The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-12-22
Nothing Bnt Leaves.

A few short weeks ago road and hillside
were glowing with color the plumo-hSe
foliage of the sumach blushed rosily
through its green the poison ivy caught
the spotted fever. and glared from hedge
and thicket in deadly beauty the beech
turned a sober brown and the oak q shad-
er red. but lovely, capricious maple dress
ed herself in a Joseph's coat of many col
ors-now pink, now green, now crimson
and scarlet and yellOw-and dropped her
leaves as layishly as though there had
been an army of Babes in the Wood TO
cover from the cold. 1t is all done now
the last leaf has fallen and even the de-
lieious shutting through the crisp, shrivei-
ed remains OF these marvellous painted
tree robes is over for a year. But the
leaves are not all shriveled and wasted
some OF them have been imprisoned IN
their fresh beauty between other leaves,
leaves Of ponderous volums seldom read
Websier's Unabridged, for instance and
with all the life pressed out of them, they
vet retain their beauty of coloring. They
are eloquent. too, of walks and drives
and whispered nothings, and that old ae-
count book-clumsy, c~ali-bound thing that
it is-Lolds a prose poem between It's
covers, written in sprays and leaves gather
ed far off on the banks of the AndToscoSin-
Ii was a months dream OF iairY-iand IN
the crisp September and October air the
driving past the fields ripe for the harvest
and The many-colored hills with their
somber crowns of evergreen-Iast the
the limpid trout stream, and over the shaky
foot bridges-stopping where the bright
bued leaves were thickest, and riding
home IN a perfect bower OF crimson
branches, shading into all the unts ever
known in nature. And then in the gioam-
inc. by the dancing freight from the
pine.not that have kindled so many
eeniuses. we knelt in u sort OF Hindoo
pooiah before our treasures, placing them
tenderly under the Juggernaut OF a pom
derous weight to have life and decay
crushed out of them at once. And here
thew are, l~ifeless, but beautiful still n
we come back from our elysium in Maine
10 hear a practical voice inquire did
YOU ever try ironing themT' Never to
the best OF our knowledge-we should as
soon think OF boiling them. But fiat
irons and leaves are not satisfactorily prov
ed to US TO be quite %congenial the iron TO
be Just hot enought not to scorch, and the
leaf to be protected by one thickness OF
paper. What next? We ask in wonder
ment. Why, next varnish them-which
will bring u the colors and help to pre-
serve them or, leave them as they are,
if you consider that varnish gives them
too artificial a look. The end of a sperma-
ceti candle rubbed on the iron, which is
then applied TO the Leaf without protect
ing it by paper, sometimes works nicely F;
and sometimes the leaves curl up as though
animated by the total depTavity known as
pure ~cussedness." Sometimes the leaves
are dipped singly, without ironing them,
into melted bees wax, with very satisfac-
tory results. A coat of boiled linseeG oil
is also considered an excellent preserver.
Sheets of newspaper sewed together into
a thick pamphlet, which Is well filled with
leaves, and then placed between two mat
~tresses to be judiciously slept on, are rec.
commended as a particularly nice way Of
preparing these autumn treasures but
there should be two pamphlets and the
leaves changed from one to the other
every day, in order to keep them perfectly
dry. We tried this plan once and it work
ed beautiful so far as il went. We haC
charming leaves, too, gathered in The
White Mountain region, and we changed
them daily for a week, watching their pro
gress with great satisfaction. Then cam.
t . morning of hurried departure ; the ole
stage coach rumbled up before it was eX
pected We all rushed for outside seats fol
a grand view down the mountain, ant
after the excitement had subsidized one o
; us mourned another dear gazelle" gone
and Thought sadly that, in all probability
! the chambermaid at the G. House would
fling TO the passing breeze the objects o
our weeks solicitude and care.
And what" says some one skepiically
edo you propose doing with that box o
dried leaves?' We purpose putting then
away until the remembrance of their glow
ing coloring, when on their native trees
is in G measure dimmed-possibly unit
e Christmas then we purpose bringing then
forth, vanishing them and making then
into various shapes of beauty. \ Thanks
d giving crJss OF medium-sized leaves, nike
i with dried grasses and berries, is Away
desirable and transparencies, wre ath
r and picture-frame ornaments are yer
e effective. Single leaves caught here an
there on white curtains produce beautiful
Il effects, and a cornice Of large leaves sew
ed on paste board is q charming hea
ing for snowy draperies. But the
! don't last, do theyf" asks Mrs. Grat
grind. who has no respect tor anythin
u that did not belong to some ones grea
d grandmother. They certainly cannot /
J handed downas heirlooms through geRei
atoms, even when they are vanished
indeed, n season is usually the limit