural ones do not exist, 
 artificial bunkers are contrived, often in the form of earth 
 thrown up, then sodded and made to resemble fortifications, 
 with here and there openings through the earthworks to the 
 green on the other side to allow the players, not the balls, to 
 pass through conveniently. Should it require too much labor 
 to build such bunkers anything that will render it difficult to 
 approach the hole may be used ; for instance, brush or 
 branches piled up in a line across the course will form a bunker 
 which girls can make for themselves. No golf-grounds are 
 complete without impediments, either natural or artificial. 
 
5 6 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Bunkers are made solely to paralyze a badly played stroke ; 
 good players bound the ball over them without any trouble. 
 Having selected the ground the next consideration is 
 
 The Holes. 
 
 These are made in the ground, either one hundred or more 
 yards apart. They need not all be exactly the same distance 
 from each other ; if space will admit, place some of the holes 
 
 at longer distances ; but they 
 should not be over five hundred 
 yards apart, nor less than one hun- 
 dred. There are no hard-and- 
 fast rules governing the distances : 
 much depends upon the nature of 
 the ground. The holes measure 
 four and a quarter inches in diam- 
 eter, not less than four inches 
 deep, and are lined with galvanized 
 iron. An ordinary tin can, with 
 Fig. 390.-Hoie for Bail, Made of Tin top and bottom removed, when 
 
 Can with Top and Bottom Removed. 
 
 sunk in the earth so that the top 
 
 lies three-quarters of an inch below the surface of the ground, 
 may answer as a substitute for an iron lining to a hole (Fig. 
 390). 
 
 Where it is possible, the links occupy not less than three 
 miles and have eighteen holes ; but, as a rule, nine holes suffice, 
 twice around making a full course ; where space is very much 
 limited, the game can be played with only three holes, six times 
 around constituting the course. 
 
 The holes are laid out according to the lay of the land, usually 
 in a more or less irregular circle or loop ; therefore, the space 
 occupied need not be great (Fig. 391). 
 
 
Golf. 
 
 So? 
 
 TtCIMO GROUND 
 
 Fig. 391. Golf Links, Showing How to Lay Out Holes and Teeing-grounds. 
 
5o8 
 
 Autitmn. 
 
 The different features of the ground which relate to the 
 game are designated by technical terms. The 
 
 Teeing-ground 
 
 is either a piece of bare earth, slightly raised like a platform in 
 the shape of a parallelogram, measuring six yards in length by 
 two or three in breadth, or it is indicated by four whitewashed 
 lines enclosing the same space on level ground. The teeing- 
 ground must lie at right angles to the course (Fig. 392). 
 
 Fig. 392. Teeing-ground, Lying at Right Angles to Course. Dotted Line Gives Direction 
 
 of Course. 
 
 Each hole must have its corresponding teeing-ground. A 
 nine-hole course has nine tees, and an eighteen-hole course 
 eighteen tees, invariably. 
 
 The first teeing-ground is made at the starting-point, the 
 next one conveniently near the 
 first hole, the third adjacent 
 to the second hole, and so on 
 until the last hole is reached ; 
 then, if it is necessary to play 
 around the course again to com- 
 plete the eighteen holes, begin 
 again at the starting-point. Fig. 393. 
 
Golf. 
 
 509 
 
 Within the marked space of the teeing-ground the ball is 
 placed upon a 
 
 Tee, 
 
 or small heap of earth or sand (Fig. 393), usually from one-half 
 to three-quarters of an inch high. 
 
 The sand is dampened for this purpose and kept in a wooden 
 box, secured to the earth at one corner of each teeing-ground, 
 as a rule the box is covered (Fig. 
 394). The tee may be located 
 anywhere upon the teeing-ground, 
 the spot being optional with the 
 player. And each player makes 
 her own tee by taking up some 
 sand with the ends of her fingers 
 and thumb and placing it on the 
 teeing-ground in the form of a 
 small cone. 
 
 T^, ,. . e ., Fig. 394. Sand-box, with Lid Closed. 
 
 1 he distance from the starting- 
 point to the first hole, and from that to the second, and so on 
 around the course, is known as 
 
 The Green. 
 
 It consists of good and bad ground, and includes many haz- 
 ards and bunkers. 
 
 The surface of the best greens is of short, lawn-like grass, 
 but a good stretch of pasture-land, where the grass is not high 
 enough to hide the ball, or any expanse of uncultivated soil 
 not too much broken up by gullies, etc., will do for the game. 
 
5io 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 The Putting-green 
 
 is the prepared ground around the holes ; it is made as smooth 
 and true as possible, whether rolling or level ; is covered with 
 grass, and measures sixty feet square (Fig. 395). A hole is made 
 on each putting-green, generally in the centre, though the hole 
 
 Fig. 395. Putting-green. 
 
 can be moved to another spot on the putting-green when the 
 grass begins to wear off near it. There must be as many put- 
 ting-greens as there are holes. 
 
 Putter. 
 Fig. 396. 
 
 Lofting Iron, 
 
Go_ 5 
 
 Now that we understand the links, or golf-grounds, the 
 
 Clubs 
 
 are next in importance ; they are known as either wood or iron 
 clubs, according to whether the heads are of iron or wood. 
 
 The clubs come in many varieties, and a good player car- 
 ries a number with her, to be used as occasion requires. The 
 choice of clubs is optional with the player, but a beginner 
 can get along at first with only three clubs, a driver, lofter, and 
 putter (Fig. 396). The driver is of wood and used for driving the 
 ball long distances, driving from the tees, and the starting- 
 point. The putter is of iron, and used for " putting ;" that is, 
 for the play on the putting-green which sends, or is intended to 
 send, the ball into the hole. The lofter is also of iron, and 
 used to send the ball over an obstruction in the shape of a 
 fence, wall, etc. The 
 
 Balls 
 
 arc generally of hard gutta-percha, measuring 
 about two and three-quarter inches in diameter. 
 They are nicked, and painted white (Fig. 397). 
 If the regulation ball is unobtainable, any small, 
 hard ball will serve until others are to be had. 
 In order that the players may more readily find 
 the holes, 
 
 Flags 
 
 Fig. 397. 
 
 are used to locate them. Two colors are selected, the choice 
 being optional. Suppose red and white have been decided upon, 
 then red flags would mark the course going, and white return- 
 ing. Should a hole be screened by a hedge, wall, or any other 
 obstacle, the direction of the hole is shown by a larger-sized 
 
512 Aut^lmn. 
 
 flag, differing in color from those used in the holes, and placed 
 on or near the bunker in a line with the unseen hole. 
 
 Flags of metal and of bunting can be purchased, or they 
 may be made at home and each one tacked on the blunt end 
 of a sharp-pointed stick. When ready for the game, a small 
 flag is planted in each hole by pushing the pointed end of the 
 stick into the ground. 
 
 Every time a player nears a hole on the putting-green, the 
 flag must be removed ; then replaced after the ball has been 
 taken from the hole. 
 
 The Game 
 
 is generally played by two or four persons ; if by four, two of 
 them must be upon the same side, two balls only being used, 
 one for each side. The partners strike the same ball alter- 
 nately and continue to play in this order to the hole. The side 
 winning a hole, leads in starting for the next hole. If two play 
 together, they play against each other, and the game proceeds 
 in this way : 
 
 The first player starts the game by making a tee on the 
 teeing-ground at the beginning of the course ; on this she 
 places her ball and strikes it with a driver in such a way as to 
 send it as far as possible in the direction of the first hole ; then 
 the opponent does likewise. Should her ball fall a long way 
 short of the other, she continues to play until her ball nears the 
 ball of the first player. 
 
 The game is not played by turns, as generally understood, 
 but either player whose ball happens to be a distance behind 
 the other takes as many consecutive turns as are necessary 
 to bring her ball in close proximity to her companion's, the 
 rule being to keep the balls near together. As every stroke 
 given counts against the player, she must make as few strokes 
 as possible. 
 
Golf. 
 
 When the second player's ball approaches the ball of the 
 first player, the first one tries again for the hole, playing her 
 ball strictly from the place in which it happens to lie, in water, 
 sand, hedge, or elsewhere. The players take alternate turns 
 until each ball is holed, and the person 
 whose ball is first holed has the right to 
 tee first for the next hole. 
 
 A ball must not be touched by the 
 hand except when taken out of the reg- 
 ular hole, carried over to the teeing- 
 ground and placed on a tee ready for 
 the drive which is to send it onward 
 toward the next hole. The game con- 
 tinues in this way until the course is 
 completed. 
 
 By losing two strokes, that is, scor- 
 ing two extra strokes, a player may take 
 her ball out of any bunker or unfavor- 
 able ground ; but this necessitates not 
 only counting extra strokes, but the loss 
 of most of the fun, for it is in sur- 
 mounting the bunkers and hazards that 
 the excitement and fun consists. It also 
 requires skill to strike the ball so that 
 it will rise and skim over the bunkers, 
 and it is the aim of all golf-players to 
 accomplish this feat. 
 
 When playing, do not grasp the club 
 too firmly with the right hand ; try to 
 make your stroke in the form of a circle. 
 When driving, swing your club and 
 strike the ball with a sweep which will send it a long distance 
 toward the hole. 
 33 
 
 Fig. 398. Position Before 
 Striking Ball. 
 
5*4 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Always keep your eyes on the ball when about to strike it ; 
 begin by riveting your gaze upon the little, round, white object, 
 and keep on looking at it until it has been struck away. Before 
 striking a ball, take your position (Fig. 398) and give a short trial 
 swing, adjusting yourself for the final stroke. In making the 
 
 Fig. 399. Club Raised to Strike Ball. 
 
 final swing, let the twist or turn of the body take place at the 
 knees (Figs. 399 and 400). When playing, remember to keep 
 your eyes on the ball, and not to aim too long ; try to pitch to 
 the left of the hole, and strike the ball hard enough when ap- 
 proaching to send it up to the hole. Never talk or move 
 
Golf. 515 
 
 about during a stroke by another person who may be playing 
 near you. 
 
 A number of games by many players may be going on at 
 the same time ; when such is the case, be careful not to con- 
 
 rig. 400. Position After Having Struck Ball. 
 
 found your ball with that of another person ; keep a keen look- 
 out for your own ball, and never lose track of it. 
 
 One of the most essential points to be considered is that of 
 
 Dress. 
 
 It should be sufficiently loose and comfortable to render the 
 player utterly unconscious of her clothing. There should be 
 
516 Autumn. 
 
 nothing that binds or pulls, and, above all, the weight should 
 be kept off the hips. Discard corsets ; do not wear tight collar 
 or belt ; and have the dress short enough to allow perfect 
 freedom in walking. A bicycle costume can be made to do 
 for both wheel and golf by sewing the skirt to a sleeveless 
 waist made of lining or muslin, and wearing the outside waist 
 over it. Scarlet is the best color for the golf-waist, and is 
 usually worn ; besides being gay and cheerful, it can be seen 
 at a long distance, and the wearer may be warned if a ball is 
 intended to be sent flying in her direction. The color also 
 serves as a warning of danger ahead to those watching the game. 
 Shoes should be broad, easy-fitting, and low-heeled. 
 
 Rules for the Game of Golf. 
 
 1. The game of golf is played by two or more sides, each 
 playing its own ball. A side may be composed of one or more 
 persons. 
 
 2. The game consists in each side playing a ball from a tee 
 into a hole by successive strokes, and the hole is won by the 
 side holing its ball in the fewest strokes, except as otherwise 
 provided for in the rules. If two sides hole-out in the same 
 number of strokes, the hole is halved. 
 
 3. The ball must be fairly struck at, and not pushed, scraped, 
 or spooned, under penalty of the loss of the hole. Any move- 
 ment of the club which is intended to strike the ball counts 
 as a stroke whether the ball is struck or not. 
 
 4. In a match with two or more on a side, the partners 
 strike off alternately during the play of the hole. 
 
 The players who are to strike against each other shall be 
 named at starting, and shall continue in the same order during 
 the match. 
 
 The player who shall play first on each side shall be named 
 by his own side. 
 
Golf. 517 
 
 In case of failure to agree, it shall be settled by lot or toss 
 which side shall have the option of leading. 
 
 5. If a player shall play when his partner should have done 
 so, his side shall lose the hole, except in the case of the tee- 
 shot, when the stroke may be recalled, at the option of the op- 
 ponents. 
 
 6. The side winning a hole shall lead in starting for the next 
 hole, and may recall the opponent's stroke should he play out 
 of order. This privilege is called the " honor." On starting 
 for a new match, the winner of the long match 'in the previous 
 round is entitled to the " honor." Should the first match have 
 been halved, the winner of the last hole gained is entitled to 
 the " honor." 
 
 7. One round of the links generally eighteen holes is a 
 match, unless otherwise agreed upon. The match is won by 
 the side which gets more holes ahead than there remain holes 
 to be played, or by the side winning the last hole when the 
 match was all even at the second last hole. If both sides have 
 won the same number, it is a halved match. 
 
 8. After the balls are struck from the tee, the ball farthest 
 from the hole to which the parties are playing shall be played 
 first, except as otherwise provided for in the rules. Should the 
 wrong side play first, the opponent may recall the stroke before 
 his side has played. 
 
 9. Unless with the opponent's consent, a ball struck from 
 the tee shall not be changed, touched, or moved before the hole 
 is played out, under the penalty of one stroke, except as othet 
 wise provided for in the rules. 
 
 10. In playing through the green, all loose impediments 
 within a club's length of a ball which is not lying in or touch- 
 ing a hazard may be removed, but loose impediments which 
 are more than a club's length from the ball shall not be re- 
 moved, under the penalty of one stroke. 
 
518 Autumn. 
 
 11. Before striking at the ball, the player shall not move, 
 bend, or break anything fixed or growing near the ball, except 
 in the act of placing his feet on the ground for the purpose of 
 addressing the ball, and in soling his club to address the ball, 
 under the penalty of the loss of the hole. 
 
 12. A ball stuck fast in wet ground or sand may be taken 
 out and replaced loosely in the hole which it had made. 
 
 13. When a ball lies in or touches a hazard, the club shall 
 not touch the ground, nor shall anything be touched or moved 
 before the player strikes at the ball, except that the player may 
 place his feet firmly on the ground for the purpose of address- 
 ing the ball, under the penalty of the loss of the hole. 
 
 14. A player shall not press down or remove any irregu- 
 larities of surface near the ball, except at the teeing-ground, 
 under the penalty of the loss of the hole. 
 
 15. If any vessel, wheel-barrow, tool, roller, grass-cutter, 
 box, or other similar obstruction has been placed upon the 
 course, such obstruction may be removed. A ball lying on or 
 touching such obstruction, or on clothes or nets, or on ground 
 under repair or temporarily covered up or opened, may be lifted 
 and dropped at the nearest point of the course, but a ball lifted 
 in the hazard shall be dropped in the hazard. A ball lying in 
 a golf-hole or a flag-hole may be lifted and dropped not more 
 than a club's length behind such hole. 
 
 16. A player's side loses a stroke if he play the opponent's 
 ball, unless (i) the opponent then play the player's ball, where- 
 by the penalty is cancelled, and the hole must be played out 
 with the ball thus exchanged, or (2) the mistake occur through 
 wrong information given by the opponent, in which case the 
 mistake, if discovered before the opponent has played, must be 
 rectified by placing a ball as nearly as possible where the op- 
 ponent's ball lay. 
 
 If it be discovered, before either side has struck off at the 
 
Golf. 519 
 
 tee, that one side has played out the previous hole with the 
 ball of a party not engaged in the match, that side loses that 
 hole. 
 
 17. If a ball be lost, the player's side loses the hole. A ball 
 shall be held as lost if it be not found within five minutes after 
 the search is begun. 
 
 1 8. A ball must be played wherever it lies, or the hole be 
 given up, except as otherwise provided for in the rules. 
 
 19. All loose impediments may be removed from the put- 
 ting-green, except the opponent's ball when at a greater dis- 
 tance from the player's than six inches. 
 
 20. In a match of three or more sides, a ball in any degree 
 lying between the player and the hole must be lifted, or, if on 
 the putting-green, holed out. 
 
 21. When the ball is on the putting-green, no mark shall be 
 placed nor line drawn as a guide. The line to the hole may 
 be pointed out, but the person doing so may not touch the 
 ground with the hand or club. 
 
 The player may have his own or his partner's caddy to 
 stand at the hole, but none of the players, or their caddies, may 
 move so as to shield the ball from or expose it to the wind. 
 
 The penalty for any breach of this rule is the loss of the 
 hole. 
 
 22. The player, or his caddy, may remove (but not press 
 down) sand, earth, worm-casts, or snow lying around the hole 
 or on the line of his putt. This shall be done by brushing 
 lightly with the hand only across the putt, and not along it. 
 Manure may be removed by an iron club, but the club must 
 not be laid with more than its own weight upon the ground. 
 The putting-line must not be touched by club, hand, or foot, 
 except as above authorized, or immediately in front of the 
 ball in the act of addressing it, under the penalty of the loss of 
 the hole. 
 
520 Autttmn. 
 
 Glossary of Technical Terms Employed in the Game of 
 
 Golf. 
 
 Addressing the Ball. Putting one's self in position to strike 
 the ball. 
 
 Approach. When the player is sufficiently near the hole to 
 be able to drive the ball to the putting-green, his stroke is 
 called the " approach-shot." 
 
 JSaff.To strike the ground with the " sole" of the club- 
 head in playing, and so send ball in air. 
 
 Baffy. A wooden club to play lofting-shots. 
 
 Bent. Rush, bent grass. 
 
 Bogey. Usually given the title of " Colonel." A phantom 
 who is credited with a certain score for each hole, against 
 which score each player is competing. 
 
 Bone. A piece of ram's horn inserted in the sole of the 
 club to prevent it from splitting. 
 
 Brassey. A wooden club with a brass sole. 
 
 Break-club. An obstacle lying near a ball of such a nature 
 as might break the club when striking at the ball. 
 
 Bulger. A club with a convex face. 
 
 Bye. Any hole or holes that remain to be played after the 
 match is finished. They are played for singly, unless the sides 
 agree to make another match of them. 
 
 Caddy. A person who carries the golfer's clubs, and who 
 can usually give him advice in regard to the game ; also a bag. 
 
 Cup. A small hole in the course, x usually one made by the 
 stroke of some previous player. 
 
 Dead. A ball is said to be " dead " when it lies so near the 
 hole that the " putt" is a dead certainty. A ball is said to fall 
 " dead" when it does not run after alighting. 
 
 Dormy. One side is said to be "dormy" when it is as 
 many holes ahead as there remain holes to play. (This word 
 
Golf. 521 
 
 is probably derived from the French, like many Scottish 
 terms.) 
 
 Draw. To drive widely to the left hand. (Identical in its 
 results with Hook and Screw.} 
 
 Driver. See Play -club. 
 
 Face. First, the slope of a bunker or hillock; second, the 
 part of the club-head which strikes the ball. 
 
 Flat. A club is said to be " flat " when its head is at a very 
 obtuse angle to the shaft. 
 
 Fog. Moss, rank grass. 
 
 Fore! A warning cry to any person in the way of the 
 stroke. (Contracted from " before.") 
 
 Foursome. A match in which two play on each side. 
 
 Gobble. A rapid, straight " putt" into the hole, such that, 
 had the ball not gone in, it would have gone some distance be- 
 yond. 
 
 Grassed. Said of a club whose face is slightly " spooned," 
 or sloped backward. 
 
 Green. First, the whole links ; second, the putting-ground 
 around the different holes. 
 
 Grip. First, the part of the handle covered with leather 
 by which the club is grasped ; second, the grasp itself. 
 
 Half -one. A handicap of a stroke deducted every second 
 hole. 
 
 Half -shot. Less than a full swing. 
 
 Halved. A hole is said to be " halved" when each side 
 takes the same number of strokes. A "halved match" is 
 a "drawn game" that is, the players have proved to be 
 equal. 
 
 Hanging. A " hanging " ball is one which lies on a down- 
 ward slope. 
 
 Head. This word is a striking specimen of incongruity and 
 mixed metaphor. A head is the lowest part of the club, and 
 
522 Autumn. 
 
 possesses, among other mysterious characteristics, a sole, a heel, 
 a toe or nose, a neck, and z.face! 
 
 Heel. First, the part of the head nearest the shaft ; second, 
 to hit from this part, and send the ball to the right hand. 
 
 Hole. First, the four-inch hole lined with iron ; the holes 
 going out are marked with white, and those coming in with 
 red flags. Second, the whole space between any two of these. 
 
 Honor. The right to play off first from the tee. 
 
 Hook. See Draw. 
 
 Hose. The socket, in iron-headed clubs, into which the 
 wooden shaft fits. 
 
 Iron. A club made of the material its name implies, with 
 the head more or less laid back, to loft a ball. A most deadly 
 weapon in a good player's hands. 
 
 Jerk. In " jerking," the club should strike with a quick cut 
 behind the ball, and stop on reaching the ground. 
 
 Lie. First, the inclination of a club when held on the 
 ground in a natural position for striking ; second, the situation 
 of a ball, good or bad. 
 
 Like. See under Odds. 
 
 Like-as-we-lie. When both sides have played the same 
 number of strokes. 
 
 Links. The open downs or heath on which golf is played. 
 
 Loft. To elevate the ball. 
 
 Long Odds. When a player has to play a stroke more than 
 his adversary, who is much farther on that is, nearer the hole. 
 
 Made. A player, or his ball, is said to be " made " when 
 his ball is sufficiently near the hole to be played onto the put- 
 ting-green next shot. 
 
 Mashy. A club which, both in its make and its uses, is a 
 compromise between the niblick and the iron. 
 
 Match. First, the sides playing against each other; sec- 
 ond, the game itself. 
 
Golf. 523 
 
 Miss the Globe. To fail to strike the ball, either by swing- 
 ing right over the top of it, or by hitting the ground behind it, 
 is counted a stroke. 
 
 Neck. The crook of the head where it joins the shaft. 
 
 Niblick. A small, narrow-headed, heavy iron club, used 
 when the ball lies in bad places, as ruts or whins, etc. 
 
 Nose. The point or front portion of the club-head. 
 
 Odds. First, means the handicap given by a strong player 
 to a weaker in a single match, consisting of either one, two, 
 three, or more holes to start with, or one stroke per hole, or 
 every alternate hole, or at every third hole, etc. ; second, to 
 have played " the odds " is to have played one stroke more 
 than your adversary. Some other terms used in counting the 
 game will be most easily explained here all together. If your 
 opponent has played one stroke more than you that is, " the 
 odds" your next stroke will be "the like;" if two strokes 
 more that is, "the two more" your next stroke will be 
 " the one-off-two ;" if " three more," " the one-off-three," and 
 so on. 
 
 One-off-two, One-off-three, etc. See under Odds. 
 
 Play-club. A wooden-headed club, with full-length shaft, 
 more or less supple ; with it the ball can be driven to the great- 
 est distance. It is used when the ball lies well. 
 
 Press. To strive to recover lost ground by special hard- 
 hittinga very dangerous thing to attempt. 
 
 Putt. To play the delicate game close to the hole. (Pro- 
 nounce u as in but.) 
 
 Putter. An upright, stiff-shafted, wooden-headed club 
 (some use iron heads) used when the ball is on the putting- 
 green. 
 
 Rind. A strip of cloth under the leather to thicken the 
 grip. 
 
 Rub-on-the-green. A favorable or unfavorable knock to the 
 
524 Autumn. 
 
 ball, for which no penalty is imposed, and which must be sub- 
 mitted to. 
 
 Scare. The narrow part of the club-head by which it is 
 glued to the handle. 
 
 Sclaff. When the club-head strikes the ground behind the 
 ball, and follows on with a ricochet. 
 
 Scruff. Slightly razing the grass in striking. 
 
 Set. A full complement of clubs. 
 
 Shaft. The stick or handle of the club. 
 
 Sole. The flat bottom of the club-head. 
 
 Spoons. Wooden-headed clubs of three lengths long, 
 middle, and short : the head is scooped, so as to loft the 
 ball. 
 
 Spring. The degree of suppleness in the shaft. 
 
 Square. When the game stands evenly balanced, neither 
 side being any holes ahead. 
 
 Stance. The position of the player's feet when addressing 
 himself to the ball. 
 
 Steal. To hole an unlikely " putt " from a distance, but not 
 by a "gobble." 
 
 Stroke. The act of hitting the ball with the club, or the 
 attempt to do so. 
 
 Stymie. When your opponent's ball lies in the line of your 
 " putt." 
 
 Swing. The sweep of the club in driving. 
 
 Swipe. A full driving-stroke. 
 
 Tee. The pat of sand on which the ball is placed for the 
 first stroke each hole. 
 
 Third. A handicap of a stroke deducted every third 
 hole. 
 
 Toe. Another name for the nose of the club. 
 
 Top. To hit the ball above its centre. 
 
 Two-more , Three-more, etc. See under Odds. 
 
Golf. 
 
 525 
 
 Upright. A club is said to be " upright " when its head is 
 not at a very obtuse angle to the shaft. 
 
 Whins. Furze or gorse. 
 
 Whipping. The pitched twine uniting the head and 
 handle. 
 
 Wrist Shot. Less than half a shot, generally played with 
 an iron club. 
 
 
CHAPTER XLVIIL 
 
 PHYSICAL CULTURE. 
 
 How to Breathe, Stand, Walk, and Sit Correctly^ 
 
 T is delightful to breathe in the fresh, invigorating 
 air ; it thrills one with new life, hope, and joy ; and 
 how natural it is to smile at the idea of not know- 
 ing how to breathe, having done so without cessa- 
 tion day or night ever since birth. 
 
 This is true ; but, girls, ordinary respiration is 
 not sufficient ; we must learn how to derive the full 
 benefit of the exercise how to send the blood 
 circulating through our bodies as was intended it 
 should, bringing a glow to the cheek, brilliancy to 
 
 the eye, elasticity to the step, and warmth to hands and feet. 
 
 First learn to 
 
 Lift Up Your Chest. 
 
 Try it and see how much better you appear ; then know that the 
 outward improvement is as nothing compared with the benefit 
 the general health derives from allowing the chest to always 
 have the prominent and leading position in the body. So I re- 
 iterate, "Lift up your chest," give greater liberty to the air- 
 cells of the lungs, release them from the weight of the chest ; 
 the freedom thus gained will stimulate the lungs to a larger, 
 deeper, and fuller activity. 
 
 In raising the chest, it is necessary to lift the diaphragm, 
 which is merely a partition separating the upper vital organs 
 from the lower ones ; the little wall that forms the roof of the 
 
 526 
 
Physical Culture. 527 
 
 abdomen and the floor of the upper division, or thoracic cavity ; 
 the diaphragm is the place to breathe from. If you insist upon 
 keeping it elevated by throwing out the chest and lifting the 
 partition up, the abdomen will return to its rightful position 
 and, consequently, be reduced in size, the lungs and heart will 
 be able to do their work freely, the waist will appear smaller 
 because of the raising of the lax muscles which have been al- 
 lowed to sag from their proper places and settle down about it, 
 the head will be more erect and graceful, and the rounded 
 shoulders will straighten. 
 Take your 
 
 Breathing 
 
 exercises in the open air, if possible ; never in a stifled at- 
 mosphere. When the weather is cold, throw a warm wrap over 
 your shoulders, and, being otherwise warmly clothed, open a 
 window and breathe in the fresh, crisp air, keeping your mouth 
 tightly closed during the entire time. If there is a choice, take 
 the window where the sun is shining ; however, avoid standing 
 so that your eyes suffer from the brilliancy ; if necessary, shield 
 them. 
 
 Do not wear tight clothing during the practice, for the chest 
 cannot expand if encased in stiff corsets ; loosen waists, belts, 
 and bands, so that you may feel free and comfortable. 
 
 Plenty of time must be allowed for breathing, as it is essen- 
 tial that the practice be performed as slowly as possible. Avoid 
 any inclination to hurry, and, while exercising, fix your thoughts 
 upon the breathing, oblivious, for the time, to all else. 
 
 Every morning begin the exercises by using only 
 
 One Nostril 
 
 at a time. When the chest is fully raised, gently cover the 
 opening of the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand, 
 and very slowly and evenly inhale through the left nostril until 
 
528 Autumn. 
 
 all the air possible is taken into the lungs ; then, allowing the 
 thumb to remain over the right nostril, cover the left one with 
 the first finger of the same hand, and hold your breath. Now 
 raise thumb and exhale very slowly through the right nostril. 
 Continue to breathe out even after you feel that no air remains 
 in the lungs. Through the same nostril draw in the air, re- 
 place the thumb, hold your breath, remove your first finger, and 
 exhale through the left nostril ; inhale through the same nostril, 
 hold your breath, exhale through the right nostril. Always in- 
 hale through the sa'me nostril from which you have just allowed 
 the air to escape. Inhale through the right, hold breath, exhale 
 through left ; inhale through left, hold breath, exhale through 
 right. Repeat this exercise three or four times, gradually in- 
 creasing the number from day to day. 
 
 It is a good plan to count five or more while drawing in the 
 breath, the same when holding it, and a like number again 
 during the exhalation ; by this method, evenness and regularity 
 are obtained. As you become accustomed to the new gym- 
 nastics, you will be able to increase the number counted ; but 
 always endeavor to have the inhalations, holding the breath, 
 and the exhalations of the same duration. 
 
 This practice is exceedingly beneficial to everyone, and 
 will be found most excellent for catarrhal troubles. 
 
 Full Breathing 
 
 follows the first exercise, and should be practised immediately 
 after it. Raise your chest well up, and take a full, deep breath 
 very slowly and evenly, expanding the entire chest upper, 
 lower, front, and sides like an accordion ; breathe in the great- 
 est amount of air possible, drawing it in through both nostrils ; 
 hold the breath firmly and steadily as long as you can comfort- 
 ably do so, then gradually and evenly let it out through the 
 nostrils. Always breathe through the nose ; never through the 
 
Physical Culture. 529 
 
 mouth ; remember, the nose was made to breathe through. In 
 the endeavor to take in as much air as possible, refrain from 
 making too violent an effort to do so ; the amount of air will 
 be increased naturally as the practice is continued. Begin by 
 inhaling two or three successive breaths ; rest, and try two or 
 three more ; in this way you will gradually be able to practise 
 from- ten to fifteen minutes at a time without feeling it. But 
 be cautious not to continue the exercise until fatigued. 
 Keep your 
 
 Shoulders Down 
 
 while breathing ; do not try to throw them back, but centre 
 your energies upon retaining them in place. The effort will 
 be successful if you hold your hands at your sides, clinch them 
 tightly, and bear down, as though pulling an apparatus down 
 on the shoulders. There is always a tendency during the 
 breathing-exercises to raise the shoulders while inhaling, and 
 lower them when exhaling. Be ever mindful to keep your 
 shoulders immovable. 
 
 Try the new method of breathing, inhaling, retaining, and 
 exhaling in the morning before donning tight clothing, and at 
 night with loosened garments. When you thoroughly master 
 the lesson, you will be more than repaid, for its conscientious, 
 daily practice brings better health, finer carriage, and a more 
 graceful poise ; it will often dispel headaches and indigestion, 
 besides developing confidence and self-possession. 
 
 Breathing-rules. 
 
 1. Invariably raise the chest. 
 
 2. Keep the shoulders down and immovable. 
 
 3. Exercise before eating ; never immediately after meals. 
 
 4. Have the clothing loose during the breathing. 
 
 5. Breathe fresh air, preferably that out-of-doors. 
 
 34 
 
53 Autumn. 
 
 6. Breathe through the nose during the exercise, and at all 
 other times. 
 
 When you have once mastered the art of keeping your dia- 
 phragm well up, you will find it very easy to 
 
 Stand Correctly. 
 
 Look at a Grecian statue, and study it well ; then realize 
 that you are a living statue, and that it is possible for you to 
 attain a figure almost, if not quite, as perfect as the 
 beautiful form you so justly admire. With chest ele- 
 vated, stand so that all your weight rests on the balls of 
 your feet; not the toes, not the heels, but the balls of 
 both of your feet, though the entire feet touch the 
 floor. Without bending the trunk itself, incline the 
 body slightly forward, so that the skirt of your dress 
 drops a trifle longer in front ; the least possible in- 
 clination forward will be sufficient ; let the centre of the 
 chest be directly over the balls of the feet. Fig. 401 
 gives the human figure in a perfectly upright position. 
 A straight line drawn from the top of the head and 
 passing vertically downward through the body would 
 strike the hollow of the foot. Allow your arms to hang 
 Fig 401 down on both sides, naturally and easily, the weight 
 being borne by the shoulder-blades, not by the chest; 
 hold your hips well back, and guard against any tendency to 
 protrude the head forward in short, stand erect, with a grace- 
 ful bearing. It is a duty you owe not only to yourself, but 
 to everyone, and it is a strong evidence of cultivation and 
 elegance. A girl who holds herself well is good to look upon, 
 inspires confidence and impresses one with the idea that she 
 has strength of character, while her sister who stands with 
 flattened chest, hips prominent, and head pushed forward pre- 
 
Physical Culture. 531 
 
 sents a forlorn appearance, even though her face be pretty, and 
 her apparel of the richest material, fashioned in the latest 
 mode. 
 
 Another standing position, and the one usually held when 
 it is not necessary to have the weight on both feet, is to stand 
 as if about to take a step forward, one foot a little in advance 
 of the other, and the entire weight borne on the ball of the 
 forward foot. Practise this method until it is easy and you 
 are able to rest on one foot firmly, without wavering in the 
 least. Exercise with the weight on the right, then on the left 
 foot, until you can assume the position equally well on either 
 foot. When one's duty requires much standing, it is impor- 
 tant that the correct position be taken ; otherwise the health will 
 suffer. The poise should cause the dress-skirt to drop slightly 
 in front, and the belt line to lengthen downward in front and 
 shorten in the back. 
 
 Girls, do not worry if your hands and feet are large, or if 
 your features are not as beautiful as you desire ; much more 
 depends upon your physical bearing than upon mere facial 
 beauty. Let a girl, tall or short, have 
 
 An Habitual Good Carriage, 
 
 and she cannot fail to appear to advantage. Even the voice 
 will often be improved and sound full, round, and clear when 
 the lungs are expanded and the weight equally distributed on 
 the ball of each foot. In assuming the correct standing posi- 
 tion, do not be stiff or allow any of the muscles to become 
 rigid ; that is wrong and unnecessary, the erectness of the 
 figure does not require it. 
 
 The rule given in the exercises for breathing, that the 
 shoulders should be kept down, holds good in standing ; if the 
 body is held properly, there will be no danger of stooping 
 
532 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 shoulders. Stand easily, without fidgeting; cultivate repose and 
 dignity ; allow the hands and feet to remain perfectly quiet. 
 Grace, ease, and good presence may readily be obtained by 
 making these rules a habit : 
 
 1. Stand with chest well up. 
 
 2. Shoulders down. 
 
 3. Hips drawn back. 
 
 4. Usually rest on the ball of one foot, sometimes on the 
 balls of both feet, as occasion requires. This method of stand- 
 
 rig. 402. 
 Ready to Walk. 
 
 Fig. 403. 
 First Step. 
 
 Fig. 404. 
 Second Step. 
 
 Fig. 405. 
 Third Step. 
 
 ing, fully understood and unremittingly put into practice, will 
 render the ability to 
 
 Walk Correctly 
 
 a simple matter. With body free, chest thrown out, head up 
 and well poised, learn to walk from the hips, moving the entire 
 leg with each step (Figs. 402, 403, 404, 405). Let the toes turn 
 slightly outward, and the ball of the foot strike the ground first, 
 if heels are not worn, as it would naturally do were the feet 
 
Physical Culture. 
 
 533 
 
 bare. Any addition elevates the heel from its normal position, 
 causing the heel of the shoe to strike the ground an instant 
 before the ball of the foot ; let it do so when heels are 
 worn, but lightly, the full weight of the body falling upon the 
 balls of the feet. The arms should hang down, naturally, 
 at either side ; it is not graceful to swing them to and fro 
 vigorously, though a slight rhythmical motion is at times allow- 
 able. 
 
 If you care for your health, dignity, or graceful appearance, 
 eschew tight or high-heeled shoes when walking, as it is 
 utterly impossible to walk correctly when perched upon pin- 
 nacles an inch or more from the ground ; neither attempt to 
 walk on your toes or heels, but let 
 the weight always fall on the balls 
 of the feet. Hold your head up, fear- 
 lessly, and do not permit the body to 
 sink down or bend ; keep the poise 
 given for correct standing, and avoid 
 wearing heavy dress-skirts to weigh 
 down and weary you. Keep your 
 mouth firmly closed, and breathe 
 through your nose. 
 
 When climbing stairs, remember 
 to have the body perfectly erect, and 
 let the limbs carry it; they must do 
 all the work (Fig. 406). Resist the pro- 
 pensity to bend forward or to let 
 the head do so ; it not only appears 
 awkward to lean over when climbing, 
 but is positively weakening and inju- 
 rious. 
 
 Walking should and will be a delight if you carefully carry 
 out these hints. 
 
 Fig. 406. Correct Position in 
 Going Upstairs. 
 
534 
 
 Autztmn. 
 
 Breathing, standing, and walking in the proper manner 
 lead up to and greatly aid in the ability to 
 
 Sit Correctly, 
 
 for the governing rules in each are the same. It is fully as es- 
 sential to lift up the chest when sitting as when standing ; the 
 chest must always be held up in place, never allowed to flatten 
 and fall. 
 
 Sit away back as far as possible on the chair without leaning 
 against or even touching the chair-back (Fig. 407) ; make the 
 muscles of your back support you ; do away with the aid of 
 pillows and various props ; otherwise, according to the natural 
 law, " not to use is to lose ;" the muscles 
 which were given to lean upon become weak, 
 flabby, and almost useless. 
 
 When travelling in any style of convey- 
 ance, or sitting quietly at home, sit squarely 
 on the chair or bench, and keep quiet; avoid 
 any nervous movement of hands or feet; 
 suffer these servants to relax and rest, to be 
 at peace when not called upon to do your 
 bidding. Sit with your feet on the floor ; it 
 is inelegant to cross the knees. Keep your 
 knees bent and close together, allowing one 
 foot to rest a trifle in advance of the other. 
 The hands should drop naturally on the lap 
 and lie perfectly relaxed ; refrain from mov- 
 ing them awkwardly or clinching them together ; try to be 
 utterly unconscious of your hands, and they will always be 
 graceful. A very young child is never awkward, because it is 
 unconscious of self. 
 
 Take your seat deliberately and easily ; sit directly down 
 
 Fig. 407. Correct 
 Position in Sitting. 
 
Physical Culture. 535 
 
 on front of the chair; do not lounge, sit sidewise, or drop 
 upon the seat. 
 
 Arise 
 
 from a chair in a quiet, easy, and dignified manner; avoid a 
 struggle. When ready to stand up, refrain from placing your 
 hands upon your knees ; let them remain as they are, and bear 
 all your weight upon the retired foot, which will impart to the 
 body an upward spring ; try it and be convinced. 
 
 All these instructions may readily be carried out without 
 any stiffness, for uprightness does not mean rigidity. 
 
 Often relax the larger joints, but remember, there are no 
 joints except the small ones of the spinal column at the waist- 
 line ; hold the body as if incapable of bending at that partic- 
 ular line in other words, hold yourself erect. When it is nec- 
 essary to incline forward, bend the entire torso from the hips. 
 
 A little practice will render this wholesome method of sit- 
 ting both comfortable and easy ; backaches will not often, if at 
 all, trouble one, and the correct posture will enable any girl to 
 ride all day on car or boat with very little fatigue. 
 
WINTER. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 GIRLS' CLUBS. 
 
 EVER will the writer forget her trip to 
 Washington, D. C., during the conven- 
 tion of Woman's Clubs held in that 
 city. It was the first time she had 
 ever seen or heard a woman speak from 
 a public platform, and, being then en- 
 tirely ignorant of that phase of life, go- 
 ing only with the expectation of being 
 amused, she was surprised to find the 
 meetings extremely interesting and dignified. It was a delight 
 to see Susan B. Anthony, the pioneer to whom all women owe 
 so much, who, though far-famed, was found to be a very quiet, 
 womanly woman, with her hair combed plainly down on each 
 side of her face, and her costume almost rivalling the Quaker 
 dress in simplicity. It was a treat to listen to the words of 
 Frances E. Willard, her firm, sweet countenance lighting up as 
 she roused her audience to enthusiasm on the subject of temper- 
 ance ; and to talk to Lucy Stone was a privilege. This veteran 
 in good work clasping the author's hand in both of hers, said in 
 a motherly way that she hoped the young women would now 
 come bravely forward to take the place of the older reform- 
 ers. How conscience-stricken the writer felt, realizing her un- 
 familiarity with all that most interested this leader of many 
 women! Nevertheless, she was much impressed, and returned 
 
 537 
 
538 Winter. 
 
 home very enthusiastic regarding all that had been seen and 
 heard at the convention. Furthermore, from that memorable 
 visit resulted the Good Citizenship League, the first woman's 
 club of Flushing, L. I. 
 
 Now, there is another club in the same village composed 
 entirely of girls, and a very jolly little society it is. The mem- 
 bers enjoy their club heartily. Their meetings are conducted in 
 an orderly, business-like way, which adds much to their impor- 
 tance and interest, for these girls scorn to discuss a subject in 
 an informal, unparliamentary manner, knowing well the greater 
 justice and advantage of acting according to fixed law and 
 order. 
 
 The origin of woman's clubs dates only back to 1868, when 
 the Sorosis, of New York City, was organized ; but in the short 
 period that has elapsed since then, thousands and thousands have 
 joined the ranks of the ever-increasing army of the woman's 
 club, and it is one of the most useful and delightful of modern 
 social developments. Forbearance, self-control, and unselfish- 
 ness are among the virtues unconsciously developed and 
 strengthened by club life. Interest in many subjects, before en- 
 tirely neglected, is stimulated by papers, lectures, and discus- 
 sions; self-consciousness takes flight, and in its place are found 
 courage and self-reliance. The club is not only very educa- 
 tional, but it is also refreshing, broadening, and elevating. Girls, 
 would you like to try the novelty of club life ? Be attentive, 
 and I will tell you exactly 
 
 How to Form a Club. 
 
 With this purpose in view, 
 
 ist. Talk the matter over with one or two other girls, and 
 decide upon what kind of club you wish to organize, whether 
 for study or recreation. If the former, it is wiser for a small 
 society to take up but one subject, as then all thought 
 
Girls Clubs. 539 
 
 will be concentrated on that particular line, guaranteeing far 
 more valuable and satisfactory results. 
 
 When you have settled upon the subject, 
 
 2d. Adopt a plan of work. For instance, if poetry has been 
 selected, determine whether it shall be that of a certain cen- 
 tury, country, or poet, and confine the thought to the phase 
 chosen, studying it thoroughly in a systematic manner. 
 
 No matter what subject you fix upon, you will be surprised 
 and charmed at the ever-broadening field the topic opens be- 
 fore you. Interest being aroused, you will hear and see many 
 references to the subject which before would have escaped 
 your notice. Newspapers, magazines, the conversation of 
 friends, pictures, and statuary may all in some way bring added 
 information on the theme you are investigating. 
 
 3d. As another suggestion for club study, follow the line 
 put forth by a well-known woman's club when studying other 
 countries, adapting and changing the plan to suit your needs. 
 Take, for example, the United States ; divide the country into 
 as many epochs as there will be meetings of the society, and 
 subdivide each epoch into topics, as history, government, lit- 
 erature, art, inventions, architecture, noted people, customs, 
 and fashions in furniture and dress. Suppose the club intends 
 to have twelve meetings during the season, the subject should 
 then be divided into twelve epochs, one epoch of thirty-six 
 years for each meeting. Now, if there are sixteen members, 
 and neither the president nor secretary are obliged to do other 
 work than their special club duties, decide upon fourteen topics, 
 and let each girl keep one topic through the season. Give to 
 one member architecture, and at the first club meeting she will 
 tell of the shelters known to the earliest settlers for the first 
 thirty-six years after the landing of the Mayflower. Wigwams, 
 tents, huts, and log-houses may be dealt with ; at the follow- 
 ing meeting, she will relate any changes and improvements 
 
540 Winter. 
 
 which may have taken place in the rude buildings during the 
 next period of thirty-six years, and possibly she may have 
 some old prints or pictures illustrating the habitations, which 
 she will pass around for inspection. On the third club day 
 more progress will be made, and so on until the last meeting, 
 when the architecture of the present day will be reached, with 
 its handsome public buildings and palatial private residences, 
 adorned with statuary and mural decorations. 
 
 Every member carrying out her special topic in the same 
 manner will insure a complete and most valuable knowledge of 
 our country. 
 
 The Name and the Constitution. 
 
 When you have fully decided upon the character of the 
 club and the plan of work, 
 
 4th. Think of a suitable name for the society, such as 
 American Girls' Club, Saturday Afternoon Club, Avocation 
 Club, Determined Club, Fin de Siecle Club. These are 
 merely suggestions ; adopt any name you deem best. 
 
 5th. Draw up your constitution somewhat after this form : 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 NAME. 
 
 The name of this Association shall be The American Girls' Club. 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 OBJECT. 
 
 The objects of this Association shall be education and recreation. 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 The officers of this Association shall be a President, Vice- President, 
 and Secretary. No member shall hold office longer than one year. The 
 office of Vice-President or Secretary becoming vacant during the year, it 
 shall be filled by the appointment made by the remaining officers. The 
 
Girls Clubs. 541 
 
 Vice-President fills the office of President if at any time the presiding 
 officer cannot serve. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 Every member, after two months' connection with this Club, may pro- 
 pose names for membership. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 ELECTIONS. 
 
 At the regular meeting preceding the last meeting, the President shall 
 appoint a Nominating Committee of three, whose duty it shall be to pre- 
 pare a ticket for the coming election. For each office in the club they 
 shall select a candidate, and, before placing her name on the ticket, shall 
 secure her consent to serve. 
 
 The list thus prepared shall be printed or copied, and one copy given 
 to every member at the opening of the last meeting. Each member may 
 vote the ticket or scratch any names she chooses and write others instead. 
 
 The President shall appoint three Tellers, who shall collect the votes, 
 and, retiring to another room, count them while the Club proceeds with its 
 programme. 
 
 When the Chairman of the Tellers shall announce the report ready, the 
 proceedings of the Club shall be suspended and the list of officers elected 
 read aloud. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 MEETINGS. 
 
 The regular meetings of this Association shall be on the alternating 
 Saturdays of every month, except June, July, August, and September ; they 
 shall be held from two to four o'clock. 
 
 At the last meeting of the season, each officer shall read her annual re- 
 port, and the officers for the following year shall be elected by ballot, a 
 majority of the votes cast being necessary for a choice. 
 
 A member wishing to sever her connection with the Club shall send a 
 written resignation to the President, which shall be reported to the Club 
 and voted upon. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS. 
 
 The President shall preside at all meetings and entertainments of the 
 Club, and shall have general direction of its affairs. 
 
542 Winter. 
 
 The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall discharge 
 all duties pertaining to that office. 
 
 The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Club, and 
 a list of the names and addresses of all members. She shall conduct all 
 the correspondence of the Club, notifying newly elected members of their 
 admission, etc. 
 
 The members of the Society not holding office shall each consider her- 
 self personally responsible for her full share of the welfare of the Club ; 
 she must be loyal and true to the Club in every sense of the word. 
 
 Of course, the constitution here given is intended only 
 as a guide, and may be altered to suit the needs of the society 
 formed. 
 
 How to Organize. 
 
 Everything being now ready, make out a list of the girls 
 you intend to invite to join the club, and ask them to meet at 
 your house. Explain your plans, and let the would-be mem- 
 bers sign the constitution, which should previously be neatly 
 written out in a blank book, with the name of the club, date, 
 and the full name of the founder of the society. Later, if the 
 club finds the constitution adopted inadequate for its needs, 
 it may be amended to suit the society. 
 
 The club should next elect a president, vice-president, and 
 secretary. These officers will be sufficient for a small society. 
 As the meetings will be held at the houses of the different mem- 
 bers, there need be no expenses, so no treasurer will be neces- 
 sary. 
 
 Though it sounds rather formidable, one of the easiest 
 things for a girl to learn is 
 
 How to Conduct a Regular Meeting, 
 
 and there is a pleasurable excitement accompanying the duty. 
 The most practical and dignified, as well as the most interest- 
 ing, way is to act according to set rules made expressly for the 
 
Girls Clubs. 543 
 
 purpose of avoiding confusion and for saving time. It is a 
 woful mistake to attempt to conduct a meeting in an informal 
 manner. First, the president should be provided with a gavel ; 
 armed with this insignia of office, she takes her seat at a small 
 table facing the members of the club. The secretary's place is 
 at the table, by the side of the president ; she should also face 
 the company. 
 
 Second. At the appointed time for the meeting to begin, 
 the president rises and, with the gavel, taps the table to attract 
 attention, and says : " The meeting will please come to order," 
 then resumes her seat. 
 
 Third. The secretary, still seated, calls the roll. 
 
 Fourth. The president, rising, says : " We will now listen to 
 the reading of the minutes of our last meeting," and again seats 
 herself. 
 
 Fifth. The secretary rises and reads the minutes. 
 
 Sixth. The president, standing, says : " If there are no ob- 
 jections, the minutes will remain as read." Now is the time for 
 corrections to be made in case there are errors in the record. 
 Any member of the club may make the correction ; in order to 
 do so, she must stand and say, " Madam President," and the 
 president recognizes her by saying, " Miss Smith," should that 
 happen to be her name ; then the member gives her objection ; 
 if good, the secretary must correct the minutes. 
 
 Seventh. The president steps forward and announces all 
 elections and resignations ; also reads any letters or notices 
 that may be of moment to the society. 
 
 Eighth. Miscellaneous business occupies a short time, and 
 is followed by the programme prepared for the day. 
 
 The president announces the subject of each paper as it is 
 read, and introduces the speaker to the club somewhat after 
 this fashion : " The subject of the first paper is 'Art ; ' it will 
 be read by Miss Smith." Miss Smith then walks forward, and 
 
544 Winter. 
 
 after first acknowledging the chair by the words " Madam 
 President," accompanied by a slight inclination of the head, 
 and, next recognizing the presence of the audience with the 
 words, "Fellow-students," "Friends," "Young ladies," or 
 whatever greeting may be most appropriate, she faces the club 
 and reads her paper. When Miss Smith has finished, the 
 members of the club show their appreciation by a vigorous 
 clapping of hands. 
 
 Girls, if you really want to enjoy your society, do speak 
 clearly, distinctly, and loud enough to be heard at the farthest 
 end of the room, when at your club meeting ; especially 
 while addressing the club or reading a paper ; and, if seated in 
 the body of the society, always arise when speaking to the pres- 
 ident, and invariably call her " Madam President." That is the 
 proper form. 
 
 Effectiveness in Speaking. 
 
 When speaking, avoid the phrase " // seems to me" State 
 what you have to say in a clear, concise manner ; never apolo- 
 gize for any paper you read to the club, nor for lack of prepa- 
 ration when called upon to address the society, and, above 
 all, never deal in personalities. Remember these points, and 
 you will have comparatively smooth sailing in the sea of club 
 life. 
 
 If a special subject is up for discussion, think, first, of the 
 underlying principles which govern it, and, guided by them, do 
 not hesitate to say what course you deem would be best to 
 pursue concerning it. If the fundamental principles are good, 
 indorse the measure ; if not, denounce it firmly but kindly and 
 pleasantly, even if your best friend and more than half the club 
 should oppose your ideas. Stand up for what is right, though 
 you stand alone. 
 
 It is not you they oppose, it is your ideas ; and, in like man- 
 
Girls' Chtbs. 545 
 
 mer, it is not your friends you object to, but their opinions upoiv 
 a certain subject. Personal feeling should never enter into a 
 discussion. Learn to drop personal feeling, and learn to see 
 the good points advanced by adversaries. 
 
 Be sure to stand gracefully when addressing a meeting, for 
 in club life, sooner or later, each girl's duty will bring her to 
 the front, when she must for the moment become the cynosure 
 of all eyes, and a good carriage is most desirable. Advance well 
 toward the front edge of the platform, or of the boundary line 
 when the meeting is held in a private parlor ; take a position as 
 near the centre of the front as possible. Never stand back nor 
 at one side when it can be avoided ; such a position is not 
 advantageous. Avoid leaning against the edge of a table, or 
 holding onto the back of a chair or any other piece of furni- 
 ture ; stand firmly on the balls of your feet, and you will need no 
 other support. Look directly at the audience ; seldom lose 
 sight of it ; appear pleasant, and be interested in what you 
 have to say ; enunciate slowly and clearly, making the proper 
 emphases well understood, and speak to the point, without 
 notes if possible. When greeted with applause, acknowledge 
 it with a slow, dignified but very gracious bow. 
 
 After finishing your address, bow slightly, with a graceful 
 inclination of the head ; take one or two steps backward, still 
 facing the audience ; then turn, easily, off to one side ; let all 
 movements be slow and well controlled ; always take plenty 
 of time, and never, under any circumstances short of a fire or 
 tornado, hurry, either in motion or in speech, when before an 
 audience. 
 
 How to Make and Treat a Motion. 
 
 If a member has a suggestion to make, as, for instance, that 
 she wishes the club to adopt blue as its color, she should arise 
 and say, "Madam President." When recognized, continue: 
 35 
 
546 
 
 Winter. 
 
 " I move that we adopt blue as our club color." Another 
 member also desiring the same color must arise and say : 
 " I second the motion," whereupon the president will say to 
 the club : "It has been moved that we adopt blue as our club 
 color. Are there any remarks ? " This gives the different 
 members an opportunity to speak either for or against the 
 motion. One member only is allowed to speak at a time ; 
 the member rising first has the floor. When the discussion 
 is ended, the president says : " All those in favor of this 
 motion again stating it will say ' Aye.' " After this vote 
 she will say: "All those opposed will say ' No.' " In case 
 the majority of votes are "ayes," the president says : "The 
 ayes have it, and the motion is carried," which means that 
 the club adopts blue as its color. If the majority of votes 
 are "noes," the president says: "The noes have it, and the 
 motion is lost." In the last case, the club evidently does not 
 wish blue as its color. 
 
CHAPTER L. 
 LIVELY WATER-FAIRIES. 
 
 ET us think, what was it the children 
 of olden times had to do in order 
 to witness the fairy revels ? Were 
 they not first obliged to find in the 
 deep, dark forest the faintly marked 
 circle which was called a fairy ring ? 
 Did they not have to hide them- 
 selves near the spot on midsummer 
 eve, and wait until midnight, when, 
 as the far-distant clock in the old 
 church steeple struck the hour, the 
 fairies, led by their queen, would 
 
 suddenly appear and take possession of the ring, there to hold 
 high carnival ? I have read somewhere that this was so, and, if I 
 remember rightly, it was rather a dangerous escapade, this lying 
 in wait for fairies, for these queer little people appeared to be 
 very exclusive in their social customs, and they greatly resented 
 having the eyes of any mortal behold them while they were 
 enjoying their midnight frolics. We are told, therefore, that the 
 little girl or boy it was generally a girl who was discovered 
 spying upon them was often kidnapped by the fairies and 
 allowed to return home no more. However, to this day, there 
 is hardly a child who would not willingly take the risk of dis- 
 covery in order to really see the fairies. 
 
 Pictures of fairies do not satisfy one, for they remain ever 
 the same, and the fairies must remain just where the artist has 
 
 547 
 
Lively Water-fairies. 
 
 549 
 
 placed them, while we all know it is the nature of these little 
 creatures to be constantly on the move, flitting hither and 
 thither, as do the bees and butterflies. What will you say, 
 then, when you hear about the water-fairies, how you may 
 not only see them, but have them for your very own ? What 
 pretty little things they are, too; and, when you place them in 
 moving water, how they go bobbing up and down, kicking, 
 whirling, and dancing in the maddest of mad dances ! How 
 their little skirts wave and tilt, and their dainty wings flutter ! 
 
 Fig. 408. 
 
 Fig. 409. 
 
 It is difficult to believe they are not really alive, so lifelike do 
 they appear. Why, it even amuses the grown folks, and it is 
 great fun for the children to watch the wild pranks of the tiny 
 people. 
 
 These little creatures are not made of fairy stuff, but of or- 
 dinary writing-paper, and their flimsy skirts and gauzy wings 
 
550 
 
 Winter. 
 
 are cut from tissue-paper. They stand with the aid of wooden 
 tooth-picks, and these, to keep the fairies afloat, are stuck into 
 small, flat pieces of cork. 
 
 Good Patterns. 
 
 The diagrams 408 and 409 will give you an idea of how to 
 cut out a man and woman fairy, and No. 408 shows how the 
 
 Fig. 411. 
 
 Fig. 412. 
 
 Fig. 415. 
 
 Fig. 413. 
 
 tooth-pick is thrust through the figure and stuck into the cork. 
 Each piece of cork should be a little over one inch square, and 
 about one-quarter of an inch thick. Sheet cork, such as is used 
 for holding thumb-tacks, makes excellent floaters. 
 
 Fig. 410 is the pattern of the little skirt worn by the fairy, 
 as shown in Fig. 408. It is simply a circular piece of tissue- 
 paper with a round hole in the centre. To put it on the fairy, 
 hold her arms and hair over to extend straight above her head, 
 
Lively Water-fairies. 551 
 
 then slip the skirt over them ; pinch the paper here and there 
 into folds, and the skirt will stand out beautifully. 
 
 Figs. 411 and 412 are the patterns of this little woman's 
 wings; cut them from tissue-paper, two like Fig. 411, and two 
 like Fig. 412. Place 411 and 412 together, as in Fig. 413, and 
 paste one to each shoulder of the fairy. 
 
 Fig. 414 is the pattern for the little man's trousers ; they are 
 put on like a skirt, and then drawn up and pinched into shape. 
 No glue or paste is necessary for holding them together, for 
 the crisp tissue-paper retains the folds you give it. 
 
 Fig. 415 is the pattern for his wings. 
 
 Patterns for two fairies only are given here, but it is nice to 
 have a number of them, each one different from the others, and 
 you can use your ingenuity in making a variety. Though you 
 cannot perhaps cut out the figures as correctly as you would 
 like, remember to keep them slender and about three inches 
 tall ; and, when you have painted their faces as well as you 
 can, and have dressed them prettily, you will be surprised to 
 see how fairylike they appear. 
 
 Use water-colors, and paint both the front and back of the 
 heads, for one side must look quite as well as the other on little 
 people who turn and twist about so constantly. 
 
 The wings, too, should have bright spots on them, like a 
 butterfly's, and you can also paint the slippers and shoes to 
 harmonize with the dresses. 
 
 When you have about half a dozen fairies, place them in a 
 large basin of water, full to the brim, and, with a stick, stir the 
 water at the centre round and round; then rest awhile and 
 watch your little dancers. See how fast they move around the 
 basin, how they overtake one another, sometimes clinging to- 
 gether and forming groups, sometimes touching and passing, 
 all the while turning and bobbing, each in his or her own in- 
 dividual dance. Very likely, one will leave the outer circle, 
 
552 
 
 Winter. 
 
 and, reaching the centre, end his dance in a dizzy whirl. When 
 the water is quiet once more, call the fairies to you by moving 
 your stick back and forth at one side of the basin. They will 
 always come if you do this, provided your movement is slow 
 and gentle, and it is a curious thing to see how apparently 
 unwilling some of them are to move in your direction. They 
 hesitate, turn about, and sometimes come backing toward you ; 
 but come they must, for the fairies' days of rule are over, and 
 forevermore they must obey even the little children. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Album, an, 400 
 
 All-Hallow-Eve ; see Halloween 
 Apple target- shooting, 499 
 Applique designs, 391 
 April, first of, 3 ; April-fool's Day 
 party, 5 ; games, 6 et seq. 
 
 B 
 
 Back-stitching, 383 
 
 Ball, soft, 327 
 
 Balls, lawn-tennis, 69 ; for golf, 511 
 
 Basket, May, 74; birch-bark, ib.; card- 
 board, ib.; crab-net, 97 
 
 Basting, 382 
 
 Beach, a game for the, 485 
 
 Bedstead, 444 
 
 Beech-nuts, 220 
 
 Bicycle, choice of a, 472 ; weight and 
 gear, 474; bicycle accessories, ib.; 
 adjustment of, ib.; care of, 480 
 
 Bicycling, 469 ; rules of health to be 
 observed in, 482 
 
 Biographical nonsense, 339 
 
 Bladder telephone, 227 
 
 Blind, taught modelling, 257 
 
 Blind-man's singing-school, 155 
 
 Blind-man's stocking, 321 
 
 Bombs, 115 
 
 Bonbon box, 49 
 
 Bookcase, 439 
 
 Book-covers, home-made, 401 
 
 Book-mark, 324 
 
 Book-shelves, marine, 94 
 
 Booths at a fair, 413; tables for, ib.; 
 flowers for, 417 ; arrangement of, 420 
 
 Botany as applied to art, 139 ; conven- 
 tionalizing plant forms, ib.; the pe- 
 ony-leaf, 140; a bunch of turnips, 
 142 ; decorative lines, 143 ; cross- 
 section plant designs, 144 ; flower- 
 sprays, 146; changing color and 
 form, 147; burrs, ib.; water-lily con- 
 ventionalized, 148 ; fern-leaf, 85 
 
 Bouquets, to preserve fresh, 25 
 
 Brackets, 214 
 
 Bradford, Governor William, 302 
 
 Bran pie, 321 
 
 Breathing, 526 ; in swimming, 497 
 
 Breathing-rules, 529 
 
 Brushes for oil-colors, 250; for china- 
 painting, 270 
 
 Bubble-blowing, 335 
 
 Buck-eye Portiere, 204 
 
 " Bunching eggs, " 37 
 
 Bunkers, 505 
 
 Bureau transformed into a bookcase, 441 
 
 Burgoos, 132 
 
 Butter-Scotch, 459 
 
 Butternuts, 220 
 
 Button, how to sew on a, 386 
 
 Button-holes, 383 
 
 553 
 
554 
 
 Index. 
 
 Candlestick, marine, 103 
 
 Candy, home-made, 458 
 
 Canvas for painting, 251 
 
 Cards, Easter, 50 
 
 Cards, living Christmas, 342 
 
 Care of the wheel, 480 
 
 Carriage, a good, 531 
 
 Chair, 441 ; how to reseat, 442 
 
 Chestnuts, 218 
 
 China-painting, 272 ; materials, 273 ; 
 China, 278 ; monochrome painting, 
 ib.; tinting, 273; new method of dec- 
 orating china, 279; tracing, 280; 
 mottled ground, 281 ; snow landscape, 
 ib.; head-painting, 284; sea- weed- 
 fish, etc., 287; mixing colors, 289; 
 painting royal Worcester ware, 290 
 
 Chocolate-caramels, 461 
 
 Chocolate-creams, 459 
 
 Christmas-festivities, 317; customs, 318 
 
 Clay, for modelling, 259; how to man- 
 age, 261 ; how to preserve, 262 
 
 Clover, four-leaved, 23 
 
 Clubs for girls, 537 
 
 Clubs, golf, 511 
 
 Color painting, 241, 244, 246 
 
 Conventionalized plant forms, 141 
 
 Costume for golf, 515; for the wheel, 
 
 483 
 
 Court, for lawn-tennis, 62 
 Cross-section plant designs, 144 
 Crystallizing flowers, 21 
 Curtain fixtures, marine, 92 
 
 Dancers, fairy, 330 
 Darning and mending, 384 
 Declaration of Independence, 117 
 
 Decoration, seaside cottage, 92 
 
 Decorations, natural, 201 ; of autumn 
 wild flowers, 202 ; buckeye portiere, 
 204; of horse-chestnuts, ib.; of corn, 
 209; ornamental gourds, 210 
 
 Decorative language, 365 ; how to make 
 a design in, 371 
 
 Dismounting from a bicycle, 476 
 
 Diving, 495 
 
 Dolls, corn-husk, 169; with crab-apple 
 heads, 173; flower, 175 
 
 Drapery of small scraps, 431 
 
 Draw, how to, 229 
 
 Drawing plant forms, 141 
 
 Drawn work, 389 
 
 Dress, for bicycling, 483 ; for golf, 5 1 5 
 
 Dressing-table, 444 
 
 E 
 
 Easel, 250 
 
 Easter, 33 ; how celebrated in England, 
 ib.; in Russia, ib.; in Ireland, 34; in 
 Germany, 35 ; in Washington, D. C, 
 ib. 
 
 Easter cards, 50 
 
 Easter eggs, 33 ; games with, 36 ; dolls 
 made of, 39 ; toys formed of, 42 ; 
 maple wax eggs, 49 ; bonbon box, ib. 
 
 Enchanted girl, pantomime of, 348 
 
 Exercising, best time for, 353; balanc- 
 ing weights on the head, 356 ; broom- 
 handle exercise, 357 
 
 Fairy dancers, 330 
 
 Fan, how to make a, 177; butterfly fan, 
 
 178; Mikado fan, 180; daisy fan, 182; 
 
 card-board fan, 183 
 
Index. 
 
 555 
 
 Felling, 383 
 
 Ferns for decoration, 19 
 
 Fid, 57, 161 
 
 Fish painting on china, 286 
 
 Five minutes' conversation, 154 
 
 Flags, for golf, 511 
 
 Floating, 495 
 
 Floral vocabulary, 377 
 
 Flowers, wild, 14; transplanting, ib.; 
 how to keep cut, 1 5 ; sending by mail, 
 16; preserving, in sand, ib.; pressed, 
 18; herbariums of, 19; for decoration, 
 ib. ; color of, changed, ib. ; waxed, 20 ; 
 to freshen cut, ib.; crystallized, 21 ; 
 frosted, ib.; perfume of, preserved, 
 ib.; spring flowers in winter, 23 ; pre- 
 serving, in alcohol, 24 ; in an empty 
 bottle, ib.; under glass, ib.; to keep 
 bouquets fresh, 25 ; to keep flowers or 
 fruit fresh for a year, ib.; painting in 
 water-colors, 239 
 
 " Fore-shortening," 231 
 
 Fortune-telling, by melted lead, 190 ; by 
 nutshell boats, 192; by "three lug- 
 gies," 193 ; by roasting nuts, ib.; 
 Kaling, 194 ; by the magic mirror, 
 ib.; by three tin cups, by the ring 
 cake, 195 
 
 Fortune's wheel, 88, 426 
 
 Fourth of July, celebration, interior dec- 
 oration for, 107 ; indoor illumination, 
 1 08 ; outdoor decoration and illumina- 
 tion, 109 ; fireworks for girls, 1 1 1 ; 
 parachute, 112; thunderbolts, ib.; 
 whirls, 113; winged fancies, ib. ; pin- 
 wheels, 114; bombs, 115; lawn party, 
 117 ; declaration of independence, ib.; 
 game of toss, 118; jackstraws, 119; 
 progressive mining, ib. 
 Frames for pictures, 295 ; designs for, 
 
 296; decorated, 297; cork frame, 
 299 
 Furniture, old and new, 438 
 
 Game of headless turkey, 312 
 
 Game and fish stew, 133 
 
 Games, quiet, for hot weather, 151 ; 
 door-step party, 152 ; five minutes' 
 conversation, 153; blind-man's sing- 
 ing-school, 155 ; game of noted men, 
 ib. ; what will you take to the picnic ? 
 156; assumed characters, 157; shad- 
 ow verbs, ib. ; Halloween games, 196 
 et seq. ; a new sea- shore game, 485 
 
 Games for Christmas holidays, bubble- 
 bowling, 335 ; biographical nonsense, 
 339 ; comic historical tableaux, 341 ; 
 living Christmas cards, 342 
 
 Gathering, 382 
 
 Girls' clubs, 537 ; name and constitution, 
 540 ; how to organize, 542 ; conduct- 
 ing a regular meeting, ib.; speaking, 
 544 ; making a motion, 545 
 
 Glass, stained, imitated, 435 
 
 Glove pen-wiper, 323 
 
 Glove, to mend a kid, 386 
 
 Gold, mat, 276 ; pure, ib. 
 
 Golf, 504 ; links, 505 ; hazards or bunk- 
 ers, ib.; holes, 506; teeing-ground, 
 508; tee, 509; the green, ib.; the 
 putting-green, 510; clubs, balls, and 
 flags, 511 ; the game, 512 ; dress for, 
 515; rules of the game, 516; glossary 
 of terms, 520 
 
 Gourds, ornamental, 210 
 
 Grab-bags, 423 
 
 Ground glass, imitation of, 436 
 
 Gymnasium, home, 353 
 
556 
 
 Index. 
 
 H 
 
 Hall seat, 447 
 
 Halloween, 187; origin of, ib. ; party, 
 189; fortune-telling on, 190 et seq. ; 
 games, 196 et seq. 
 
 Hammock, how to make a, 159; mate- 
 rials required, 161 ; barrel hammock, 
 165 
 
 Handle-bar, 475 
 
 Hat-rack, seaside, 98 
 
 Hazards, 505 
 
 Hazel-nuts, 220 
 
 Headless turkey, game of, 312 
 
 Hemming, 381 
 
 Heraldry, 366 ; field of, 266 ; the points, 
 ib. ; divisions, 267 
 
 Herbariums, 19 
 
 Herring-bone stitch, 384 
 
 Hickory-nuts, 219 
 
 Historical tableaux, 341 
 
 Holes, in golf, 506 
 
 Home gymnasium, 353 
 
 Home-made candy, 458 
 
 Horseshoe crab-bag, 101 
 
 "Huli Fool," 4 
 
 Impression' album, how to make an, 
 123; tools required, 125; printing 
 from leaves, 126; from flowers, 127; 
 landscapes, 128 ; other uses for bo- 
 tanical impressions, 129 
 
 J 
 
 Jackstraws, Fourth of July, 
 Julklapp, 319 
 
 119 
 
 Kaling, 194 
 Key-rack, 412 
 
 Lace, 393 
 
 Lady of the Lake, 425 
 
 Landscape painting in water-colors, 
 
 241 
 
 Language, a decorative, 364 
 Lantern, 408 
 Lawn, painting on, 434 
 Lawn party, 117 
 Lawn-tennis, 55; lawn-tennis suits, 56 ; 
 
 how to make a lawn-tennis net, 57; 
 
 materials for, ib. ; court, 62 ; rules for 
 
 the game, 63 
 Leap-year party, 351 
 Leaves and ferns for decoration, 19 
 Light, 252 
 Links, golf, 505 
 
 M 
 
 Mailing parcels, directions for, 16 
 Mantle-cloth, 454 
 Mantle-piece, 451 
 Maple-wax Easter eggs, 49 
 Marshmallow paste, 460 ; toasted, 461 
 Mat colors, 277 
 
 May Day, 71; sports, 72; May baskets, 
 74; May-pole, 77; May-pole dance, 
 
 79 
 Midsummer Eve, 83 ; the games of, 85 
 
 et seq. 
 
 Mirror, tableau, 6 
 Mirror, the, 404 
 Model, arrangement of, in water-color 
 
 painting, 240 
 
Index. 
 
 557 
 
 Modelling in clay and wax, 257; value 
 of, 259; much can be learned without 
 a teacher, ib.; materials, ib.; clay, 
 260 ; general directions, 261 
 
 Modelling stand, 260 
 
 Modelling wax, 263 
 
 Molasses candy, 459 
 
 Monochrome painting, 278 
 
 Mounting a bicycle, 476 
 
 Movements in swimming, 494 
 
 Music-roll, a, 410 
 
 N 
 
 Nancy, Miss, 326 
 Nature's types, 125 
 Needle, hammock, 58; 161 
 Needle-work, 380 
 Net, lawn-tennis, 57 
 New Year's Day, 347 ; New Year's par- 
 ties, 348 
 
 Noah's ark peep-show, 8 
 Nutting parties, 218; rules for, 221 
 
 Oil-cups, 251 
 Oiling bicycles, 481 
 Oils for china-painting, 275 
 Overcasting, 380 
 Overhanding, 380 
 
 Paint-box, 251 
 
 Painting in water-colors, 238; materi- 
 als for, ib.; flower-painting, 239; 
 model, 240 ; landscapes, 241 ; gen- 
 eral directions, 242 ; painting from 
 notes, 244 
 
 Painting in oil-colors, 249 ; materials, 
 ib. ; the light, 252 ; setting the pa- 
 lette, 253 
 
 Painting on lawn, 434 
 
 Painting a target, 5 QI 
 
 Painting window-panes, 432 
 
 Paints, for china-painting, 274 
 
 Palette, 250; setting the, 253 
 
 Palette-knife, 250 ; of horn, 273 
 
 Panel decorations, 205, 209, 270 
 
 Panel of field-corn, 209 
 
 Pantomime of an enchanted girl, 348 
 
 Paper-weight, 412 
 
 Parachute, 112 
 
 Party, first of April, 5 ; Fourth of July, 
 117; door-step, 151; Halloween, 
 189; nutting, 218 
 
 Paste, how to make, 402 
 
 Patch, how to, 386 
 
 Patterns for water-fairies, 550 
 
 Peanut-candy, 458 
 
 Peanuts, 223 
 
 Perfumes, to prepare from flowers, 21 
 
 Physical culture, 526 
 
 Picnics, burgoos, and corn-roasts, 131 ; 
 how to make a burgoo stew, 133; 
 a corn-roast, 134 
 
 Picture-frames, 295 
 
 Pilgrims, landing of, tableau, 305 et seq. 
 
 Pin-wheels, 114 
 
 Plain-sewing, 380; overhanding, ib.; 
 overcasting, 381 ; hemming, ib.; run- 
 ning, 382 ; basting, ib. ; gathering, 
 ib.; stitching, 383 ; back-stitching, 
 ib.; felling, ib.; button-holes, ib.; 
 herring-bone, or cat's-tooth stitch, 384 
 
 Plantain test, 86 
 
 Plaster casts, 268; to harden, 270; to 
 color, ib. 
 
 "Poisson d'Avril,"4 
 
558 
 
 Index. 
 
 Pop-corn balls, 462 
 
 Portieres, designs for, 391 ; buckeye, 
 
 204 
 
 Position on the bicycle, 474 
 Postal regulations for packages, 16 
 Progressive mining, 119 
 Putting-green, 510 
 
 Rag-balls, 427 
 
 Ribbon, curtain, 430 
 
 Ribbon embroideries, 393 
 
 Riding a bicycle, 477 ; up hill, 478 ; 
 
 down hill, 479 
 Rising from a chair, 535 
 Rooster, a lively, 327 
 Rosewater, recipe for, 26 
 Rubbish, what to do with, 403 
 Rules of the road, 479 ; for breathing, 
 
 529; for golf, 516; for conducting 
 
 meetings, 542 
 Running, 382 
 
 s 
 
 Sachet, 323 
 
 Saddles, 473 
 
 Saint Valentine's Day, 464 
 
 Scrap-bag, 324 
 
 Scrap-book, 395 
 
 Scrap drapery, 431 
 
 Screen, marine, 99 ; Louis Quinze, 206 
 
 Sea- shore game, a new, 485 
 
 Settee, 442 
 
 Shells, how to polish, 104 
 
 Shelves around chimney, 456 
 
 Siccatif Courtray, 253 
 
 "Silly mackerel, "4 
 
 Sitting correctly, 534 
 
 Speaking, effectiveness in, 544 
 Spring flowers in winter, 23 
 "Squirrel, little brown," 218, 221, 222 
 Stained glass, imitation of, 435 
 Standing correctly, 530 
 Starfish, candlestick made of, 102: or- 
 naments of, 103 ; how to dry, 104 
 Stitches, fancy, 387 
 Stitching, 383 
 Swimming, 492 
 
 T-square, 234 
 
 Table, a bric-a-brac, 406 ; at a fair, 413 
 
 Tableau, mirror, 6 
 
 Tableaux, burlesque, 304; historical, 
 
 341 
 
 Tar paste, 275 
 
 Target-shooting with apples, 499; the 
 
 target, 500 ; sticks and apples, 502 ; 
 
 scoring, ib. 
 Teeing-ground, 508 
 Telephone, how to make a, 224 
 Tent, illuminated, in 
 Terms used in golf, glossary of, 520 
 Thanksgiving, celebration of, 302 
 Thunderbolts, 112 
 
 Tiles, painted on marble mantle, 453 
 Tin telephone, 225 
 Tints in water-color painting, 242 
 Tit, tat, toe, with living figures, 48$ r 
 
 the players, 487 ; the game, 488 
 Toss, 118 
 Tracing, 280 
 Transformation scrap-book, 398 
 
 U 
 
 Urchin, sea, vase made of, IO2 
 
Index. 
 
 559 
 
 Valentine party, 465 
 Vase, marine, 102 
 
 w 
 
 Walking, 532 
 
 Walking Club, the, 27 ; membership of, 
 
 30 ; length of walks, ib. ; rules to be 
 
 observed, 31 
 Walnuts, 220 
 
 Walnut creams, 459 ; glace, 460 
 Walnut-shell turtle, 325 
 
 Washstand, 446 
 
 Water-colors, 238 
 
 Water-fairies, 547; patterns for, 550 
 
 Wax-modelling, home-made, 263 
 
 Wedding decorations, wild flowers for, 
 
 202 
 
 Whirls, 113 
 Wild flowers, 13 
 Window decorations, 92 
 Window-panes, decoration of, 432 
 Window-seat, 448 
 Winged fancies, 113 
 Worcester, Royal, ware, 290 
 Work-basket, crab-net, 97 
 Work-basket, 411 
 
THE BEARD BOOKS 
 FOR GIRLS 
 
 BY 
 
 LINA AND ADELIA B. BEARD 
 
 HANDICRAFT AND RECREATION FOR 
 GIRLS 
 
 By LINA AND ADELIA B. BEARD. With illustrations. 8vo, $1.60 
 net (postage extra). 
 
 This new and elaborate book for girls, by Lina and Adelia Beard, 
 whose previous books on girls' sports have become classic, combines a 
 mass of practical instruction on handicrafts and recreations. The prac- 
 tice of the handicrafts as here presented by the authors will be found as 
 diverting as the recreations which make up the second half of the book. 
 The subject-matter of both handicrafts and recreations is entirely new 
 and offers a rich storehouse of amusement for summer days and winter 
 evenings. The illustrations number over seven hundred text and full- 
 page drawings, which elucidate the text in tb.3 most informing way. No 
 more charming gift- book for girls could be desired. 
 
 WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE AND DO 
 
 New Ideas for Work and Play. By LINA AND ADELIA B. BEARD. 
 With over 300 illustrations by the authors. Square 8vo, 
 $1.60**. 
 
 "This book is filled full of ideas and drawings original with the 
 authors themselves, and it would be a dull girl who could not make 
 herself busy and happy following its precepts. ... A most inspiring 
 book for an active-minded girl." Chicago Record- Her aid. 
 
 THE AMERICAN GIRL'S HANDY BOOK 
 
 Or, How to Amuse Yourself and Others. By LINA AND ADELIA 
 B. BEARD. 14th Thousand. With more than 300 illustra- 
 tions by the authors. Square 8vo, $2.00. 
 
 "It is a treasure which, once possessed, no practical girl would will- 
 ingly part with. It is an invaluable aid in making a home attractive, 
 comfortable, artistic, and refined." GHACE GREENWOOD. 
 
THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 The Jack of All Trades 
 
 OR, NEW IDEAS FOR AMERICAN BOYS 
 
 By DANIEL C BEARD 
 Profusely Illustrated. Square 8vo, $2.00 
 
 " Every boy who is handy with tools 
 of any sort will enjoy this book." 
 
 Youth's Companion. 
 
 11 This book is a capital one to give any 
 boy for a present at Christmas, on a birthday, 
 or indeed at any time." The Outlook. 
 
 11 Full of new ideas for active boys who 
 like to use tools and see interesting things 
 growing under their hands." 
 
 N. Y. Tribune. 
 
 " A perfect treasure-house of things that 
 delight the soul of a boy and keep him happy 
 and busy." The Interior. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 Part L Fair Weather Ideas 
 
 Tree-Top Club-Houses How to Capture and Trap Small Live Animals 
 The Back-Yard Zoo A Back-Yard Fish-Pond Pigeon and Bantam 
 Coops How to Make a Back-Yard Aviary A Boy's Back-Yard Work- 
 shop How to Build an Underground Club-House A Boys' Club-House 
 on the Waler How to Have Fun on a Picnic How to Build and How to 
 Furnish a Daniel Boone Cabin Flat Boatman's House The American Boy's 
 House Boat Back-Yard Switchback How to Build a Toboggan Slide in 
 the Back-Yard. 
 
 Part IL Rainy "Weather Ideas 
 
 A Home-Made Circus Good Games with Toothpicks and Matches Fun 
 with Scissors and Pasteboard and Paper How to Prepare and Give a Boys* 
 Chalk Talk A Christmas Novelty for Boys How to Make T'vo Boys into 
 One Santa Claus A Circus in the Attic - A Boys' Stag Party A Wild 
 West Show in the House How to Have a Panorama Show. 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, Publishers 
 
 <53-J57 Fifth Avenue. New York 
 
THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 The Outdoor Handy Book 
 
 FOR PLAYGROUND, FIELD AND FOREST 
 
 By DANIEL C. BEARD 
 "With more than 300 Illustrations by the Author. Square 8vo, $2.00 
 
 " It tells how to play all sorts of games with marbles, how to make and spin more kinds 
 of tops than most boys ever heard of, how to make the latest things in plain and fancy kites, 
 where to dig bait and how to fish, all about boats and sailing, and a host of other things which 
 
 can be done outdoors. The volume is pro- 
 fusely illustrated and will be an unmixed 
 delight to any boy." New York Tribune. 
 
 SUMMARY OF CONTENTS 
 
 Marbles Tops Latest Things 
 in Kites Aerial Fish and Dragons 
 Hoops and Wheels How to 
 Make the Sucker Up in the Air 
 on Stilts Bait, Live and Dead 
 Fishing Aquatic Sports Rigs of 
 All Kinds for Small Boats Shells 
 and Canoes Hints for Collectors 
 Honey-Bee Messengers A "Zoo" 
 Choosing Up and "It" Count- 
 ing Out Rhymes Swimming 
 Games of Tag I Spy Leap Frog 
 Various Sports for Hot Days 
 Tip Cat Games of Ball Mumbly 
 Peg, Hop-Scotch, and Jack Stones 
 Hints for Bicyclists Camping 
 Out Boy's Ballista "Tally-ho!" 
 and Other Cries Indian Games for 
 Boys Football Golf, Hockey, 
 and Shinny Turtle Hunting 
 Skating Stunning Muskrats and 
 Fish Snowball Battle and Snow 
 Tag Sleds. 
 
 THE: OUTDOOR 
 [ANDY BOOK 
 
 BY 
 
 D.GBeard' 
 
 New York. 
 Charles 
 Scribners 
 Sons. 
 1900 
 
 From CHARLES DANA GIBSON: " It makes a man of a boy and a boy of a man." 
 
 " This book is praiseworthy from end to end, and will find favor even with those who 
 have long since passed to man's estate." The Nation. 
 
 " It is one of the completest things of the kind ever written, and with it one can hardly 
 conceive how a boy could be without pleasant and profitable amusement at any time. It 
 treats of directions for every season of the year, in and out of doors, and on land and water. 
 One of the best things about it is that it furnishes employment for a boy's ingenuity and 
 mechanical skill. It seems as if this book must be destined to au immense popularity." 
 
 The Advance. 
 
THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 THE AMERICAN BOY'S HANDY BOOK 
 
 Or, What To Do and How To Do It 
 
 By DANIEL C BEARD 
 One volume, 8vo, fully Illustrated by the Author, $2*00 
 
 Mr. Beard's book tells the active, inventive, and practical American boy 
 the things he really wants to know; the thousand things he wants to do, and 
 the ten thousand ways in which he can do them, with the helps and ingen- 
 ious contrivances which every boy can either procure or make. The author 
 divides the book among the sports of the four seasons ; and he has made an 
 almost exhaustive collection of the 
 cleverest modern devices, besides 
 himself inventing an immense num- 
 ber of capital and practical ideas. 
 
 SUMMARY OF CONTENTS 
 
 Kite Time War Kites Novel 
 Modes of Fishing Home-made 
 Fishing Tackle How to Stock, 
 Make, and Keep a Fresh -water 
 Aquarium How to Stock and Keep 
 a Marine Aquarium Knots, Bends, 
 and Hitches Dredge, Tangle, and 
 Trawl Fishing Home-made Boats 
 How to Rig and Sail Small Boats 
 How to Camp Out Without a 
 Tent How to Rear Wild Birds 
 Home-made Hunting Apparatus 
 Traps and Trapping Dogs Prac- 
 tical Taxidermy for Boys Snow 
 Houses and Statuary Winged 
 Skaters Winter Fishing Indoor 
 Amusements How to Make a 
 Magic Lantern Puppet Shows 
 Home-made Masquerade and The- 
 atrical Costumes With many other 
 subjects of a kindred nature. 
 
 " It is an excellent publication, and is heartily recommended to parents." 
 
 The Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 "The book has this great advantage over its predecessors, that most of the games, tricks, 
 and other amusements described in it are new. It treats of sports adapted to all seasons ol 
 the year; it is practical, and it is well illustrated." The New York. Tribune. 
 
 "It tells boys how to make all kinds of things boats, traps, toys, puzzles, aquariums, 
 fishing tackle; how to tie knots, splice ropes, to make bird calls, sleds, blow guns, balloons; 
 how to rear wild birds, to train dogs, and do the thousand and one things that boys take de- 
 light in. The book is illustrated in such a way that no mistake can be made ; and the boy 
 swio gets a copy of this book will consider himself set up in business." 
 
 The Indianapolis Journal. 
 
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