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Show "store" stocked oh chairs, will count on a wholo afternoon's entertainment. Teach tho oldest children to "make change." Rig up a tent with a blanket over the dining room chairs, or lend them cast off clothing in which to "dress up." But we go on enumerating enumer-ating at tho risk of tho reader's-fatigue. Elizabeth F. Purdy in Good Housekeeping. WOMAN'S WORLD. A Few Items of Interest to the Fair Sex. SOME HINTS CO.'iCERKlNJ ETipUETTE. Keeping the Ohildren Busy and Happj at Small Expense. The outdoor life of summer f umislies abunv dant amusement for little ones. It is the long, rainy days and cold storms of winter which drive them indoors, and crowds them about the mother's knee, to sorely try her wits and patience. An unlimited purse in a liberal hand can All the youngsters' drawer to overflowing with an endless variety of ingenious in-genious toys. Even then there is a satiety, and fewer and simpler playthings have greater interest. Only the children themselves them-selves con tell us why the weather beaten, much abused rag doll of the household is more beloved than angelic, bisque faced Florinda; or why the rough, irregular blocks from the factory are more highly prized than the brightly painted cubes of the toy shop. Let us tell you of one mother who, like iliany of us, possessed only limited time and a limited purse. Last winter, shut in by banks of white drifts and cold, biting winds, Bho was often called upon to propose some new pastime for her little girls of 3 and 4 years of age. After their small collection of nondescript toys were tired of, and block houses lost their charm, Mrs. Good true hit upon the expedient of paper cutting for on especial afternoon treat. Her mental vision of bright eyes put out by sharply pointed ehcars suggested the purchase of round bladed scissors, and of course there must be two pairs. At first thought this seemed extravagant, ex-travagant, if not foolish, but the reflection that their cost would probably be spent upon more fragile and less pleasing toyB, and the certainty of long hours of pleasurable quiet for both mother and children, won the day. When not in use, the scissors were kept in Mrs. Goodhue's button box on the clock shelf. A certain corner of the bay window was given over to the litter, and only in that spot were papers allowed to be cut. At the same time sheets were furnished and the children taught to cut nothing without permission. Patience and unrelated firmness were necessary neces-sary to prevent the indiscriminate slashing of fancy work and articles of dress. Fashion plates, illustrated catalogues and picture cards, were laid aside for the afternoon entertainments. en-tertainments. It was amusing to notice how quickly the baby learned to handle the blades, and actually cut out a picture instead of tearing it, as had been her first method. Frequently Mrs. Goodhue took time to fashion dolls and dolls' furniture, cutting an outfit for each child, and two miniature homes were set up, with tables, chairs and beds, on the window sills. Made of pasteboard, paste-board, these easily stood erect, and if put by at night answered for another dull day's diversion. di-version. If, before the children became too tired, each tiny scrap of cuttings was picked up by chubby Angers into pasteboard box or dustpan it was a triumphant, happy mother, as well as babies, who greeted the father at the close of the gloomy winter's day. Many times during that winter was the button box raided for the largest and prettiest pret-tiest buttons to string. With a coarse needle and a button tied at the end of a double thread, Eloise and Leslie made long j "charm strings" or short ones, which they teased their mother to tie about their baby wrists. From this they came to sewing but- . tons on their doll dresses by joining the edge of n hem to one of the four eyelet holes. Later they learned tho right way. Their ; mother might have told you that for weeks afterward buttons were swept out of hidden corners, and that her supply ran so low that sho was obliged to forbid tho box entirely, and to purchase whole cards of cheap buttons but-tons just for tho girls to string and to keep in a box of their own. However, the expense ex-pense was little and the amusement unending. A little school girl stopped in one day to warm herself. The pleasure of the children over her slate and pencil suggested another purchase, and five cent slates and pencils were ready for the mother's next busy day and the babies' cross one. By far the greatest great-est pleasure was the scrubbing of the slates with a Bmall, wet rag. Neglect to put away the slates at night resulted in their being trod on, and when the broken fragments wore carried out, the mother resorted to lead pencils and paper. As these were her first 1 children, Mrs. Goodhue may be pardoned her surprise at tho unexpected result The 1 white walls of tho new home proved too tempting, and an unsightly scrawl appeared near the sewing machine, and another near tho bedroom door. From that time the pencils pen-cils were nover accessible unless the mother was in tho room; and even then she was obliged to keep a strict watch to prevent the defacement of wood work, books and forbidden for-bidden papers. Older girls might be taught to draw; or scrap books and paste on the dining room table would delight and occupy an otherwise troublesome child. If the mother's work can go on with few intermp-tious, intermp-tious, is it not well worth tlio fime taken to clear up? It passes our comprehension how some women con expect their progeny to be reasonably rea-sonably good tempered, and yet provide nothing whatever to assure a healthy cheerfulness. cheer-fulness. They will lay aside for themselves a bolt of muElin for a rainy day's occupation, and regard tho smallest amount spent in children's chil-dren's toys a needless expensp. A school-ma'am school-ma'am boarding in a well to do family told us of such a parent tho othor day. Tho little girls had dolla, to be sure, but that was all; and these had boon purchased during some surprising streak of generosity on the part of the close pursed father. Old and bat-; tcrcd, and minus a wardrobe, pieces of an i old shawl wore considered fine enough, when I tho dolls were clothed at all. Anything was good enough for the children to play with, . except tho parlor cano seat chairs, into which it was regarded a sacrilege to allow 0 cbtld to seranjbje, much more to play horse with. Before tho teacher's term wo3 taught tho dolls wero dressed la neat calico gowns, mude from remnants loft from the quilting. ! Aud to tho children's delight not one garment gar-ment of tho two wholo outfits furnished was sowed on, but made to take on and ofT, to button and unbutton. It is snfo to say that tho little Stark girls had never been bo nearl; wild with joy when somo odds and ends of gay ribbons and laces wore added for their dollies' further adornment. Clay pipes and a dish of sonp suds initiated them into the wondrous beauty of the soap bubble, to the great dismay of the servant over the prospect pros-pect of an increase in washings. Ten cent oil cloth aprois saved tho slop, appeased the kitchen goddess, and did good service long after tho pipes hod lost their sterna. Bring in tho bag of clothespins some day when tho cbildroa feel fretful, and build pig pens for them. If they take a great faacy to the pins, buy a fow dozen to add to their playthings. Ouo mother, anxious to finish some stitching, quioted tho clamorous little people with somo clothespin dollies, which sho dressed In 0 few moments from scraps of gingham picked u from pB floor at her sido. Suppose you buy small tack hammers and papers of tacks to drive into blocks or shingles. Empty baking powder cans with lids, empty bottles without tho corks (which aro said to be poisonous), largo glass marbles to roll from one to tho other across tho car-pot, car-pot, small brooms to help mother with the sweeping, can all bo included In tho Ust of inexpousivo toys. To a mother, horrified nt sight of the dingiest dingi-est 8tew pan in tho cupboard, brought by her young hopeful into the parlor, where sat a HiHi"-nfsi"vt onlW. wKq"-sM tl,if'"n of buying cheap, new tlnwoT Just for the children's play houe. Bright new tin pails filled with the smallest potatoes or apples from the cellar bin are sure to please. Could the baby hurt himself with aa egg beater to whirl about? A ten cent one would answer. Mrs. Gibnore allows her little folks to play with the large dripping pans. With a worsted horsetine tied to one handle, the beloved be-loved dollies are given a fine sleigh ride. Whenever a neighbor of ours bakes a batch of ginger cookies, her boy and girl hunt up their wooden rolling pins. Each is provided with a flat board aud a wad of the dough, which la frequently dropped on tho floor and stepped on before it is placed in tiny scalloped scal-loped pans into tho oven. This indulgence is granted only on days just before tho scrubbing scrub-bing is done. From tho kindergarten dealers you con obtain ob-tain a box of pasteboard money for a quarter, quar-ter, These, with eight-cent poclfetbooka and |