Ladies' Column.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 317, 9 March 1878, Page 3

Ladies' Column.

One of the nursing sisters of the Order of Troyes says an exchange succumbed last month to an attack of hydrophobia, contracted under circumstances of no ordinary heriosm. As related in the Gazette Hebclomadaire, a month ago Sister S. was taking charge of some con. valescent children for a walk, the eldest of whom was only eight years of age, when they were suddenly assailed by a sheep dog, whose jaws were running with foam, and which attacked them with fury. She instantly saw the danger of her charges, and resolutely interposing be tween the terrified children and the furious animal bravely withstood its attack. She was severely bitten, and the dog, excited by the cries of the children, endeavoured to rush upon them. Then followed a splendid act of devotion. Protecting with her body the children, who hung on her petticoats shrieking with terr or, this brave girl threw herself courageously on Ithe dog, and for ten minutes grasped it, rolling over with it, and thrusting her fist into its month to prevent its biting the children. Some peasants, who came up at last, beat off and killed the dog. The sister was found to have fifteen deep wounds on her hands, and lacerated arms ; an important artery was wounded. Skilful care was given to her wounds, ligatures were applied, the parts torn were cauterised, and for a short time after her return to Paris some hope existed that she might escape the ultimate fate which there was so much reason to fear. In week or two, however, the pharyngeal spasm, vomiting, and hydrophobia in all its characteristic symptons appeared; and Sister S. died from this fatal and fearful disease, finding consolation in the certitude of having saved, at the price of her life, the five children who had been confided to her. Such trials of heroism can hardly serve for an objet of comment ; their memory becomes a title of glory to the families to whom their authors belong and represents, in the eyes of all the spirit of sacrifice and devotion in its most sublime expression.

MATERIALS POE, MOURNING DRESSES. Soft lustreless fabrics of pure wool loosely woven are used for the first and deepest mourning dresses. English bombazines that were formerly prefered to all other materials are now objected to, because they are made of hard twisted threads that produce stiff and harsh surfaces with demi-lustre like silk. The first choice at present is for twilled stuffs, such as the Henrietta cloth, which, on account of its various qualities, is used both by the poor and the rich ; it is as finely twilled as cashmere, and shows slight twillsonthe wrong side, where cashmere is plain. It is double fold, over a yard wide, and costs from $1 25 to §3 for durable qualities. Next there are diagonally woven fabrics instead of the small irregular twills of cashmere ; these are called imperial serge by some merchants, and by others drap d’Alma ; they cost from §1 50 a yard to $3, and are double fold ; this material is much used for the nunlike dresses worn by widows. The camel’s-hair fleecy stuffs so fashionable for ladies in colors are worn as first mourning, and trimmed with crape ; the fine qualities known as India camel’s-hair cost §4 a yard for goods q yard and a half wide ; prices range below this to §1 50 a yard. Four yards are

purchased for plain over dresses, aud an extra yard is sufficient for covering all that is visible of the lower part of the skirt; if pleatings are used, still another yard is needed. Cashmere is used for the second dress when the mourning begins to be lightened and crape is left off ; it is also bought for the first dress by those who do not wear the deepest mourning. Very nicelooking cashmeres are sold for 85 cents or 31 a yard ; finer qualities are 1 dol. 50 to 2 dol. In purchasing cashmeres for mourning- avoid the blue-black shades, not alone on account of the objectionable tint, but because the coal black cashmeres do not wear “shiny.” Tamise cloth is the favourite of all the low-priced materials for mourning dress, thongli many ladies do not think it heavy enough for winter dresses in this climate ; further South it is worn all the year. Tamise is not twilled, but is woven in strait threads, like the fabric formerly called mousseline de laine. It does not catch and retain dust as repped and twilled materials do, but it is not well to brush it, as this raises a woolly nap on the surface ; it should be merely shaken or beaten, and sponged with diluted ammonia. It costs from 75 cents to 1 dol. 50c a yard. The knotted bourette and neigeuse cloths are worn in the second year of mourning, or at first when the dress is put on for a distant relative ; in the single widths this costs from 50 cents to 1 dol. a yard. The loosely woven basket cloths and the larger square figures called quadrilld patterns are also much worn by young ladies and for lighter mourning. For serviceable dresses poplins without lustre and the durable mohairs and Turkish brilliantines are used. There are also stylish mixed goods of black ground withrouglily knotted white threads in irregular clusters or in bars ; these are called half mourning bourettes ; similiar to these are snow-flake cloths, with points of thicker white threads on black wool. —Harpers Bazaar.

AMERICAN RANGES AND COOKING STOVES. (Domestic Magazine.) American stoves are now coming into general use in this country, and the following hints as to their management, by Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, may be useful ; —ln furnishing a kitchen the careful selection of a range or stove is one of the most important considerations. The best that the market can supply should be secured, even if the price seems exorbitant compared to some of inferior quality. It is one of those things where there is much truth in the saying that “ the best is always the cheapest aud most economical.” A stove may be the best and yet become a perpetual trial through mismanagement or neglect. There is nothing more simple than keeping a stove in perfect order, yet nothing is more common than to see one ruined or badly defaced by mismanagement or the most stupid carelessness. And the beginning of the evil is so small that even an expert and watchful mistress may not suspect that there has been neglect until seme part is found to be out of order. It is hard to start a fire, where coal is used, if the grate is not entirely freed from cinders before any kindlings are put in, and to succeed at all a large quantity of kindlings must be used, and often it will be necessary to add more before the cinders will ignite sufficiently to put on fresh coal. It is very desirable to have the stove put in order the last thing before retiring. Unless rendered quite impracticable by reason of late suppers in a large family this can be done without any difficulty'; and even if the family is large we think it the better way. Once accustomed to it, and servants soou begin to recognise tile benefit, and find they can get their morning’s work better under way, with much more ease aud expedition than where, if left till morning, they are obliged to clean out the stove or range before they can do anything about the breakfast ; aud if there were no other strong reason for doing this work before retiring it should be a sufficient one that the work is much more likely to be done well at night than when everything is pressing in the preparation of breakfast. As soon as the supper is ready and there is no further use for the fire, open the oven doors, and take off the covers partly off the holes so that the fire may die out and the iron cool as soon as possible. By the time supper dishes and needful work in the way of preparation for breakfast are finished, if the fire has been properly attended to the stove will be cool enough to clean out. To do this, first open all the dust-dampers, which will draw the ashes and fine cinders up the flues instead of filling the room with them. Then pull out the draftdampers. This done, drop the grate, if on hinges as all grates should be, and let the cinders and ashes into the ash-pan below. Then with a long whisk broom sweep the top of the stove and the tojis of the oven, pass the broom inside as far as possible, and btuish all the iron that can be reached. Rap on the sides of the pipes to dislodge the soot and ashes that collect there. Sweep the grate out thoroughly so that there shall be no cinders and ashes matted in the corners to grow by neglect into a lump almost as hard as clinkers, preventing the free current of air by-aud-by. In the far corners, upon the plates beyond the holes, there are also some nice places for ashe3 and cinders to hide and mat together, if this long-handled, narrow brush-broom does not hunt them out. All this, which takes so many words to tell, is very quickly done, and is of more importance than appears at the first look. To have a stove iierformits various function perfectly it is important that the heat should be equally distributed ; but this cannot be if the circulation is impeded, as it must be if some parts of the plates above aud below are not clear of foreign substances, and otherwise blocked up and choked. Many will tell you that if the ashes are well shaken out the partly-burned pieces of coal may remain in the grate. We don’t think this is the best way. Whether the grate tips down on a pivot and lets all the contents out at once or not, we think it much better, easier, and, in the end, a saving of time, to clear the grate out entirely—leaving ashes and half-burnt coal , to be put into an ash-sliaker aud thoroughly

separated—and by so doing make all ready to start a fire without impediment. Where there is a large amount of cooking to be done all the ashes should be cleared from under the slides of the ovens as often as every other day, twice a week at all events in large or small families. If this is neglected the ovens will not bake more than two or three days alike, so that one can never depend on them. If the ashes which collect under the oven slides are never permitted to make a lodgment there, one can be sure that the ovens will always bake well provided the fire is properly arranged. When, the stove is thus thoroughly cleaned lay shavings over the bottom of the grate, or twist up paper loosely instead, then lay on carefully the light kindling of wood or chips. Do not throw them in in la ge masses to '’log the blaze. Distribute the “ kindling” lightly and evenly in one direction, then lay over this crosswise a few pieces of hardwood if you have, it ; then, when the wood is thoroughly burning, put on over this the coal. The smallest amount of kindling or wood of any kind. that can be used and secure a good, quick fire in a coal stove the better, in every way. Ihe stove is not so fiercely heated, aud ovens bake more equally. Having arranged the stove in this order replace the covers, take up all the ashes, brush down the dust from the brickwork inside and outside of the range or stove, and then polish nicely with stove blacking, wash up the hearth, put chairs, dishes, and dishcloths in their right places, and go to bed with a clear conscience and sleep the refreshing sleep of those who have done their duty faithfully. When ready to light the fire put in the dustdamper and pull out the draft-dampers. When the kindling is thoroughly ignited add more coal, but never fill the grate so full as to have any coal above the firebricks inside the grate. That ruins a stove soon—burning out bricks aud grates. When the coal is all bright push in the draft-dampers and lift off one cover a little Avay to save burning out coal, unless the ovens are needed. Take heed that the fire at no time is hot enough to turn the top of the range red. Cooking- is not expedited by such fierce heat, but destruction of the top plate is. It will soon crack and become useless, as well as the cross piece and covers. Allowing water to. boil over on to the plate will do the same mischief, and is perfectly needless. Rapid boiling does not hasten cooking, and the articles cooked are much better when boiled more slowly. If kettles are not filled too full they will not be likely to boil over. They can. boil slowly, and by keeping them closely covered the steam and the boiling together produce more satisfactory results than greater rapidity.

RECIPES. . Potato Salad. — l. Rub a dish with a shalot; dispose on it some cold boiled potatoes cut in slices ; beat together three parts of oil and one part, more or less, according to the strength of it, of tarragon vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste. Pour this over the potatoes, and strew over all a small quantity of any of the following;—Powdered sweet herbs, mint, parsley, chervil, tarragon or capers, or a combination of them all finely minced. 2. Cut cold boiled potatoes in small cubes. Boue and fillet a few anchovies, and chop them up; take the same quantity of capers. Mix all together with some finely minced tarragon or powdered sweet herbs and a plain salad dressing as above. Put on a dish rubbed with shalot, and make a border round it of pieces of hard boiled eggs and stoned olives. 3. Take equal parts of cold boiled potatoes and cold boiled Spanish onions; cut them into convenient pieces ; sprinkle powdered sweet herbs over and p >ur over them a salad dressing as above. Serve with a border of small radishes. 4. Take four or five cold boiled potatoes, half a small Spanish onion, plainly boiled, and about three inches of pickled cucumber. Cut them all in slices and arrange them on a dish. Pour over them a salad dressing as above, adding- a little English mustard to it, and strew powdered sweet herbs over. Serve with a border of hard-boiled eggs cut in slices. 5. Pound half-a-dozen well-washed anchovies iu a mortar with two hard-boiled yolks of eggs, a dessert spoonful of French mustard, and a sprig or two of tarragon, then gradually work in salad oil, add pepper and lemon juice to taste, and salt, if necessary. Strain the sauce over a dish of sliced cold potatoes, and strew over all plenty of minced truffles. Brown Holland. —To restore the color, boil it in tea which has been strained ; if not dark enough starch it with starch made with cold tea, instead of plain water. Sometimes rinsing iu water in which hay has been boiled proves effectual. Macedoine op Fruit. —Take a mixture of fruit of as many different colors as possible, equal quantities of each kind. .Strawberries, cherries, currants (red and white), and raspberries are best for the purpose ; but when over, greengages, pineapples, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears can be halved or quartered, or sliced, according to size, and used for the purpose. Put the fruit, each kind separately, into some clarified syrup, and simmer gently until quite done, but not falling to pieces ; drain the fruit, and arrange it according to taste in a glass dish ; add to the syrup a glass of maraschino, noyeau, or any liqueur, boil it up, and, when cold, pour it over the fruit. It may be served hot as a garnish for a pudding, or used to fill a timbale of paste. • Strawberry Short Cake. —Rub into one quart of flour sozs. of larJ, a pinch of salt, and three . tablespoonsful of baking powder ; add gradually enough milk to make a soft dough. Divide into four parts ; roll one part out lightly ; cover a straight sized Vienna cake tin with it. Roll out another part and lay in on top of the first. Proceed in the same way with the other two parts, using another baking a tin. Bake quickly, and when done, while hot, lift the upper part from each pan, butter the inner surfaces, and place between the two crusts a layer, an inch thick, of fresh berries, mashed and sweetened. A raspberry short cake may be made with the same pastry.