the carpet; no dust of yesterday's raising should be thick upon the furniture. The windows should have been open long enough to change the air of the room ; then, in cold weather, been closed a sufficient length of time before the entrance of the family to al- low the atmosphere to become comfortably warmed. The vase of flowers or the grow- ing plant that ought to grace the centre of every table should have a drink of fresh water, and be ready to do its part in bright- ening the board. The table should be care- fully set, the food well cooked, and promptly served. And, above all, there should be a sincere and conscientious endeavor on the part of each member of the household to sink his own disagreeable feelings, and to do all in his power to contribute his share towards the sum total of the family cheerful- ness. Conversation on pleasant topics should be encouraged, and the items of morning news distributed to all, not monopolized by the one in possession of the paper. No amount of accustomedness should ever induce the mistress of the house to condone 18 AT THE BBEAKP AST-TABLE carelessness on the plea that there is no one present but the family. Just because it is " only home folks," everything should be at its brightest. There is no necessity for urg- ing the parade of pretty china, the prepa- ration of tempting dishes, when an honored guest is to be served. Should not even more pains be taken to have everything attractive and appetizing when those are to be fed who have not the charm of novelty to act as sauce, and to whom the ordinary methods of cookery may seem stale and hackneyed ? The table should always appear at its best at breakfast-time. A colored cloth is eco- nomical as well as pretty, for it does not show every spot or splash with the readiness of a white cloth. There is a large variety of these table coverings from which the house- keeper may make her selections, ranging in beauty and price from the plain, compara- tively cheap red cloth with light figures to the exquisite pieces of fine damask, gorgeous with embroidery, and with a lace-like border of drawn- work. For common daily use, the judicious choice will probably lie somewhere 19 WHAT TO EAT — HOW TO SEEVE IT between these, either in a buflf, a buff and scarlet, a buff and blue, or one of the beau- tiful Holbein cloths that come, with the dozen napkins, at about eight dollars the set. The ground in these is well covered, and they have the advantage of being nearly as pretty on the wrong side as they are on the right. Another recommendation is that they wear admirably, one at least within the writer's knowledge having been in constant use for between four and five years without showing a sign of old age, except in the thin- ning of the fringe, while the body of the cloth remained without a break. The deli- cate tints of the worked pattern will fade with frequent washing, so that blue and pink would better be avoided, and the preference given to the scarlets and buffs, which hold their own well. The cloth is saved by the use of mats un- der dishes. Those of straw or wicker-work are apt to become soiled and stained, and are not readily cleansed. On the contrary, those which are knitted, netted, or crocheted may be washed every week, if necessary. It is 20 AT THE BKEAKFA8T- TABLE almost impossible to find a waitress so care- ful that once in a while a dish will not be brought to the table with a black rim on the bottom, or wet or greasy with something spilled where it has been standing on the kitchen -table. Wherever this touches, the cloth beneath is disfigured, and it is better to protect it against such misadventures by the use of mats in the first place than to be forced to conceal the blemishes afterwards by " setting the table to humor the spots."

AI-modernized reading of the original text

the carpet; no dust of yesterday's raising should be thick upon the furniture. The windows should have been open long enough to change the air of the room ; then, in cold weather, been closed a sufficient length of time before the entrance of the family to allow the atmosphere to become comfortably warmed. The vase of flowers or the growing plant that ought to grace the centre of every table should have a drink of fresh water, and be ready to do its part in brightening the board. The table should be carefully set, the food well cooked, and promptly served. And, above all, there should be a sincere and conscientious endeavor on the part of each member of the household to sink his own disagreeable feelings, and to do all in his power to contribute his share towards the sum total of the family cheerfulness. Conversation on pleasant topics should be encouraged, and the items of morning news distributed to all, not monopolized by the one in possession of the paper. No amount of accustomedness should ever induce the mistress of the house to condone AT THE BREAKFAST-TABLE carelessness on the plea that there is no one present but the family. Just because it is " only home folks," everything should be at its brightest. There is no necessity for urging the parade of pretty china, the preparation of tempting dishes, when an honored guest is to be served. Should not even more pains be taken to have everything attractive and appetizing when those are to be fed who have not the charm of novelty to act as sauce, and to whom the ordinary methods of cookery may seem stale and hackneyed ? The table should always appear at its best at breakfast-time. A colored cloth is economical as well as pretty, for it does not show every spot or splash with the readiness of a white cloth. There is a large variety of these table coverings from which the housekeeper may make her selections, ranging in beauty and price from the plain, comparatively cheap red cloth with light figures to the exquisite pieces of fine damask, gorgeous with embroidery, and with a lace-like border of drawn- work. For common daily use, the judicious choice will probably lie somewhere between these, either in a buflf, a buff and scarlet, a buff and blue, or one of the beautiful Holbein cloths that come, with the dozen napkins, at about eight dollars the set. The ground in these is well covered, and they have the advantage of being nearly as pretty on the wrong side as they are on the right. Another recommendation is that they wear admirably, one at least within the writer's knowledge having been in constant use for between four and five years without showing a sign of old age, except in the thinning of the fringe, while the body of the cloth remained without a break. The delicate tints of the worked pattern will fade with frequent washing, so that blue and pink would better be avoided, and the preference given to the scarlets and buffs, which hold their own well. The cloth is saved by the use of mats under dishes. Those of straw or wicker-work are apt to become soiled and stained, and are not readily cleansed. On the contrary, those which are knitted, netted, or crocheted may be washed every week, if necessary. It is AT THE BREAKFAST-TABLE almost impossible to find a waitress so careful that once in a while a dish will not be brought to the table with a black rim on the bottom, or wet or greasy with something spilled where it has been standing on the kitchen -table. Wherever this touches, the cloth beneath is disfigured, and it is better to protect it against such misadventures by the use of mats in the first place than to be forced to conceal the blemishes afterwards by " setting the table to humor the spots."

What to eat, how to serve it