grabbed my neck and, choking me, said: 
‘Swallow, swallow!’ and I declare, it 
seemed to me that ray throat went down into 
my stomach, and it feels wonderfully open 
and hollow, somehow! ” and then she 
laughed again, and Went out. The layer on 
of hands was the “ celebrated Dr. N-!" 
While on the humbug question, let me 
caution the Rural readers in regard to ped¬ 
dlers going about the country selling a kind 
of dress goods, which goes under a variety 
public edifices. Kansas made a brave fight 
for freedom, and it must be confessed the 
Capitol could hardly be moved to a more 
beneficial spiritual atmosphere. As it now 
stands, there will doubtlessly bo eloquent 
rivalry between the two river cities. 
To night wc tako our adieu of Kansas—the 
land of “ milk and honey ”—the place to get 
rich in; the most prom isi ng State we know of; 
leaving it regretfully that we liavn’t so much 
as a “shilling” to spare to plant in Kansas 
INDOLENCE vs. ACTIVITY, 
A SHADOW, 
Indolence comes from a Lat in verb and 
preposition, signifying not to grieve,—almost 
the reverse of the meaning which Cowper 
gives it, when he speaks of 
“ Lives spent In Indolence, amt therefore sad 
for sadness is akin to grief. “ An interme¬ 
diate state between pleasure and pain,” says 
Steele. Laziness is a stronger term. In¬ 
dolence is inaction. Laziness is positive 
good-for-nothing-ness. The former may 
BY BERTHA SIBLEY 8CRANTOM 
Without, is tlio wind und the darkness, 
Willi pitiful wllduess of snow: 
Within, on the curtain, a shadow 
That gently weaves backward and fro! 
Framed in by the lace of the window. 
A silken brown bond bends in love— 
A profile, all womanly tender, 
A weight on the shoulder nhovo! 
LOITERING HOMEWARD. 
Leavenworth, Kansas. 
“ You must see Lawrence from Mount 
Oried,” said an entliusiasticriHend to us day 
before yesterday. “Bayard Tatlor said 
he never had seen a lovelier landscape.” 
Although I had never quite forgiven Mr. 
Tayloki U seems very odd to write plain Mr. 
to a mar/s name after having been in Kan* 
sas so long!) for making Hannah Thurston 
a transparent woman for every rascal to look 
through if he liked, I nevertheless valued his 
judgment-in regard to landscwje excellence, 
and so ascended the Mount, and with a party 
of friends sat in the cupola of the State Uni¬ 
versity, (which crowns the hill,) and looked 
om, “ long and lovingly,” upon the loveliest 
landscape in —Kansas. In my pocket lay 
an unread letter from Xelis, and upon open¬ 
ing it found it dated “ Yo-Semite Valley— 
Transported in a view, I’m lost in wonder, 
love and praise !” which, had it constituted 
the entire letter, would have been a most 
admirable one, written from the. Garden of 
the Gods. But after that, it spun out into 
adjectives, catches for breath and words, and 
a string of heights and depths and mathe¬ 
matical measurements, etc., etc., as if any¬ 
body wanted to know how many leaves of 
gold it takes to pave the courts of Heaven! 
The view from Mount Oried is unique, in 
being almost boundless, and yet giving entire 
rest and satisfaction to the eye. I don’t 
know how many miles away wc could see ; 
or how broad the river that divides the beau¬ 
tiful town ; or how far above the tallest stee¬ 
ple we were silting; or whether the mag¬ 
nificent trees belting the river were cotton 
wood or the large kind of crab-apple. I only 
know it answered my vague idea of the 
heavenly land much better than the “ Great 
Miltonian Panorama” did, with its heavenly 
mansions of tin-roofed tents, glittering under 
a burning sun 
The University is struggling for dear life, 
as the Kansans have not profited by the ex¬ 
perience of the older 8tat.es, and thereby 
avoided distribution of educational funds. 
If all the would-be colleges and universities 
were kneaded together, Kansas would then 
have a University In deed, as in name. Tins 
University, small as it is, has an excellent 
constitution. Both sexes are admitted on an 
equality, and the Professorines receive the 
same salary as !be Professors. Gen. Fra¬ 
zer, its President, is an enthusiastic, model- 
headed, snugly-built bachelor, witty and 
wise. lie said they “ hadn’t a single ease of 
discipline last year," and jack-knife fllagree- 
ing wus unknown about the building. lie 
reckoned ’t was all owing to the presence of 
the girls, and thought. Goldwtn Smith de¬ 
cidedly weak on the girl-boy educational 
question. Some of the young women had 
complained of the weariness produced by 
having so high and hard a hill to climb to 
reach the University, and expressed fears as 
to their ability to do it. The general ven¬ 
tured to say that, he thought, they would 
have no trouble, if they didn't have the Gre¬ 
cian Bend; and if they h/ui,. there was no 
need, or use, in their attempting it. 
In the afternoon we looked our last look 
on Lawrence and reached this city, after a 
two hours’ ride by rail. The distance is 
thirty-live miles, and the fare seven cents to 
the mile. Nothing of special interest oc¬ 
curred on the route, except a great joke on 
ray dear Domestic friend. A lady traveler, 
after looking her well over, whispered,— 
“Isn’t she Anna Dickinson?” 
“ Oh dear, no!” To think she, with her 
meek, pale, lamb-like face, should he taken 
for one of the “ eminent women of the age I” 
“ Westward the star of empire takes its 
way,” and so does that of humbuggery. 
While waiting a few moments in the parlor 
of the Planters’ House, upon our arrival, 
two women entered in great merriment, the 
most vivacious of the two putting questions 
to a little black-eyed nun sitting near us. 
For all the nun knew, she might as well 
have been addressed in Greek. 
“ Did they bring him through here ? nas 
a man been in here? lie lias been a con¬ 
firmed cripple for the lust hundred and fitly 
years, and they have brought him sixty 
miles to see this doctor, who sends every¬ 
body ail-a-kiting without their canes or 
Without, all a world’s woary slrivint? 
With Rain, and temptation, and loss 
The buttling ol' man with his brother. 
The clinging to gold and its ornss. 
Within, all the suoredest passion. 
That shuts out it soul Xrotn a stain; 
Tint wealth of a babe's mouth that kisses, 
And arms that clasp closer nguln! 
lit. 
And here with my man’s proud ambition. 
Brought low, at that shadow, I stand: 
And watch It sway backward und forward, 
And catch the soft, play or her hand! 
A tiny brown head on her shoulder, 
The wealth of a world could not buy; 
All! she with her life’s mother-mission, 
Is nearer "Our Father " than 11 
Our boy, in his sloop, smiles, I fancy. 
For iho look that reflects on her face 
And under the sweep of her lashes 
A soft light, of glad tears I trace. 
O, what of the world und Its tempting, 
Can c.uue to the home life within? 
And how can 1 enter Its whiteness, 
Mv hands soiled with world-stl’lring sin? 
Without, then, forever and ever, 
I leave all the baseness and woo. 
And keep mo lor aye, on the curtain, 
That shadow that sways to and fro! 
With lullaby trusting and tender. 
Site sings to our child not alone ; 
I, needing her prayer, take tin* lesson 
And make my babe’s teacher, my own ! 
tones for 
BETWEEN TWO PERILS 
BY A. A. HOPKINS. 
•A. LABOR OF 1,0 V K, 
soil, so we might come back some future day 
and find ourselves rich. All, well! Finally, 
as the preachers say, we beg leave to ac¬ 
knowledge special kindness and courtesy 
from the President of the Kansas Pacific 
Railroad and the Superintendent of the Mis¬ 
souri Valley Railroad; also to those of the 
editorial fraternity in Leavenworth who so 
generously contributed to our happiness 
while in their city. Mintwood. 
of names, such as “ Irish poplin, Oriental 
silk, etc.” The goods is very wide, contain¬ 
ing from four to six yards, in a dress pat¬ 
tern, and the price is $25. The material 
has an elegant appearance, and for a length 
at both ends, seems to be of pure silk. The 
body of tiie goods, however, is of a kind of 
silk and linen, and if you pay over five dol¬ 
lars for a pattern, you are cheated, and if 
you have good taste and good sense and a 
desire to invest money wisely, you’ll not take 
the dress at a dollar even. 1 am led to speak 
of this by the fine harvest these “ self im¬ 
porters” have lately reaped in the West. 
Leavenworth City 
sits on the bank of the Missouri, very much 
us Richmond does on the James. It is one 
of the marvels of Western growth, and con¬ 
tains a number of remarkably fine residences. 
The town is thoroughly city-fied, with twice 
or thrice the business activity of Lawrence. 
“ The difference between Lawrence and 
Leavenworth,” said a, gentleman an hour 
ago, “ is considerable. At Lawrence every¬ 
body is esteemed on his grandfather’s ac¬ 
count. Most of the inhabitants are from 
New England, or that class of eastern people 
who talk of ‘ blood’ and ‘ ancestry’ and ‘ heir¬ 
looms.’ Here in Leavenworth every man 
stands on his own merit. We don’t care 
whether he liad a grandfather or not, so 
long as lie has brains and sense.” 
But as brainful and sensible as they may 
be, they are foolish enough to want 
Thu National Capitol 
moved to their city, and so hopeful in regard 
to it as to quite believe it must he. They 
utterly dispute.the righteousness of the St. 
Louis claims upon it, and arc full of eloquent 
and” convincing” reasons. The Government 
owns a magnificent farm about the city and 
fort, with enough variety of surface to fur¬ 
nish really admirable sites for the various 
spring from want of interest in, or adaptation 
to, some particular field of labor. The latter 
implies hatred of all exertion. Burns, in a 
letter to liia old teacher, confessed to indo¬ 
lence, hut denied laziness. Patrick Henry 
was Indolent. His business career was a 
failure. Afterwards, judges and juries were 
enchanted by the power of his eloquence. 
There arc but few really lazy men. We 
may all confess to much indolence. Indo¬ 
lence is opposed to activity. Activity un¬ 
locks mines of wealth. Activity opens the 
fountains of knowledge. It brings weari¬ 
ness, but prepares us to appreciate rest. 
Activity conduces to health. Activity is 
life. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard, con¬ 
sider her ways and be wise.” l. d. b. 
joy in her heart. She had a rare capacity 
for happiness—this little woman. She was 
almost childlike in her enjoying. A little 
pleasure did more for her than some great 
procuring could do for many souls. Over a 
small delight, infantile, as you might term it, 
she would sing a rippling song of gratitude 
down deep in her breast and he very glad. 
Now a great enjoyment was hers. Joe loved 
her. You might not consider tiic love of 
such a man a thing so gladdening. But I 
think she appreciated him more really than 
T can bring you to. 1 think she realized how 
much he might be in his loving to the wo¬ 
man who could be much to him. 
Joe loved her, and she was glad. But Joe 
was gone,—gone away, where fresh dangers 
gathered, perhaps, —gone where lie must 
light himself while, it might be, fighting 
others,—and she was sad. I have said she 
went about her accustomed duties in her 
usual manner. She did, and in the doing of 
these I think she was gladdest. The con¬ 
sciousness of some new joy brightened them 
all. The old school-house took on a cheerier 
look, and her daily routine moved on more 
happily. Yet when the routine was ended 
each day, —when she dismissed the little 
A LABOR OF LOVE 
TnE grace and spirit of the above en¬ 
graving are indeed inimitable. 11 represents 
a bonnio Welsh lassie giving her little 
brother a pick-a-back ride ; and it is as plain 
to be seen that the little urchin is screaming 
with delight as that the merry-hearted girl 
is laughing outright over her “ labor of love.” 
Even the dog seems enjoying his share of the 
fun as lie runs along beside them. What a 
delightful apparition such a rosy-chcekcd 
girl would be to meet, while toiling along 
the rugged paths or over the rough moorland 
of wild and rocky Wales! 
In our journey through life we bear many 
burdens. Some are like the little laughing 
child in the picture, and they sit lightly upon 
us. Others,—and it may lie they are most 
numerous,—are leaden weights, which press 
us sore. And if carrying them all could hut 
bo “ a labor of love,” the patli would seem 
shorter, and we should not so soon grow 
weary and faint, by the way. Then should 
we hear the brooks murmur in the meadows, 
and the birds sing in the silrails; and like 
the dear lassie so light of heart we should 
rejoice and he glad. 
BE KIND IN LITTLE THINGS, 
The sunshine of life is made lip of very 
little beams that are bright all the time. In 
the nursery, on the play-ground, and in the 
school-room, there is room all the time for 
little acts of kindness, that cost nothing, but 
are worth more than gold or silver. To give 
up something, where giving up will prevent 
unhappiness—to yield, when persisting will 
chafe and fret others—to go a little around, 
rather than come against another; to take 
an ill word or across look, rather than re¬ 
sent or return it; these are the ways in ■which 
clouds and storms arc kept off, and a pleas¬ 
ant, smiling sunshine secured even in the 
humble home, among very poor people, as in 
families in higher stations. Much that we 
term the miseries of life would be avoided by 
adopting this rule of conduct. 
If the mind he curbed and humbled too 
much in children—if their spirits be abased 
and broken by too strict a hand over them— 
they lose all their vigor and industry. 
