The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-08-21

How Little Children Were Served-Substi-
tutes for Candles at "a Party.

How Little Children Were Served-SuDsti-
tutes for Candles at "a Party.
AS my home at the time was in Ma.
rietta, Ga, quite near Atlanta. and di-
rectly in Sherman's line of march, i
saw great many strange and exciting
things, and suppose that is the reason
/ remember my life there SO we'll, for,
although q very small girl at the time,
it is far more wildly real to me than
the events of last year.
can picture to myself distinctly the
quaint figures of my little playmates,
for invention, like charity, begins at
home, and we little ones showed the
first fruits of our mothers talents in
that direction. We always wore "home-
spun, and, as the cloth stood good
deal of wear, our dresses were made
large enough to last two seasons. Some
OF us wore shoes, but they were such
odd-looking things, made of coarse
leather and only reachingSpur ankles.
AS the leather shoestrings wore out
they had to be replaced by the cover
ing from the wires of hoop-skirts, dyed
black. Our stockings were knit OF
plain white yarn, also homespun. For
"every day" we wore calico sun bon
nets, but on state" occasions hats
braided at home from the palmetto
straw. AS one thing after another gave
out the women were always equal to
the emergency and quick in finding sub
stitutes, just as our grandmothers did
during the Revolution. American
women are, think, quite remarkable
for that sort of thing. My mother must
have been unually clever, for remem-
Der so many bright things that she did.
Trifes never seemed to daunt her.
Our table was always delightfully."-
served, although her inventive faculties
were constantly called upon to supply
some need in the kAchen. There is
one very clever thing that recollect
about her. She had sent out invita-,
tions for a very large and swell" party
for Marietta was quite gay at one time,
as number of refugees, besides great
many officers "on leave" were in town,
and my mother, who wss delighted to
be able to collect together SO many
charming people, determined to give
something very grand. Her prepare
tons were all completed, as she sup
posed, on the morning of the appointed
day, and she was actually arranging the
flowers in her rooms when she received
the very depressing tidings that not q
candle could be found in Atlanta fol
love or money. Most women would
have despaired at such ill-luck as this
and would have sent Immediately to in
form expected guests that they neeC
not come, but my mother did nothing
of the sort. She put on her thinking
cap" at once. She sent far and near &c
borrow all the wine glasses possible
These she filled with pure white lard
and every one who could be spared OF
the place was set to work cutting out
little round pieces OF paper, about the
size of a half-dollar. Each of these she
twisted in the center to form a taper
and placed on the lard in the glasses
ready for use, for she meant TO light
her rooms with them. We always had
used them in the bedrooms and foi
sickness, as they would last all night
and candles were far too precious to be
wasted in that way. But the idea o.
making them ornamental was my moth
er's, and you cannot realize how lovely
the house looked that night. She haG
placed them everywhere, and had bull
pyramids of lights, banked in with
flowers, in every available nook ant
corner. The rooms and halls wer,
brilliantly lighted by the tiny flames
which seemed to me to be flashing from
floor to ceiling in every direction, ant
looked like some lovely fairy scene, fal
prettier than any ballroom l have since
seen.-Southern Girl, IN Boston
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