Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-10-20
Household Expedieu6.


Household Expedientss
BY SUSAN sNAPP.
Or al the women ever knew, Ny
Aunt Benedict II the best ct devising eX-
pedients. She never bslks at Q difficulty
nor turns back ut Z mishap. Her nature
II sort Of universal antidote for home
perplexities. She revels in make shiits
and ignores the impossible. She is an
efficient 1dr. Chick In petticoats. I DO
believe II would be pleasant thing for
her, on any ironing day, to discover that
oil the flat.irons had suddenly lost their
handles-it would be such delight to
contrive substitutes for them out Of the
clothes-pins.
One summer, when Uncle Benedict
hired an old halftnmbled-do down cottage
for the summer, she moved there, taking
no heavy furniture-yet out Of packing.
boxes boards and barrels, she contrived
to at out kitchen, psrlor, and three
bed -chambers, to say nothing of state
apartment for honored guests. Her pres.
emit suburban home Is a curiosity simple,
unpretending, and 30 very pretty; but
almost every thing in it is "a contriv.
ance." Uncle Benedict is only bank
clerk on moderate salary, and there are
three children; 80, of course, there is no
surplus of ready cash. Whose business Is
it that the pretty ottomans In the parlor
are Just pine boxes, cushioned and covered
with striped chintz; that the chairs were
bought direct of the manufacturers, un-
polished, and with Just the first COW
ering (of unblesched canvas) on the seats,
and were atterward covered with chintz
by Aunt; or that the plain wood
en- mantle Is made to look fine by
drapery imprOvised from dark
merino skirt And If she chooses to
buy very cheap but really pretty imita.
ton bronze, and make Q pedestal for it
herself, by setting up rough pine post in
cheese-box, and clapping the cover on
top the post, to give it shape, before GOV.
ering the whole neatly with folds Of
brown merino and eatin tout of "old
duds'D, who need do anything but ad
mire? The Aower-stand In her parlor is
lovely, but it is improvised out OF high
nursery fender made of heavy wire. She
fitted q pan.top of wood TO II herself,
painted the fender brown, fastened pine
cones around It's upper edge, and filled
the top with charcoal and soil-planted
her variegated-leaved plants and vines,
allowing ivy to creep in and out among
the fancy meshes Of the fender and
you've no idea how pretty the effect is
Her old fashioned comfortable was too
small, SO she obtained . big pine wood
top for q dollar, screwed 1t on, enlarged
the little square table cloth by sewing on
pretty border, and now on winter even.
ings, all the family can sit around It and
have room to spare. She bought second
hand carpets, put all the best parts around
the edges Of the room, and the worst in
the middle, and covered the centre with
square drugget, that correspondcd charm.
ingly in color. / haven't time to tell half.
She found two old bedroom-chairs some
where, rubbed and oiled them, stuffed
out the seats, and covered them with
lovely striped mxterial, which ! learned
yesterday was made out of an old green
waist and pair of Uncle Bsnedict's cast
away psntaloons. She mends her cane
bottom chairs with twine, and then var
nishes the seats 90 that You scarcely can
tell they are mended. She makes her own
soap stopes for her stove, by taking three
parts in bulk of potter bakers clay TO one
OF wood. ashes, stirring in water till .
thick paste u formed, and plasteTing II
thickly In place with kitchen spoon. 1t
soon hardens, and the fife bskes 1t harder
and it win last for months. II piece ID
broken out Of lamp chimney, instead OF
throwing the chimney away, she puts in
the piece very neatly With thin strips OF
paper, stuck on with mucilAge, and knows
BY experience that 1t will "hoid" in spite
OF the heat. II her shoe il too tight, she
slits II over the toe till 1t 10 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 If she has chance to buy
new ones, always 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
tor with pretty chintz or thin muslin over
pink paper-muslin. Az mother says, s6he
beats alf !" yet, when you hear Of each
thing, it 10 20 simple, you think ct the
| time It u hardly worth noticing. Sill,
John and have cleaned agood many
useful IDEAS from Aunt Benedict's house
hold contrivances.
/ shall never forget the time Aunt and
I went on visit TO Boston. She carried
half her nick-knacks In her hoopskirt
cover. How she managed to wear the
article 80 burdened, / cannot imagine
4 but she insisted 1t WAS perfectly. convent
emit and comfortable. Once 1t our jour
1 ney's end, she s'unpAcked" Of course. 1t
was funny to see two great pockets taken
on from under her dress. They were
shout half q, yard long, but they were
very "hAndy," she SAid. Her paregosic
and camphor vials were rendered secure
y means Of 3 esaAll piece Of thin india.
rubber carefully tied over tho corkA "A
capital plan it q" rid Aunt Benedict. II
Thought Z handkdl q theue scraps ~ the
rubber store for ten centA abouttwo years
ago, and they've been invaluable"
1 ThesweAther changed suddenlys during
our journey TO Boston. and Aunt Bene-
dict found herself growing very cold; 20
sho took big Newspaper, folded u kerr
chief fashion over her bosom, pinned an
other around her wsist, put her black
shawl neatly over all, and declared her.
self TO be perfectly comfortable lbelieve
she pinned smother ne1SpApef over her
lpsttioosE 70 - 70 keep hsf knees warm.
| but an mot sure. She told me- that often
| when she got her shoes damp, shs would
|iput IN adouSle Daper soles And 70 protect
her Seet perfectly until she had . chance
to obtain dry shosa In travelling, ahs
fsonsaues puts hswspaNsrs between taa