MISCELLANEOUS.
Constant Reader.—Polish the cocoanut shells with glass-paper, and then rub with French polish. They might be fitted into a small stand, like that of a wine-glass only larger, made at any ordinary turner’s for a trifling sum, and glued in, and then it would be of use as a flower vase.
Inquirer.—It matters nothing in any legal transaction by what fancy name you may be known amongst your friends. It is your baptismal name, duly registered, by which you must be called in the banns. If anyone should question your individuality, they have only to inquire at the church vestry.
Alpha.—To make Scotch shortbread, take two pounds of flour, one pound of butter, and six ounces of loaf-sugar. Rub these into a stiff paste; cut into square or oblong cakes of about half an inch thick, pinch along the edges to make a border, and put them on a baking-tin, buttered first of course, and bake in a moderately hot oven till of a light brown.
Heather.—We see no reason why you should not accept the invitation of the Vicar’s family to call on their “at home” day. As your mother cannot call, take her card and go with your sisters as desired.
Mabel.—We are sorry for you; but unless personal violence be offered, or you have reason to know that some other person has supplanted you, you have no legal ground for a separation. Incompatibility of temper is sometimes a mutually agreed-upon excuse for living apart. In your case, we think you might confide in your parents, and ask their advice, for the question is a very grave one, and your father might see fit to represent to his son-in-law that his daughter’s health was suffering from unhappiness through something amiss between them, and express his wish to promote more pleasant relations and a better understanding between them. Are you sure that you are doing your best to make your husband’s home comfortable and cheerful? If he comes home to see you with red eyes and a doleful face, and see no attempt to make his home bright and attractive, then some of the blame lies on your own shoulders. Ask God to show you any errors of your own, and to guide you in the path of duty.
Fan.—The origin of wearing a widow’s cap appears to be Eastern, where the shaving of the head and covering it is a token of mourning. The Romans instituted a cap for widows, and obliged them to wear weeds for ten months; and they were forbidden to marry again under a year.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] True.
[2] True.