by a twist of the bolt there placed, have been known to free waste-water pipes and so save the visit of a plumber when some trifling obstruction lay in the elbow under the kitchen sink. Except to draw large nails, they serve all the purposes of the larger pincers. The latter may be distinguished by the round form of the pinching end. They take what may be described as a cutting hold, and are devised to close under the head of a nail. Pliers, having longer, wedge-shaped ends, which are milled on the inside, take a flat hold, their first purpose being to hold and twist wire. They are usually made with a wire-cutting arrangement in the side, in which picture-wire may be inserted and cut off cleanly at any given point. They cost from twenty to thirty cents each, but in the matter of wire-cutting alone, so often necessary in the house, they are a real economy. The fine edges of scissors, which, in the absence from the tool-box of the wonderful little pliers, so often are caught up hastily to clip some bit of wire, are at once blunted and ruined.

Wire nails, now sold at very cheap rates, already have practically superseded the square nails. When not sunk into the wood they may be drawn out with pincers, and the hole filled in with a good filler and painted over as in the case of sunken screws. In country places putty is most commonly resorted to for such filling purposes; but, as it may not always be found at the local dealer's, the tool-box should contain the ingredients for making it. These are common whitening and linseed oil, which must be blended patiently until a proper consistency is reached. A little only should be made at a time, though this may be kept soft for several days by adding oil.

A useful, indeed a necessary article for the tool-box is an inelastic rule by which measurements may be taken. A regular carpenter's rule is not essential, but a fixed, unstretchable one is. A careful use of such a rule will make the perfect spacing of ornamental tacks an easy matter, especially if the places for these be first marked out with an awl. Even in the use of plain nails, as, for example, in the putting up of the plainest picture-moulding, the good workman observes an order and spacing, and, in this instance, as in the matter of tool selection, it will always be found an economy to go to the practical carpenter, consider his ways, and be wise."

T

HOSE who ought to know say that the families are legion who would make a rush for the first ocean steamer on which they could secure berths, if it were not for the baby. Many parents long to show their wee one to beloved kindred over the sea. And especially is this true of the father whose family all live in the old country. But, alas! his greatest treasure is his greatest barrier. Other parents are fond of travel, and would like to give their older children the polish and the eclat which presumably come from foreign schools and life abroad. And still others enjoy the lazy rest on the ocean steamer or need the tone which is only secured by a long sea voyage.

But what is to be done with the baby? To take the child with them and ignore all possible happenings is a foolish solution of the problem, because crossing the ocean, even at the most favorable season, they cannot be sure of avoiding lurches, rollings, heavings, and draughty exposures. And the alternative, to leave the infant at home in charge of the most competent nurse would cause pitiful anxiety when thousands of miles separated mother and child. This would be found to be a serious matter to combat.

The following easy way in which an infant may safely travel over even the longest ocean voyage, must, therefore, make a forceful appeal: Buy a strong, light-weight basket, about two and a half feet in length, one and a quarter feet in width, and a foot or more in depth. Pad such a basket securely with the softest cotton batting, over which a soft sheet of wadding is tacked in place, or a thick fleecy piece of Canton flannel. This done, cover the padding neatly with a soft, firm, pink or blue silk; or cover with French chintz having a rosebud pattern running over it. As the basket would be continuously exposed to a damp atmosphere, the chintz would prove most enduring. The basket could be edged with silk or other cords, such as the upholsterer would advise as the

proper vogue in color and in weight, or it could be edged with quilted ribbon or a fall of firm lace, or finished very simply with a tight band of the same material as the lining neatly edging the basket. In such a case fasten a rosette at each corner. In this basket the infant may be laid in much the same manner as he is put to bed, only with a warm hood on his head.

The basket should have handles on either side, of such character that the nurse can easily grasp and carry the child by means of them. Or she should be able to press one of the handles close to her side while she has a firm hold of the other, in case she needs the freedom of one hand. A basket of this kind may be put directly on the deck, or in a steamer chair, and by means of blankets and other baby belongings the infant will be as warm and cozy as can be.

Infants are apt to sleep a great deal, especially in the sea air, and because of the basket they do not need to be disturbed to be put to bed. As the basket is deep, they will not fall out of it, not even when the ship pitches. And because the basket is sufficiently padded their tender skin will not be bruised, nor will the rolling or other motion of the vessel act otherwise than as the rocking of a cradle.

When landing, if the incline is very steep, as it often is, give the baby in the basket to your trusty steward and arrange with him to carry the basket down to the dock. Then there need be no fear because of a misstep in the excitement. Also, if it is after dark, or stormy, the steward's arms are more practised, as well as steadier, than are the nurse's.

Those who are accustomed to land from an ocean liner know that nine-tenths of the passengers will go up at once to London, or wherever their destination may be, and this often necessitates hours of travel in a sleeper, and not infrequently in a crowded condition. Therefore, again the question, What is to be done with the baby?

This time the answer is easy. Put the

practice. The little lace effect in the centres of the four middle crosses is made by putting the needle through the side of the bar and crossing the thread over once, and then going to the next bar.

Great care must be taken to get the crosses an equal distance apart and an equal distance from the line of hem-stitching. For a collar it is usually safe to allow four threads from the bottom.

The triangle is made by an overhand stitch. The same design is shown in the upper right corner of this page and on page 714, with the addition of other designs. This design is used as a fragment of the other designs, showing how the same motif may be introduced and entirely change the effect.

The pointed band on page 716 is a shoulderstrap and depicts a very simple and effective pattern for a shirt-waist suit. A complete suit trimmed with Hardanger-work has collars and cuffs, front pleat, shoulder-straps, and front breadth of skirt. For the collar, the drawings, as in the shoulder-straps, might be made two squares narrower; the shoulderstraps and the front pleat and cuffs should be the same width, and the front breadth should be cut by a very narrow pattern, and the Hardanger design should be made twice as wide as that used on the waist. Enlarging the diamond in a design like this leaves an open space in the middle which can be filled in by a cross like the one shown in the first design described. It might also be improved by making the diamonds three or even four squares deep instead of two.

A few of the new shirt-waists made in the most exclusive shops have the Hardanger lace made in patterns on the linen after the manner of Mexican drawn - work. A very pretty waist can be made by having two strips starting from the shoulders and sloping to the waist in both back and front. The openwork design shown is exquisite for this purpose. It can be made any width, from one square deep, and is the richest and most

SAMPLES OF FINE HARDANGER-WORK.

lacey of all the designs. It is also the most expensive pattern used on any of the handmade dresses. The squares are cut exactly the same as in No. 1, the only difference being that, instead of cutting four and leaving four, as in the first, you cut eight and leave eight. When bound together with the tapestry stitch the eight threads make two bars instead of one. These are slightly separated by the little lace stitch. This design is used to good effect on some of the little imported jackets. Instead of using linen, the work has been done on wool canvas and worked in floss silk. This material is particularly adaptable for Hardanger, as the squares are already made, and there is nothing to do but to weave the threads together and fill in the tiny middle squares with a cross-stitch.

Some most beautiful effects can be had by making Hardanger in colors. If the over