The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-12-22

from WINDOW 70 window, carried over
the doors and wound around the gas
fixtures; the leaves of green laurel and
the sprays of holly with its bright red
berries were fastened here and there,
and the old-time wreaths hung in the
window.
All this was not without its cheer,
but yet there was monotony about
the arrangements being precisely the
same year after year.
l wish l had something novel to
place over the piano, thought, or a
new design to hang between the win
dows or under the favorite painting.
The wish brought to mind a large dry
goods box OF grain. grasses, autumn
leaves, etc., that had gathered the
summer before in New England, and
| concluded that by using little in
genuity might devise something out
OF the common order.
At the bottom of my trunk were sew
cral fungi taken from the base of a
dead oak tree, and l had preserved
their wilderness and prevented mould
ing by placing them in strong salt wa
ter and putting them over the fire until
the water boiled, and then drying them
in the sun.
selected a shelving piece for the
base of bracket, and after smooth
ing Oft with knife, glued
it to the lower part of piece Of cigar
box wood twelve inches long and three
wide. l left it over night to dry; then
crushed a handful of hay into ball
shape and attached it with glue above
where the fungus was fastened to the
wood; then dipped the ends Of sew
eral long ferns and grasses in the glue
and stuck them into the hay, close to
the board. This served as back
ground, then filled in the front with
autumn leaves, catkins Of the alder.
seed vessels Of several plants, and
dried grasses. l afterwards attached
several of the Thistle Butterflies (or
Painted Ladies') and the orange
and-black "Berenice" so lightly to the
grasses that with the slightest jar they
would tremble as if swayed by breeze.
To complete the ornament attached
some of the beautiful Florida moss to
the underside OF the fungus and al
lowed it to hang naturally and loosely.
This moss. if obtained from the florist,
is quite expensive, but if sought for
among the fruit dealers, large quanti-
ties can be bought for small sum, as
they value it only for packing fruit.
When all was finished l tackled ring
to the back of the board and hung it
between the front windows just below
some dropping evergreens.
next sought to design something to
till the space over the piano, and not
wishing to duplicate the fungus, con-
cludcd to fill ornamentally Il fancy
basket, and went to the florists in
silky German grass known to florists.
Ny first thought was TO tasten all
material to the wall by driving in fine;
long pins, but it would require so many
the wall would be defaced, and | de-
cidcd that the design might be made
on white tarlatan with material
fastened on with piece eighteen
inches long and twelve inches wide.
As the basket could not be made 70
lie fatty, cut it in half sections and
sewed one to the tarlatan.
| selected some of my longest
ferns for background, placed
the stems in the basket and tackled
them in several places above to the tar
latan.
then added shorter and finer ferns,
mlermingled with brown (dead) oak
leaves and ripe yellow wheat.
Within both sides of the basket
placed the grass. and just above
fastened several sprays of young acorns
in the cup, and two or three cocoons OF
the Cecropia moth which had broken
from the naples in the fall. When the
ferns or leaves did not come closely to-
gcther, | placed sprays Of the white
immortelles and then hung the Florida
moss from the lower part of the basket.
All completed, cut away the parts
oil iarlalan not brought into use. and
fastened the ornament with two tacks
To the wal.
Arranging another basket aft.rwarI.
left the tarlalan as frs; cut out, aud
glued piece OF narrow black walnut
moulding across the top and bottom,
and hung it like picture.
These ornaments Were really things
of beauty and if not IA JOY forever.
are nicely preserved at the end OF nine
months. | blow the dust from the
leaves occasionally with a small bel
lows, and pin over them tissue paper
on sweeping day.
In early April was sitting with my
work one day, when heard II crack
ling, and looking towards my basket,
saw moth slowly emerging from n
COCOON. 1t hung to the outside OF its
silkcn home until the wings were dry,
then toward evening tried TO fly.
As there were no flowers for il to
suck honey from, | filled Il toy saucer
with syrup of sugar and water. from
which it slipped little several times
think the heat Of the room in which
the cocoon had been kept fastened the
transformation, for the moth seemed
very weak from the first. and at the
end OF the second day dropped and
died. -Youths Companion.
Christmas Gifts
Let us make As many of our Christ
mas gifts a, VIC have time and ingenui-
~ to fashion: tor il is not SO much the