Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-04-07
From the American Agriculturis. for April u
Hints on Household Matters.
BY A DELAWARE HOUsE-KEEPER.

contemplating it ruefully one day, !
knowing that the state of my purse
would not allow me to replace it
just yet with a new one. | could
think Of no way to mend it, but by |
big patches tackled in place In
the midst of my dilemma an expert
enced old lady entered, who sug-
gested paste instead Of tacks. i have
repeatedly put muslin patches over
the carpet with paste, said she
sand it is surprising how well it
holds 1 took the hint. Patches
are not, in their nature, beautiful,
yet patched garment is decidedly |
better-looking than ragged one,
and the same is true Of a patched
carpet, and my patches were so cas-
lily applied and proved so adhesive,
that l rarely sweep the room with
out a mental denediction upon the |
one who suggested it.
CUTTING HoT BHEAD.-Onc dayl
company arrived unexpected y.
Supper was just over and no bread
had been left. I had just taken
from the oven some delicious look
ing light bread, but it was too hot
to cut. We live in a country place
where there is no baker. In my
bewilderment, Happened to remem
Der that in Mrs. " hitney's Cook
Book just How she suggests
heating a knife, in order to split
open a hot short-cake, Why,thought !
|, may not smoking-hot light bread, |
be sliced with hot knife It is
the cold surface Of the steel appli- |
ed to the warm dough that produces
disagreeable c.amminess. l heat
ed my carving KNIFE and tried il.
The bread sliced beautifully, and as
l piled it up to bring TO tie table, l
put it on & plate upon which I had
laid fresh napkin, 10. tie contact
of the hot bread with the cold plate
would have produced the same sod |
den clamminess Oh the surface of
the lower slice, OF course, | would
not recommend the slicing Of hot
loaves except upon emergencies.
AS a frequent diet it might prove
injurious, but not more so than
other warm breads.
TURNIPs or TIE GHIDDLE.-I
had seen for some time a statement
going the rounds Of newspapers,
that a turnip used in rubbing the
griddle, while cooking griddle cakes,
would give the desired smoothness
and do away with the unpleasant
smoke. | doubted it, but a trial
soon convinced me that the state
ment was correct. l found, how
ever, that at timcs, it was neces airy,
when beginning, to put a very
little grease on The tunip, but this
made no apPrcciablc smoke.
RIGHT AND LEFT.-1Iy little boy
was left-handed. | bad found, by
experience, that scAool-iie would
be particularly irksome to lin, III
that defect were not rcmidied before
he began school. It was useless
for me to try to persuade him to
draw pictures on his little slate with
the right hand. That hand was re-
ally weaker than the other; he could
not guide it. So 1 made little pic
lures on the slate, nothing intricate.
then rubbed them of with my fin
ger till only the dim outline could
be seen. These | required him to
trace. The weak hand that could
not originate a line, could. litile by
little, approximate the rubbed out
lines. Afterwards, by same plan, |
taught him to wite the letters OF
the alphabet, and by the time lie
was old enough 10 90 TO school. he
had learned to use his right hand.
ABABY TENDGR.-1Iy baby was
creeping ali over tie floor, and /
had no nurse for Aor. There were
time when she drove me nearly dis
tracted. When l was busiest, il
seemed to me she crept into the
most dangerous places. Just i'm
agine a woman, busy preparing din
ner. Except herself, baby is the
only occupant Of the room, She
opens the oven TO basic the roast
ing beet. Just as her entire ener.
gies are directed to the operation,
baby takes advantage other stoop-
ing position and creeps up On her
back. She cannot dislodgo the
child, and it is with extreme diff
Guilty that she replaces the hot pan
without an accident 1 frequently
found myself in such positions, At
last 1 thought Of a remedy, l pro-
cured dry-goods box, Or such a |
box as shoes are generally packed |
in; It's dimensions were as follows
depth half yard, width fifteen
inches, and length one yard. This
l put in one corner Of the kitchen.
Whenever l was particularly busy,
1 caught up the darling and 5ored
her. She might dislike her close
quarters, might struggle to be free,
but at least she was safe But in
a little while she did not dislike her
prison. She learned to pull up by
tbo e;do, and lool- o,-or, clio too |