Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-20

| hands of one who thinks only Of saving money,
would produce the most unsatisfactory results.
L. The manner Of cooking and serving food has
quite as much to do with its attractiveness as
the quality Of the purchases made: half-coOked
vegetables, and meats scorched without and raw
within, can never be inviting whatever the orig
| inal cost or quality may have been.
As a general thing, there is a sort Of airy un-
gard to all matters not absolutely "down in the
bond, which is highly exasperating; and con-
| sidering all things the wonder is not that SO
many fail In this calling. but that any succeed
Were 1T not that there is always an abundant
supply Of homeless people in the world land
| ladies who trouble themselves only about what
| is barely necessary, and do even that in an in
efficient way would Oftener find that lit doesn't
| pay to take boarders."
| How often. for instance. does anyone looking
| Tor board chance to find a room that has home
| look about it? Do not the apartments gener-
| ally look as If some one had just died there and
| everything had been dismantled i'm consequence?
| Not bit of drapery to bed or windows. not a
bracket or table cover. not cushion or foot
stool. The four walls are there-often with an
ugly paper on them-wth the orthodox bed
| stead and bureau and chairs. possibly a hard
lounge, but probably none at all. What posi-
bllities of cheerfulness are there in such room.
| II the occupants have no furniture of their own
with which to brighten it?
But we can't afford to ornament rooms, -
| say the struggling landladies: ''it wouldn't
pay. We can scarcely make both ends meet as
| it is"
This is just where they make mistake, be-
cause it ,cOubd pay. 1t would pay to drape the
windows with cheap but tasteful curtains-those
OF white muslin, cretOnne. unbleached muslin
canton flannel. or priced worsted stuffs be-
ing particularly serviceable for winter-tO drape
the mantle with the same and to have a table
cover that matches or harmonizes lounge
lmprovised from packing box, with springs
and small husk mattress over them, could be
covered to suit the draperies A few touches of
this kind would completely transform bare.
ugly room into something homelike. and the
small outlay required would certainly be re-
turned tenfOld
lady who desires to receive into her family
one additional inmate, as a means of increasing
her income, will find no difficulty if she reside
In the city, in obtaining adesrable lady or gen.
teman boarder willing to pay literally for home
comforts. Many such people detest boarding.
houses, and would willingly dispense with a
great variety at the table for the sake of having
what is put upon it made inviting. Even SO
| simple thing as the popular breakfast dish of
oatmeal is seldom cooked SO as to be fit to eat
Often placed upon the table half raw. because so
few cooks seem to understand the immense
amount of moderate boiling or simmering that
1t requires, it quite deserves the name of 'chick-
en- feed facetiOusly bestowed upon it. 1t can
De made, though, very delicate and nourish-
ing dish-bearing in mind the fact that cream
or good rich milk is its natural congener
IL Is not necessary, however, to 60 into the
details of breakfast, dinner, and tea dishes, a
passing allusiOn to the causes of failure on the
part OF those who attempt to take boarders be-
ing sufficient for our purpose The assertion
can easily be proved from facts that more peo-
pie are looking fruitlessly for hOme-like quar-
tiers than there are people having such quar-
tiers to offer. 1t follows. therefore. that any one
who will furnish something more attractive
than is usually offered will have no reason to
complain of want of success.-EUa Rod,nan
Church, in Hd,per's Magazine for June