he accordingly escorted us down. That is 
the beauty of this house; they aro so at¬ 
tentive to you, if you aro alone, and need a 
little attention. The bill of fare in the 
restaurant promises you almost everything, 
but we made a light supper of stewed oys¬ 
ters, with an omelette; but the coffee,—oh 
the coffee! 
I think that night 1 felt perfectly con¬ 
tented with myself* and the world in geu- 
ernl. As for X ej.i„ soon after supper she 
became somnolently inclined, and when wo 
had retired, the last heard of her was a lan¬ 
guid murmur, “Oh, how uioe this bed is,— 
so—lovely!“ 
But commend me to the European or res¬ 
taurant. plan for comfort in the morning. 
One can realize the blessedness of a morn¬ 
ing nap, with no dreadful breakfast bell to 
ring (wring) you from ybiir pleasant couch, 
calling you abruptly from the land of 
dreams. I am ready to concede everything 
in favor of the moral advancement. <>f the 
race, when I contemplate this delightful 
improvement in hotel life; and I am par¬ 
ticularly glad that all intelligent physicians 
liow-a-day agree that early rising Is very 
injurious to health! Indeed, 1 presume it 
will, before long, be made an indictable of¬ 
fence to wake a person from sleep! The 
story, you know, Is told of a Dutch jury, 
who refused to find a verdict of guilty 
against a certain woman whoso husband 
had disturbed her morning nap:—It appears 
she vented her wrath thereat by throwing 
the boot-jack at him, and the boot-jack un¬ 
luckily hitting him, killed him. “Hod she 
been left undisturbed, it could hardly be 
supposed she would have done so uncivil a 
thing in her sleep,' 1 wisely argued the jury. 
Consequently she was fully exonerated and 
the conduct of the husband censured as very 
reprehensible. Indeed, 
“ They knew whut's wlmt; amt that’s as high 
As meutphysic wit can a.v,” 
Well, here at this good St. James, out; 
sleeps as though in enchanted land; foot¬ 
steps, outside your room, fall soft on the 
tufted floor; and when the dream is dreamed 
out, you awake to tho reality of -“no hur¬ 
ry,” and “hot coffee.” 
I suggested to N ell, as we entered the 
cheerful restaurant for breakfast, that wo 
stop our watches —time being made for 
slaves, ami not for us, who were bound on 
having a good holiday time. I reminded her 
of the delicate gallantry of tho Earl of Lei¬ 
cester, who, on the occasion of Queen F.liz- 
abetii’s visit to Kenilworth, hud all the 
clocks stopped, that no thought of time— 
much less its impertinent tongue—should 
interfere with the royal enjoyment. 
Nell suggested, in a practical way, that 
here in New York, one walking out can stop 
for dinner where and when you choose. At 
last we did start for a stroll, and found the 
same throng of people on Broadway as of 
old. Fashion, I think, has contrived more 
startling effects, and style is a little more 
audacious. Just think of wearing a knot of 
artificial llowera on the shoulder! As for 
hats,—they go higher and higher—with a 
sort of “Hail Columbia" look. 
I aro told, on good authority, that one 
wicked old bachelor in the city is taking 
underhand measures to Introduce the Chi¬ 
nese fashion of compressed feet. He thinks 
this will have a tendency t.o relieve the 
Broadway sidewalks; and he says the big 
bustles crowd him so! 
But, oh dear, 1 come to the end of my 
paper, and haven’t got even so far as Tif¬ 
fany’s. In my next, 1 shall have lots to 
tell vou. Kate. 
four deers, that a hunter had shot ( and we had 
venison for break rust. 1 have a deer hole, where 
I salt the deem once a week. I call them my 
cattle, but they are very shy, bo I don’t, see 
them. They come In the|illght, and get Hie suit, 
but 1 have seen throe or four since we camo 
hero. One of our neighbors shot a bear back of 
our house, and we had some of the meat . I don't 
think it as good ns venison. Another of our 
neighbors was driving hla ox team along tho 
road, and they stopped 1 ho looked up and saw 
an old bear and two cubs right in front of his 
team. He hollered. The old boar and ono of the 
cubs run off; tho other run In to si brush plln. I to 
lumped off of his wagon and caught it. It bit 
him on one of Ills I lands pretty nail, but ho kept 
hold of it It was its tame as a dog In a few 
weeks. We expect the cars to run through our 
town ticxt *u minor, tut lhoy arc twenty-eight 
miles from us now, and they tiro at work all the 
way up to town twenty-three tulles north." 
A Tennessee Girl. — Amo: A, writes from Ce¬ 
dar Creek, East Tennessee ,as follows: am a 
girl twelve years of nge. The first time I ever 
saw your paper was about two years ago, when 
I visited my sister In Virginia; she luis since 
moved to Tennessee, about two miles from 
where my father lives. I take great delight lb 
visiting her. 1 think tho ortaiei portion of my 
pleasure derived froln visiting her, Is reading 
yoUl' good imoei ami caring l'or royJittie nephew, 
whose inline is Sidney. J think he is the sweet¬ 
est little creature In tho world. M y brother-in- 
law has been taking your paper for about three 
years. I am going to persuade my pa to take It 
next year, as I am so fond of reading it. I have 
several lit Mo pets; I have a cat, cult and - a little 
pony, and I used to have a pig,but m.vpa sold it. 
I think a great deal of t horn. 
A Wine-t'olore.l Rtver.— From Elizabeth City, 
N. C., Mary T. U. writes as loliows:—" Papa 
takes your valuable paper, tho Rural. I like it 
very much, especially that port ion devoted to 
the boys and girls. I live in North Carolina, oh 
the bunks of the beautiful Pasquotank Rivet. 
Its water Is highly colored, aud any one that 
hud never seen it liefubo would mistake il for 
wine. The steamers rub from Norfolk, Vn., to 
Elizabeth City, through tho Dismal Swamp Canal. 
The water is colored in the river and canal by 
pawing through Juniper and cypress swamps. 
HAVE PATIENCE 
A FLOWER BED 
A youth and maid, one winter night, 
Were sitting in the corner ; 
His name, we’re told, was Joshua White, 
And hers was Patience Warner. 
N6\v l shall have a flower bed 1" 
Held Emma, with delight, 
The roses bloomed upon her cheek, 
Her eyes were spurkling bright. 
These tiny seeds you brought to mo. 
Contain a living germ. 
That, planted in the earth will growj 
With roots and branches firm. 
O, how delighted memory 
Feasts on thnlr beauty now ! 
A Joy forever, truly, 
Is In the blossom's bough. 
Come, Edward, take the spade, and dig 
A flower bed near tho door ; 
For oft my eyes must feast on them. 
While hands are doing more.” 
Yes,” Edward said, ‘‘I love to see 
You happy all day long; 
And love to hear you sing of flowers. 
So cheerful is tho soilg.” 
lie dug the bed with cheerful heart 
And dug it very fine. 
For something whispered to his breast, 
“ These flowers will calm my mind?” 
Not much the pretty maiden said 
Beside the young roan sitting; 
Her cheeks were flushed a rosy red, 
Her eyes bent on her knitting. 
Nor could lie guess what thoughts of him 
Were to her bosom (locking, 
As her fair lingers, swift and slim, 
Flew round and round the stocking. 
While, as for Joshua, bashful youth, 
His words grew few ami fewer; 
Though all the time, to toil the truth, 
His chair edged nearer to her. 
Meantime the hull of yarn gave out. 
She knit so fast and steady. 
And ho must give his aid, no doubt, 
To got another ready. 
He hold the skein; of course the thread 
Hot tangled, snarled and twisted; 
Have Patience!” cried the artless maid. 
To him who her assisted.. 
Mood (jhunce wns that for tongue-tied churl, 
To shorten all palaver; 
Have Patience !” cried he, “ dearest girl 1 
And inuy I really have her?” 
Tho deed was done, rfb more that night, 
Clicked needles in the corner 
And she is Mrs. Joshua White 
That once was PATIENCE WARNER. 
A LETTER TO THE YOUNG RURALISTS. 
FROM COUSIN JOHNNIE, 
My Dear Little Uural Boys and 
Girls : 1 am much Interested In the let tors 
In the Young Folks’ Department,, anil still 
more In their writers. Their exp'oH'ehceu 
bring back very forcibly to my mind the 
recollection of my own childhood. It used 
to he frequently impressed upon me at that, 
time that l was seeing; my happiest; days. 
Most grown people, I find, are very fond of 
telling ohildren this is the case; but I don’t 
believe in doing so—for, in the first place, I 
don't think it’s true. You know, my dears, 
and I am not quite so old yet as to forget 
that little people, as Well as big ones, have 
t heir troubles, which are just as great to 
them as big peoples' are to them. In tho 
next place, 1 think it’s rather discouraging 
to ohildren to have nothing hot, sorrow to 
look forward to when t hey aro grown up. 
But one thing 1 do believe, dear children, 
that, the brightness of your future will de¬ 
pend very much on tho use you mako of 
your childhood—for you know tho old say¬ 
ing, “Just as the twig is bent the tree’s 
inclined.” 
Tho most of you doubtless go to school, 
vet did you ever ask yourselves what, edu¬ 
cation is, itud what is the use of it? I should 
like to soe what answers yon call give in 
your next letters, to thoso questions, which 
aro very important ones. 'Though I write 
for your parents in tho Rural (under my 
own name), I think I shall always write to 
you, my dears, under the nick-name I have 
had all my life. Isn't it a fuuny one?—as I 
am neither a boy nor a man. The next 
time I write I will tell you about it, but 
now, though I should like to say a great 
many things to you, I must stop, so as to 
leave room in the department for some of 
your owu letters. Cochin Johnnie. 
LETTER FROM CITY TO COUNTRY 
New York, Jan. 18th, 1872. 
My Dear Lu: —We have reached New 
York, as you infer from receiving this; and 
like the man who fell from a tower, and 
said he did not mind tho coming down so 
much as tin; stopping, so we got on well 
enough through the journey, till the landing 
in the depot. 
Thu progress of civilization now-n-days, 
you know, brings the Hudson River train 
into lhe Grand Central Depot — a horrid, 
cold, great big place, with noiso enough to 
scare back all timid immigrants. Indeed, I 
am not sure hut Nellie and 1 would have 
stayed in the car until it returned, had not 
our courage been fortified by t in* plan of 
procedure drawn out for us by Cousin 
Hugh. So then, in pursuance of this plan, 
we got out, aud passing the hack-men by, 
asked a policeman to put us on a Fourth 
Avonuo car. It, was quite dark by this time, 
and it did seem a little scary for us two to 
be alouo in such a great oity. There was 
nothiug, however, to bo afraid of, and the 
conduct or stopped for us, as we had asked 
him, at Twenty-Sixth St. Then there were 
two blocks and more, to walk, to reach the 
St. James. But Cousin Hugh was right; 
we felt more safe than had we taken a hack. 
I am told it’s perfectly astonishing how 
people from the country arc imposed upon 
by these hack-men. Exorbitant charges, of 
course; and sometimos they stop half-way, 
aud pretending they are not allowed to 
drive out of a certain district, put their 
passengers into a street car, leaving them to 
reach their destination as best they may. 
Nklt> says if we had trusted ourselves to a 
hack, she was fully prepared to say to the 
driver, “Now yon scoundrel, look out l'or 
yourself,” and the Idea of seeiug her bravery 
so expand leads me almost to wish we had 
run all risks. But, really, in view of the 
great peril attending an entrance into the 
civilized city of New York, I t hink it would 
be a good thing if a Protection Society 
might be instituted—based, perhaps, on the 
plan of the Castle Garden Association, which 
we have heard of, and mean to visit:—that 
is, we mean to visit Castle Garden. 
Well, we reached the St. James—the en¬ 
trance for ladles ou Twenty-sixth street— 
and, I must say, for ail we were girls alone, 
aud from the country beside, we had not a 
speck of embarrassment. You see a waiter 
sits at tho door, and he showed us at once 
to the ladies’ parlor, and the clerk came up 
there to us. I can’t tell you how delightful 
it was to find ourselves really seated In that 
beautiful parlor, after tho horror of getting 
from the depot. Of course our baggage we 
had put in the care of the expressman, on 
the cars; so we carried only our satchels 
and water-proofs. Disposing of baggage in 
this way enables ladies to travel alone, so 
nicely. 
But let me toll you about it, at the hotel. 
The clerk gave us. as we asked, a small room, 
and a card on the door informed us that the 
price of i t was *8 a day. Then for meals ono 
pays, you know, according to the carte, or 
bill of fare. 
Well, we left our bags and cloaks in our 
room, and, as we were alone, the clerk 
asked if we would go down to supper, and 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS. No. 5 
J 3 T' Answer in t.wo weeks 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.—No. 2 
Mv first is In wool hut not, in sheep; 
My second Is in night but not in sleep; 
My third is in play hut not in toy; 
My fourth is in lad but not In boy; 
My fifth Is in hurry but not. in run; 
My sixth is in jolly but not in fun; 
My seventh is In cane but not In staff; 
My eighth is in stnile but not in laugh; 
My last ts in tidy but nor. in neat; 
My whole is something good to eat. 
Answer in two weeks. Isola, 
OUR LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS, 
How to Make Hling*.—E. D. H. of Baltimore, 
Md., writes“ I would like to tell the boys how 
we make stings here in Baltimore. The urticles 
needed aro four pieces of cord, about a quarter 
of a yard long, two pieces of rubber, about six 
inches long and one wide, and a piece of leather 
cut in the shape of a diumnnd, about two inches 
wide ami three long; then cut from a tree a prong 
lu the shape of a Y; thou take two of your pieces 
of cord and t ie one end of each to the prongs, tie 
the other onds of the cord to ono end of each of 
the rubber; then to the other ends tie the two 
remaining pieces of cord, and to them tic your 
leather. Then tako hold of the handle of the 
f iroug, place a atone In the leather, and. holding 
t between linger und thumb, null back, then let 
fly at anything you choose. It is nico fun for 
the woods, though broken windows follow Us 
use in the city." 
A Gentle Calf.— Henry T- Raymond, aged 
ton, writes from Steuben Co., N. Y.;-“ I want 
to toll the boys about my calf. I have a calf 
that will be two years old next, spring. .She is so 
gentle that you can load her around with a rope 
or string, when she is in the pasture, no mat ter 
hew long she has been there. If she sees me or 
l»i coming she will run right up to us, and when 
wo lead her to the pasture aud put her in she 
will try to get out and follow us home. I go to 
school when 1 have not got the rheumatism." 
A Nut Gatherer. Frank A. lb, ten years old, 
writes from Masopotamia, Ohio : - •* Father 
owns a sorrel horse, six years old, and I take 
almost all the cure of her. i cun ride her and 
set on her heels, and do most anything i am a 
mind to with her. I raised one bushel and a-half 
of popcorn this year, and gathered live or six 
bushels black walnuts, two or three bushels 
butternuts and a little over a peck of chestnuts. 
So you see if apples are not very plenty, we will 
have something to cat these long winter even¬ 
ings while we read the Kurai., which father 
takes, arid we like it first, rate." 
Deiwx nnd Bears. WlLI.IB F., twelve years 
old, writes from the north woodsof Michigan :— 
“ My father take-s the JtuRAi, New-Yorker. I 
like to read the letters that tho hoys and girls 
write*. We came here one year ago hod f’hrist- 
mas. Wo wont twenty-three miles without see¬ 
ing a house, When wc got to Grass LakO 1 saw 
GOSSIPY PARAGRAPHS, 
PUZZLE,-No. 1 
A conceited young parson once said: 
“ This morning I preaobed to a congregation 
of asses.’-’ “ I thought of that,” retorted a 
lady, “when you called them your beloved 
brethreu!” 
It was a common superstition in olden 
times that a turquoise ring would heal en¬ 
mity between man and wife, aud that an 
emerald* always grew pale when danger 
threatened it s wearer. 
Many ladies have mined the shape of 
their ears by wearing heavy, massive ear¬ 
rings, which not, only spoil the shape of the 
ear by elongating it., but also produce head¬ 
ache and patois in ttie face. 
Tub newest tortoise-shell chains have 
their links of a circular instead of an ellip¬ 
tical shape, flattened on one side, every al¬ 
ternate link being a half-circle. This ar¬ 
rangement makes them fit more closely to 
the neck of the fair wearer. 
An Indiana woman having discovered a 
flaw in the matrimonial title-deed sued her 
husband to recover for services rendered 
him as an employe since the date of the cer¬ 
emony. She claimed to have been bis 
“housekeeper," and recovered $1,200. 
Fifteen young misses, Margie, Carrie, Mira, 
etc., attend a boarding school. The rules of the 
school require these fifteen young ladies to walk 
for exorcise each day In the week of seven days. 
Thoy are requires] to walk ouch day in fivo files, 
three in each file, thus: 
All walk each day, but no one can have the same 
companion In a tile twice. 
It. is required to determine the order to be ob¬ 
served each day. C. L. Palmer. 
Answer in two weeks. 
RIDDLE.-No. 1 
What force and strength may not gettbrough 
I with a gentle touch can do ; 
And many in the streets would stand. 
Were 1 not, as a friend, at hand. 
&r Answer In two weeks. L. E. K. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS. Jan. 20 
11 .lustrated Rkhus No. 3—A frigate bird 
Square Word Enigma No. l— 
k i. o T 
LYRE 
AREA 
TEAM 
