104 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



and every flood-time I think the Rhine is coming 

 for his own again." 



The traveller seemed deeply interested, and 

 well he might be ; for in the very flood of which 

 the superstitious old dame spoke, his only child, 

 an infant boy, had been lost, with his nurse, whose 

 cottage, on the river-bank below Basle, had been 

 swept away ' y night, 



"Was the child quite alone on the roof of the 

 chalet ?" he asked in an agitated tone. 



"Yes ;" said the hostess^ — "all but an old dog, 

 who seemed to belong to him." 



"That dog must have dragged him up on to 

 the roof, and saved him !" exclaimed the general 

 — "is he yet alive ?" 



"Yes, just alive. He must be very old, for he 

 is almost stone blind and deaf. My good man 

 would have put him out of the way long ago, but 

 for Carl ; and as he shares his meals, and makes 

 his bed with him, I suppose it is no loss to keep 

 the brute." 



"Show me the dog !" said the officer, w'ith au- 

 thority. 



"Here he lies, your excellency," said the dame. 

 "Weicall liim Eljhi-Jnmd," (elf-dog.) 



General Wallenstein bent over the dog, touched 

 him gently, and shouted in his ear his old name 

 of "Leon." The dog had not forgotten it — he 

 knew that voice, the touch of that hand. With a 

 plaintive, joyful cry, he sprang up to the breast 

 of his old master — nestled about nimbly for his 

 hands, and licked them unreproved ; then sunk 

 down, as though faint with joy, to his master's 

 feet. The brave soldier was overcome with emo- 

 tion — tears fell fast from his eyes — "Faithful crea- 

 ture," he exclaimed, "you have saved my child, 

 and given him back to me" — and kneeling down, 

 he laid his hand on the head of the poor old dog, 

 and blessed him. 



Just at this moment the door opened, and lit- 

 tle Carl appeared, toiling up the steps, with his 

 arms full of faggots — his cheerful face smiling a 

 brave defiance to winter winds, and night, and 

 snow. 



"Come hither, Carl," said the soldier. The boy 

 flung down his faggots, and drew near. 



"Dost thou know who I am ?" 



"Ah, no — the good Christmas-king, perhaps," 

 said the little lad, looking full of innocent won- 

 deraient. 



'.'Alas, poor child ; how should'st thou remember 

 me !" exclaimed General Wallenstein, sadly — then 

 clasping him in his arms, he said — "but I remem- 

 ber thee — thou art my boy — my dear, long-lost 

 boy ! Look in mv face, embrace me ; I am thy 

 father!" 



"No, surely," said the child, "that cannot be, 

 for they tell me the Rhine is my father !" 



The soldier smiled through his tears, and soon 

 was able to convince his Hide son that he had a 

 better father than the old river, who had carried 

 him away from his tender parents. He told him 

 of a loving mother, who yet sorrowed for him, 

 and of a little l)lue-eyed sister, who would rejoice 

 when he came ! Carl listened, and wondered, and 

 laughed, and, when he comjjrehended it all, slid 

 down from his father's arms, and ran to embrace 

 old Leon. 



The next morning early. General Wallenstein, 

 after having generously rewarded the inn-keeper 

 and his wife for having given a home, though a 



I)oor one, to his little son, departed for Rasle. In 

 his arms he carried Carl, carefully wrap])t(l in his 

 warm fur cloak, and if sometimes the little bare 

 feet of the child were thrust out from tiieir cover- 

 ing, it was only to bury themselves in the shaggy 

 coat of old Leon, who lay snugly curled in the 

 bottom of the carriage. 



I will not attempt to tell you of the deep joy of 

 Carl's mother, and the wild delight of his little 

 sister — for I think they were quite beyond any 

 one's telling ; but altogether, it was to the Wal- 

 lensteins a Christmas-time to thank God for— 

 and they did thank Him. — Little Pilgrim. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



DOMESTIC HINTS. 



Two Receipts for Making Vinegar. — Fill 

 large glass bottles with weak tea, which may be 

 what is left after drinking. Add a small quantity 

 of sugar or molasses, and set them in a warm 

 place, say in a window where the sun shines. In 

 a fortnight it will he fit for use, and is as good 

 as cider vinegar. 



Take a pan of sour, thick milk ; break it so 

 that the whey will rise to the top. Fill a glass 

 bottle with the whey, and to every quart add one- 

 half cup of sugar. Set it in a warm place, and 

 in a few days it will be fit for use. — Dollar News- 

 pa])er. 



Cream Cheese. — The following receipt for 

 making cream cheese has been found successful : 

 Take a quart of cream, or if not desired very rich, 

 add one pint of new milk ; warm it in hot water 

 until it is about the heat of milk from the cow. 

 Add a tablespoonful of rennet, let it stand till 

 thick, then break it slightly with a spoon, and 

 place it in a frame eight inches square and four 

 inches deep, in which previously put a fine canva.'^ 

 cloth ; press it slightly with a weight, let it stand 

 twelve hours, then put a finer cloth in the frame 

 — a little powdered salt should be put over the 

 cloth. It will be fit for use in a day or two. 



For a Cough. — An excellent remedy for a 

 cough caused by a common cold, is as follows : 

 Take h pint of sharp vinegar, place in it an egg 

 without being broken, allow it to remain forty- 

 eight hours, when it will be found that the shell 

 has been completely dissolved by the acid ; then 

 break up the egg in the vinegar, add half a pint 

 of honey, which being well mixed, will be ready 

 for use. Take a spoonful for a dose several times 

 a day. It is said that it never has failed to pro- 

 duce relief. 



To Make Coffee. — There are various receipts 

 for preparing and refining coff'ee. The following 

 is the best that has ever come under our view, 

 and is available in all places. Procure your cof- 

 fee fresh roasted, and not too brown, in the pro- 

 portion of a quarter of a pound for three persons. 

 Let it be Mocha, and grind it just before using ; 

 put it into a basin, and break into it an egg, yolk, 

 white, shell and all ; mix it up with a spoon to the 

 consistence of mortar ; place it with warm — nQt 

 boiling — water in the cofl'ee-pot ; let it boil up am! 

 break three times, then stand a few minutes, and 

 it will be as clear as amber, and the egg will givt- 

 it a rich taste. 



