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Show How io Iron Clothes Smoothly A good many years ngo, when I wns a young lass, I was invited to hnvo supper nnd to spend tho night with a friend of my mother's. Mrs. Hauloy was n cultured, reflnej worn-nn, worn-nn, much engrossed in tho enro and education of her children and till then I had supposed tho maid took upon herself tho genorul housowork. Hut nftcr tho dining tnblo was clear-ed, clear-ed, Mrs. Hnwicy asked mo to go with her to tho dining room while sho sprinkled and folded tho clothos. Tho wholo proceeding wns to mo n ro elation of how beautifully and orderly tho thing could bo dono. Tho great pilo of clean dry clothing wns omptled upon tho clean, baro dining tnblo; a big bowl of cloan "water "wa-ter set bosldo them. Thou tho sheets wero piled by themBolvos, tho pillow slips besldo them, and tho towols. Ono by ono tho sheets wero shnkon out, sprinkled n quarter of n ynrd across tho end with tho wldo hem folded snunroly, tho corners mooting, right sldo out, and, when folded, a foot or moro squnro, placed In tho bottom of tho bnskot. Each sheot, was carefully freed from wrinkles as cnrofully sprlnklod nnd folded, wns placed, ono nbovo tho othor, flat In the baakot and pressed firmly down to retain tho molsturo. Then tho tablecloths wero generously gener-ously dninponod and folded In llko manner, tho hems strnlghtonod, nnd packed smoothly on tho sheets. Thoy looked nlco enough almost to bo placed plac-ed in tho llnon drawer. Tho towels wero dampened, doubled crosiswlso and smoothed down upon tho tnblo ' o'oths Tho napkins wero dninponod I crosaw Iso nnd longthwiso nnd press ed down upon tho tablo linen. Pillow cases followed suit, then handkerchiefs handker-chiefs and hero I noticed tht Httlo laco edges wero deftly pulled out smoothly beforo folding onco. Now enmo tho baby's drosses, soft and lino with lnco or cmbroldorod edges at throat and wrist. It took a llttlo tinio to pick out tho crumpled crum-pled trimmings smooth nnd straight but it was dono cheerily nnd tho Httlo Ht-tlo gowns, smooth at tho bottom nud folded, woro finally rolled, each by ltsolf nnd tho half dozen or muro woro rolled in a damp squaro of muslin. Tho underwear, lightly sprinkled, and tho prints nnd ginghams wero on top, nnd n generous Ironing shoot, folded, tucked them all In, I "Thero," I sold, "now I know how getting rendy to Iron Is a flno nrt, nnd I menu to do mino that way as long ns I llvo." "Too much troublo," you say? Not a bit of it. Ironing Is n todlous, slow process, nnd you havo all of theso llttlo points to obsorvo, either when folding or when you wearily stand nt tho Ironing board. Think how your Iron cools whllo you dolny; how much longor you havo io keep up a lira In summor, nnd how cold your feet become standing so long In winter, nut whon thero nro fow wrinkles folded in, your Iron glides over tho smooth surfaces and you mnko rapid work; your sheeia nid tnblo llnon nro ns smooth ns satin, nnd your bars fill so rapidly tint ou havo llttlo sonso of fatlgun. Thoro Is no ltom of housowork that I do-light do-light In moro than tho Ironing, If I mny sprlnklo nnd fold tho clothos my sol f. Another pnrt of tho preparation for tho Ironing nhout which I am particular is tho amount nnd quality quali-ty of starch in tho clothos. Thoso days most peoplo starch clothos moro lightly than thoy did a few yenrs ago Wo no longor tnko prldo In tho fact that ironed pottlconts "aro stiff enough to stand nlono," as M wo onco did. I uso in children's M clothes nnd shirt waists only tho M thinnest of starch, in tablo and bed M linen nono nt all. fl Of course, to do nlco Ironing ono fl must havo smooth Irons. When I M need to uso nn Iron which has stood M long enough to becomo rusty, I heat U It, rub It woll In conrso salt to ro- M movo tho rust partlclos, and smooth M It off by passing it sovoral times H over a bit of hard, whlto soap nnd H rubbing on a pleco of nowspapcr. I H uso up most of my bits of whlto soap H In placo of beeswax or tallow for M smoothing tho Irons, for I havo found M nothing clso which does tho work so H A smooth, hot Iron, clean, soft H starched, well dampened clothos, nud M n fresh cover on tho board nro tho best posslblo preparation for ironing H day. H In warm weather I lovo to tako n M bowl of water to tho outdoor clothes M lino nnd dnmpcn tho sheet ends he H foro taking them down, and thon to jH fold and placo In tho basket nt onco H and so glvo them no chnnco to get H wrinkled. Thoro is often a" coolness after tho sun goes down which damp- H ons beautifully, and it is a tlmo whon WB you do not enro to sow or road or IH wrlto, but an Ideal tlmo to make H glad and grateful whoovor doos tho B Ironing. Jnno It. Wing In Farm and H Flrosldo. H |
