Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-04-30
MRS. MKINLEY'S RAG-BAG.

bag. 1t is not at all likely that she
will wear the inaugural dress more
than once; We know those grand pco-
pie never wear party dress but once,
and by this time her rag-bag must be
| about full. | hear that those fine
ladies always, or nearly always, wear
full dress, and / should think $4,000
dress must, Of course, be extra full !;
most likely it is fuller than any dress
/ ever saw. l ought to make five or six
dresses for myself out of one of hers,
for l am very small and do not like
full dresses either, while Mrs. Nc
Kinley is quite large and does, judging
from the pictures have seen of her.
l might wear the $4,000 dress just
as it is, until warm weather. Very
likely | will have to take a reef in the
jib-I meant to say q tuck in the
skirt and few in the waist, before I
can wear it. The people of Washing
ton, ID. c., will not come out here these
hard time, and if they should, some of
her near ncighbors even, - is not
likely they would recognize the dress.
A lady that can afford $1,000 dress
| will not bother to make over or turn,
50 it looks to reason that nearly all of
her dresses would be good, but even if
they are faded little; l can fix them
up and with little diamond dye they
will look just like new.
have not doubt but what Mrs.
Mckinley will give her ragbag to the
| first person that asks for it, so | think
I'll send right away, l always want to
be first. l shall use every thing that l
find in it. What was good enough for
the the first lady in the land is good
enough for me. | am not at all proud,
even the pocket handkerchiefs will
come handy.
How the people of the NJ. E. church
of Olympia will stare, when they see
me sail down the aisle with so full and
beautiful a dress. They will never
guess that it came out of rag-bag.
To one who never had more than three
dresses ut time Zone for work, one
for common and one for extra,) the
contents of that exalted rag-bag will
seem like wealth itself. Just think
of the skirts, waists and aprons; jackets,
scarfs aud capes; silk, satin, velvet and
plush; yellow, pink, green, red, white
and blue! l will have to make over,
| and that is one kind of work that /
can can do better than any other;
having such long practice, l might
claim to be an expert in that line,
only that don't like to brag.
said Iwould use everything in that
bag and meant it it too; all the
pieces of silk, ct cetera. that are left
and making over always makes pieces.
shall piece up into beautiful crazy
quilts, "Star of Bethlehem" "Irlsh
chain," "Log cabin" and the Milky
Way" and other kinds that l can
think of or get a pattern off, the old
silks that have no use for, will make
lovely Innings for the quilts. Then
will give series of quilting bees.
There may be some old silk lace
curtains in the bag, and lots of odds
and-ends of ribbon and may be some
old jewelry, for of course Mrs. Nc
Kinley will not wear old-fashioned
jewelry, and very likely she will throw
it into the rag-bag and if I should
wear it with the $1,000 gown the peo-
pie here will never know but what it
is right up to date, (the diamonds will
be so dazzling.) shall give lawn
social next June and l invite you now.
Be sure and come, for shall have lots
of great, luscious, cool strawberries,
such as grow no where else in the
world, and cream Jersey cream); even
the Presidents wife will have no better;
and cake, old fashioned cake; just
such cake as our grandmother used
to make, that would keep for three
years, and was usually baked in ten.
quart pan. / will make the cake now,
so it will be sure to be good by the time
strawberries are ripe in June. 1 sup
pose Mrs. Mckinley has the recipe, for
of course she had a grandmother, too,
sometime or other, but recipes are
easy to lose. Hers might have got
mislaid in the confusion of moving
into the White House-and right here
let me say, think it bad plan to
move in March; it is altogether too
early, and when women have voice
in matters and things Pertaining to
the moving of the Presidents out and
in, they will have the moving later, say
about the first of May, as that is the
best time to clean up the trash in the
back yards. AS it is now, the Presi-
dent, all tired out with getting moved
and settled, has to go and have an
extra session.
Well to get back to the rag-bag: hope
Mrs. Mckinley will not feel delicate
about putting in the bag-all the old
shoes and slippers not in actual use, that
she can find about the White House.
Besides those just slightly worn that she
brought with her, there will probably
be old shoes enough to last me the
] rest Of my days, especially as am a