Evening star., 1897-04-17
H O U S HOLD HINTS

| that, 1t ruins the flavor. Drip" coffee is
| supposed to be the very best coffee that is
| made, but even that is spoiled sometimes
| by letting the liquid boil up over the strai l.
| er, thus loosening the oil that makes the
| coffee bitter. If you have not . regular
| coffee strainer, make three or four cheese
| cloth bags of a size large CROUCH to ac
| commodate the amount of coffee that you
use, allowing for swelling of the grain and
| for a drawstring to tie. Wash and boil the
| bags after making, so that not taste of
| the cloth remains in them. Fill the bag
with the coffee, and have in teakettl.,
boiling hot. exactly the amount of water
you want to use for your coffee. Rinse the
| coffee pot out with hot water and put the
bag in the pot and pour over it the boiling
| water. Place the pot on the back of the
stove, where 1t will remain just below the
| bubbling period for at least ten minutes.
The result will give you clear, strong cof-
! fee; you need not use a grain more than
for the old way-and it will not hurt the
weakest digestion. Neither is egg neces-
| sary. Empty the bag as soon as the meal
is over. as there will be no more good in
| the coffee and wash the bag in hot water;
shake free of all the grounds and hang in
the air to dry. Have at least four such
! bags, and keep them and the coffee pot
scrupulously clean.
The woman of small means and desire
| for elegant gowns should confine herself to
| black as foundation and build up her
| elegant idea On fancy waists, the founda-
| ton of which should generally be black.
| 1t is comparatively easy matter just now
| to be stylishly dressed if woman has an
| atom of taste. A handsome black silk
skirt. and ii should be the best that the
pocketbook can afford, will answer for all
ceremoniouS occasions. A heavy black wool
skirt. for less stately society functions. and
| serviceable black serge skirt for busi-
| ness. shopping and marketing, all we'll
made, will fix a woman out for a whole
| season. For party wear any pretty light
cheap silk with some good lace, which
pays best in the long run, and sets of rib
bons that can be changed. will make a new
lace and ribbon each time. For calling and
visiting, handsome waist to match the
| silk skirt, with three or four vests, and
both black and white lace. makes that
waist new one on occasion. One bodice
| of brighter silk may be INDUCED in for a
change For the other two skirts. two silk
shirt waists. one black. one in a pretty
changeable silk. with linen collars and
cuffs. and for the simpler skirt muslin.
percale and lawn waists, and little jack
et like the skirt. To wear with the other
two two skirts. pretty silk cape like the
skirt trimmed with good lace which will
last a lifetime if taken care of, completes
the outlay for dresses. and poor girl will
lcok as stylishly gowned as her rich cousin
1t is a mistake to buy poor coal oil for
your lamps or for the little stoves There
is at best but two or three cents difference.
and the comfort in the use of the best oil
is worth deal more than that. Then the
best oil is safest 1t will not explode SO
easily, and it gives a much better light,
decidedly hotter blaze. then the second
class stuff All of it is more or less malo-
dorous. but with care it need not smell
so very bad. Lamps and stoves should be
carefully cleaned every day, and the lips
CT the burner kept free from burnt parti-
cleS.
If YOU have sick friend, one who is
shut in a greater part of the time from the
world. do try and make life pleasanter for
her. 1t may be that your time is precious
| and you ceEnot visit. but you can send a
blossom or two, a rose or few carnations,
a box Of fresh strawberries, big orange,
or box Of nice candy all things that
home folks will probably get. If the pa
tient expresses desire for them yet it is
SO pleasant to be remembered by ones
friends in that delicate way. Maybe you
have a horse and carriage and your friend
has none. 1t would be a gracious thing
| to ask her to take drive these fine days,
and would cheer her greatly, yet people
who can tender such little courtesies are
neglectful of them. though they could
widen their sphere of usefulness a great
deal if they would and at no cost to self.
in this great lonely city among young
ladies who come here to earn mere pit
tance to help needy ones at home, and who
| live in little hall bed rooms. eating but one
good meal a day and living on lunches"
the other two meals. They know almost
no one, and are dependent strangers for
any little attention. If they get acquainted
with the wrong kind of people there is 70
one to tell them till it is too late. There
are plenty of societies to take them in and
care for them when they have gone wrong,
| but it would be much more Christianlike
to help them in their hour Of loneliness and
need. Take these yo ing ladies into your
pew at church. Invite them to dinner
informally. Give them occasional tickets
to good lectures, show them in delicate
little ways that you are interested in them,
and maybe the list of those who stray
into forbidden paths will shorten. 1t is
worth the trial. anyhow.
The doctor came and examined her pulse,
her tongue. her respiration, the color Of
her skin, the whites of her eyes, and heard
her declare that she had headaches all
the time, and no end of indigestion. Then
he wrote out prescription, and, with the
remark that it was a drastic dose, but she
would be a well woman in week If she
took 1t, he went off, and when she opened
the piece of paper he left in her hand she
read: Onions three times day, and be-
tween meals If you like" She was pretty
mad, but she took the dose. and now she
says that she believes that onions will cure
any kind of disease, even a love-sick swain
in kiss. 1t is true as gospel, however
that onions are great cure-all. They
stimulate the liver they help the circula-
ton, and they do clear up the skin wonder
fully. The girl who wants to get rid of
her sallow, muddy complexion can do so
by eating an onion sandwich every night
just OeIOFe TetiTlHS Two tnln slices or
bread, well buttered, and finely chopped
onion sprinkled thick between, with a
dressing of salt and little pepper, is the
very best way. and, while they make one
sleep well. they also go right to work on
the thick, sluggish blood, and clear it up.
1t isn't much wonder that men grow
tired of their wives, when they so soon for
get to be pleasing objects to look at. A
woman in draggled soiled morning gown,
her bangs stringing down over a not too
clean face her slippers ripped and worry
but easy no collar, and corsetless, isn't
| an object to please anybody. not even her
SELF and she is unnecessarily ugly, for a
little time would make her wholesome
as ever she was in her palmiest days. 1t
is true that a woman who has household
cares cannot always be dressed up," but
she can wear clean dress, and she can
always have soap and water and comb.
When you hear a man who has been mar
ried for fifteen years and more declaring
| that his wife doesn't seem to get day
older, you can just be sure that she is
keeping herself well groomed, and well in
hand, and has never let her husband for
get the little courtesies of life which go far
| to keep the heart young. No man Likes a.
| trump, and least of all is he overjoyed
to find that his wife is that most objection
able thing.