The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-29
CONCERNING BEDS.


It matters not how handsome the
appointments of the room, how sof
and luxurious the carpet, how fine
and white the linen, if the bed !:
poorly and loosely made it gives te
the whole apartment an untidy look
that no amount of elegance can atone
for.
In good bedmaking one of the first
requisites is a perfect adaptation oi
mattress and springs to the bedstead.
Next, well-made mattress, wheth.
er it be hair, wool, moss or excelsior
and over this a puff" or mattress
cover, made of thin unbleached cot
ton cloth that can be bought for S
cents a yard, containing large rolls
of cotton, tied with tidy cotton. =
Have the puff large enough to
tuck under the sides of the mattress,
to avoid curling up under the sheet,
TO young housekeepers these sug-
gestions regarding bed clothing are
valuable.
Buy good, heavy double sheeting,
bleached or unbleached, as preferred,
and. if for an ordinary-sized bed,
quarters wide.
Cut your sheets IN yards long,
and this will allow for hem 3 inches
at the top and m inches at the
bottom.
IF you can afford it, buy a pair of
heavy blankets, for when soiled they
can be washed and made to look
nearly as we'll as new, but fthey are
too expensive a luxury, cheesecloth
comforts will answer nicely, as they
are warm, soft and light, and these
qualities are by no means to be de-
spiseo in bed clothing.
It pays to buy the best quality of
cheesecloth, either in white or color
ed, which can be bought for 8 cents
yard.
Twelve yards and quarter is the
right quantity to get for large COM
fort, or 10 yards for an ordinary-sized
one.
The large ones are much more de-
sirable for double bed.
For a real winter comfort, large
size, use four or five rolls of good
cotton which costs from IS to I 8
cents pound.
Cut pasteboard a inches square,
for a marker, and at each point of
the square dot with a lead pencil,
indicating where to die.
This will insure exactness. Tie at
these places with tidy cotton and
tuft with yarn or zephyr. For a
large comfort q ounces of zephyr
will be the amount required.
A pretty finish is crocheted edge
or large scallop, drawn off with
small teacup and buttonholed with the
same material with which it has been
tufted.
Pink and blue make up prettily,
but scarlet is more durable than any
other color.
Before making up your red goods,
dip it in hot salt water, dry and iron,
and it will look as new as before the
wetting.
Unless this precaution is taken, it
rubs off, making no end of trouble.
White comforts are apt to soil at
the top when they come in contact
with the face, particularly if the
spread is taken off at night, and this
should always be done.
To remedy this, take a width of
cheesecloth, making it as long as the
comfort is wide, sew up the ends and
slip over your comfort or blanket,
making it secure by basting it on, or
by means of little shield pins, which
will come so far from the face as not
to inconvenience the sleeper.
Have two for each bed, so that
they may be washed as often as de-
sired.
There is nothing SO desirable for
summer covers as the old-fashioned
scrap quilt, of which our mother and
grandmothers were so proud.
They usually contain so little cot
ton that they are almost as easily
washed as sheet, and can with very
little trouble be kept sweet and whole
some, and last for years.
In selecting counterpanes be sure
to get them large enough.
Good counterpanes are usually
wide enough, but frequently fall
short of what they should be in
length.
Now as to making the bed, begin
by seeing that your mattres lies
smoothly on the springs, then put on
the puff, tucking under we'll next the
sheets with wide hens always at the
top.
Now, if you want the sides of the
bed perfectly upright, spread on the
comforts and instead of tucking them
under lay the extrawidth upon the
mattress.
Now put on the white spread, see
ing that the center figure is exactly
in the center of the bed.
Do not tuck the spread under the
mattress, but between the springs
and bedstead, drawing it so tightly
each way that not suspicion of a
wrinkle remains.
Lastly, put in position the large
square pillows covered with daintily
trimmed cases.-PailadelbhiG Press.
O
A wELL-KNowN artist was walking
with a friend one day, when his COM
panion suddenly discovered he had
a tooth in bad condition. As the
pair were passing drug store, the
man with the throbbing molar asked
the other:
"What would you advise for the
toothache 2"
"Why," innocently replied the
artist, "the last time had toothache
/ went home and my wife kissed it
away"
The friend paused a moment and
then asked, ''Is your wife home
f,ou, 7,j