Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-11-18
HOW AUNT HETTY MANAGES.

! We cell her Aunt Hetty, though
Der name ia Hester or maybe Es-
ther. She is fathers uncle's second
wife, and she makes long visits
among the relatives, and, as old
Betty Martin said of her great glar.
ing bunch of fiery marigolds st the
back door, 'she pays her way all
the time" There ia hardly day
in which we do not Iearn something
from the dear eoul. The ar, of
economizing that these old Yankee
ladies have is most marvellous Yon
can hardly drive ore into difficulty
IN which she cannot find way out
OF 1t. And though this article mas
not quite come under the caption at
its head, we will warrant the won.
en- readers will be pleased with it,
especially those who work with
their hands, aided by brain work or
those who sometimes feel the need
OF more-more-well, Aunt Hetty
would call it "gumption."
Well ,sswhen we cleaned house 10
the spring, the carpet in my room,
a cheap ingram, was taken up. aud
the family all said THAT will new
er do to use any more, we can
take it to make covers for the borg
es in winter or it will answer to
spread over the potato barrels to
keep the LIGHT cut at any rate, it
has paid its way we'll. Three years
OF very famili. r usage ia long enough
for piece of cheap carpet"
But auntie put on her glasses, and
took up little nip with her thumb
and fingers, and rubbed it, and held
it up TO the light, aud then rubbed
it again, and squinted and said:
LA suzl Now, gals, I'd make that
web o. carpit last three times as
long, see + wouldn't meow
There's mighty good pickip' in that
engrsin, for al the reds run inter
the yaIiow, hud too yaliow inter the
grean, ana the hlack's teched all tbs
other colors some'at. Bat but Ia
SUI! me- an hubby d "a run that
csrpit years aa' years arter you'd
"a gin 1t up as good for nothn', see
Il We wouldn't meow, gals"
So we let Aunt HettY Elan her
way, aud we want to tell on how
she managed.
The carpet would not bear u thor
ough washing so We Iaid it in a
tub and poured over it hot water,
in which was dissolved a lump Of
borax and an ounce of sugar of lead
We let it lie awhile, pressing it
down, and turning it over occaslo n
ally, that the water might penetrate
through and through. Then the
strips were folded length wise, and
the carpet put through the wringsr
without rubbing or twisting it out
of shape. Tnis treatmen. made it
clean.
When dry, it was amoothed out
nicely and cut into strips, crosswise,
and made into very nice filing for
a new web OF narrow stair carpet.
Aunt had the entire management
of it. The chain cost but a trif1e
the filling hid it entirely when
woven well and we wish we could
tell you what that strange, pretty
web resem oles. Father says it re
minds him of a mat Of moss after
the frost hes touched it 10 October.
Cousin Ann says it looks like rare
shawl that her French teacher wore |
at the seminary mixture of green
and gray and gold, with a HUT of
snow and frost, end tho tint of dead |
leaves, ell together blended. IL is
really rare and pretty. The borax
cleaned it, and the sugar of lead
kept the coloFs from fading
It did US good to see Hester stand
with her hands resting on her hips.
her head sidewise, looking up our
kitchen stairs 80 satisfied aud 40
gratified over her own handiwork
We resolved then to tell the women
Of the Home about this cute ar.
rangement through Pipsey or Chat
ty, but that is such tedious wav
to get somebody to foot your horn |
for you, when you can do your own
footing.
We thought our old auntie was
wonderful wise, too, the other dav
One of our neighbours girls over the
hill was going to 8 picnic. Her
share of the dinne; was 10 be @
couple of nice roast chickens. Each
girl knew what she was to provide.
and The chickens fell to Eta Lewis
share. Her mother told her to
catch them eff the ro0st at night,
put them 10 barrel, and then bv
rising early the next morning she
could very easily get them ready in
time. In the night the dog heard
the rafting aud the whimpering.
and, thinking il was rats, be tipped
the barrel over and the chickens
escaped. The boys had gone to the
ether farm to work before Eta
found out about the chickens, and
there was no one TO shoot any for
her; the dog had gone with the
boys and poor Eta couldn't run
one down with her hair all put up
in curlers and crimps, and she was
sitting on the porch crying when
old aunty came round the corner Of
the house suddenly, her petticoats
lifted carefully out of the dew, and
her glasses pushed back on her old
gray head.
ola SUI! dasr, whats the mat
ter % said she, shaking ons her
skirts.
Eta told her with sobs.
"Never mind, honey" was the
consoliug answer 'welI study up
something else"
"No," said the poor girl, "there is
nothing else; the chickens were to
be my share"
"Who furnishes the hot coffee ?''
said Hester.
SOB, no one. You know it ia
such trouble to have coffee, nobody
ever thinks of it."
sWal ,tnu will fnry;sh .ba aor