The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-09-08
NATIONS AND MAIDS.
FAMILIAR TO MANY, BUT
UNDERSTOOD BY FEW.
The Self-S~eriflcing Lite OF Many an
Oldest Daughter Huckaback En-
broidery - Marx N"yain's Daughter
Valuable Recipc.
The House hold Martyr.

The House hold Martyr.
Perhaps you do not recognize her
by that name, but yet rou have seen
her many times and oft with her
patient face, her never quite new
gowns and her look of premature
gravity that characterizes d face on
which the continued life Of self
sacrifice has made its mark. 4 flock
Of younger brothers and sisters look
up to her as the guiding star Of the
home, dependent mother turns over
the care OF the children to one who
has scarce known any childhood of
her own, and at the time when she
should be enjoying life's best and
sweetest the slender shoulders of the
oldest daughter are weighed down by
cares that should only come to her in
natures chosen way instead of being
thrust upon her to blight out all the
pent up youthful enthusiasm, making
her old before her time.
When little more than a baby she
was thrust aside finn the mothers
k1ee to make room for little sister or
brother; her play time resolved itself
into minding the baby and as the
gears went on the family still in
creased it became her duty to look
out tor first one thing and then an
other, until by the time she was Il
hfr experience would have been read
| uy taken for that of woman of SO.
This never ending care, this long
apprenticeship as nursery governess,
did not tend to beautify her form or
features, and little by little the idea
became established in the minds of
the younger and better looking ones
that "Sister" was too plain to be
dressed up, that the gayeties they so
thoroughly enjoyed were oofrivolous
for her, and so she began to wear
mothers cast-off gowns, the new and
dainty creations being given to Nell
Or Marjorie, who were, of course, ex-
pected to marry we'll, because they
were so pretty and so thoroughly
up to-date, while "Sister,'' Of
course, never dreampt of such things.
How could she marry? What would
they do without her? Who would
help them to dress for parties, the in
vitations to which at first included
her, but at last ceased coming. owing
to the continued regrets of the re-
;luse? Who would pick up shoes and
Gibbons when they had Departed
straighten up the bureau or mend
their clothes? How could they ever
give little companies unless ''Sister'
prepared the goodies, set the table
and arranged the flowers, dutifully
disappearing at the last moment with
flushed cheeks and throbbing temples
to don the same made-over gown that
had been her best for years. later to
receive few words of tlippant greet
ing from the guests, who appeared to
regard her as a peculiar old maid
quite out Of place in any festive gath
ering.
Inillness the oldest daughter nurses
the invalid and runs the house as we'll,
and when death, the grim reaper,
takes away the mother and father, a
noble woman shuts out Of her hear,
all the natural longings for home Of
her own, a husband to love her and
her own babies to lisp the tender
word of mother, and buckles on the
armor of self-sacrifice anew, in many
cases becoming the bread winner. re-
garding the younger ones as sacred
trusts by whom she will at as he1
mother would have had her do, ant
for whom she gives up all that i.
bright and sunny, living out her life
on lines of rigorous denial until {
kindly Providence bids her come W
higher.
> The same individual gazes with ar
/ dent longing at the gauzy ball gowns
displayed in the windows, and man,
= bitter tear Of regret has been she<
Q as the bent form moved noiselessl,
0 about the room picking up stra!
r satin slipper or crushed rosebud tina
+ had been dropped by the pretty de
,. butante sister whose life had fallen il
t pleasanter places than her own. Gu
!. Of our own happiness we cannot Civ
r enough to these household martyr
}. who must live out their lives in pain
Ia full consciousness that they never wer
h young.
x Huckaback Embroidery.
6 Since linen embroidery has been s
( much the fashion it seems that ever
Q sort of linen, from it's finest to i,
Q coarsest degrees, has been used, BIZ
. until recently one, the plain liner
r and no fancy weaves have been Gale
II into use. Now a new material ha
II been introduced into the realm {
d fancy work. This is hnckabacl
n and for the embroidery a fine piec'
+ evenly made, is required.
q Everyone knows that the prom
4. nen& natterns in huckaback are III