LADIES’ COLUMN

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17661, 12 August 1929, Page 2

LADIES’ COLUMN

CUCUMBER FOR THE SKIN.

To make a cucumber lotion for the skin, peel a large cucumber and | squeeze the juice from it. Then place j the juice in a white enamelled sauce- ! pan and bring it to boiling point. | Carefully strain the juice through I muslin and put it aside till it is cold. i If this lotion is intended for a greasy i s kin. add to each ounce of cucumber | juice ten drops of tincture of benzoin, 1 shake well and bottle. If for a dry j skin, to each ounce of glycerine juice j add twenty drops of glycerine, shake j and bottle.' For a sunburnt skin, mix ! equal parts of cucumber juice and j rose-water.

WHEN DYEING CLOTHES. Read the directions on your dye packet carefully. Be careful over mixing the dye. Each little lump must be carefully -melted in order to get

good results. Turn the garments about in the water with a clean stick, and do not put your hands in the dye. Boil the clothes well. It is better to over-boil a little rather than

under-boil. Rinse thoroughly until there is no trace of colour left in the

water. Hang a newly-dyed garment indoors in a current of air and let it get absolutely dry before you take it

down. Before ironing, damp the garment, roll it up for half an hour, and iron on the wrong side with an iron that is not too hot.

THE HOSTESS OF NO. t lO DOWNING STREET.

At the age of 25 years, Miss Ishbel MacDonald finds herself back in the great, historic house at No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of her father, Mr Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Her embarrassing task is to act as hostess to princes, ambassadors, statesmen, and other celebrities who happen to call upon her father. She would prefer the happy freedom of her Scottish home to which she joyously returned in November, 1924, after nine months’ experience of the duties which she has again assumed (says an exchange). Bereaved of her mother at the age of seven, Ishbel MacDonald has con-

secrated her life to the cave of her brothers and her two younger sisters. For years she has been the “mother” of the family. A studious,' pretty girl with rosy, dimpled cheeks and a shy, retiring

manner, she took courses in house-

wifery, cooking and laundry work,

with science and physics as side lines, and encouraged by her father, she quietly dipped into politics. Dancing does not appeal to Ishbel, and, though she dresses to taste, she does not respond to all the changes of fashion. Music has a special charm for her, and she loves golf and hockey. As she went to Downing Street the other day, her natural reluctance to step into the limelight must have been increased by her recollection of her 1924 experiences. Five years younger than she is today, she then stumbled into pitfalls, lured mainly by American interviewers. Her greatest indiscretion was to comment 'on political topics—things about which Caesar’s wife or a Prime Minister’s wife would be wise to reserve her opinion.

But she is a more self-possessed woman now. Indeed, she is an accomplished speaker. Her development in this direction was revealed during

her visit to America in 1927 with her father, then a sick man. Mr MacDonald was unable to make several promised speeches, and his daughter prevailed upon him to allow her to take his place. She did so with success, her soft voice, deliberate style, and simplicity appealing to the audiences.

WHEN WASHING NEW CURTAINS.

You will generally find that new curtains are full of lime, and take a quantity of soap, etc., to make them clean. This expendiutre of soap and a great deal of trouble may be saved by soaking the curtains overnight in water in which salt has been dissolved. The salt draws the lime out of the curtains, making them quite easy to wash.

TO REMOVE IRON MOULD. Rhubarb juice removes iron mould from white linen and cotton goods. Cut a stick of rhubarb into small pieces, put them in a saucepan with a little water, and boil for about fifteen minutes. Immerse the stained fabric in this juice for a few minutes, and all traces of iron mould will have disappeared.