Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-29
HOME MATTERS.

roots and clear the green stalks out of eight
large heads of celery; wash WELL parboil five
minutes, drain on cloth. cut them all the same
length; put them in a sautoir with salt. pepper
bits of butter and white broth to cover: put
buttered paper over and simmer slowly for an
hour drain the celery on a sieve, add a half pint
Of EspagnOle sauce to the liquid skim the fat
and reduce to the consistency of a sauce press
through a napkin; range the celery on a dish
pour the sauce over and serve.-The Gastrono-
Hser-
INFANTS RATTLE.-This is a charming little
plaything for baby and very easily made. Set
up "A stitches with single zephyr (blue) and
knit across plain % times. Then bind off and
leave an end long enough to sew up the sides.
Take needle with strong thread and run
through each stitch. on one end. and draw mn
firmly and fasten; then stuff with cotton;
before 1t is quite filed put in twisted cord of
blue and gold zephyr, little more than one
quarter OF yard in length: then fill up and
fasten as you did the first end. Make two more
pieces, one of red and one of orange stuffed as
the first. and fastened To twisted cords: sew q
little round bell on the end of each and attach
the cords to rubber ring. The cords should
ne an eighth OF a yard long when finished.-N T.
Tribune
A WINDow-CLEANING CHAIR.-A useful little
article is described and illustrated in The Scien-
titic American. This is an improved chair for
cleaning or doing other work on'the outside Of
the windows of high dwellings. 1t not only
affords a safe and comfortable seat for the
women who are often obliged to risk their
necks at this work but it is also a strong and
safe platform for men to stand on TO paint glaze
put up awnings or decorations, or do other work
about windows 1t holds cups for the necessary
water and cloths to clean with. and is provided
with supports for paint and brushes The win
dow chair is fastened and detached i'm less than
minute Its construction is simple and so
hight that Child can carry it. 1t folds up like
Dook and stores away in a very small space. 1t
will hit any ordinary sized window. and is pro-
yided with step which permits OF reaching the
highest parts Of the window. and the work of
cleaning can be done without the aid of a step
ladder.
CHOPPED PICKLE--One dozen green tomatoes
two large cucumbers. one head of cabbage three
heads of celery. three green peppers half a dozen
onions; chop these all together. scald in weak
brine. drain off and scald in one quart of vinegar
and water equal proportions of EACH; drain this
OIL: then pour on hot one gallon of VINEGAR in
which Is put one and a half pounds of sugar one
quarter of pound of white mustard seed one
tablespoonful of cinnamon, one teaspOOnfu each
OF black pepper, red pepper ground mustard
cloves and allspiee; put into earthen Jars with
horse-radish leaves over the top. If not conve-
nlent TO get these. the cucumbers may be left
out. and add in their place few tomatoes; the
pickle will be better If the tomatoes are gath
cred before they begin to get at all ripe and soft:
if you are unable to get celery when YOU make
the pickle you can add it at any time; when pre-
paring it for the table take the stalks which are
not nice-lOoking or not thoroughly bleached,
chop them and put them into the pickle without
scaldg as that causes the celery to lose strength
Household Hints. Emma WhitcOnsb Babcock
POISONOUS Stockholders and nurses cannot
be too careful about the soap they use on the
little ones Few but physicians know how
many of the sO-called skin diseases among chill
dren are caused by the use of adulterated. poi
sOnOus soap. An analysis of several cakes of
no oft y md Ilarfrl nod toll
sold on the streets showed the presence of
ground glass soluble glass, slick pfpeclayrot-
ten stone, borax, plaster of paris, tin crystal
magnesla, pummlce stone. oatmeal and other
substances. which are added to give the soap
weight, hardness, toughness or clearness. The
common cOIorings are vermiliOn. Venltian red
and carmine, ultramine green, pot pigment
green, cOpperas, Spanish brown, ultramine blues.
yellow and scarlet anilines, and burnt lumber
Many Of the perfuming ingredients. though
harmless in themselves become chemically nois-
onous by admixture. Adding the dangers from
al these 10 the rancid, diseased, putrid quail
ties OF grease used, and mothers may well be an
palled at the permanent evils these neat-l look
Ing, delicately-seented blocks of toilet soap con-
tain, ready to be released whenever moistened
and applied to the baby's body.-N. Y Sun
A PERFECT Cup OF COFFEE.-COffee is the
f1ne issue of Eastern hospitality-the climax of
the visit One recognizes on entering the
sound of the coffee mortar; for in every properly
regulated household in the East the coffee is
not ground, but pounded to an impalpable DOW
der, having been roasted that morning and
pounded the moment it is needed. And no one
who has not drunk it there and thus can pre-
sumo TO Judge of the beverage. In England we
roast it till it is black grind it as we wOuld cat
tie food. boiling it like malt for beer. and when
We drink the bitter and unarOmatic fluid which
remains say we have taken our coffee The
Eastern cOfee-drinker knows all the grades of
perry and preparation as silk merchant knows
a MALT ~ nf sill
roast 1t shade beyond the point where if
breaks crisply under the pestle is to spoil it. and
when the slow pulyeriZing is done, each meas
ure goes into its little copper ibrk receives its
dose vi boiling water, just one Of the tiny cup
Iuis rest an instant on the Goals TO restore the
heat lost in the ibrik, and is poured into the
eggshell cup and SO it came to us. each cup i'm
q gold enamelled holder. The rule in these
lands seems to be that few things are worth do
ing, but these few are worth doing well. and
There Is no waste of life or material by over
BASKETBALL Mall Gazette
PREPARING FOR WINTER WINDOW GARDEN
NG--Those who have plants in the ground
winch they intend for blooming in the window
make mistake. if they delay taking them up
until frost is threatened. II the plants have
Deen ieit IN the pots which have been plunged
In the open ground. the change is not so sud
den, but If the plants have been turned out of
the pots, and their roots have been allowed
free growth, it is another matter With MANY
pants turned out. the better plan is to raise
new ones from cuttings for next winters bloom
Ing. and let the old ones go. But it is often de-
sirable to take up and pot an old plant In
such cases do not wait until there is danger Of
frost, and then hurriedly dig up the plant and
crowd its roots into pot. Suppose the plant
to be taken up is a geranium; begin at least a
month before the time of removal to prepare it
Tor the change. Ii will have made an enormous
top, which must be cut back, and the plant
Drought into neat, compact shape The
change from the open ground to the pot should
take place before cool nights have checked the
growth Amateur gardeners as a general
thing, are afraid to use the knife II in taking
up all the plants that are kept in the window
during the winter, they would cut the tops
back, to correspond to the disturbance of the
roots, they would have much better success
DRAwING-RoOM GARDENING-Before COM
mencing drawing-rOOm gardening i'm real earn
est. the following implements should be pro-
cured: A piece of cotton cloth (abOut a yard and
half square,, brass syringe, a tiny trowel, O
pair of good scissors, little piece of sponge
CASTLE soap. and long zinc tray (say feet
inches long, Is inches broad, 10 inches hgh) an
old linen handkerchief and a stout nail brush.
The cost of the whole is very trifng. Now for
the plants. In the first instance, purchase
young ones and OF a good florist. Young plants
may be educated to live in rooms where utter