The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-06-13
HOUSEKEEPING.

WHO'S Evidently Not an Amateur.
One Ct the first delights of young
couple starting housekeeping consists
generalls in the feeling that now they
viii be really able to entertain their
\pwn friends, and usually monsieur is tho
krst to avail himself 81 his new privi-
rs.
Now. in itself it is delightful, doubt
les to use hospitality one with an
other still somehow. ere long, unless
the 6mily purse be a pretty deep one,
and the cook q person of considerable
culinah sasscity. the delight is apt to
pail on madame, who can make neither
her allowance nor her menus stretch to
the required extent.
OF course Charley's friends are all
one nicer than the other, and equally of
course it is only natural. not to say
flatterlng. that the said Charley should
like to bring home stray friend when
the fancy seizes him; and are there not
proverbs by the dozen to prove that one
extra makes very little difference. il
any2
But in these days. efall the medieval
fallaeies this saying Whats enough for
two is enough Tor three' is out-and-out
one of the worst.
1t may, have beenf trne enough in
years past, as our grantmotherss cook
cry books show, but now we are all be-
coming more anxious as to the quality
than as to the quantity laf our food, and
the dainty little mena that is amply
sufficient for the matrimonial tete a-fete
becomes simply semi starvation if q
third, not to say fourth. be intro
duced.
In consequence all Your plans hava
to be altered, INVOLVING often enough q
hurried rush at the last moment 10 the
neighboring tradesman, and, however
convenient this last resource NAV be.
the household bills will most certainly
bear tokens of your "littleS dinner
The experienced house mistresses will
lift eyebrows and hands in horror at
such an enormity as being taken un.
aware, and make unkind remarks
about bad management. Quite 20; only
our newly married wife is not ex
perienced and the chances are she will,
if obliged to study economy as well a.
comfort, be liable to find her ardei
rather in the state of old Mother Hub
bard's cupboard if taken tmprortste,
and then that round the corner shopping
is terribly tempting until she finds out,
as she is sure eventually to do. the diff
ference judieious marketing makes in
the price of things.
But then comes the cry: 20. ]
bau l. !.
round marketing and looking for cheay
places; besides, | confess openly don"
know enough to trust myself to choose
my provisions. | have to 90 to first
rate storekeeper. and trust to him 70
the quality, and, perhaps, myself TO,
the quantity To be sure YOU have.
Besides, no one wants you to rush
about looking for cheap places (Which,
by the way, is what most people think
marketing means. II they attach any
meaning whatsoever to the phrase)
only look into things for yourself and
do not simply go to fashionable shor
because your friends go there. and you
are told that -and-so is the only
place you can possibly get such and
such things
Choose respectable shops and show
from the first that you must be looked
to for orders and you will ordinarily
have but little to complain of, especial
ly if they find YOU are acquainted with
the use of weights and measur5s, aud a
prompt to appreciate fshf treatment as
you are to check ipferor or defective
supplies.
Just as you seldom hear good mis-
tresses complain O. the universal and in
creasing worthlessness of servants, sc
you will seldom find a good house
keeper grumbling at her tradespeople
Why, a little management will ever
bring that foe of the harassed and i'm
pecunious housemother, the butcher,
himself, to terms.
That somewhere between the farmer
and consumer good deal of money is
running into somebody's pocket is clear,
or the wholesale market prices
and the prices in your butchers
book would tally little bet
ter than they do just now. but things
need not be so bad as they are by any
means. Pay your butcher Yourself and
give any special message personally OF
in your own writing, so that there may
be no mistake.
Weigh the meat or see it done every
now and then, and be strict about
checking every inaccuracy promptly.
An ounce or two more or less may seem
small thing to make fuss about. but
you have to pay for it, and at the
current prices it will represent an
appreciate sum, to say nothing of the
fact that inaccuracies of weight have
disagreeable fashion of becoming
chronic if not pointed out directly.
If the meat be deficient in quality
speak about it likewise, and also if it is
particularly good Show that you are
quite as able to distinguish when you
are well served as to complain. If you
are steady and discriminating
customer your butcher will take pleas,
ure in putting any chances he can In
your way, such as warning you when he
has any particularly good meat or offer
ing you some little dainty left over from
some larger customer.
1t is wonderful if Ito use racing slang)
you "stand i'm with your butcher how
your dinners will improve without any
very great corresponding increase in
your expense.
The same holds good of your fish
monger and greengrocer In this case,
however, you must be your own house
keeper, for the average good, plain
cook seldom realizes a menu elastic
enough to profit by such hints. As re-
CARDS your butchers bill, you may
always keep that within fairly reason
able limits by the choice of your joints
We once heard butcher plaintively
observe, Ladies mostly seem to think
sheep and oxen all legs and sirloins, "
and there's good deal of justice in the
remark. Yet an inferior joint off a first
class animal is mostly better than the
best joint off third rate one.-M Y
Herald.