A FAMILY JOURNAL. Conducted in the Interests of the Higher Life of the Household. Title Copyright 1884. Contents Copyright 1885. Exchanges are invited to extract, on giving proper credit. VOLUME 2, HOLYOKE, MASS. DECEMBER 26, 1885. heap the holly Wreath the pine! Leet the Christmas berries burn rom some sunny forest knoll Helen Chase Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. TEN DOLLARS ENOUGH. KEEPING HOUSE WELL ON TEN DOLLARS A WEEK. HOW IT HAS BEEN DONE. HOW IT MAY BE DONE AGAIN. CHAPTER VII. MOLLY AND MRS. LENNOX-ECONOMICAL BUYING MAKES GOOD LIVING. WEEK passed, and Molly found her ten dollars left a narrow margin, as will be seen from the account she triumphantly showed to Harry; and the week's bills of fare, which she wrote out neatly, appending every recipe, and which, for the benefit of those who may wish to do likewise, I will give in its place; but before that week was over, Molly was revolving other problems. She had seen Mrs. Lennox again, and Harry was delighted with Mr. Lennox, who traveled on the same train with him, and in answer to Molly's remarks on the hard life his wife led, he maintained that his pity was for the husband. "I can picture to myself that household, Molly, and the scrambling meals that man gets. Why, he was astounded when I told him we lived just as well as I want to live, and what we had to live on. Yes, dear, I fear I did boast to the poor fellow of the charming little dinners you got up, and asked if he knew any one who could beat that? He said, "Well, I wish Mrs. Bishop would teach my wife how to put some flavor into what we eat. Our means are narrow, but I do know, that if Letty knew how to cook, we should all be better, and she herself. We can't expect fancy dishes-our family is too large and our means too small for that-but even Irish stew may taste of something besides onions and hot water.' "I should think it could; nothing I enjoy better than Irish stew. However, I didn't crow any more over poor Lennox, but you needn't give all your pity to Mrs. Lennox." Already Molly had decided in her own mind that Mrs. Lennox was making a great mistake in the earnest effort to do her duty to her family, but that the weary days spent at the sewing machine might be partly spent in the kitchen with advantage to her own health and her children's. She longed to help her, but dared not take the liberty. But the day came when Mrs. Lennox herself gave the opening. They met in the street on the Saturday, and Molly mentioned she was on her way to the butcher's. "I see you go every morning down town, but it is rare for me, for I can't spare the time, so I have to trust to what the butcher sends. You see we live so plainly that we haven't much choice-it's just steak and chops and roast beef. Mr. Lennox can't bear cold mutton, so we never get a joint of it." "But don't you think the morning walk would do you good? I believe it will me; and then I have some satisfaction in seeing my meat before I buy it, although we buy very little." Molly was terribly afraid of seeming didactic, and spoke in a rather apologetic way. "Yes, but you haven't four children, my dear; however, as I am out, I will go with you. How I wish you would tell me what to get in place of chops for to-day and a roast for tomorrow! We all hate them, but we can't afford poultry." "I hardly like to suggest, for I don't know your tastes; but if I wanted to live cheaply,-forgive me, you have given me reason to suppose that you have to be economical "Economy isn't the word,-we can barely make ends meet, " and I work myself to death to avoid spending an unnecessary dime." "I know you do, and for that reason I would like to tell you a few things I learnt in France, where they make a franc go as far as we would a dollar, and yet live well." "Tell it me; but, for goodness' sake, don't tell me that lentils are as good as meat-we abhor lentils-or that peas and beans are nitrogenous, I've read that sort of thing till I'm sick; if you haven't the appetite of a ploughman you can't eat things because they contain nitrogen any more than you can live on medicine." "I'm a little of your opinion, but I mean really good living that, if you didn't know the cost, would seem almost luxurious. It is simply buying, and using what you buy, judiciously." Mrs. Lennox siniled a little incredulously, but said, courteously, "I am quite open to conviction." "What do you propose to pay for your roast or beet: " "It will be at least $2.00, for it is no use getting less than eight pounds; and chops for to-day will be about 35 cents." "And how long will the roast last?" "It has to last till Tuesday, though out of an eight-pound roast, there isn't much but bone and fat the third day." "And you have then something extra to get for breakfast?" She laughed a little. "To tell the truth, our breakfast is slim; I can't afford meat, and Mr. Lennox usually has an egg or two; he never cares, fortunately, for a heavy breakfast, but prefers knick-knacks." "This is the sort of housekeeping Harry dreaded," thought Molly, but she said aloud, "Then you would really spend $2.35 this morning for meat to last till Tuesday?" "At the very least, but more likely $2.75, for they could hardly cut me exactly eight pounds." "Then I would suggest you get, instead of the roast, either a leg of mutton at 15 cents the pound. ra piece of beef at the same price, for à la mode beet: a d, if you chos e.the mutton, that you will have a really nice pot pie to-night in place of chops. You will find that you will buy ten pounds of meat for $1.50, and then you can get some of the knickknacks Mr. Lennox likes for breakfast." "I know," said Molly gently; "but I'm sure that sewing machine is half killing you, can't you give it up for an hour or two each day?" "My dear, by the time I get through my housework it is near noon, then there's the children's dinner to get, and clear, and I don't get to sewing till after one. Then the afternoon and evening I have to give to it; if I could go and buy new material I need not have half the work, but it is the cutting down, making over, ripping, altering and planning that wears one out." "Then I will help you," said Molly. "I have time, and if you'll promise to give one hour to the kitchen, I'll sew an hour with you and cook an hour. I am so sure the change of work would brighten you up." "Heaven knows, I need brightening! I feel a perfect hag, and I'm only twenty-eight." OLD COMFORTS. BOTH WOOLEN AND COTTON. Molly chose a good-sized leg of mutton, weighing eight Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. pounds, and told the butcher to cut it nearly in half, leaving the large part for the loin end, and a pound and half of round steak. She ordered also half a pound of beef suet; then, turning to Mrs. Lennox, she asked if Mr. Lennox was fond of kidneys for breakfast? "Well, I count myself nearly a dollar in pocket so far," said Mrs. Lennox, "but I have tried buying economical meats before, but in the end it was no economy, for we did not eat it." "I will forgive you if you don't eat this," said Molly, laughing; "but I must hurry home, I have a chicken pie to make for to-morrow's dinner, but I will see you later in the day. I am responsible, you know, for the meat I have bought." Molly's own dinner being soup, veal cutlets, potato croquettes, Lima beans, and apple pudding, and the soup ready, all but heating it, she meant to make the pudding and prepare the croquettes, and leave Marta to her own resources for the vegetables and breading cutlets,-she, herself, would be back in time to see the actual cooking of her own meat. But of her own cooking I will speak in next chapter. At three o'clock, then, Molly went over to Mrs. Lennox, whom she found busy feather stitching several yards of navy blue cashmere ruffling with red crewel. "This is for Milly's fall frock; it was first my dress, then Lily's, now it comes to Milly, and the red will make a change." "You have far more patience than I," said Molly. O one will quarrel with me, I think, when I call a blanket a comfort. Few things are so desirable for bed covering, either for warmth or lightness. The housewife who is the happy possessor of a pair of thick fine, soft, handsome blankets, may well be excused if she smooths and pats them with a good deal of satisfaction and pride. But even good things will wear out; and we must sometimes turn our eyes from the piles of new, desirable, almost poetic, blankets in our great dry goods houses to the piles in our own homesold (though still desirable) and very prosy to most of us. "A pair of blankets" has a generous sort of sound about it, and few could be persuaded to cut a new pair in two. There are many ways of taking care of new ones, that I presume most people know of, and of which I shall not speak because my theme is old comforts. When blankets begin to wear out-to grow thin in little spots, the best plan is to darn them with yarn, the color of the blanket, just as one would darn a thin place in a stocking. I hold mine up between myself and the light, put a pin in every spot that shows thin, and then darn back and forth where I find the pins, after I have seated myself comfortably in a low rocker. Or, this is very desirable work for little girls, and they can easily be taught to do it nicely. I can assure you, that the "blanket bee" held the other morning, by three little girls and myself, was quite a charming sight, and opened the way "Yes, I don't know what I should do without. Must the for much cozy domestic chat. cooking begin now? I hate to lose daylight." Double blankets are hard to handle, either to mend or wash. "Yes; the pot pie will take long, slow cooking to be good, A desirable way is to cut them in two when they begin to but you can come back in half an hour." "Oh! suppose we have that steak fried-just for to-day; well pounded it will be tender enough. I hate to leave this." "I will go down then, if you will let one of the little girls show me where you keep things." "Oh, no, I can't let you!" said Mrs. Lennox. "But that is just it, don't you see yourself I have no time to cook?" Molly longed to say that it seemed as important to her that the food should be well prepared, as that the flounce should be feather stitched, but, of course, she said nothing, and the next minute they were down in Mrs. Lennox's neat kitchen. "This pot pie I propose making, is an English dish, my father was very fond of, and it is a little different from our dish of that name." "This is very kind of you, Mrs. Bishop; I only fear you will see what an up-hill business it is to make a family live well, on very little money." wear thin. By this time the bindings at the ends are worn out. Re-bind with white silesia, cut into bias strips, and stitched on after your machine has been adjusted for a long stitch. One word more, although it hardly seems necessary : Blankets should always be washed or put in order during the long summer, so as to be quite ready when cold weather comes. It is such a satisfaction to hand down thoroughly prepared blankets when John says, "I must have more covers on my bed. I nearly froze last night when it changed." There is another old comfort that I very much wish to speak about: old cotton or linen cloth. All housekeepers know the value of this for cleaning purposes; and how much labor is saved by carefully washing and putting into a large drawer, box or basket, all old cloths of every description. I shall not dwell upon this. What is not so well known, is the need hospitals have for old cotton or linen. New does not compare with old in its value to a hospital. One can readily "What do you call little?" asked Molly, busily cutting the understand this after a moment's thought of the cuts and steak into finger lengths. "Eighty dollars a month to keep six people, and out of it twenty dollars for rent, that leaves sixty for everything else." Molly thought that was not too little to ensure a plain, solid comfort, but she must gain Mrs. Lennox's confidence in her ability and good will before telling her so, and she went on quietly preparing for the pot pie. -Catherine Owen. [The next number will give an account of some cheap and very good dishes for large families, showing how "Ten Dollars is Enough" for very good living for seven people. Molly's first week's housekeeping will be detailed, with methods and recipes.] bruises, the broken bones and other troubles that require bandaging. I have never gone to any hospital with a bundle of old cloth, that it was not received with strongly expressed appreciation. Therefore, good friends of those in need, use your colored rags for cleaning, as far as you can, saving the white cotton or linen to heal the ills of your wounded brethren and the perplexed brains of their nurses. Think no piece too small to put in your collection box, provided it is old and soft and clean, and I am sure you will feel that you have dispensed a large slice of comfort, with only the expenditure of a little thought and trouble. -Juniata Stafford. FAGOTS FOR THE FIRESIDE, Gathered and Made Ready, Expressly for GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. BY MISS LUCRETIA P. HALE AND MRS. MARGARET E. WHITE. THE FAGOT PARTY. THE FIRST BUNDLE OF FAGOTS. HIS name is given to an entertainment, with those two letters, and give out the third letter of his word and so on, thus: No. I thinks of the word sympathy, and gives out the letter s. No. 2 thinks of satin, and gives out a. No. 3 has now to think of a word beginning with s a., and sand comes to his mind, so he gives out the letter n. This obliges No. 4 to think of a word beginning with sa n., and sanscrit suggests itself, so he gives out the letter s. No. 5 cannot recall any word beginning with sans. He is only allowed two minutes for his meditations, when the word is passed to the next. This failure has cost him one of his lives. No. 6 gives out the letter c., No. 7 r., No. 8 i., and No. 9 t. But No. 9 has now lost one of his lives, because he has completed the word. The fun of the game consists in trying to give the letters such a turn as to prevent the word ending with yourself, and passing it on to your neighbors. If a person, having a longer word in mind gives a letter which completes a word of four or more letters, he loses a life. Thus, in the example given above, No. 4 might have had the word sandwich in mind, and have given the letter d. The rest of the players must be sufficiently alert to see that he has made the word sand, and that he has thus lost a life. When a player has lost three lives, he drops out of the circle and the game We propose to furnish in successive numbers or Bundles of Fagots, a supply of the fagots needed for such parties so that those who go, or those who receive their friends at home, may always have on hand something new to brighten their firesides with. It is possible some one or more of these games may have been heard of before, and may not be pronounced absolutely new, but they will only be presented because they are in themselves entertaining, and have proved their right to exis-citing, each trying to fashion the word in such a way as to force istence. It is the pine cone that has been out in the sun and the breeze that gives the most sparkling fire, and we propose to take only those kindlings that are full of bright and inflammable matter. Besides this we shall give some new games, not only, never presented in print, but invented for this occasion, adding always new suggestions to old methods of games, bringing scattered branches, twigs, pine knots (to be puzzled over) fuel of every sort, to keep up the cheerful evening fire. The games that we offer will serve too not only for amusement but instruction, not too much for a tired head, but enough to stimulate the mind and thoughts. Buz-Fiz. This is an amplification of a game that has long been played under the name of Buz. In Buz, the game consists in counting up from one, each player giving a number in turn, but whenever the number seven appears or any of its multiples, the word Buz must be substituted. Any one who fails in doing this is dropped from the game. A few keep on long enough to reach the seventies which must be gone through with Buz one, Buz two, and so on till 77 is reached as Buz-buz. In Buz-fiz the game is far more complicated, Buz is still required whenever seven shall appear, but at every recurrence of three or its multiple, the word "Quack" must be substituted, and for five and its multiple, Fiz must be used. Fifteen would be Quackfiz, twenty-one would be Quack-buz. But besides all these complications at every return of eleven or its multiple, instead of eleven, Cock-a-doodle-doo" is required. The game becomes very animated, there are few who survive the first twenty, and only one or two are apt to struggle on for Quack-fiz at thirty, and the line of thirties, all beginning with Quack. Of course, if any one omits any one of the multiples of a number which requires a changed number, he fails, and is dropped. When fifty is reached each number must begin with a Fiz. The game begins in counting in this way, each person in turn giving a number; one, two, Quack, four, Fiz, Quack, Buz, eight, Quack, Fiz, Cock-a-doodle-doo, and so on, Quack coming in again for twelve, as well as for thirteen, as it contains the figure three; fourteen is Buz, and fifteen Quackfiz, the smaller number always coming first. Three Lives. This game is so called, because each player has three lives to lose before he is excluded from the game. Some one in the company must think of a word and give the first letter of it. No. 2 also thinks of a word beginning with the letter given out, and adds the second letter to it. No 3. must then think of a word beginning continues without him. When the circle is reduced to two, the contest becomes very ex his adversary to complete the word. The one left on the field, is Anagrams. This game is played as follows: The letters which form some word are made into a quite different word, or a short sentence if possible, and the players are required to find out the original word. "Table-ray" is a very puzzling transposition of letters and it is Example: Sentence,-No more stars. Answer,-Astronomers. said that Queen Victoria sat up all night to guess the answer. We will allow our readers the opportunity to do the same. For playing this, you are assisted by one of the boxes containing half a dozen or more sets of the letters of the alphabet, from which you can pick your anagrams to puzzle your neighbors with. To love ruin; I hire parsons; Red nuts and gin; Sin sat on a tin tar tub; Flit on cheering angel; Golden land; are puzzling anagrams. Historical Pictures. Each one of the company makes a sketch, (no matter how poor it is, the more absurd the drawing, the greater the merriment,) of some well-known historical event, such as the Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, The first gun fired on Fort Sumter, Sir Walter Raleigh spreading his cloak for Queen Elizabeth to step upon, etc., etc.; or any event of the day may be chosen. The papers are then passed around the circle to the left, and each one makes a guess as to what the subject of the picture may be. This guess he writes down at the bottom of the sheet, folds the paper so as to conceal what he has written and passes it to his neighbor. When each sketch has been passed all round the circle, every one takes his own, announces what subject he attempted to delineate, and reads the guesses written below. They are often amusingly far from the mark. For instance, Arthur who has started upon reading the Eneid in school, and has got as far as the second book, makes a picture of the wooden horse invented by the Greeks, and taken into Troy. He selected the subject because he thought it would be easier to draw a wooden horse than a real one, and he prided himself upon representing the whole thing so that it would be easily understood. He even ventured to add a picture of Helen fleeing from the Greeks which must be correct as he traced it from the picture in the notes at the end of his school-book. What was his horror to find that his father was the only one who recognized his picture! His paper as it came back to him read thus: "My toy-horse on wheels. Bridget afraid of it." (This was his younger brother Jack's guess.) "New Invention of double bicycle." (College cousin's jeering suggestion.) "Equestrian statue of Washington in Boston. Washington stolen by burglars, who escape." (Older brother's guess.) "Dido running away from a sea monster." (Older sister, who had seen Arthur examine his Æneid, and supposed the female figure must be Dido.) "Wooden horse taken into Troy." (His father's guess.) "Iphegenia running away from the funeral pile." (Sister near his own age.) 'First specimen of carving in wood, with fright of mother of artist." (Young cousin.) "Jack frightening Lucy with his wooden horse on wheels." (His mother's guess.) "Lady afraid of a horse who has wheels instead of heels." (Maiden Aunt.) "Beautiful piece of sculpture that alarms those who see it." This last guess was by a young visitor whom Arthur much admired, and who was very anxious not to hurt his feelings, and perhaps it cut him more than all. His mother in vain tried to soothe him by representing that they were not all as well acquairted with history as he, and could not be expected to guess right. His artistic vanity was deeply touched, until his father pointed out that all the guessers had discovered that he had made a picture of a horse, and a wooden horse too; and Sally's guess of a "beautiful piece" of sculpture was so much lauded that he was calmed, especially when his older sister's picture of Cinderella putting on the glass slipper, was pronounced altogether too plain, and too easily guessed, so that Arthur could take credit to himself for his artistic vagueness. Five Points, or Rice Game. Put together as many sheets of note paper as there are persons who are to play. Scatter on the upper one at random, five kernels of rice. Prick with a pin, without disturbing the rice, five holes through the spots where the rice has fallen. You will thus have a number of sheets of paper, each containing fine pin-holes arranged in the same order. The game consists in each person drawing a figure which shall come within the points, using one for the head, two for the feet and two for the hands. The illustration gives some examples 55 drawn on a small scale showing the variety of figures which can be made. The figures will be larger as the kernels of rice will fall at greater distances. Writing Sonnets. Select a sonnet from any poet. Give out to the company the last word of the first line. Each person must write a line with the requisite number of feet, and ending with that word. The second terminal is then given, and a second line written by the company, ending with the word given out. No one must be allowed to know what the succeeding terminal is to be. This is to be repeated until the fourteen lines have been written, when the sonnets are read aloud to the company. This game is not so difficult as would at first sight appear. Only have the courage to try it, and you will be surprised to find how readable your productions will be. Examples: Subject: MOONLIGHT. In the dark shadow of a tower I-stand Ah well! I do not grieve that she is-thine, Subject: THE OCEAN. A little bird sat singing on a-spray Of flowering hawthorn, in the twilight-still; My love was with me on that happy-day; I love the sea, for there I found my-mate, He then proceeds to construct on his paper a set of gallows with as many nooses as there are players. One of the players is then asked to mention one of the letters in the hidden sentence. If he guesses rightly, and mentions i, for instance, that letter is inserted in the blank which indicates its place. If his guess is wrong, however, the process of hanging him begins. A noose is let down from the gallows, and a head attached to it. The false letter is written by the side. The next player then tries his fortune at guessing the hidden letters. When a player makes a second failure, a neck is added to his head; for a third, the body is added. dad y of and so on until the figure is completed, when he must retire from the game. If a letter is repeated in the hidden sentence, as is the case with 1, in the example given above, each blank requires a separate guess. That player beats who first discovers what the sentence is. [Our next number will give an example of “A Fagot Party" as it should be carried on.] |