The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

'â- >•' *»•>•»*»!*. .^Wna^sKC- S About the ....House » » » » » A UOOJ) CUSTARD. A rcuUy well uuulo ciislard pud- (liiig is onu of the t'ood IhliiKs "' cookery; It is not dillicult to achieve, yet how often the attempt reyylts iii a imle, watery and unin- viting mess! 'Id l)egiii with, it must be reiiiem- IxMvd tliat, luiwever simple its in- Kredieiils. the texture of every cus^ tard fiuddiiiK sluiuld bo sniootli, even and cut eleaii llUe a jelly. A cu»- tar.l piiddinK Ihat is full of holes, is broliin and eurdled, has heon cooked in too great heat or allowed to boil in the jirocess. If it is found to he toii(ih and .spon.iiiy in consist- ency, it has lieen cooked too fast, thouijh the o\en may have been fair- ly Yiifht in temporaturi'. The reason is that you have to t)blain just (and only just) sullicient lw?at to thor- oughly cook the egK. of wliich the custard is principally composcil. ,So, if the custard is baked, the o\eii must be a very slow one, and tile ilish containing the puddiiiK should be stood in a bakiug tin throe parts full of water, which wa- ter must never lie allowed during the whole time of cooking to do more than simmer. If steaine<l, place the pudding in the stcajner while the wa- ter l.elow it is just boiled up; then draw the pan to the side and keep the water only simnuring henceforth till the pudding is cooked. Kspeciully is this attention neccs- .sary in the case of the richer toi-m.s of custard iju<lding. as lhe.se, being u.siuilly miide with the yolks of the eggs only, need the \itmoKt atten- tion both ill the cooking anil in the Kutisi'i|iiont turning out. Tin; fewer while in proportion to the yolk used the liclier and more <lelicale will be the custard, but also the more trou- blesome to handle. Here is the plain baked cu.stard pudding: lloil three-tiuarlera of a pint of milk witii an ounce or two of sugar, a .strip of thinly pared lemon rind, an inch or two of vanilla luxl or the same of slick cinnamon, as you choose, till the milk is well flav- ored; have two whole eggs, ready beaten, in a basin, and to these pour the boiliMl milk slowly, beating it well all the time oi' mi.xing. When blended, jiour into a dish that has been either well buttered or thoroughly rinsed out with cold wa- ter; grate a little (lavoring over the top to correspond with that origin- ally used and bake in a slack oven, or, if you are doubtful as to the oven, stand the disli in a baking tin of water an<l so bake. If preferred, you may flavor this with any essence to taste, but in that case the llavoring should not be added till after the egg and milk have been mi.xed and the whole is i-liglilly cooled. has been used for years with unvary- ing success, the little garments rv- taining their soft, fleecy look until worn out. Use water that i.s as hot as you Can bear your hand comfortably, for flannel cannot be boiled and hot wa- ter cleanses an<l purifibs it. Dis- solve a little borax In it, and add enough .soap to make a strong suds, wash the flannel through two waters prepared in this way, plunging them up ami down lUid rubbing gently be- tween â-  the hands. Uough usage thickens the texture. Koap should never be applied directly to the flan- nel. Borax softens the water, mak- ing very little soap or rubbing ne- cessiary. Hinsc through clear water of the same temperature as that used for washing and press through a rubber wringer. Then just before hanging them out pull and stretch every piece in shape, for if this lis neglected, the tiny wool fibres inter- lace, causing it to become badly shrunken. Place them smoothly on the line in the siunshine where a nentle breeze will blow through them. Kvery part of the work .should be done as speedily as possible. HINTS TO HOUSBKESETEKS. Mix stove polish with strong soap sutis if you Want to avoid much rub- bing for a polLs-h. If you get too much salt in the gravy, a pinch of brown sugar will remedy the saltness without hurting the gravy in the least. A worn out whisk broom, clipped to a point at one side, will get the dust out of the corners of rooms and of stairs belter thau anything else will. If you want a boiled dinner and don't want to dine on the .smell of it beforehand, tie a piece of char- coal in a bit of inusJin and put it in the kettle with the cabbage. If .vou have a piece of corned beet to cook that is slightly tainted, do the same thing and the moat will be thoroughly sweetened. The .Japanese way of keeping meat without ice in hot weather is to put the nwat in a stone or porcelain ves- sel e.nd poUr boiling water over it. 'I his coagulates the albumen on the surface, 'i'hey then jiour a little oil on the surface of the water, which prevents the air from entering. The meat is said to keep fresh for a cou- ()le of days. IMJTTINt; CLOTIIKS A\V;\Y. The Woman who knows bow tu put away her belongings is not only neat hut economical and generally smart in appearance. When she comes in from a walk, she never hangs up her coat by the loo)) inside the collar; if she puts it away in the closet she uses a coat-h inger â€" if she leaves it around tla; room knowing she may net ;1 it soon, she disposes it over the back of the chair that will keep it in shape. 'Ihe skirts of lier gowns never have a stringy look because they are hooked and then hung by two loops. I''or a tailor-made skirt she uses a small coat-hanger with the ends bent down a little: this keeps the skirt in excellent shape and cau.sos it to hang in even folds. Tlii' sIriiiKS of her underskirt are tieil and the garment is hung by loops, thus never showing a bump where it has ''rested on the hook. For the same reason her shirt waists are always hung by the armholes, unhiss they have hanging loops. Hanilsome waists have both sleeves and body slulTed with tissue paper, and arc then laid in drawers or boxes. Shoos are i;aRily kept in sha|)c by slipping a pair of trees into them as soon ns they arc removed from Ihr' fc'Ct . If tri<!s are not available. ne\vspa|)er will ilo, if it is stulTed in liglil. It is well to roll each v«il on a •â- â- tllT piece of paper; a single foil will often spoil the s«'t of a veil and somelimes even nnir the expression of a face. IJloves should alway.s he removeil by turning them wrong side out; they should then be turn- ed bark again. Iilown into shapo and each linger smoothed out. Ti<>.s. es- pecially foui-ln-han<l or golf ties, Khoidd be huuK to avoid creasing. HbIs, of cours<', »hould be kept out of the dust and [.laced so that the trimming will not be disarranged. ThiH disposition depends so much on the hat and Ow available space lliat each Woman must use her own in- gnnuily. However, it is safe to say that no hot should bo laid (hit. <lown on a shelf. IHirs, also, should bo |irotecte<l from dust, and a nnift Mhould always be stood on end. WAsniNo nAnvH vlanneus. The boby's underwear should be flannel, as soft ami fine as the purse can buy, and kept in the best possi- ble condition by wa»hin« it properly. A carelesB laundress can ruin the bPBt woolen gariUPntB in two or throe w.shingH, mukiuK tJient so iJiruBkeu and rough that they irri- tate I'.iB tender flesh almost beyond •Bdu««in««. The following method D()ME.STIC HECITES. Little Pigs in Blankets. â€" Cut ba- con very thin, roll a gocxl-sized oy- ster in each slice, securing it in place with a wooden toothpick. Fry in hot lard till done. Plain I'lum l'\idding. â€" Mi.v one (juart of (;ne, soft bread crumbs, half cup of chojiiiod suet and the .s.ame ijuanlity of sugar; a cup of raisins and on;; of sour milk, half a teaspoon of salt, i|Uarter teasiioon each of mnco and cloves and three eggs, well beaten. Turn into a buttered mold and steam three hours. rroamed Corn Beef Hash. â€" Chop cold corned beef comparati\-cly line and add an ecpial (piantity of linely chopi>e<l potato; melt in a pan a tablespoonful of butter and ad<l a half cup of cream, and when it is hot adil the meat and potato. KING AIDS SICK GIEL, The British Monarch's Kindly Act to a Consumptive. A pretty story of the King's un- bounded sympathy for the sullorings of his subjects has come to light. \ yoiuig dressmaker was threatened with consumption, following ui on long and dangerous chest trouble. 1111(1 was left nearly destitute. 1'hc doctors ndvi.sod her to obtain ad- mittance to an open air homo to un- dergo a course of treatment. Mean- while she was taken into a con- vent and devotedly nursed by the nuns, but all their elTorts to got her admitted into a home of the kind wen? (piite fruitless. Then the girl, l(?arning that the King was jiutron of one of 'hesc institutions on the south coast, resolved secretly to write to him and plead for his as- sistance. A fortnight later a man called at the convent and asked to see lier. lie gave no nanu'. ami at lirst he was told that she was too ill to see him. He then explained that it was necessary for him to see her, as he had come to impiire into her case, and as to the desiral)ility of sending her to an open air home for llie treatment of consumption. .She was aided <lownstairs, and he (|uestioned her as to what the doctors had said, and then inquired to whom she hud applied for help. She mentioned several names, and at last hesitatingly admitted that she I. a<l written to the King. Uc then informed her that he had come from the King to imiuire into her ca.so. ns His Mojesly had noticcKl her letter and wished to hell> her. After further Intpiirics everything was sat- isfactorily nrrange<l snd the girl was sent for a prolonged period to the homo, with the res\dt that her health was greatly benefited and that she has since been able to return to work. ^-â- pfcwa^ac*^ mWiM Customer â€" "That umbrella yo\i sold mo Is made of such miserably poor stuff that It won't last a month." Dealer â€" "Yah. Ve al- va.vs zells dot kind to intellectual men like you. You get« thinkinK on groat subjects, and pccomcs ro ab- sent-minded you los<>, it in dree \'«eks, and den .vou haf do zatista.^ tion off knowing dat dc man who â-¼Ind. it vill get vet." THE KEKOSEKE ENGINE. When I purchased the farm upon which I now reside tlrere was upon it a large windmill, wliich had never done iirojior work in the way of drawing water from a river 1000 feet distant, writes Mr. G. D. Peck. After long e.xi)eriinenting 1 at last concluded that 1 could not us© this mill in that condition. I drilled a well directly under it, going down â- 11 I'f-Ct, anil connected the tank with my hou.se, barn and grounds. I very soon found that I could not obtain enough water to meet my needs and so looked over the field for un engine that would pump wa- ter and do all other work reiiuired. After a caiTful search, with the aid of an expert, I decided to jiurchasc a kerosene engine. It is one of UJ actual horse power and cost me, with discounts, S225, without pump. It is by far the simplest I have seen, after a careful inspection of a great number. By means of a lamp burning kero- .sene and alcohol an ignition ball is readily and quickly lieated. A sui>- ply of kerosene oil is automatically fed, forming a gas, which h.v its e.xiiansion gi\es momentum to the flywheels and sets engine in motion. The amount of oil u.sed is calculated at i pint jier hour per horse power. This I have not tested in my own case. When started the engine will run steadily without attention so long as the sujiply of oil is kept up. My man very often starts it and goes over a mile with niy milk, being ah.seul as much as an hour, often longer. I can pump .^)00 (JALLONS PER IIOUK. 1 use a wood saw, 24-inch size, \nd find that 2i horse power is ample to run it at full speo-l. and I can easily cut all the wood that I use on the farm. Asi yet I have not used my engine for other than the iLovo perpo.ses, but know that it will (iiit material for the silo, fill same, grind feed, run separator or work aiiv otl.er piece of machinery. Were 1 lo use it for a more extend- ed line ef work I should iiurchase a larger sii-.e, but tor all ordinary work thf '21 hor.se power is large enough, besides being chearer to buy and to run. Being comparative^ ly lislit it can be mounted e.iion a truck anil taken to any part of my own or neighboring farms. Being so simple no experienced man is needed to run it. As to expense, I use one barrel of kerosene oil, costing about S1.">0, in six weeks; but a goodly portion of this is iisel in the house, where we burn oil for lighting and have every night at least eight or ten lamiis burning until 11 o'clock, and one always all night. I figure the total jx] ei se of running the engine, iiiclud ing alcohol, kero.scne and lubricat- ing oil, at less than $1 ix'r week. In the year and a half that 1 have had the engine my bills for re- pairs! have amounted to SIV I di- not know of a cheaper or more economical power that will so well do the work that may bo rc<iuired of it. TllF.llR AUK AIANY liEASONS' why I jirefcr a kerosene to a gaso- line engine : There is absolute safety in evciy way â€" iiolhing to store or l:eep iH> hand that will in any way inereaEC the fire risk on any pro- perty. This is a very important consideration, esjieeially in the country, where all possible pre- cautions should be taken against fire. My insurance premium has not bten increased. .Seeond : simplicity. No ignition spark is used; no battery to get out of, order and need repairs ; simply a lamp and alcohol ; no gasoline to storeâ€" only kerosene, whiih can be purchased ot any country store. Any good sized boy can run the engine. Mine is run by a X""".'J '""" "' '"â- ''"'.^â- - '•'here is nothing to get out of order; have no bills for repairs except through carelessness in allowing water to freeze in cylinder, which could have been prevented had plain directions bot>ii followed. 'Ihird : Uniformity in speed. When onie started engine will run at a steady speed until stopped or the oil gives out, which is far from be- ing the case with a gasoline engine. The kerosene oil dropping upon the hot ignition balls maintains the heal after tlie alcohol lamp is re- moved. TREATMENT OK BROOD SOWS. In purchasing a young sow for breeding purposes, whether you can alTord lo buy a thoroughbred or grade depends on the amount of capitnl on hand or the puiT>"se for which you are breeding. 1 have bred the past few years most of the dilTcrent breeds, writes Mr. Wni. T. Woololf. As part of my small pig." were killed and dres.sed for roasting plga at six to eight wc«^ks old. I prefer for this Yorkshire sows. which would produce good. fat. plun\p pigs. But for good, prolific brood sows, I would advise the Chester While or a cross of Chester White and Yorkshire. Select a good Ohoftter White sow that stands Well on her feet, with good shoulders and hams, good back and barrel, wide between eyes and 13 or mora teats. Bred to a good grade or thoroughbred Yorkshire boar, she 'will produce pigs that will grow and ut ten months they will bo in good market shape. From a litter of pigs from such a sire and dam you could select some good young brood sows. I always pick out my sows for breeding purposes at eight weeks old and then if they develop well, breed them at eight months so they will farrow at a year. I have bred young sows at five to six months old, when I have been short of pigs and thought the demand would call for it, and had fairly good results. If some of the sows do not give as good results with the first litter as expected, it is not always best to discard them, especially if they are of a quiet disposition and moth- er their pigs well The second litter may Le more satisfactory. Kee[) a good breeder. I have kept some .sows seven and eight years and know them so well I could almost tell in advance how their pigs would develop, and did not have to worry about them at farrowing time. My method is to bring in the sows from the yards where they have run to the building where the pens are. about five or si.x feet s<iuare, and get them used to the surroundings, also to cleaning and bedding tlie [lens, so they will not jump up at anyone getting in their pen. Then at farrowing time they are ([uiet and not easily disturbed by anyone en- tering or looking in their pens, which otherwise might result in a lot of trampled pigs. SETTLED THINGS UNSETTLED Farmers and writers on f.arming treat some itoints as "setlied once THIETY YEAR'S SILENCE THE STRANGE SULK JEEEY MILLER. OF It Is Due to an Unjust Whipping Received When He Was a Boy. Silenced by a whipping he tho-ught he did not deserve, Jerry Miller is now a hermit in a lone fai'mhouse in the wild regions of Ohio, not far from Chillicothe. He is now past 40 years old and no one can remem- ber having heard him sa.v a dozen connected %vords. The silence which he has pre.served for thirty years Ciuuc upon him when he was a boy of 11 at work on his father's farm close to the place he now inhabits in solitivde, shrinking away from the public gaze and refusing always to accept even the kiiKliy meant offers of aid. His father, who is still living. is said to have been a stern task mas- ter and a firm believer in the old ideas of punishment. Jerry was ac- cuse<l b.y hi.s father of some oifense which tlie boy stoutly denied. His fatlier, thinking the l)oy guilty of the offense, said lie would whip botli for the original olTense and then for not telling the truth about it. The boy protested and pleaded with his fa- ther, btit without avail. The whip- ping administered was not a gentle one, but the boy took it stolidly and did not even cry. The boy went about his appointed work in silence and seemed to be greatl.v depressed over the humilia- tion that had been put upon him. Tlie family thought at first ho was for all." Until somebody comes along i only sulking and the father openly and sa.vs these points are not set- said so. A sister the boy was par- t'cd, and sliows b.v experiments that they are not .settled. Take barnyard manure. In 99 out of 100 cases in which that form of fertilizer is used, 96 out of each 100 farmers will say that it is bet- ter than any other .single fertilizer, and that it should bo well rotted be- fore using. This "settled" point has ruled in agriculture as long as that form of fertilizer has been known. Now come the iconoclasts, the up- settcrs and the unsettlers of settled things. They jioint out, and they prove, that bainvard manure is really not a good all-round manure, and that it answers the needs of onl.v a comparatively small numlier of plants perfectly, needing ad- ditions of one or another element to enable it to benefit the majority of crop;>. Xor do the upsetters and unset- tiers stop here, Tlie.v sa.v that, even wilh the crops for which barnyard manure is surel.v the best fertilizer. it is not thoroughly rotted manure that gives the best results, but the fresh manure from the stable. KEEPING SHREDDED FODDER Shredded fodder can be placed in the mow an indefinite length of lime if prorerl.v dried before ftoring in barn or under a shed. I have used shredded fodder for years wilh al- most no loss whatever, says Mr. C. .S. Plumb. Several years ago. when shredding was nev>' in the west, man.v people placed it in tiie barn wh.en too wet or moist, and it molded and made unsatisfactory feed. When cured in the shock in proper condi- tion with no rain water altached, or snow, it will keep with no trouble without the aifi of salt or anything else, 1 recommend that the corn be shredded when not too dr.v and brit- tle, however, oiherwiso there will be some loss of leaf in haiuiling the .•hocki* up to the machine. Of cours? corn light from the stalklields not shocked can be shredded als^i. but shec'xod corn is best in qualit.v. .Shredders are made that have no buskers attached, while others con- tain buskers. Either will be found quite satisfacterv. After one lias rsed shredded fodder and given it a fair trial ho will n<it be likel.v to feed whole stalks again. CONVINCIXC ITER FATHEIJ. Tie .vomig and winsome maiden spoke to her father on behalf of George, the .V'outh who had won her heart, but who was iu>t her father's favorite. "Father," .she said, gentl.v, "I want to tell you something, and you mustn't be aiigrv." "Very well." he replied, "I prom- ise." and he bent forward and kissed her. 'I want to tell you. father, that George and I are in love and we want to get nnirried." The father forgot his promise in a second and began to storm. 'Haven't I told .vou I wouldn't have him about the house? Haven't 1 forbidden you to see him?" he cried, excitedl.v. "Now, once for all, I tell you if he comes here again, I'll kick him out." ^ "Now. papa, dear," ^e said, "you'll do nothing of the sort, Gt-orge is .young and health.v. and the chsunpion all-round athlete of his club, and we had a c<»nference this morning, and I told him I'd love him just the .wine even if he had to pound .vou clean out of shape in de- fending his rights in this case; so vou might as well submit now and save us the necessity ot resorting to hariiii measures. See?" He saw. The brain of a child at birth weighs un<ler 10 ounces, but at the eml of a .year has increased to two pounds. F\ill growth is attained b.v men at about 20 years of age, and by women at 18 yeara. ticularly fond of tiled to comfort him, but wilh little success. YEARS PA.SSED IN SILENCE. The days grew into weeks and still the boy maintained the same gloomy silence. The father then began to grow alarmed and tried to get the boy to tell what was on his mind. It Was of no avail. The boy would not talk under any inducement that was devised by the father. He went about his appointed work on the farm in an intelligent mannei: and never complainetl. From time to time be was heard to swear at the o.xeiv he was driving or at the plow he was handling. Years passed 4» the same dead si- lence. The father was heart broken at the bo.v's determination and tried every means in his power to show the son that he was eager to make amends for the wrong he had done. The boy, grown to a man, worke<l on in silence. Doctors were called In to see if there was any mental defect in him, but thoy could make no progre.ss, as that baffling silence stood always a bar to all inquiries. LIVES BY HIMSELF. Ten years ago he left the p.T.rental home and took up his abode in the house ho now occupies. lie lives there alone, caring for a small patch of land which provides him witli all lie needs in the way of feo'l, with a bit to spare for an occasional pur- chase among those he has come to know. The hou.se is as gloomy as its occupant, and is bare of all the comforts noticeable in the houses in the vicinity. Tlie man has no associates and his onl.v diversion seems to consist in sitting- for hours on the front steps of his old house looking far awa.v and apparently thinking. Ife is al- wa.vs on the alert against intrusion when in these inoiuls and takes to flight on the api'rnach of a stranger. His brothers ami sisters keep an e.vo out for him and see that ho does not lack for i lie necessaries of life and clothes enough to shelter him. His father and mother try often to induce him to break his long siilonce, hut all I he.v ever get is a shako of the head and a sorrowful look from- their now gra.y haired and worn looking son. FORGOTTEN SPEECH. It is the impression among who have known Jerr.v Miller the (la.v his father gave him tlir,i...;hing- that he could not speak if he would, as the long ot silence havo probably rendered his tcngue helpless from disu.se. The negroes about the neighbor- hood look upon hlni as -a sort of strange being who can if he will cast strange si)ells over those he does not like, and they show great respect for hini and ali that belongs to his sim- ple, povert.v stricken home. It is generally accepted as a fact that Jerry Miller will never break his self-imposed silence, and will Ko down to hi.s grave as a Warning to all the rugged fathers of the valley, and in that way he will have .serv- ed a mission on earth at heavy cost to himself. In the nieantirao ho lives apart from his fellow men and broods upon his sorrow. those since th* now vears •THAT" SIX TIMES. There is one word in the English language which can appear mx times consecutively in a sentence and make correct Englivh. To illustrate: A boy wrote on the blackboard: "The man that lies does -wrong." The teacher objected to the ward "that." so the word "who" was sub- stituted. And ,vct rt must be evi- dent to the reader, for all that, that that 'that" that that teacher ob- jected to was right after all. Tintoretto's record picture is the "lHirndi.'»e," in t.>«> Doge'.s PalaCt at Venice. It is T-i f^ct wide and 34 teot higb. : ! i if MiM Ml t i'