working the toes about In the shoe and making it con- form to the shape of the foot as the leather expands. This will not injure patent leather, but it is a good plan to rub over with vaseline or petroleum jelly on a flannel rag after wetting. This nearly always gives instantaneous relief from pinching shoes. For tan shoes, banana peelings possess some coloring matter and tannic acid that seems essential in polish- ing red leather. Rub the inside of the peel on the shoe and polish with a flannel rag. This gives the best of results. To dry wet shoes quickly when one is far from a shoe- tree, put some small pebbles or gravel in a pan and heat, not too hot, and fill the shoes w^ith them. It may be necessary to repeat the process. To restore the softness of leather that has been wet, rub the shoes with kerosene oil, pinching the leather and working it between the fingers as you do so. Rubber boots should be dried carefully, and when they become wet inside they need heroic treatment. Have a peck of oats, or, failing these, coarse sand, or even old rags. Heat quite hot, then put inside the boot, and repeat until the boot is quite dry. Allow mud to dr>^ on the shoes before brushing it off. Then rub over with kerosene oil and glycerine in equal parts. If glycerine is not available, the oil alone may be used. Even tallow✪ Leather Treatment or melted lard may be used in emergencies. For creaking shoes, put in a shallow pan or pie tin 194 A BACHELOR'S CUPBOARD How a Man May Valet Himself some melted lard and stand the shoes In it over night. This not only removes the creak, but makes them im- pervious to water. When a leather belt has been exposed to the wet during a hard, rainy ride, or a tramp through the wet underbrush on a hunting trip, it will become hard and easily cracked. Rub It well with kerosene or another oil. Put the oil on a rag and draw the belt rapidly through it a few times, then w^ipe dry with another cloth. Tallow, lard, or even vaseline are good sub- stitutes. The white canvas or leather shoes so much worn now in summer are easily cleansed, either with pipe-clay well rubbed in and allowed to dry, or with boxes of specially prepared paste that comes for the purpose. As most bootblacks now make a specialty of cleansing white shoes, the average man will find it cheaper in the end to patronize this '' skilled labor " than to do his own shoes. 195 It is bachelor who is reduced to cleansing his own clothing. Emergencies are quite likely to arise at any time, in which prompt action may save cloth- ing from becoming ruined. " First aid to the injured " is quite as nec- essary in case of an overturned soup plate or a carving accident as on the battlefield or in a street brawl, and fortunate indeed is the man who knows just how to cope with a grease spot or a stain. There are many simple but effica- cious cleansing agents that may be employed, and every man should familiarize himself with a few of them to be used in case of emergency. Grease spots are the most common injuries to clothing;, and these are 197 A BACHELOR'S CUPBOARD How to Cleanse Clothes sometimes remo*s^ed m«re effectually by one applica- tion than another. Only the most simple rules will be given here, that may be followed by any man with a minimum of patience and time.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

working the toes about In the shoe and making it conform to the shape of the foot as the leather expands. This will not injure patent leather, but it is a good plan to rub over with vaseline or petroleum jelly on a flannel rag after wetting. This nearly always gives instantaneous relief from pinching shoes. For tan shoes, banana peelings possess some coloring matter and tannic acid that seems essential in polishing red leather. Rub the inside of the peel on the shoe and polish with a flannel rag. This gives the best of results. To dry wet shoes quickly when one is far from a shoetree, put some small pebbles or gravel in a pan and heat, not too hot, and fill the shoes with them. It may be necessary to repeat the process. To restore the softness of leather that has been wet, rub the shoes with kerosene oil, pinching the leather and working it between the fingers as you do so. Rubber boots should be dried carefully, and when they become wet inside they need heroic treatment. Have a peck of oats, or, failing these, coarse sand, or even old rags. Heat quite hot, then put inside the boot, and repeat until the boot is quite dry. Allow mud to dr>^ on the shoes before brushing it off. Then rub over with kerosene oil and glycerine in equal parts. If glycerine is not available, the oil alone may be used. Even tallow or melted lard may be used in emergencies. For creaking shoes, put in a shallow pan or pie tin How a Man May Valet Himself some melted lard and stand the shoes In it over night. This not only removes the creak, but makes them impervious to water. When a leather belt has been exposed to the wet during a hard, rainy ride, or a tramp through the wet underbrush on a hunting trip, it will become hard and easily cracked. Rub It well with kerosene or another oil. Put the oil on a rag and draw the belt rapidly through it a few times, then wipe dry with another cloth. Tallow, lard, or even vaseline are good substitutes. The white canvas or leather shoes so much worn now in summer are easily cleansed, either with pipe-clay well rubbed in and allowed to dry, or with boxes of specially prepared paste that comes for the purpose. As most bootblacks now make a specialty of cleansing white shoes, the average man will find it cheaper in the end to patronize this '' skilled labor " than to do his own shoes. It is bachelor who is reduced to cleansing his own clothing. Emergencies are quite likely to arise at any time, in which prompt action may save clothing from becoming ruined. " First aid to the injured " is quite as necessary in case of an overturned soup plate or a carving accident as on the battlefield or in a street brawl, and fortunate indeed is the man who knows just how to cope with a grease spot or a stain. There are many simple but efficacious cleansing agents that may be employed, and every man should familiarize himself with a few of them to be used in case of emergency. Grease spots are the most common injuries to clothing;, and these are How to Cleanse Clothes sometimes removed more effectually by one application than another. Only the most simple rules will be given here, that may be followed by any man with a minimum of patience and time.

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Leather Treatment

A bachelors cupboard