HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1911, 6 July 1888, Page 34

HOME INTERESTS.

J Shrewsbury Cakes.— Half-pound flour, Alb white sugar, £lb of butter rubbed in, and one egg, 2oz currants, or seeds, or Bultanas. Pour into patty tins, and bake for threequarters of an hour. Coral may be cleaned by soaking it in soda and water for several hours, then make a lather of soap and brush the coral with a soft brush. To rinse, pour clear water upon it or hold it under the tap.

Plain Sweet Biscuits. — One pound ftqur, Boz of white sugar, 3o?s butter; wet th}s with three eggs well beaten, and add 2oz carraway seeds. Mix into a stiff paste, yoll out, cut into rouncjs, and bake fqr threequarters of an hour. Oilcloths should never be washed in hot goapsuds ; they should first be washed clean cold water, then rub,bed dry with a cloth wet in milk. The same treatmentoftp* plies %o a stone or slate hearth. B,orax is an extremely useful article to have about the house. Jb is especially useful in the laundry, very effectual in driving away ants, cockroaches, &c, and is invaluable as a home remedy for wounds, sores, bruises, and Sprains. Oatmeal oe Whbatbn Cake. — Halfpound of coarse oatmeal and \\b of flour, or ■Alb of coarsely groppd wheatmeal f one desgertspqonf ql qf sugar, one heaped teaspoonful of baking powder, mixed together ; melt 2oz or soz of butter or lard in half a teacnp|ul of milk, make a light paste, cut it into Cikes, and bake in a moderate oven. The sugar should, of course, be left out if they to serve with cheese. loing OAKES.-r-Whiak the whites of eggs fc) a froth, add £lb of castor sugar and three drops of ratafia, beating all together and sifting the sugar in gradually. Put the cake la a slow oven, moderately heated. Pour tha icing on the top, or spread it with a knife. Leave it to harden for about 15 minutes. Oare is needed that it may not become at all brown or singed in colour. A sheet of stiff white paper round the cake \yill keep the icing from falling round the sides if only required on the top, but when allowed to run freely it has a very pretty e.ffect. Almond Biscuits. — Put into a basin lib flour, Alb butter, castor sugar, the grated peel of two lemons, and a little grated nutmeg, the yolk of one and the whites of two eggs. Mix the whole together to a consistency little tougher than shortbread ; roll it out thin and cut it into cakes. Egg them with the remaining yolk, and put on each s^me finely -chopped almonds mixed with sugar. Bake them about 10 minutes in a moderate oven till_ they are a light brown, taking great care lest they burn. Apple Cake. — Take lib of lump sugar, put it to a pint of ypater.let it boil till quite dissolved and ready to cacdy, then add 21b of apples pared and sliced, and the peel of a iemon, if liked. Boil all together till quite stiff, then pub it into a mould, and when cold it will turn out. Serve with custard round, and, if liked, a few almonds blanched, split, and. stuck in the cake. These cakes will keep for several weeks. Poos Knight (Anne Bitter). — Cut several slices of stale bread and take the crns^ off, soak in milk for about an hour, then dip each separately in the*yolks of two e*gs well beaten ; fry in butter, and when brown sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon. These should be eaten very hot. Instead of cinnamon they are often eaten red-currant jelly or fr.uft. This is a vary useful recipe for using itp bread, as any stale pieces will do, and they are/exceedingly nice.

— '.'.What is the national air of this

pQuntry?" asked a ioreignerof MrFangle. «.'. At present the national air is mighty cold," replied Fangle, as he buttoned h,is overcoat ploser.

MoNsißtm JTaine os thb Bkauty op SweuaH Ladies.— she point which seems particularly to have impressed itself upon the mind pf this brilliant French writer, with respect to " Bngtish beauties." is the ''dazzling purity of their complexions." Pctnbtleis, nature has richly endowed our countrywomen in this respect, but art has done no less, In supplying such an exquisite preparation as Row< lakds* K-iXVDOB, which so far aids nature as to remove freckles, tan. sunburn, -prickly heat, redness and roughness of- the skin, produces a pure and deUcat* .complexion, and has a most soothing and SuHfying effect on* the skin during the heat and uit of summer or colrf and damp of winter. Ask chemlits for Rqwuhds' JUiypob.

Then he could not restrain himself, anfl plucked the flower ; and when he had done so he had forgot bis dearest, and went back to his father and mother in the castle.

When liis mother saw him coming he Had the red flower in his doublet. Then she knew that all had gone well, and called the King. The King went to mset his son, brought him a golden helmet and a golden harness, and said, " I am old and weak ; go out into the world and see what it is like. When you come back after two years I will give you the kingdom." Then Heino chose for himself 30 squires, travelled with them from one kingdom to another, and saw for himself the glory of the world.

But when Heino never came back Blueeyes saw very well that he had forsaken her. Every morning she sent out the white dove, which had to fly about in the world tillgit

The two years were already past, when one evening the white dove returned with a blood stain on its wing. Then JBlue-eyes asked : What is my hero doing, How fares my prince's blood ? Then she saw the blood stain on its wing, and her heart sank. "Is he dead 1 " she asked.

Would God, would God instead That he were dead! moaned the dove,

In the Will-o'-the-wisp swamp is he snared, Mid the Will-o'-the-wisps ill has he fared -, Where the tall reeds grow He lieth low. ; Gfo& nave him from harm In the Will-o'-the-wisp Queen's snow white arm J Then Blue-eyes bade the white dove sit on her shoulder, so that it might show her th© way, and set out to fine? Heino.

After he had journeyed three days she came to the Will-o'-the-wispmarsh, where Heino lay encbantied. She sat down quietly by the road, and waited till it was evening. As it was getting dark a storm rose, and the clouds swept across the sky. The rain fell pattering into the alder bushes, and before long she saw far off in the marsh the first blue flames arising. Then she shortened her kirtle/ stepped courageously down among the reeds, and made her way forward, looking constantly toward the Will-o'-the-wisps. It was an arduous way ; for she soon sank in over the ankles, the wind lashed her hair about her shoulders, so that she had to stop to tie it in a great knot behind, and the rain ran down her cheeks. But the marsh, was always getting deeper, and the blue flamelets, which appeared from all sides in ever greater numbers, seemed to wish to mock her. JFor when it had looked for a while as if they stood quite still or even came toward her, so that she now hoped soon to reach them, they hovered back again even to the centre of the marsh, or went out suddenly to arise again at a more distant spot. She now sank in almost to the knee, and could not make more than two or three steps, one after the other, without stopping Jto rest. Then the storm ceased, the narrow sickle oi the moon appeared from between the clouds, and before her, in the midst of a great dark lake, arose the enchanted castle of the Marsb^Queen.

White steps led up from the death->still water into a great open hall, supported by numerous columns oi blue and green crystal with golden Capitals j and, in gay confusion, danced within this hall an innumerable' multitude of the false lights around one especially brilliant flame, which hovered high out of their midst. Then a number of . the lights freed themselves suddenly from the throng, and forming into two half ciroles, came rushing out of the hall. And while one of them remained close before the steps of the castle, the other neared itself rapidly, and Blue-eyes could soon distinguish! 12 pale but wonderfully beautiful damsels,: wearing golden diadems on their foreheads, in front of which rose little oups, in which burned the blue flames. In airy dance they swept up to Blue-eyes and surrounded her ; and to a magic musio which sounded from the castle they sang : Oome along, Come along, Fair sister, to us now belong. (j In our halls, In our halls A delight th&t thou kno west not of calls. See how it beams — •How it gleamsHow it welcomes, and beckoning gleams ; Forgf t what thou lovest on earth To make one of us in our mirth. But Blue-eyes looked calmly and steadfastly on the spirits with her great clear eyes and said, ". You, have no power over me! Whether I shall' come'out alive again from this marsh, God in Heaven only knows ; but if I must die, you at least shall not get me into your power." Then the spirits flew in all directions deep into the marsh. But in their stead the second half-circle of lights swept up, who had hitherto been dancing hither and thither before the steps of the castle. They were 12 beautiful but death-pale boys, likewise with blue flames upon their foreheads. They formed a circle about Blue-eyes, and danced slowly round her, alternately raising their white arms above their heads, and bending them towards thecas,tle, and one of them especially drew always nearer to her, as if he would embrace her, and when she Ipoked at him more closely it was Heino.

Then a pang went through her heart as if she had been pierced by an ice-cold sword, and she cried aloud, V God stand by thee in thy great,. need', Heino I" Scarce had she uttered the words when a violent gust of wind swept $ver the marsh, and the false light? were all extinguished. The still surface of the lake was^curled, and black waves dashed against the white steps of the castle. Then the castle sank down without a sound, and in its place stood four posts qf mouldering wood,, the remain* of an old fi§hing hut" of heathen times. But before Blue^eyes, sunk to the girdle in the deep mdrasSj was Hemp, alive, as he had been, but pale and sad. His hair hung wildly over his, forehead,, and helm and harness were rusted.

"Is that you, Blue - eyes ? " he asked, heavily, " Yes, Heino ; it is I." "Leave me alone," he replied; "lama lost man," - But she gave him her hand and sp°^ c encouragingly to him, and he tried to m a ' c^ one or two steps forward* Then he sto 0< * still and said ; Blue-eyes, I rink down — Blueoyes, I must drown t „ But site held him only the more firmly and answered : Heino, thou slnk'st not down— Heino, thou sbalt not drown 1 Hold on to me but fast ; Thou sbalt be saved at latt t

I So she help" ed him step by Step forward, and again and again he stood still and said : Blue-eyes, I sink down— Blue-eyes-, I must drown J and ever again she encouraged him and replied :

Heino, thou smk'st not down— Heino, thou shalt not drown .' Hold on to me but fast— Thou (halt be saved at. last ! With unspeakable toil l<hey had at last come so far that they could see the end of the marsh and the road.. Then Heino stopped altogether, and cried : " I can go no further, Blue-eyes I . Go you back alone, and greet my mother from me. You are sure to oome out, for you do not sink deep in ; but with me it reaches nearly to the heart." Therewith he turned round and looked back towards the place where the castle had disappeared. ' " Don't look round 1 " cried Blue-eyes, with fear. But she had scarce had time to say it when, from the middle of the marsh, a single blue flame came gliding toward them. It neared rapidly, and the Queen of the Wisps stood before them. She wore a wreath of white water-roses on her head and her diadem was a golden snake, which wound itself lightly through her hair and about her forehead. With her burning eyes she gazed on Heino as if she would see into his heart. Then she laid her hand on his shoulder and cried entreatingly : " Come back, Heino ! " And he stood and looked at her, and swayed unsteadily. Then Blue-eyes snatched the sword from his side, and raised it against the Marsh Qneen. Bub the Marsh Queen only smiled and said : " Foolish child, what would you do to me ? I am not of flesh and blood." And she seized Heino and N drew him forcibly toward her, so that her black tresses fell across his face. Then Blue-eyes cried in her anguish of heart : " And if thou be not of flesh and blood, thou horrible wqman, yet such at least is he whom I will rescue out of thy hands." And she swung the sword, again with all her might, and as the Marsh Queen made yet another attempt to drag away with her Heino, whose right hand she still held, she cried : ' v " Heino, I am sorry I " And with one blow struck his hand off at the wrist. Then the flame on the head of the Queen was extinguished also, and she herself melted away like a wreath of mist ; the white dove, however, which had hitherto sat on Blueeyes' shoulder, now flew to that of Heino. " Now, Heino, you are free," cried Blueeyes, as she saw this. " Come, it is not far now to the road. Exert your last strength." And they went on, but Heino still often stood still and said ; " Blue-eyes, my arm hurts sore." And she answered ;

<• Heino, I grieve yefc more."

But for the last part of the way she had almost to carry him, and when he had made the last step out of the marsh he sank down dead weary on the road and fell asleep. Then she took'her scarf and bound up his wound, so that it ceased to bleed. When she saw that he was sleeping qalmly, she drew the ring which he had given her from her finger, placed it on his hand, and set off on her way home. , As soon as she reached home, she went to the old King, and said, looking at him cheerfully with her great blue eyes, " I have released your son, and he will soon return. God have you in His keeping ; me you do not see again." 'Then the old King drew her to his heart, and said, " Blue-eyes, my daughter, no king's •child can bear a crown more proudly than you. If you can forgive him, and take a onearmed man for husband you shall be his queen your life long." As he said this the door opened and in came Heino, and clasped her in his arms. Then there was great rejoicing throughout the whole land, and everyone wished to see the fair brave maiden who had saved the King's son. But as they stood before the altar and were about to exchange rings, Heino forgot that he wanted the right hand, and held out the stump to the priest. Then a wonder happened, for as the priest touched the stump a new hand grew out from it, like a white flower from a brown branch. But around the wrist ran a fine red line, narrow as a thread. That he had his whole life long.