9 
JVIOOBE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Julies' ftoijt-^ffolicr. 
SUMMERS AGO. 
BY ALIQUA. 
Summers ago wo wondered there 
On ban lea of the valley river. 
That. winds through meadows broad and fair,- 
lOelds that are beautiful ever; 
Fair in the sunset's rosy glow. 
Fresh In the dew of the morning, 
Pure in their robes of gleaming snow, 
Fair In the summer's adorning. 
When golden blooms their beauty veil 
111 spiders’ daintiest laces, 
And ever tip where cloud-ships sail 
hook the daisies' patient faces; 
When Idle breer.es passing by 
Break the long grass into billows, 
And kiss the stream to hear it sigh 
In the shade of fringing willows. 
Summers ago the feet passed on 
Out of childhood's golden meadows, 
Find neath mosses tho roughest stone 
And the sunshine edged with shadows; 
Soft hair loses its gleam of gold, 
Reflex of buttercups’ blooming, 
And eyes that clearly shono of old 
Catch the river s deepest glooming. 
Oh for a pressure warm and true 
Of bauds now folded forever 
That gathered violets sweet and blue 
With ours by the valley river, 
While wild-birds’ merry songs and trills 
Rippled ail the meadows over, 
And breezes came from distant hills 
With the breath of fragrant clover. 
Summers ago at silent noon. 
When tho hem waves rife and quiver,— 
Chiming with crickets ceaseless croon, 
Cutne the murmur of the river; 
Low In the hush of evening time. 
And louder In midnight sliudows. 
On misty wings with bells' far chime 
Tho sound came over the meadows s 
And floats through halls of memory still, 
With the tones of friends now sleeping 
Where Cold white marbles crown the hill, 
And below tho waters sweep! ng 
Sing ever of a sunny land 
That Is bounded by dentil’s rlvor, 
Sing ever of a guiding Hand, 
Of our God o’er all forever. 
MISS D.’S VISIT. 
“And you must go, Miss D?” said Mrs. 
YV., standing in the door, with her sleeves 
rolled up, while the little school-teacher 
tied ou her hat. “I'm much obliged for 
this Jit do visit, but. mighty sorry the house 
wasn't cleaner and in better order. ‘ Eter¬ 
nal vigilance is tho price of liberty,’ as the 
paper says in big letters, just afore 'lection 
time—then isn’t eternal scrubbing the price 
of a olean house? Last night while I was a 
eettin’ the table, I heard you ’n tho squire’s 
son talking of the wars of the roses; now 
I never had no time to read them hist'rys, 
though I'd like to, best kind; but I do know 
’bout, the Revolution, and how we whipped 
the Britishers, for my grandfather was in 
the army; was at the buttle of Bennington, 
and t don t know how many more. IIo used 
to toll us children 'bout it. You sec I’ve 
had a constant battle. I, at homo with the 
work and dirt, nigh on to twenty years now, 
with live boys of tny own to look after, and 
two or three hired men most of tho time, 
four or five cow’s milk to ’tend to, I can't 
keep things as nice as I’d like to; but if I'd 
knowed you was coming I'd a slicked up a 
little. 8omohow, every time it rains, them 
boya track the house all up. You know it 
jest poured down yesterday mornin'. I’vo 
been trying this long time to got Williams 
to make some walks, but he don’t see no 
use in’m,” 
“ Don't make any more excuses, Mra.|W,," 
said Miss D., a little embarrassed by this 
sudden flow of energetic talk from the hard¬ 
working woman usually so reticent, “the 
house looks well enough, and I’ve had a 
first-rate time. You're very comfortable,* 
only you look so tired and worn out; you’re 
trying to do two women's work instead of 
one. You ought to keep a girl all the year 
round,” 
“ Yes, I ’spose so, but Williams, he’s so 
particular’bout his cooking; nothin’ ever 
’gree3 with him but what I cook myself.” 
“Don't agree with his pocketbook, (the 
price of the girl) that’s where the trouble 
is,” thought Miss D. to herself. 
“Thank you again,” continued Mrs. W., 
“for the trouble you took with our Jim 
last winter; helping him in his'rithmctic, 
out of school, was mighty good of you. 
Only think, last week Williams promised 
he might go to college this fall, with the 
Squire’s Sam, it he’d work well this sum¬ 
mer. Now, lie’s out of bed by four o’clock, 
and works us spry as a cricket, I've a no¬ 
tion that little talk of your’n with his 
father did some good; anyhow he’s a 
goin’, and I’ve lots of Hewing to do to get 
him ready, but I’d do that nights after 
twelve o’clock rather'n not get him off when 
school begins. My boys all take to lor mu’, 
just as I did, though I hadn’t no chance. 
Williams don’t see any use in boys knowin’ 
any more’ll readin’, writin and ’rithmetio; 
says that’s enough for a farmer, but 1 mean 
my boys shall all go through College just, as 
my younger brother did. I paid bis first 
term bill soilin' butter, and now he’s in the 
Legislatttr.” Mrs. W’s eyes flashed with 
sisterly pride as she said this, but l he bright 
expression soon gave way to t he uneasy one 
that usually rested there. Miss I), noticed 
this and turned aside to conceal the emo¬ 
tion that told her sympathetic tears were 
not far away from her own eyelids, as she 
listened to this plain woman's story, and 
saw that even long years of hard work and 
trial had not crushed out lofty aspirations 
for her sous, and patient devotion to their 
welfare. 
“Well, I oughtn’t to bo hindrin’ you,” 
said Mrs. W. “ I know it’s most school time. 
I don’t know what got in me to tell you all 
this, only you took such an int’rost in my 
Jim, Here's some nice harvest apples Al. 
found for you; let me put them In your bas¬ 
ket ; they’re tho earliest in the neighbor¬ 
hood. Go.od-by; your visit’s done a sight 
of good. Next, time come Friday night and 
stay till Monday mornin’. Good-by;” and 
with an earnest pressure ol' the hand. Miss 
D. turned down the shady lane. 
At first she walked with a quick, impa¬ 
tient step, that kept pace with the indignant 
feelings stirring her spirit. 
“ What a shame,” she said to herself, 
“ that ho makes her lifo so hard. If she 
hadn’t had an Iron constitution she’d have 
broke down long ago. I suppose ho’d bo 
very much surprised and offended if anyone 
told him he wasn’t kind to his wife; but if 
such utter disregard for common con l en¬ 
iences around ( he house, and such a selfish 
use of money to grat ify his pride in the fine 
farm and broad acres, while she works her¬ 
self almost to death to save n few dollars in 
the house, Is kindness, then / don’t know 
what the word means.” 
“Mrs. W. don’t suspect how I talked to 
him about sending Jim to college; not of the 
advantages of education,—might as well talk 
to the wind, unless education would bring 
money—then he’d list en. J read hid nature, 
and t hen brought mv battery to bear on the 
one vulnerable point—his pride. Told him 
Squire NTs son had just graduated with so 
much honor that the next son was going to 
college, and his Jim was much the smarter 
of the two, for they both recited to me last 
winter, and wound up by saying how sorry 
1 would be to see Jim fall behind when ho 
mailing foif the Noting, 
HOW WE SPEND OUR EVENINGS. 
BY AUNT PHEBE. 
PLAY, NATURAL HISTORY, ANAGRAMS, BURIED CITIES, ETC. 
Tm«; long winter evenings have come, and 
we are ready to improve them in the best 
wa} ; and that, we think, is to have a va¬ 
riety—a little study, a little reading, a little 
play — and with it all a good deal of amuse¬ 
ment. 
The little ones always have their “ play- 
spell "—we old ones joining—and a noisy 
time it is. But, after the children are in 
bed, father reads his paper, mother keeps 
the knitting needles bright, while Rillah, 
Johnnie and I “ improve our minds,” aud 
make amusement for the others. 
We have become much interested in 
Natural History. Shall I tell you something 
about what we have learned? We have 
found that the Animal Kingdom has four 
grand divisions — the Vertebrates, the Ar¬ 
ticulates, the Moll asks, and the Radiates. 
Of these the Vertebrates are the most im¬ 
portant; and perhaps it will help you to 
remember their name if T tell you that this 
class includes all animals having a back¬ 
bone, or vertebral column. I heard old Mr. 
Smith say, the other day, that Lemuel 
Green would “never amount to anything; 
he haln’t got huclc-honc,” But I rather 
think he’d be included in the Vertebrates , 
after all. Vertebrates arc divided into 
warm-blooded and Cold-blooded. Warm¬ 
blooded Vertebrates are classed us Mam¬ 
mals, or Mammalia, and Birds. Tho Mam¬ 
mals are said to be ViVipu row, or “ born 
alive;” and Birds, oviparous, or “born an 
egg.” 
According to Hooker, Mammals are di¬ 
vided into live sub-classes. 1. Illmaua 
(two-handed), of which man is the only ex¬ 
ample. 'J. Pcdimana (.foot-banded), in¬ 
cluding only the ape and monkey t ribes. 3. 
Cheiroptera (hand-winged), the bat tribe. 
4. Quadrupeds (four-footed Mammals). 5, 
Cetacea, (marine Mammals). 
Perhaps, as you read this over, you will 
think ll very dull, but we haven’t, found it 
so, T assure you. You will find it is very 
easily learned, and it is the foundation, of 
natural history, one of tho most delightful 
studies you can engage in. 
We invent a great many charades, enig- 
bud the start now, and his father was so well J mas, etc.; and you can’t tell till you try it. 
able to send him to college. 
“ l can send Jim just as well as Squire N. 
can Sam ; he shall go next September, 
Miss D.” 
How I laughed in my sleeve, but didn’t 
dare say anything about it. ff there’s any¬ 
thing Mr. W. dislikes ’tis to have it said he’s 
behind his rich neighbor. If walks, new 
pumps, and kitchen conveniences were only 
the fashion over there, how soon Mrs. W.’s 
work would grow easier. 
Miss D. slackened her pace as a gontler 
mood came over her, “ A constant battle 
at home with the work and dirt, nigh on to 
twenty years,” said she to herself, musing¬ 
ly, as she repeated Mrs. W.’s words. “ There 
are conflicts well worthy the name never 
recorded by a Bancroft, and true victories 
unnoted by a Macauley. What a grand 
life she has had; yet how patient and un¬ 
complaining; her literary taste outlives 
the years of starvation, and her determina¬ 
tion, too, that her boys shall have what she 
has longed for In vain. How many throw 
away opportunities which she would gladly 
improve. Yet the law of compensation, 
our teacher used to tell us about, can be 
seen even here. So the distinguished lawyer, 
Mr. F., isher brother, and she gave him the 
needed help in the critical time that de¬ 
termined his course in life. She will be 
reworded, too, in her boya, if they are edu¬ 
cated as she intends they shall be. They 
will each one be a ‘man among men,' 
whether they till the soil or choose a pro¬ 
fession ; for they aro like their gifted 
mother. But it’s ten minutes after nine! ” 
and Uliss D. hurriedly rang her bell and 
hastened into the school-house. 
Majasa, 
-- 
What word is that in the English lan¬ 
guage the first two letters of which signify 
a man, the first three a woman, the first four 
a great man, the whole a great woman?— 
Heroine. 
--- 
A little girl in Ithaca, just before she 
died, exclaimedPapa, take hold of my 
hand and help me across.” Her father had 
died two mouths before. 
-«"*-*- 
At a wedding which took place in New 
York recently, the bride was followed to 
the altar by twelve little girls, members of 
her class in Sabbath School. 
(“Tow much enjoyment you can have in this 
way. To bo sure, ours are not as sharp as 
some you may find in the Rural’s Puzzler, 
but they have the great advantage of being 
'‘ home-made. ” So last n igtit Hi lla h passed 
me these Anagrams of the Pcdimana : 
1. Nip tnee Zach. 2. Roan ling go tu. 
3. A big bllo gon. 4. V sell ten. 
5. Darn mill. 6. Moses M. Tar. 
T. Mule fled f urr. 
Can the young Rural!stsfurnish answers? 
Here aro some of Johnnie’s Buried Cities 
in Wisconsin: 
1. Clouds of amber linger in the west. 
2. While near I ponder on tho scene. 
if. He took Jack s part at school. 
4. I never, till tho war, saw soldiers. 
5. So wo went, wo twit, up unto tho mountain. 
(I- when they drill on the greeu, bayonets are 
used. 
7. Oh, pshaw! No, don't think of It. 
-■*-*•■*- 
LETTER TO RURAL CHILDREN. 
BY ROSE GERANIUM. 
I’M rather tall for “children.” I’m just 
five feet three inches, and perhaps I’m a lit - 
tie old, being twenty-two, but my heart 
don’t seem to grow up very fast, aud I 
thought perhaps you would admit me to 
your circle. I want to tell yon about my 
doll. I received her four years ago, on St. 
Valentino’s day. I call her Maude Gene¬ 
vieve Moore. She didn’t wear out like ordi¬ 
nary dolls, but kept developing and improv¬ 
ing, I think. In fact, I guess you all under¬ 
stand she is a live doll. She is a pure bru¬ 
nette, and a perfect type of mischief. She 
has made me do more laughing and sighing 
than I can make you imagine. When she 
was a year aud a-half old a little girl brought 
her a kitten—the first one she ever saw. 
Pretty soon she learned to nurse it, and be¬ 
ing rather rough one day, she made It cry. 
She was in ecstasy. “ O, mamma.” she 
cried, “’is titten is singin’ for Desus! ’E 
dear ting 1” And she listened to no expla¬ 
nation, but persisted in squeezing the melo¬ 
dy from its throat until I had to put it be¬ 
yond her rench. Shortly after, sho saw the 
first snow falling, aud called us to see “ Desus 
is froing sugar down forMAUDiE.” She was 
disgusted at its tastelessness. Discussing 
the mysteries of our last Christmas, she 
broke forth—“ I tell 'oo Santa Twaua dus’ 
bings his own chimney along to climb down. 
Do 'oo 'spose he’d turn down’at dirty ting?” 
pointing scornfully toward the fireplace. 
She can only make-believe at reading, but 
she is very literary. Hero is one of her es¬ 
says. It is a year old. I copied, it while she 
demurely read from a blank envelope: 
“ What could o’ comet! o’ my dolly's leg? 
Its log’s coined out an’ there’s a hole there. 
My dolly could walk oust, when it had a 
head. Wish’t I tould buy my Jolly a new 
leg; not it man’s leg, but a stick log. I did’nt 
bite its head off—It. brolced.” 
May 1 enter your circle, children? H I 
may, I will write about, my flowers next time. 
--- 
A MEW-SICAL CAT. 
Dear Editor :—I want to tell you about 
a gentleman of my acquaintance named 
GoTtscualk. A very gentlemanly, enter¬ 
taining person is Gottschalk— a musician, 
too. But, strange as it may seem, lie’s not 
a man—he’s a eat. One night, after spend¬ 
ing a delightful evening with some friends, 
we girls wont to bod. Soon after we were 
all quieted down a little, we were consider¬ 
ably startled at hearing a sound as if some 
person were striking tho keys of the piano 
at random. Not only astonished, for we 
were all in bod, but a little alarmed, we 
listened for a while, and then, summoning 
all of our courage to our aid, wo sot, forth 
on an exploring expedition. Ou entering 
tho parlor we saw no one on the piano stool, 
but just as we were going away, another 
key was struck. Determined to solve the 
mystery, we went, still closer, and what do 
you think was revealed to our astonished 
gazes ? 
Why, a Maltese kitten enjoying the quiet 
hour of midnight in musical entertainment. 
Grave as a judge, there ho sat, striking the 
keys with his fore-puw, and, corking his 
head on one side he Would listen attentive¬ 
ly till the sound died away, and then striko 
it again, apparently greatly enjoying the 
music (!) he created. We immediately dub¬ 
bed him Gotthchalk, and Gottschalk ho 
has remained ever since. After that we 
often oaught him performing , and listening 
with tho air of a connoisseur. Our feline 
musician retired from his public career 
about the time of the death of his greater 
contemporary and namesake,—must have 
been overwhelmed with grief. He still 
likes to sit near the piano when any one is 
playing, and listen with an air of intelli¬ 
gence. Mattie D. Woodward. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS-No. 8. 
ZW Answer in two weeks. 
MISCELLANEOUS ENIGMA.—No, 3. 
I am composed of forty-seven letters. 
My 4, 3, 7, 30, 23, 23, 44, 3, 20 is a. musioal instru¬ 
ment. 
My 5, 14,15, 18,11 is a passage into a mine. 
My 5, 22, 10, 8,31, 47, 31, 10 i3 a servant. 
My 35, 10, 34, 37, 10, 45, 38, 9 is a figure having 
throe angles. 
My 41, 3,20, 20, 37, 14 is a woman’s name. 
My 17,37, 44,10, 42 is a placo where milk is set. 
My 43,15, 4, 32, 2,22, .13 is one of the Apostles. 
My li. 44. 29,21.88, 7 Is a stringed instrument of 
music. 
My 40, 40, 10, 28, 33 is to cast. 
My 1,12,19, 23, 7 is a destitution of color. 
My 38, 8,10, 20, 43, 9, 25, 10, 13 is the measuring of 
time by hours. 
My whole is u, verse in the Bible. 
New Hackensack, N. Y. Josie TV\ 
Answer in two weeks. 
-- 
DECAPITATIONS.-No. 1. 
1. Behead a country and leave a country. 
2. Behead a law term and leave a Latin prepo¬ 
sition. 
3. Behead an insect and leave a meadow. 
4. Behead a crustacean and leave a rod or stick 
used by masons. 
5. Behead a iuollusk and leave part of the hand 
or foot. J. A. C. 
Answer in two weeks. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Feb. 10. 
Hidden Cities, No. 2.-1, Weston; 2, Sophia; 3, 
Dover. 
Illustrated Rebus No. 6. —Great results can- 
not be achieved at once. 
