davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

Date Meringue
Wash, drain and dry the dates, stone
and cut them in small pieces. Spread
one cupful of these over a platter and
sprinkle with lemon-juice. Whip suf-
ficient cream to make two large cup
fuls, and sugar to sweeten; fold in the
stiffy whipped whites of two eggs ane
stir in lightly the pieces Of date. Ar.
range in a deep glass dish in alternate
layers with macaroon or sponge-cake
crumbs which have been very slightly
moistened with a little fruit-iuice, OF
serve in glass dish by itself with !:
delicate nut cake.
Date Sandwiches
Mix equal quantities of date pulp and
finely-chopped English walnut meats
Moisten slightly with little soft but.
ter or sweet cream, spread the mix.
ture smoothly on thinly-sliced bread
cover with another slice, and press light
ly to make them hold together.
Date Sandwiches, No
Mix equal amounts of date pup and
fnely-chopped preserved ginger, moisten
with little of the ginger syrup, and
spread over lightly-bnttered bread. Cow
Ter with another slice. and finish as for
other sandwiches
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

is turned over at the top, forming a
little pocket, which is to be left free
from the seam for one-half inch, as was
the featherbone. The casing is then run,
slightly fulled, to each edge of the seam,
the center of the casing over the stitch
ing of the seam
In order to Spring" the bones it is
necessary to sew through them, and in
order to make this possible they should
be soaked for about an hour in warm
water. Cut the end of the whalebone
round and scrape or shave about one
half inch with a knife or scissors blade
to make it as thin as possible.
Push the bone in the casing and up
into the little pocket. Secure it here
by taking two or three stitches with
twist through the center of the bone
and to each side of the casing. An
inch and one-half above the waist-line,
sew through bone and casing again
"springing the Bono
1t is to be Sprung" across the waist
line by pushing the bone into the casing
as tight as possible, SO that it bends
out slightly rounded, and holding it so
by sewing through bone and casing one
inch below the waist-line
There is a third method of boning
that is less work than either of the two
described, though it is not considered
so desirable for a costume waist
One-quarter inch additional seam-al-
lowance must be made at every seam
edge. The seams are not pressed open,
but are stitched together three-eighths
of an inch from the first row, making
"a sinp for the hone which &c c1innad
in and tackled as previously described.
Trimming the Bones
All the bones should be cut off one
half inch above the lower edge of the
waist; bias strip of crinoline is then
basted around the bottom, stretching
the outer edge of the bias, where ncces-
sary, to make it fit smoothly; both crino-
line and waist are then turned over
three-eighths of an inch and basted
after which the turned-up edge is catch
stitched to the crinoline that extends
] above it.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

ally used is the convenient compressed
yeast, but when my pupil had her les
sons in bread-making she had first of all
to learn to make yeast, as housekeepers
then depended almost wholly upon home
made yeast
And even now, if one lives at quite a
distance from town, and the grocer
doesn't come regularly for orders, it is
most convenient to have ones yeast Jug
to go to when there is bread to be made.
| know housekeepers who never let
themselves get out of this necessary
article, generally using the last cupful
with which to start new supply.
1t is no difficult matter, this of yeast
making, as you will soon discover. The
dread of undertaking it is far more than
the real task of doing it, as is true in so
many things. You will need the follow
ing ingredients in the given proportions:
Simple Ingredients
One large potato, one tablespoonful of
hops, loose, one pint of boiling water,
heaping teaspoonful of sugar, one heap
ing teaspoonful of salt, one-quarter of a
teaspoonful of ginger, one-ha1f yeast
cake dissolved in half cupful of luke
warm water or half cupful of yeast.
Wash the potato well, pare it, and put it
at once into cold water If you neglect
to do this the potato will discolor and
spoil the appearance of the yeast
Steep the hops in the boiling water.
Mix the -four, sugar, ginger and salt
in large bowl, then CRATE the potato
into this -four mixture; let the hop water
boil for one minute, then strain it over
the potato and -four, and mix it as
quickly as possible. 1t should thicken
like starch with no cooking, but if it fails
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

will realize the Importance of knowing
thoroughly how to prepare this funda-
mental food
To sweeten the weeks lesson, how
ever | am giving you some additional
household suggestions.
Conserves and Marmalades
Conserves are superative preserves.
There is no difference between the two
in proportions of fruit and sugar, the
old fashioned rule Of pound for pound
being followed in the majority of recipes
for conserves, but the method of cook
ing the fruit after the sugar is added
makes the difference, favorful one,
between "conserves" and preserves.
When making preserves the fruit is
cooked in the syrup to the done" degree
only, a careful housewife taking great
care her peaches, plums, pears or what
not do not lose their fair proportions
through overlooking, but in making
conserves, of which there are two kinds,
the soft and the dry, long cooking is
the rule.
Conserves
Soft conserves demand slow fire and
long time over it in order to reach the
necessary condition of smooth firmness
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

cutting allow one-half inch or more be-
You'd, then make a second chalk-line,
three-eighths of an inch inside the first
and mark along this line with tailors'
tacks, which, as the cloth was doubled
before cutting, will mark both sides alike.
Tailors' Tacks
Tailors' tacks are made by taking al
ternately one long stitch an inch or
more) on the upper side and two short
stitches through the two layers of cloth
to the underside. Use basting thread,
end.
Make these stitches along the chalked
line, then cut every long end of thread,
separate the two edges of the cloth
slightly and cut the threads that are
between. The short ends will remain
in the cloth and mark the seam-line.
Inserting the Hook-and-Eye Bono
The hook-and-eye bone is stitched in
the front without the boning attach
ment. Basic to the inside of each front
edge an inch-wide strip of bias crino-
line, making the basting threads in the
line of the tracing.
Lay the waist on the machine, the in
side uppermost; place the bone just out
side the traced line and with the curved
side down and the top of the bone not
quite SO high as the boning of the dart
stitch through the center of the bone.
Turn the front of the waist under
from top to. bottom at the traced line
and make row of stitching one-eightt
of an inch inside of the fold edge
An inch and one-quarter is about the
correct spacing of the hooks and eyes
sewed on alternately, the hooks SO their
ends will come one-eighth inch inside
the edge and extending the eyes the
same distance beyond the edge. Hem
facing of the lining or a length oil
bone-casing to the inside of the waist
covering the sewing of the hooks and
ewes.
Using Whalebone
When whalebone is employed, single
bone-casing must first be sewed to the
seams. One inch of the bone-casinf
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
WMOOHl Anybody can make
~ bread" I fancy | hear one of
you say.

~ bread, l fancy | hear one of
you say.
That may be true, but what
Kind OF bread-good, bad or Indifferent?
That makes all the difference in the
world. The truth is, there is nothing
IN the whole range of cooking that is SO
uneven in its results as bread That is
The experience of the majority of cooks,
amateur and professional. | was talk
Ing on this subject once with the very
capable woman who was at that time,
Administering kitchen affairs for me, and
who always had the most delicious and
toothsome bread.
You never seem to make mistake,
Mary, or to have bad luck with your
baking" | said
There's no need of either, madam y
was Mary's reply. at is just lack of
rare. When | make bread I put my
mind to it, and see to it that it is right. "
And then Mary made a statement that
quite contradicts the one made by the
girl who received the proposition for
this lesson so cavalierly:
And not everybody can make good
bread. no matter how hard they try.
There's Nellie, now''-Nellie was her
assistant, whom she was teaching to
rook-"lts no use to try to- teach her
ghe never can do it; she's too heavy
handed; she'll never make a cook |
was telling her that this morning"
Alertness Necessary in Cooking
At first I didn't quite see what Mary
meant, but | found out by watching.
The. girl moved clumsily; she touched
things as though her hand was of iron;
she clutched rather than held whatever
was in her grasp; there was no light
ness, no alertness to any of the motions.
She was just heavy; that described
her better than any other word would
have done. | have seen few people
like her since, and have found out in
every case that they were not good
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

who have failed to get on in the busy
world. If you have failed, look within
for the cause rather than to any OUT
ward condition or circumstance. There
are cases where workers are not appre-
ciated, and are underpaid, but a good
worker can always leave the uncongenial
place for better one.
Nentness a Stepping stone
The untidy woman can never succeed
in business life, simply because no man
car like an untidy woman He may have
to keep her in his office for some reason
other than that she does her work well,
but he endures her rather than takes any
satisfaction out of her work, And the
lbuntidy woman about her personal APP
pearance. is nearly always untidy about
her work. 1t takes the severely plain
woman with the neat business suit, the
absence of trimmings, the plain hair
dressing and the perfect cleanliness of
body to turn out good work.
One business man confessed to his
wife that he had to move his desk be-
cause every time he lifted his eyes from
his work they rested on the frowsy head
and soiled collar of his stenographer
She would have been greatly surprised
to know what he thought of her, as she
appeared in her worn-out party finery,
with her hair done in the latest and most
exaggerated style, day after day, but she
was not concerned enough about the
welfare of the Office to notice little
things.
Some women wear out their soiled
frayed best clothes in their kitchens and
think themselves very economical, while
others who have no kitchens regard an
office or store as the proper place to get
| the last bit of usefulness out of their
garments. If you can only have one
dress, let it be neat, serviceable, plain
clean Office dress by all means.
| A Pleasing Appearance an Asset
And for your own sake, and the sake
of the people who must work with YOU
| learn to do your hair without puffs ane
rats and somebody elses hair. A simple
natural arrangement, that leaves time fol
cleanliness, is thousand times better
than the elaborate structures som,
women build up on their heads.
There is trouble ahead for the mar
who must take into his office the woman
who has been spoiled at home. Yer,
frequently it happens that man wlls
has allowed his wife to rule the home
and who has never denied her anything
he could possibly afford, dies leavinl
his family perfectly destitute
Not having character enough to man
age his finances in order to lay by fol
the. rainy day, and lacking the patienc,
4 and firmness necessary to educate hi
wife along this line, the man drops on
of his place leaving spoiled, almos
helpless widow to do what she can to
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
BONING A w Asst
Up-to-date Method of Accomplishing this Necessary
Dressmaking Detail

open seam over it, the stitching of the
seam at the center and the pressure foot
over the left-hand turned-back edge of
seam. Take the first stitch one-half inch
below the mark on the seam, measure
and cut the required length of bone.
Stitch close to the stitching Of the
seam, but not in it. Push the material
toward the needle in order to ease the
seam to the bone. One inch above the
walst-line begin to stretch the seam and
one inch below the waist-line begin again
to push the seam toward the needle in
sewing.
On the under-arin seam the stretch
ing may continue to the bottom of the
waist; this stretching corresponds to the
"springing" of whalebones inserted in
castings attached to the seams, the
amount of Spring" being varied on the
different seams according to the figure.
Finishing the Top
To finish the bone at the top, rip the
covering down one-half inch, cut off
one-half inch of bone and under cover
ing, turn the end of the outside cover
ing over the end of the bone and tack it
at each side, leaving one-half inch of
the bone unattached to the seam. A bone
must be placed at each front edge before
the hooks and eyes are sewed on; for
this purpose there is special kind of
uncovered featherbone called hook
eye bone"
1t is advisable to have a seam allow
ance of hree-eighths inch on all seam
edges; this means that the edge of each
represents the cutting line, and parallel
line, three-eighths of an inch inside this
edge. will be the sewing line. Unless
one is certain of being able to gauge
the three-eighths of an inch accurately BY
the eye, it will prove wise plan to
make pencilrnark at this distance
from the seam edge and run the tracing
wheel along the penciled line.
This precaution is, especially advis-
able at the under-arm and the shoulder
seams where alterations may be neces-
sary, as it will permit wide seam allow
ance to be made in cutting, without en-
dangering the accuracy of the sewing
line.
Marking Material
The tracing wheel will do the WORK
on Innings or other materials on which
1T will leave mark; on woolens the
sewing-line must be marked in diff
ferent manner. When cutting wooler
goods trsse along the edge of thes,
outlet Sc ans" with tailors' chalk. Ii
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

cooks; no matter how conscientiously
they tried, they could not succeed. II
was the hopeless heaviness of their
movements
II give you this piece of information
for two reasons: To show you that the
girl who. jumped at her conclusions
jumped in the wrong direction, and to
give you some information that may
stand you in stead in time to come when
it shall fall to you to look for the new
maid
Before we begin mixing the. bread l
have word to say to you about the
yeast for making the dough rise.
Yeast
In these days the yeast most gener-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
THBhE SUGGESTIONS

When you have to take some yeast out
do not take the jar into warm place,
but pour it out where it is kept, and be
sure that the cork is replaced at once.
You will notice that the potato is not
cooked, but is grated raw. Now many
of the rules that are in use call for
boiled potatoes. | do not suppose that
the yeast itself is any better made with
the uncooked potatoes, but it keeps
better,
1t is more likely to turn sour soon
when the cooked potato is used, just as
any cooked vegetables spoil more
quickly than uncooked ones 1t is GER
tainly more trying, both to fingers and
patience, to CRATE the raw potato than
to mash the cooked one, but the result
will be better, and isn't that worth taking
little trouble for?
Beginning Bread-Making
And now for the bread itself.
The first step is to examine your
hands, to see that they are quite clean,
rings removed and nails in order, and
you are ready to begin.
The rule am going to give you-for
we don't want to undertake too much at
the beginning--will make single loaf
or a pan of biscuits. You can increase
the proportions as you desire larger
quantity, but would make my expert
rnent with the single loaf. n
Use one cupful of milk or water, luke
warm; one,half teaspoonful of salt
one-half teaspoonful of sugar, one
quarter of cupful of yeast or one
quarter a yeast cake dissolved in one
quarter of cupful of lukewarm water
and from three to three and half cup
fuls of flour.
Milk Bread
Milk bread, I think, is fner-grained
and smoother than bread that is mixed
with water, and have an idea that it is
more delicate, and at the same time more
nourishing. Still, water bread is good
and where milk is not easily obtained
or is too expensive to use for mixing
you will, | am sure, find no fault with
its substitute
If you use milk you must heat it to
boiling III the double boiler; mere scald-
ing will not do, it must be boiled. This
is to prevent the dough from turning
sour while rising, as it often will do in
wal III "SdliiSt QlliCSS Ills PlCSdutloll IL
taken.
After the milk has been boiled turn il
into the mixing bowl and set it aside
to cool. When just 1ukewarm add the
salt, sugar and yeast then the flour
measured after sitting. Mix it thor
oughly with, a knife or spoon, and ther
when it is well mixed and is stiff enough
to KIN turn it out onto well-fouret
board, and knead it until it is soft anc
elastic and can be worked without an,
-four,
Kneading
You need not make hard work of til,
kneading; it is a matter of dexterit,
rather than of strength, lightness ane
1uickness of touch rather than heav,
bearing down upon the mass What yo,
want to do is to get it we'll mixed, Sc
that every PARTICLE shall be perrneatee
with the yeasS>N and it shall be perfect,
smooth and fr.e from Jumps. Use onl,
! the tips of the fingers and the ball O
the hand, press lightly and do not breal
the smooth crust that will form under
] proper kneading. You may have littl,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
ME boning of a waist lining is
an important operation upon
which depends much of the

an important operation upon
which depends much of the
success of the finished gar
ment. There are several methods BY
which this may be done, the one es-
sential point in all being that the lining
shall be stretched at the waist-a dis
lance about one inch above and one inch
below this line-and eased the remainder
OF the bones length.
1t was not SO long ago that whale
bone was considered the only material
possible for use in. good gown; there
were substitutes Of horn and steel but
all were open to one objection or an
other, the principal being that they bent
out of shape or wore through the gar
ment. The invention and perfection of
featherbone has proven boon to dress
makers generally. Whalebone is now
both scarce and expensive, and a de-
pendable substitute is welcomed.
Featherbone
The usual method Of applying feather
bone to the seams of waist is by means
OF an attachment, fitting any machine,
that the manufacturers supply for the
asking, together with instruction for its
use. The seams should be finished either
ny Dlndlng, oVercastlng or nOtchlng and
pressed open before the featherbone is
applied
The height to which the bones shall
extend depends upon the size of the
tgure, stouter figures require higher
honing. than those that are slender. The
general rule for SO bust measure is
TO extend the bones about five inches
aboYs. the waist-line, while for an un-
usually stout figure they sometimes reach
to the arrnhole on the back seam of the
under-arm piece and extend proper
tlonately on the other seams.
Make a mark for height of bone" on
each seam. pin will answer, but it is
a, good, rule in dressmaking to make
all important markings with a thread
he attachment is placed in position on
the sewing machine, the featIlerbone
slipped (wrong side up) through the
channel provided for it and in such way
that the needle will pass through the
exact center in sewing, and the at.
taehment is screwed down tight so il
will not slip.
Using the Machine
Have the bone extend one inch be.
yond the machine needle and one-halj
inch beyond the mark on the seam
Tor height OF bone. Lay the pressed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
NEW IDEAS IN COOKING
Appetizng and inexpensive Novelties for the Table

Hutspot
Hutspot is Dutch dish with his
tory, and is eaten with especial relish
on the anniversary of the raising of the
siege Of Leyden, during which time OF
hardship it had its origin Beef, pork,
carrots, onions and potatoes are the in
gradients. Proportions do not matter,
though there should be about twice as
much beef as there is of pork Cook
the meat and carrots cut in small pieces,
until the latter are nearly done, then
add the other vegetables cut small, a
generous piece of butter, and simmer
until cooked
Stuffed Onions
Stuffed onions, cooked in papers tc
retain their homely SAVIOR, are VERY
toothsome. Parboil the onions, throw
thems into cold water, and when cool
remove the centers with an apple-corer
Fill them with piquantly- favored
sausage meat wrap them in butteree
papers, place them on the rack of par
containing an inch of water and bake if
a quick oven for three-quarters of ar
hour. Remove from the papers 70,
serving, sprinkle them with pepper ane
salt and serve with melted butter.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

to do this put it over the fire Tor a few
minutes
Allow for Fermentation
If it is too thick add little more boil
ing water until it is the consistency of
cream; set it aside to COOL and when it
is lukewarm add the yeast Put it in a
warm place to rise until it is frotly and
light, beating it down every half hour.
When it is risen sufficiently, put it in a
jar or a glass bottle, cork it and keep it
cool Don't fill the receptacle; you'll be
likely to have an explosion if you do,
and find your yeast anywhere but where
you put it. Remember, the jar not over
two-thirds full to allow for fermen-
tation.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

the last. See that it browns properly
"a lovely, soft, golden brown with not
hollow sound when you rap it with your
knuckle.
a vii , ,.,as.eisu oleaI-iilass' you
and uninteresting branch of proficiency
in that line, | admit, but if you consider
how necessary an article bread is, how
inseparable from Our every meal, you
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

can impart, but if you haven't "gump-
ton" which is only another word for
common sense, with it, the knowledge
is almost useless.
And common-sense never comes to the
woman who does not want to receive it
Remember that, You business women
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

And let me tell you as secret that
there is no better exercise for the chest
and arms than this, and if you have a
fiat chest, fabby muscles and dropping
shoulders, just take up bread-making.
You'll be surprised what it will do in
the way of development
Letting Bread Rise
So soon as the dough is a smooth,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

elastic ball, put it back into the mixing
bowl to rise over night. Cover it with
a clean bread-cloth. with pan or some
thing else that fits closely, to keep out
the air, so that no hard crust will form
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24
THE WOMAN IN BUSINESS
Appearance, Earnestness and Diligence
Necessary Business Assets

uN USINESs life calls for a large
- quantity of what is called "gump-
ID ton, but it also imparts this rare
-A grace to teachable women, so it
is always surprising that more workers
do not fit themselves to absorb it. You
may have all the learning the colleges
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-24

trouble the first time and possibly the
second, but in this, as in most things,
practice makes perfect" so don't get
discouraged butNkeep on trying until you
succeed.