The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-10-13
Household ExpedieniS.
BY SUSAN sNAPP.

nor turns back at 8 mishap. Her nature |
is a sort OF universal antidote for home
perplexities. She revels in make shifts
and ignores the impossible. She is an
efficient Mr.. Chick in petticoats. l do |
believe it would be pleasant thing for
her, on any ironing day, to discover that |
all the fiat-iIons had suddenly lost their |
handles--it would be such delight to |
contrive substitutes for them out OF the |
clOthes.pin
One summer, when Uncle Benedict :
hired an old half tumbled-dOwn cottage |
for the summer, she moved there, taking |
no heavy furniture-yet out OF packing |
boxes, boards and barrels, she contrived |
to fit out kitchen, psIlOr, and three
bed chambers, to say nothing of state |
apartment for honored guests Her pres ,
ent suburban home is g curiosity simple, |
unpretendiHg, ana so very pretty; bat /
almost every thing in it is "a cOntriv-
ance." Uncle Benedict is only q bank |
clerk on a moderate salary, and there are |
three children; so, Of course, there is 10 !
surplus oi ready cash. Whose business is |
IL that the pretty ottOnlans IL the psTiOr
are just pine boxes, cushioned and covered |
with striped chiniz that the chairs were
bought direct Of the manufacturers, IN
polished, and with just the fret COW
ering GOT unbleached canvass on the seats,
and were aiterward covered with chintz
by Aunt; or that the plain wood
en- mantle is made 70 look fine by
drspery improVised from dark
meTino skirt2 And il she chooses to
buy very cheap but really pretty imita-
ton bronze, and make q pedestal fer it
herself, by setting up a rough pine post in
a cheese-box, and clapping the cover on
top the post, to give it shape, before Gov
eTing the whole neatly with folds Of
brown merino and satin tout OF cold
duds J. who need do anything but ad-
mire? The flower stand in her parlor is
lovely, but 1t is improvised out Of high
nursery-fender made OF heavy wire. she
fitted psn-top of wood TO it herself,
painted the fender brown, fastened pine
cones around its upper edge, and filled
the top with charcoal End sOil-planted
her variegated-leaved plants and vines,
allowing ivy TO creep IN aid out among
the fancy meshes of the lender; and
you've 10 idea how pretty the effect is
Her old-tashiOned centretsble was too
small, SO she obtained q big pine wood
top for dollar, screwed it on, enlarged
the little square table cloth by sewing on
pretty border, and now on winter even
AhS,o1 OH tAC CStL SlI SIDGIku III anu
have room TO spare. She bought second
hand carpets, put sil the best parts around
the edges of the room, and the worst IN
the middle, and covered the centre with a
square drugget, tina: c0Iresp0nGed charm
| ing ~ In color. l haven't time to tell half
She found two old bedrOOm-chalr5 some
where, rubbed and oiled them, stuffed
out the seats, and covered them with
lovely striped materlal, which I learned
yesterday was made out of an old green
waist and pair of Uncle BeneGict's cast
away pantalOODs. She meIds her cane
bottom chairs with twine, ald then var
| nishes the seats so that you scarcely can
tell they are mended. She makes her own
soap-stones tor her stove, by taking three
parts Ia bulk of potter bakers clay TO one
OF wood-sshes, stirring in water till
thick paste is formed, and plastering it
thickly in place with kitchen spoon. 1t
soon hardens, and the fire bakes it harder
and it will last for months. If piece is
broken out of lamp chimney, instead OF
throwing The chimney away, she puts in
the piece very neatly with thin strips of
paper, suck on with mucilage, and knows
by experience that it will "hOld" in spite
OF the neat. Ii her shoe is too tight she
Sits it over the toe till it is easy, and con-
ceals damages with big rosette. She
turns old window shades upside down,
and leaves the old faded part rolled up at
the top; or Ii she has chance TO buy
new ones, all ways buys plain buff linen
and makes them up herself She makes
foot benches out of starch boxes, and
closets out of shoe boxes, draping the lat
ter with pretty chiDtz or thin muslin over
pink paper muslin. AZ mother says, "She
beats all !" yet, when you near of each
thing, ii Is so simple, you think st the
time 1t Is hardly worth noticing. Still,
John and l have CLEANED good many
useful ideas from Aunt BenediCt's house
mold contrivances.
l shall never forget the time Aunt and
l went On visit to Boston. She carried
half her knick knacks in her hoopskirt
cover. How she managed to wear the
article So burdened, cannot imagine;
but she insisted it was perfectly convent
ent and comfortable. Once at our Jour
ney's end, she ''unpacked" of course. It
was funny TO see two great pockets taken
off from under her dress. They were
about half q yard long, but they were
very handy she said. Her paregoric
and camphOr Walls were rendered secure
by means of small piece of thin india.
rubber carefully tied over the corks ga
pan StiQ - ocESUlCt. l.
bought hanofal OF these scraps al the
rubber store for ten cents, about two years
ago, and they've been invaluable"
The weather changed suddenly during
our journey to Boston, and Aunt Bene-
dics found herself growing very cold; SO
she took a big newspaper, folded it ker-
chief fashion over her bosom, pinned an
other around her waist, put her black
shawl neatly over all, and declared her
self to be perfectly comfortable. believe
she pinned another newspaper over her
pettlcoat so as TO keep heE knees warm,
but SIN not sure. She told lie that often
When she got her shoes damp, she would
put III a double paper sole, and s. protect
her feet perfectly until she had chance
TO obtain dry shoes. H. travelling, enc
sometimes puts newspapers between the
scanty covering of hotel beds, consider
ing two big newspapers equal to quilt
One cay, during our visit, l found my
self unexpectedly out Of clean lace collars.
We were dressing for dinner, and l was
in no little dismay. "Never mind" said
Aunt Benedict, ecstatiCslly, "Pll marsge
it. Light the g8s-I always carry a case
knife with me and some sugar
While | was Staring at this very irrele-
want remark, Aunt lifted one of the long
pockets out of the bureau drawer tempo
rarlly devoted to her use, took out two
parcels and set to work washing my col
lar, 'stiffening 1t slightly with weak sugar
water, and ironing it between two sheets
OF letter-paper with the fat blade of the
case-knife! she heated the knife at the
gas jet beside the bureau, and used it with
with great dexterity. My collar looked
like new. The sugar gave it just the
right body" without stif1ening it, and
the flat blade smoothed it without giving
it the tight, hard look that lace is sure to