154 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



driver will check his speed here, and proceed 

 slowly ? But no ; he only thinks of getting 

 to his destination as quickly as possible. He 

 urges on his horses ; the poor beast who has 

 fallen lame gives a de-perate plunge, and 

 falling down, breaks the pole of the wagon 

 asunder. 



No thought now of reaching Tournay that 

 night. The best thing to be done is to seek 

 assistance at the next farm-house, and go in 

 quest of a carpenter or wheelwright to mend 

 the broken pole. And the wheelwright, when 

 he comes, says that the necessary repairs will 

 occupy at least twenty-four hours, and that 

 he cannot drive his wagon into Tournay until 

 the second day afcer the accident. 



Then the driver wished he had taken the 

 advice of his comrade, and made less haste in 

 the first instance to get on ; and he under- 

 stood how much truth there is in the saying, 

 '■'The more haste, the less speed.'''' 



A BMALIi BOY'S COMPOSITION. 



Corns are of all kinds. Vegetable and ani- 

 mal. Vegetable corn grows in rows and ani- 

 mal corn grows on toes. There are several 

 kinds of corn ; there is unicorn, Capricorn, 

 corn-dodgers, field corn, and toe corn, which 

 is the corn you feel the most. It is said, I be- 

 lieve, that gophers like corn ; but persons 

 having corns do not like to "go far," if they 

 can help it. Corns have kernels, and some 

 colonels have corns. Vegetable corn grows 

 on ears, but animal corn grows on the feet at 

 the other end of the body. Another kind of 

 corn is acorn ; these grow on oaks, but there 

 is a hoax about the corn. The acorn is a corn 

 with an indefinite article, but the corn is very 

 definite indeed. Try it and see. Many a man 

 when he has a corn wishes it were an acorn. 



Folks that have corns sometimes send for 

 a doctor, and if the doctor himself is corned, 

 he would probably do as well as if he isn't. 

 The doctors say corns are produced by^ tight 

 boots or shoes, which is probably the reason 

 why when a man is tight they say he is corned. 

 If a farmer manages well he can get a good 

 deal of corn on one acre, but I know a farmer 

 that has a corn that makes the biggest acher on 

 his farm. The bigger crop of vegetable corn 

 a man raises the better he likes it, but the 

 bigger crop of animal corn he raises the better 

 he does not like it. Another kind of corn is 

 corn dodger. The way it is made is very 

 simple, and is as follows (that is if you want 

 to know :) You go along a street and meet a 

 man you know has a corn, and is a rough 

 character, then you step on the toe that you 

 know has the corn on it, and see if you don't 

 have occasion to dodge. In that way you 

 will find out what a corn dodger is. 



Character. — Have you ever watched an 

 icicle as it formed ? You noticed how it froze 

 one drop at a time, the icicle remained clear 



and sparkling brightly in the sun ; but if the 

 water were but slightly muddy the icicle look- 

 ed foul, and its beauty was spoiled. Just so 

 our characters are forming. One little thought 

 or feeling at a time adds its influence. If 

 every thought be pure and right, the soul will 

 be lovely and will sparkle with happiness ; but 

 if impure and wrong, there will be a final de- 

 formity and wretchedness. 



^abks' gcparlment* 



THE PERPLEXED HOUSE-KEEPElhe'\ 

 SOIilLOQUY. fit 



BY MRS. F. D. GAGE. 



I wish I bad a dozen pairs. 



Of hands, tbia very minute ; , 



I'd eoon put all these things to rights — 



How shall I e'er begin it ? 



Here's a big washing to be done, 



One pair of hands to do it, 

 Sheets, shirts and stockings, coats and pants, 



How will I e'er get through it, ? 



Dinner to get for sis or more, 



No loaf left o'er from Sunday; 

 And baby cross as he can live, 



He's always so on Monday. 



And there's the cream, 'tis getting sour, 



And must forthwith be churning. 

 And here's Bob wants a button on — 



Which way shall I be turning ? 



'Tis time the meat was in the pot. 



The bread was worked for baking. 

 The clothes were taken from the boil — 



Oh dearl the baby's waking! 



Hush, baby dear I there, hush-sh-sh I 



I wish he'd sleep a little, 

 'Till I could run and get some wood, 



To hurry up the tetile. 



Oh dear I oh dear 1 if P but comes 



And finds things in this pother, 

 He'll just begin and tell me all 



About his tidy mother 1 



How nice her kitchen used to be, 



Her dinner always ready, 

 Exactly when the noon btll rang — 



Hush, hush, dear little Freddy. 



And then will come some hasty word, 



Right out before I'm thinkiusr, — 

 They say that hasty words from wives, 



Set sober men to drinking. 



Now isn't that a great idea. 



That men should take to sinning. 

 Because a weary, half-sick wife. 



Can't always smile so winning ? 



When I was young I used to earn 



My living without trouble, 

 Had clothes and pocket money, too, 



And hours of leisure double. 



I never dreamed of such a f.ite. 



When I, a lass I was courted — 

 Wife, motber, nurse, seamstress, cook, housekeeper, 

 chumbermaiJ, laundress, dairy woman, and scrub 

 gericrally, doing the work of six 

 For the sake of being supported I 



