91.  A Satisfactory Shoe Polisher.—­Not long since I ripped up a velvet covered hat, only to find the velvet impossible for further use in the millinery line.  A threw it into the big waste basket that stands near my husband’s shoe cleaning apparatus.  He caught up the velvet in a hurry one day to take a spot off a shoe, and now has it laid away as a treasure in his shoe kit.  He says it is the best polisher he ever had, and uses it on my fine shoes to his own entire satisfaction.

92.  Tasty Way of Preparing Beef-tea.—­Beef-tea will not prove so monotonous to an invalid if a different flavoring is used each day, as dove, bay leaf, or celery.

[Miscellaneous recipes 867]

93.  To Preserve Silk Gloves.—­If white or delicately tinted silk gloves are wrapped in blue paper, then in brown they will not discolor.  The chloride of lime in white paper is injurious.

94.  Red Ants to Destroy.—­Dry sulphur, sprinkled about in cupboards or flour chests where small red ants frequent, will rid the place of the pests.

95.  Kitchen Account Book.—­I have found a kitchen account book is a very useful record.  I have a small vestpocket note book hanging by a string and pencil near my kitchen range.  A page or two is devoted to each month’s use.  The month and year are entered at the top of page.  When groceries are purchased, the date, article and price are noted, and summed up at the end of each month.  It makes a handy, permanent record, showing how long supplies last, the expense of one month compared with another, and the monthly average of each year.

96.  A Brick Pincushion.—­A brick pincushion was a dressmaker’s ingenious way of making easy work of basting and sewing long seams.  She took a common red brick, topped it with a flat oblong cushion size and shape of the brick, covering the whole neatly with a bright chintz cover.  This standing on the edge of her cutting table was in constant use, and proved a great convenience.

97.  Fruit Stains, to Remove from Hands.—­When your hands become stained from paring fruit or vegetables, dip them in soap suds then rub thoroughly with coarse salt, and they will become smooth and white.

98.  Eyelet Embroidery, Suggestions for.—­For some time after I began doing “eyelet work” I wondered if there was not some way to fasten the thread after completing an eyelet.  A friend of mine showed me a solution of my problem.  It was to leave the last three loops loose enough so that I could pass the thread back through them after completing the eyelet.  Then I carefully pulled each of these loops down and cut off the thread.  This obviates the necessity of any knots that are so unsightly, and at the same time, the thread is firmly secured. 99.  To Prevent Stockings from Wearing Out.—­Paste pieces of velvet soft side up, into the heels of your shoes, bottom and back, and you will find your stockings darning reduced by a big per cent.