Aunt Amanda
Br JANE OSBORN
(10. !!:. I) MrCluiv Ntwapatxr SUH.I I
When lhi other girls of her age
wore sitting nut on verandas In the
Company of thotr rustic sweethearts
on slimmer evenings, Laura Perkins
was sitting Indoors beside the living-
room lamp, intent on genius her mend
ing done for nil those little Perkinses
to whom she played the rule of big
tlstor and mo; her combined. It was
not that Farmer Perkins was any less
prosperous than the other farmers,
I'tit it would have pone against the
grain to pay out money to have this
work done when I dura could do It Just
as well. In the meantime I.atim dldu't
got "any young company." In fact,
she never did get tiny, and It was not
until at the ace of twenty five, when
Farmer Perkins decided to nk Widow
Koliins, down the road, to share his
fireside and Widow P.olllr.s accept
ed, that Laura ever had any chance
for the pleasure and flirtation that she
had missed In her girlhood.
But she had for too long hecn tied
to the duties of the kitchen and the
mending hasket to take very grace
fully to the art of finding a suitor
then for obviously the only thing left
for I.aurn to do now was to marry and
get a home of her own. "Of course,
I want to have a place where I ran
do my own cooking and all." Laura
would explain, "hut I don't know as
I want to get amnn Just to make
crullers for him." But the truth was
that there was a man that Laura
would have neon quite willing to cook
and mend for for the rest of her life
had he heen disposed to ask her to
accept his hand. This was Widow
Kollins' son, who, when that lady came
to marry Farmer Perkins, naturally
was squeezed Into the Perkins farm
house to live,
'She's a real nice girl." the moth
er had remarked to her son In confi
dence. "But she's got such a lot of
notions. Did you hear her carrying
on about that Aunt Amanda cruller
set? Tou know some of the women
around here got the outfit. Laura was
one of them. It has the cutter and a
special roiling pin and the kettle and
the basket for the crullers while they
are In the hot fat. Well, there are
one or two things about It that Laura
didn't like. The basket doesn't slip
Into the kettle Just the way she wants
It to. So she gets to looking at the
picture of Aunt Amanda on the pack
age, and she makes up her mind she
has got to see her. It never occurs to
her that maybe there Isn't any Aunt
Amanda, that maybe It Is Just a pic
ture on the box cover."
Edward Rollins had listened wlttf
out any great Interest His mother
always changed the subject In that
way. He had wanted to talk of Laura,
but his mother apparently preferred to
talk about cruller sets. lie had want
ed to sound his mother on a subject
that lay near his heart, fie was twenty-six,
Just starting out for himelf
In the hardware business, with all that
he owned In the world Invested in
stocks of hammers and nails and carv
ing knives and wash boilers an end
less variety of equipment for the farm
er and his wife. It was quite out of
the question now to ask Laura to mar
ry him, if that Involved making a
home for her. What Edward bad
hoped was that for the present his
mother and Laura's father might let
them board In the old Perkins farm
house. Cut Edward, always somewhat
In awe of his mother, never got to the
point of asking, and not having asked
and received her consent he ;iever got
to that further point of asking Laura
to be his wife.
Laura was twenty-five that autumn
after her father's marriage, when she
went off to the city to make her own
living. And Laura herself seemed to
he the only one In the community who
didn't realize that, with no special ed
ucation or training save that of a
housewife and no special talent or
aptitude save considerable good sense,
the future was not very promising for
her.
"Seems as If the only thing she can
do is to be somebody's hired girl,"
quoth the now Mrs. Perkins for the
benefit of tier son and her husband,
both of whom winced under this re
mark. Then old father Perkins died and
Laura came home to the funeral; was
gone hack to the city and no one was
the wiser concerning her mode of mak
ing a living. If truth must be told a
rift came In the Perkins-Rollins house
hold, In part due no doubt to the set
tlement of Mr. Perkins' estate. At oil
events those of the Perkins brood who
kept In touch with Laura did not en
Joy Mrs. Rollins' good will. They
moved away and Laura was no -more
heard of.
In Cve years the hardware business
as carried on by Edward Itollins had
prospered to the point where he was
In a position to settle down in life on
his own, and as his mother, the pres
ent Widow Perkins, had now under
consideration an alliance with old Dea
con Bradshaw, a union of which her
son did not approve, she was anxious
enough for her eon to marry.
Edward was not lacking in friends
among the younger girls of the village
who might conceivably look, with much
favor upon his suit.
"And remember, Edward," the moth
er laughed one day when she had
called at his store, "you once had me
worried for fear you'd marry that carrot-haired
Laura. I don't suppose you
a I nav ever green nor acoonrt tnoucnt:
"I wonder what ever became of her.'
Mid Edward, and It was not (he Brat
time that this queatlon had occurred
to him.
"It wa funny," mused the mother.
"Said the was going to m Aunt
Amanda; she thought It wa real
Aunt Amanda that put out those crul
ler sets. So I suppose she went and
looked up those Aunt Amanda people
In the city and made I fool of her
self." "As far as that goes, there really Is
an Aunt Amanda." Edward Rollins
told his mother, "and she Is pushing
those doughnut cookers for all they
are worth. She Is on (he road sell
lug them, too. Just got I circular let
ter from the Arm today, saying (hat
'Aunt Amanda' had started this way,
and would be here with the Improved
doughnut cooker besides five or all
other special rooking utensils."
"Well. I'll bet that Isn't her real
name; I'll hot , . ."
But Mrs. Rollins never told her son
Just what she would bet. for she was
Interrupted by his clerk Just then to
say that "Aunt Amanda" had arrived.
Aud Aunt Amanda was none other
than Laura Perkins. "1 didn't want to
(on hero when I knew how you nnd
your mother had felt since father
died." she said. "But your store was
on the list, and I didn't wnut to refuse
to stop."
So that Is how Laura Perkins at
thirty a well-dressed, debonnalre
Laura that hardly anyone recognized
save Edward Rollins came back to
the home of her childhood.
"I went right to the Aunt Amanda
people," she told Edward. "I must
have been a scream. I Insisted that
there was an Aunt Amanda and that
I had something to tell her about how
she could Improve her cruller cooker.
I saw the president of the concern,
and he told me I could be Aunt Aman
da If I wanted to, and started me In
right away. All the assets I had was
some good common sense and a lot of
enthusiasm."
"Tou must hare made a big success,"
suggested Edward, fearful lest Just this
success would stand In his way In the
plan he had In his heart to propose.
"Tea, I suppose you'd ay o," said
Laura. 'Tin secretary of the concern
now, with a good bit of stock. Thea
1 get royalties these new specialties
are my Inventions. They are things I
worked out back In father's kitchen be
fore he wa married. The royalties
and the Interest will go on."
She stopped short, looked at Ed
ward, and both blushed.
"Maybe so." Edward found courage
to say. "But the road Job won't,
Laura ; Pro going to marry you."
And that la how It happened that
"Aunt Amanda" never went on anoth
er sales trip, but that within a few
months the letterhead paper of the
thriving Aunt Amanda company
showed the name of Edward Rollins
Instead of Laura Perkins priuted af
ter "Secretary."
HEALTHY PEOPLE LOVE COLOR
Repression of That Feeling, Too Com
mon Among Americans, Declared
to Be a Mistake.
If one Is to believe Constantln Guy,
Flls, a love of color Is a sign of excel
lent health morally and physically. He
writes In Arts and Decorations.
The movement Initiated by the Rus
sians to rescue our color sense from
the shadow stage of the Vk-torlan era
had an Invigorating Influence on the
color elements In dress.
Boris Anisfeld made his colors shont
like a choir of trumpets In a super-
orcbestra the colossal orchestra
dreamed of by Beethoven for his un
finished Tenth symphony. Bnkst fol
lowed with a welding of scenery and
costume In a magic ensemble.
Too often this revival of color has
been accompanied by a sacrifice of ar
chitectural beauty, but In the best
work of Bakst, his "Papillons Ballet,"
for example, there Is a happy blending
of the decorative and the pictorial,
The mid-Victorian costumes for this
Schumann fantasy are a model for the
dress designer.
A healthy people loves color. Ameri
cans, with a sense of humor and love
of life, have too often In the past re
pressed their natural desire for robust
color, lest they be charged with levity
or bad taste. Only In her outdoor
moods does the American girl reveal
her buoyancy In areas of radiant color.
In the cities we are too aubdned. Ma
trons seek an asylum In deadly blacks
forgetting that there Is no color like
gray for maturing years. This re-
stiaint nas had one compensation,
however, since It has discouraged the
cruue ana the vulgar.
Limitations of Novelty.
The narrowest tiling In the world Is
novelty. Innovation wears thinner
than Imitation. So far from liberating
the mind more and more, It limits the
mind more and more. For mere Inno
vation Is mere elimination. . .
A modern artist Is really discouraged
from doing what has heen done be
fore, even if he can do It better; Just
as a fashionable woman might be dis
couraged from wearing an unfashion
able hat, even If she looked divinely
beautiful In It. G. K. Chesterton In
the Living Age.
Her Idea of It.
Mr. Bacon I see that the Bedouin
marriage does not take much time. It
Is said the bridegroom cuts the throat
of a sheep and spills the blood on his
father-in-law's threshold, and It Is all
over.
Mrs. Bacon No, It's not. either
Don't you forget that somebody's got
m ciean up tne mess, nnd I suppose,
oi course, it is tne poor bride.
The Woods
SETTIN' IN THE SUN.
i ...... .
i n-iMMi ins? party who sets on t
tlironn
Has a perfectly nilsor'blo time;
There always Is some one a plekln' a
bone
With a king or a monarch sublime.
Some calculate maybe that belli' a king
Is a Job that Is geii'ully fun
Well, well. It may be,
Hut the best thing, to miy
Is Jest settlu' right here In the sun.
I reckon the party who sets In the
chair,
In the president's chair, an' all that,
Must tote eu his persou conslder'ble
euro
An' a passel of woe In his hat.
Some calculate maybe It's fun to be
boss
Or even for office to run
Well, that may be no,
But the best thing I know
Is Jest settlu' right hero In the sun.
I reckon the party who seta up on
high
He may wish for a moment that's
calm.
It's awful to set there an' find by an
ny
That you've dono gone an' set on
bomb.
I calculate, If they should blow up
king,
In spite of the good be has done,
Nary king he will he; .
But me, as for me,
I'll be settln' right here lu the sun.
(Copyright.)
0 .
tfolhlMBook
i
What we do tetania to what v
and what we an la what bocomes 0f u.
-van
SAVORY DISHES.
The following dlshea are but sug
gestions to the housewife, for many
tasty and wholesome dishes may be
prepared from the food at hand;
Westphalia Balls.
rasa a cupful of boiled potatoes
through a sieve and mix with four ta
blespooufuls of finely minced ham,
two tablespooufuls of butter, two eggs.
well-beaten, one-quarter of a cupful of
cream, cayenne, mustard and salt to
taste. Form Into halls, egg and crumb
them and fry In deep fat until a light
brown. These may be served with or
without a cream sauce.
Savory Eggi.
look four eggs Id the shell until
hard. Shell, cut In halves, pass the
yolks through a sieve and mix with
two tuniespoonfuls of ham, a little
onion, two tablespooufuls of cream,
two minced sprigs of parsley, salt, cay
enne, chopped tnrngon to taste, nnd
mix well. Fill the egg whites with
the mixture and lay on a platter. Pour
round the eggs one cupful of mayon
naise to which has been added one
small chopped pickled cucumber
chopped flue.
Potted Creams.
Fry rounds of bread for six or eight
persons nnd set them In the oven.
Take one-quarter of a pound of cheese,
four tablespooufuls of butter, salt, cay
enne and mustard to taste, adding one
tablcspnonful of any fruit Juice, mix
well and spread a spoonful of each on
the bread. This nilxturu may be used
for sandwiches nnd will keep a week
or more If covered, In a small Jar
with melted butter.
Parmesan Puffs.
Take one-half cupful of grated Par
mesan cheese, two-thirds of a cupful
of bread crumbs, one-half teaspoonful
of salt nnd a few dashes of cayenne;
put all this mixture Into a mortar and
pound until well blended. Beat two
eggs and add to this mixture, Make
balls the size of a large walnut and
fry a light brown.
Cheese Sandwiches.
Cut rounds of bread to be used us
sandwiches. Spread lightly with but
ter and add a spoonful of the follow
ing: Take a cupful of grated
cheese (rich American), add cream,
cayenne and a dash of mustard, and
salt and spread lightly on orio piece
of bread, cover with another and when
all arc filled fry a delicate brown In
a hot omelet pan with a small amount
of butter.. Served hot with a plain
lettuce salad, they are delicious.
Sardines Fried In Batter,
Drain the fish and pour boiling wa
ter over them to remove the oil. Re
move the skins nnd dip Into fritter
batter, fry In deep fat, and drain on
brown paper. For the fritter batter
use one and one-lhlrd cupfuls of flour,
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder,
two-thirds of a cupful of milk, and
one beaten egg. Servo with hot to-,
nmlo sauce.
Hot Sauce Tartare.
To one-half cupful of white sauce
add one-third of a cupful of mayon
naise, one-half a chopped shallot, one
half teaspoonful of vinegar, and one
half tablespoonful each of chopped ca
pers, pickles, olives and parsley.
Serve when the mixture Is heated, but
not boiling. This sauce Is nice with
boiled fish.
mHMIW),wwwtwwMl,.
FARM
POULTRY
LARGE INFLUENCE OF MALES
Selection of Rootteri to Incresi Egg
Production la Urged by Poultry
Specialist!.
Although poultry experts have long
advocated culling nonptudueliig bona,
poultry workera at the College of
Agriculture at Ithaca now advise the
selection of roosters to Increase egg
production, according to nn article In
the Cornell Countrymen. From ei
perlmenta extending back for more
White Plymouth Rock Cock.
thno a year, It has been demonstrated
that It ll possible to determine from
appearances the males which are most
likely to produce the best-paying
nena.
The difference In the appearance of
males Is comparable to the difference
In the rate of growth and the Inteuslty
with which hens lay, according to the
college. Soma nena can lay an egg
one in every Zi hours; others are not
able to produce an egg oflener than
once In iS hours, although both have
the same care and feed. If one hen
can lay faster than another, It Indi
cates that she can digest large amounts
of foed quickly. The experiment.- at
this point determine also tho valde of
males as foundatlona of high produc
ing flocks.
The Cornell workera measured
severnl lots of malea a year ago, and
by observing the records of tho off
spring, they say that they con tell
from the appearance of the rooster
whether his daughters will be good
layers. Members of the college itnff
think the results of these experiment!
will have as much value In developing
eniclent poultry flocks as the original
discovery that It was possible to de
termine by appearance which hens
were laying.
A rooster to father egg-laying off
spring should grow rapidly anil ma
ture quickly. He should appear deep
bodied and short legged, full In breast
and abdomen with a flat, wide back.
IJIa head should he moderately short,
set on a largo full neck, and with
prominent eyes. A good male for
breeding Is friendly, courageous and
proud of himself, calling attention to
bla pride by freqnent crowing.
MAKE HEN FLOCK PROFITABLE
With Possible Exception of Leghorns
Fowls Over Two Years Old Do
Not Pay to Keep.
It seldom pays to keep hens for lay
ing after they are two and one-half
years old. This may not bo true of
Leghorns hut Is generally so of most
other breeds. Ileus older than this
may return some profit hut younger
hens will return greater profits. In
this day of high-priced feed, culling
will make poultry more profitable,
VARIETY OF FEED ESSENTIAL
Every Flock of Hens Must Be Supplied
With Necessary Material to
Manufacture Eggs.
Every flock of hens Is an egg fac
tory. Like any other fnctory the flock
can be given the best materials In the
world to work on and still fall to pro
duce enough to pay for running the
plant. Good feed In sufficient variety
Is necessary for egg production, but
the ability to manufacture eggs from
feed must be there first.
COLONY HOUSE IS PREFERRED
Give Poultryman Chance to Raise His
Fowls Under Ideal Conditions
Must Keep Clean.
Colony houseg on free range give
the poultryman a chance to raise tils
birds under Ideal conditions. Rut the
same eanltary precautions must be
taken as with laying houseg. The small
houses must be frequently cleaned and
sprayed and the roosts painted with
kerosene or some lice paint to keep
down the rod mites,
NO PROFIT IN POOR LAYERS
Unprofitable Producers Should Be
Culled Out to Save Hlgh-Prlced
t Feed and Labor.
It pays to cull out the poor layers
any time, to save the foed anl luhor
they cost, but to make a profit on
them It Is best to cull In Into summer
or early fall, before the rush of spring
chickens lowers the market price of
old hens. ; (
A
- ...
MmJMI
WHEAT HARVESTED IN
ALL PARTS OF WORLD
Work in United States Begins
Late in Month of May.
According to Department of Agilcul-
ture 39 Per Cant of Crop la Oath,
ered In July, J5 Ui Auguit
and IS In June.
I'lider III condition prevailing be
fore the World war, M per cent of the
world'! wheal crop win hnrveMcd In
July, 1 per cent In August. 1.1 per
cent In June, 7 per tint In April, B nr
cent In January, 4 per rent In May,
3 per Cent each In Mnivh and Decern
her, 2 per cent In Sept her, 1 per
cent In Fi'hriiary, and minli hi than
1 per cent each In October and No
vember. The wheat ban eat of the
world may be regarded a beginning
In loeeiiiher In South America An
Stacking Wheat tn Oregon,
tralla, New Zealand and South Africa,
continuing through January and sub
stantially ending In February. India
then begins and Increases In activity
through March aud April. In April
harvesting operations begin lu such
countries as Persia, Asia Minor, and
Mexico. In May activity la leaaenwl,
for then the Indian harvest has been
about completed, and the harvest sea
son Is crossing the Mediterranean
from north Africa to southern Kurnpc,
where harvests do not become general
until June, I.nto In May the harvest
of tho I'nlled Stales IhtIiis. In June.
July and August about 75 per cent of
the world's crop la harvested, the sea
son progressing steadily northward
during these months. By September
harvest operations are nearly com
pleted, Scotland, northern Itnssln and
Siberia, the United States anil Canada
having a lllllo left over from August.
Very little harvesting of wheat Is
done In October and November.
SLIDING DOOR ON CONCRETE
Iowa armer Solves Problem by Us
ing channel In Groove, Anchored
With Rods.
When a sliding door Is used at Ihe
entrance of a ham or machine shed
a groove between the floor and Ihe
npprnnch Is often used as a guide for
the door. lint when concrete Is used
this construction Is not satisfactory,
as the edges are chipped off by the
wheels of wagons and other ihnchlnery
with steel tires,
An Iowa farmer has solved this
problem In a very simple nnd satlsfac
tory manner. He placed a three-Inch,
four-pound channel Iron In tile groove.
Holes were drilled through the sides at
Intervals of two feet and rods placed
through them to serve as anchors,
Hie Iron protects the concrete nnd
forms a smooth guide for tho door,
PROPER ROOST FOR PULLETS
When About Half Matured Provide
Platform for Fowls About Eight
een Inches From Floor,
Never provide roosts until tho pul
lets are about half matured. A good
plan Is to have a platform erected,
about eighteen Inches from the floor,
upon which Ihey may go at night.
After the birds are about half ma
tured, roosls can bo-placed on Mils
plnlform, to which Ihey will readily
take. Where pullets are compelled to
roost on tho door until well grown,
they are very slow about taklug to
ronsls when Ihey require It, Ilcsldes,
unless the droppings nre cleaned up
dally, roosting on the floor will soon
breed a lot of red miles which will
torment the stock more than anything,
else.
MARKET FOR PUREBRED SIRES
One Method Ii to Inaugurate a Cam
paign for High-Class Bulla In
Place of 8crubs.
There are two ways of helping the
market for purebred bulls. One meth
od Us to put on purebred sire cam
paigns, which will help to put pure
bred bulls In placo of scrub -bulls
throughout the country, and the other
method Is to castrate the poorer Indi
viduals and place only the belter class
of bulls on the market. Iloth methods
can be used to good advantage by the
purebred men, and both methods will
help the live Stock production of the
country.
TOBACCO CROWN
IN M SECTION
Commercial Value of Product In
financed Greatly by Soli and
Climatic Conditions.
OVERPRODUCTION IS MENACE
Certain Methods for Production of
Various Types Are Recommended
by the United Statu Depart,
mtnt of Agriculture,
The tobacco plant may be grown
lUi'ceasfiilly In nil latitude from
on I horn ('lunula In the tropics and on
ii great variety of aolla, hut Ihe ruin
nioreliil value of the product Is liillu
eiued to a greater degree by the par
ticular noI and climatic condition nn-
dor which the plant Is grown than
la almost any other Important crop.
These facta are o well recognised that
the tobacco IndiiMry ha hecoiue high,
ly specialized, and the trade regularly
look In certain well defined area of
production for It supply of tho varU
mil rhino and t pea of leaf required.
In these tobacco .producing dtatrlrta
Ihe neceaHiiry fiieiiliie for marketing
are available, and prevailing price of
the cured leaf are governed largely
by the relative auppty ami demand and
by the quality of the leaf produced,
Increased Production.
F.in'li Important district produces a
tobacco of certain well known cburae.
terlallr which mnko It dealrnhln for
special purpose of niiiuiifnctiire or ex
port. Moreover, In practically all of
these district the production ran b.
readily Increaard tn meet any u.
rrensed demand at prolltabla price.
For these reason effort to Introduce
the commercial gruwlng of tobacco n
'cctloii oulalde of the established
producing center are likely to result
In failure, either because the leaf pro
duced I not quite right In type or
satisfactory marketing farllltlei art
not available. Furthermore1, any de
velopment of the Industry In a new
section on a large eule, which would
he essential for economical marketing,
would moat likely lead to overproduc
tion and, a a coiiaciiuciico, unprova
ble price. As a matter of fact, over
production I a constant menace In all
of the established center of tobacco
growing.
Qrowlng and Handling.
The methods of growing and han
dling the crop must be varied accord
ing to (ho type of 1,-nf which It I de
sired to produce, for the kind of to
bacco I luiiuciioiil very greatly by Ilia
method of growing and handling
wiilrlt are employed. Certain methods
Harvesting Tobacco by Cutting tn
Stalk, 8howlng the Method of 8pmr,
Ing tha Plant on the Stick.
for the production of the various types
are recommended by the Culled Nt'ntes
department of agriculture. Though
possibly susceptible of Improvement la
some of tho details, they are the best
available In view of the present knowl
edge nnd experience of Investigators
and the mora successful growers.
These recommendations nru contained
In Farmers' Iltillelln 571. 'Tobneen
Culture," copies of which can he had
by addressing a request to tho United
States department of ' ogi-lctilluro,
Washington, I). C. ,
QUALITIES OF LAYING HENS
8mall Feminine Neck and Head,
Bright, Alert Eye and Drooping
Tall All Count
An experienced, closo-obsorvlng'pnu!-try
raiser knows at a glance tho lay
ing hen ; the small feminine neck and
bond count again ; the bright, alert eyo
tells a tnlo, the drooping tall tells an
other tule, and when she picks her
feet up nnd plumps them down we '
have another pointer,
RAPE EXCELLENT FOR SWINE
Can Be Expected to Add Many Pounds
In 8eason to Qrowlng 8hoati
Lessens Feed Bill.
Never forget that good rape makes
excellent bog feed and can be sown
lightly In the outs or broadcast In ft
cornfield nt the Inst cultivation 'and
be expected to add many pounds In a
season to a growing bunch of shoals
with a corresponding lessening of the
pressure ou the feedblns In making
pork, '
wm