A Little Housekeeping Book for a Little Girl; Or, Margaret's Saturday MorningsBenton, Caroline French
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A Little Housekeeping Book for a Little Girl; Or, Margaret's Saturday Mornings
Benton, Caroline French
Home economics -- Juvenile literature
"For breakfast and luncheon we do not use a table-cloth," she said. "Few
people do nowadays. Some use the doilies we have been using, and others
use a small cloth with a fancy border, such as fringe, or a narrow
pattern; the dinner-cloth, you know, is large and heavy, not suitable
for a simple meal. But now we have some nice small cloths, which are
less trouble to put on than the doilies. See, this is a square which
lies on the table with a point hanging over each side, leaving the table
corners bare. The plates go on it, but still it looks informal and
pretty. Here is a pad just the right size to go under it. You must
always put a pad or something of the kind under everything you use on
the table; under the doilies, you know, we put squares of felt, and
under the big dinner-cloth a large piece of double Canton flannel; if we
did not, the varnish on the table-top would be spoiled in no time. Now
let us get the silver."
There were always six places laid at the table, so Margaret counted out
the knives, forks and spoons, and brought them over from the drawer. At
each place they put a knife on the right, the sharp edge of the blade
toward the plate, and outside that a dessert-spoon for cereal and a
teaspoon for coffee; on the left was a fork, and then a napkin. At the
top of the place, directly in front, they put a tumbler at the right and
a small plate for bread and butter at the left, with a little knife,
called a spreader, on it. They then got out small fruit-plates, and on
each they laid first, a small, clean doily, then a finger-bowl with a
little water in it,--not very much, as it was not intended to swim in,
the aunt said,--and on the edge of the plate a fruit-knife and an orange
spoon. These plates were laid all around the table at the different
places. At the top of the table where her father was to sit Margaret put
a carving knife and fork, but took them away when she found there would
be bacon for breakfast, and it would be passed around with a fork and
spoon on the small platter; if there had happened to be beefsteak she
would have left them on, as then they would have been needed.
At the other end of the table, where her mother was to sit, they put a
tray covered with a fresh napkin, and arranged on it the sugar-bowl, the
cream-pitcher, the tray-bowl, and a small pitcher for hot water. At the
right near by, the cups and saucers were arranged, each cup standing in
its own saucer, not piled up. As it was cold weather Margaret was told
she must bring in hot water and half-fill them just before the meal was
ready, so they would be hot and not chill the coffee; her mother would
empty the water in the tray-bowl when she was ready to use them. Then
they brought out of the china-closet the dishes which were to go into
the kitchen to be heated: the dish for cereal, the small, deep plates to
use with it, the plates and vegetable dish, and the round platter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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