I 
JNics’ foi[t-c^altcr. 
WHY THE ROSE IS RED. 
The rose, of ok), they nay, was white, 
Till Love, one (lay, in wanton flight, 
Flirting away from flower to flower, 
A rose tree brushed, in evil hour. 
The spreading loaves concealed a thorn 
By which ihts boy-god's foot was torn. 
The precious drops in plenteous flow 
Fell on a rose’s breast below, 
And all her snow-white virgin pride 
In blushing pure carnation died. 
To tell to future times unborn 
llow Love was wounded by a thorn. 
Sobbing with pain and weeping dew, 
The wounded boy to Venus (lew ; 
But few the His which boys endure 
A mother’s Kisses cannot cure ; 
And for such pleasure after pain 
Love would be often pricked again! 
THE WELL OF BEAUTY. 
A. STORY FOR VOTIN'Gf FOLKS. 
BY C. II. C. 
Between two forest-covered mountains, 
on tho Emerald Isle, was a narrow valley, 
into whioh the sun shone but six hours of a 
Summer’s day. Beautiful flowers and lux¬ 
uriant trees flourished here, and multitudes 
of musical birds built their tiny nests and 
reared their young unmolested. Near the 
center of this lonely vftlloy, beneath a 
drooping willow, whose long, weeping 
branches mingled with the rich grass, was 
a deep well, whose clear, cold waters occa¬ 
sionally overflowed its brink, bubbling and 
boiling as if a great Arc was beneath. Won¬ 
drous power and strange virtues were as¬ 
cribed to t his well of the valley—and among 
other things it was said to have the gift of 
rendering perfectly beautiful the maiden 
who would bathe her face in its waiters at 
twelve o'clock on a midsummer’s night. 
On tho side of one of the mountains stood 
a rust ic cottage, the abiding place of Katxi- 
leen Burns, a young and gay lassie of nine¬ 
teen summers. Although well-formed, lithe 
and active, Kathleen was very far from 
being handsome; her cheeks wore t hin and 
pale, and her eyes, though blue as the 
bluest, had very little expression. Greatly 
she mourned over her want of beauty, and 
manj' were the sleepless nights she passed 
after coming home from a Fair or dance, 
where lovelier maidens dazzled the eyes of 
the young men, and received all their at¬ 
tentions, leaving herself, and others who 
had little claim to beauty, alone and unno¬ 
ticed. But a stronger reason than this 
caused Kathleen to long for tho fatal gift 
—she loved. For two years her affections 
had been given secretly to a youth who 
dwelt near her, but who had never bestowed 
upon her a thought of more than friendship. 
Poor Kathleen! had beauty been given 
her Edwin McLane would perhaps have 
loved her when he became acquainted with 
the excellence of her character and dispo¬ 
sition; but, man Ukv, not being attracted 
by her personal appearance, Ills thoughts 
seldom rested on her. And so Kathleen 
loved on, in silence and in secret, like many 
another woman—no ray of hope brighten¬ 
ing her path. Her greatest consolation was 
that happiness mUjht yet come to her, if 
not on earth, perhaps in heaven! 
Kathleen had, from earliest childhood, 
been aware of the reputod virtues of the 
well of the valley, but up to the present 
time had felt a sort of supernatural dread 
of touching its magic waters on the eve of 
midsummer, the only time it was thought 
to have the power of conferring lasting 
beauty upon her who bathed thereiu. But, 
loving and suffering as she now did, her 
love and her pain increasing every day, 
Kathleen determined that the approach¬ 
ing epoch should not pass without finding 
her kneeling beside the Well of Beauty. 
The twenty-first of Jtme had at length 
arrived. The day was unusually calm and 
lovely, and the night that followed was still 
more so. The moon shone clearly and 
brightly from her unclouded path in the 
sky, and the softest of evening breezes gent¬ 
ly stirred the glimmering leaves of the tall 
trees, where silent birds were sleeping with 
heads beneath their t iny wings. There was 
no sound to break the holy stillness, save 
the chirrup of the cricket or the mournful 
katy-did, and the distant, plaintive cry of 
the whip-poor-will. The midnight hour was 
near at hand, when Kathleen left silently 
and tremblingly her cottage homo and 
wended her solitary way down the side of 
the mountain towards the quiet, moonlit 
valley. She was dressed in pure white, her 
auburn hair fell in long curls around her 
shoulders, and her blue eyes were filled 
with a light uf hope that almost rendered 
©OBITS BUBAL WEW-¥0B 
them boautifnl. She moved onward like 
some wandering spirit, filled with unrest, 
and paler grew her wan cheek as she neared 
the magic well. There it lay beneath the 
drooping willow tree, the thick, soft gross 
growing to its very edge, its cold, bright 
waters bubbling tumultuously. Kathleen 
paused and hesitated. Her lips trembled 
as she stood gazing — fascinated by t he 
sight! J ust then upon her car fell the deep 
sound of a distant abbey bell, chiming the 
hour of midnight. Should a foolish dread 
prevent her from seizing the propitious 
moment ? She knelt down, and was about 
to dip her hands and face in the bubbling 
waters, when a voice, as if from another 
world, caused her to start ami look upward. 
“Pause! ” said the spirit-voice,—for such 
slio imagined it to be—“Thou necds’t not 
bathe in tho blessed waters! Beauty may 
be t hine without their aid.’’ 
“ How ?" escaped almost unconsciously 
from the maiden’s trembling lips. 
“True beauty is an emanation from the 
soul. Look inwardly! Bo humble in mind, 
be pure, in thought, be innocent in deed, and 
thou wilt grow beautiful. A pure soul 
shineth from the eyes and irradiates the 
whole countenance. Go home. Let thy 
life he blameless, cultivate every amiable 
feeling, every virtue, every sentiment that 
is noble and exalting, and although days 
and weeks may pass ere the end he accom¬ 
plished, the hour will come when the desire 
of t hy heart will be granted thee.” 
Kathleen listened, entranced. The 
voice was silent, the waters of the well grew 
suddenly calm—and the moon Railed pen¬ 
sively behind a cloud. The maiden rose 
from her knees a new being. Already there 
was achnnge in her countenance. Her blue 
eyes shown with a happy light, and her 
cheeks wore mantled with a beautiful crim¬ 
son. She was no longer pale, listless, plain. 
From that hour she wus happy. She strict¬ 
ly followed the dictates of that spirit-voice, 
and, to tho wonder of all that knew her, 
became daily move and more lovely. The 
light of purity and goodness irradiated her 
countenance—the light of hope beamed 
from her brow—and ere long her friend, 
Fdwin McLane, became, in spite of him¬ 
self, irresistibly drawn towards her; in 
short, soon was her devoted lover, and the 
once sorrowful maiden, drooping with 
“love’s melancholy,” was at last a radiant 
bride, blessed with her beloved. 
Sycamore Villa, New Utrecht, 1,. I. 
-♦♦ » - « 
OLD MAIDS GOOD AND AMIABLE. 
A quaint and gallant, writer of some fifty 
years ago. says“ I love an old maid—I do 
not speak of an individual, but of the species 
—I use tho singular number, as speaking of 
a singularity In humanity. An old maid is 
not merely an antiquarian, she is an an¬ 
tiquity; not merely a record of tho past, 
but of the very past itself, she has escaped 
a great change, and sympathises not, in t he 
ordinary nmlaiioio; of mortality. She in¬ 
habits a little eternity of her own. She is 
Miss from the beginning of the chapter to 
the end. I do not like to hear them called 
Mistress, as is sometimes the practice, for 
that looks and sounds like tho resignation 
of despair, a voluntary extinction of hope. 
I do not know whether marriages are made 
in heaven; some people say they are, but 
I am almost sure old maids are. There 
is something about them which is not of the 
earth, earthly. They are spectators of the 
world, not adventurers nor ramblers; per¬ 
haps guardians; we say nothing of tattlers. 
They are predestinated to be what they 
are. They owe not the singularity of their 
condition to any lack of beauty, wisdom, 
wit, or good temper; I here is no accounting 
for it but on the principle of fatality. 1 
have known many old maids, and of them 
all not oue that has not possessed as many 
good and amiable qualities as ninety and 
nine out of a hundred of my married ac¬ 
quaintances. Why, then are they single? 
It is their fate ! 
- 
Henry Ward Beecher said to his con¬ 
gregation in a sermon on home-life and hos¬ 
pitality, Sunday, “ I honor the woman who 
comes to me when I call, in a dress suited 
to her work. I don’t like to sit burled in 
plush in the purler waiting three-quarters 
of an hour for a toilet. What is good enough 
for you is good enough for your friends.” 
-♦♦♦- 
A lady writer says, if women were as 
particular in choosing a virtuous husband as 
men are in selecting a virtuous wife, amor¬ 
al reformation would soon begiu, which 
would be something more than froth and 
foam. 
-- 
HELr others when you can, but never give 
what yon cannot afford to, Bimply because 
it is fashionable, 
Heading foi| the Jgmutg. 
OUR LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
Nellie’s Home and Flowers. 
Hear Mr. Rural:— I want to tell you a 
little about the place 1 live in. The house 
is of stone, one part of it over a hundred 
years old; that part is our sitting-room, 
and a pleasant, one, too. On one side of the 
room stands the piano; on the west side a 
table with books, a sewing machine- and 
mamma's sewing chair. She has no stand 
to put her work on, because the window 
seats are so broad she can use them. On 
tho next, side to this is a lounge, which is so 
large it, nearly fills the whole side. On tho 
last side stands the book case, by the side 
of the door, whioh opens on a piazza Hixty 
feet long towards the south. As you step 
on the piazza you hear Ned, my bird, sing¬ 
ing away from his cage and looking down on 
the flowers. Just in front of the house is a 
large, square bed of myrtle, and around it a 
variety of perennials. A paved walk leads 
to the kitchen, and below the wnllc is a tri¬ 
angular bed of flowers. A large climbing 
bush on a frame forms the center, while 
around it are Balsams, Asters, Salvias, Lu¬ 
pins, Coxcombs, French Clovers, Larkspur, 
Columbines, Zinnias, Stocks, axul quite a 
number of perennials. We have two more 
large bods, a round and a, square one, but 
they have nearly the same flowers as t he 
others. 1 have a great many roses, among 
them (lie Damask. 1 have lots more to tell 
the Rural little folks, but J will save it for 
another time.— Nellie It., Vatsklll, N. Y. 
From a Canadian Clrl. 
This is tho first year Pa has been a sub¬ 
scriber for tho Rural New-Youkeii fora 
long time, i have read tho children’s let¬ 
ters, and have been much pleased with 
them, but have not noticed any from Cana¬ 
da, so 1 thought I would make a commence¬ 
ment. Wo live near the village of Grimsby, 
on Mount Dorchester, but it is not much of 
a mountain, it Is only a ridge which extends 
along near Lake Ontario. We have a very 
beautiful view of the lake and the sur¬ 
rounding count ry. We can see the city of 
Toronto, at a distance of forty miles, and 
several villages on the opposite shore. Pa 
has gut the North Carolina fever, and wants 
to go Sout h where the weather is more mild, 
but Ma won’t go with him, and wo think ho 
is convalescing a lit tle since the Spring 
opened. But 1 must, toll you of our Band 
of Hope, of which wo have about forty 
members. Wo meet Friday evenings, and 
we have readings, recitations, dialogues and 
various other amusements. 1 would like to 
know if any of the other correspiindents of 
the Rural belong to the Band of Hope. 1 
have read Cousin .Johnnie s letters, and 
like them so much that I hope she will 
write often. As this is my first letter, 1 
will make it short, or I will not have any¬ 
thing to tell next time. —Wild Flower, 
Grimsby, Canada. 
A Young Louisiana Housekeeper. 
Dear Rural:— My father takes the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker, and T like to read it 
very much, esp^iatly t.he letters from tho 
boys and girls. I have long been wanting 
to write one, but could never stir up cour¬ 
age enough to do so until now. I like to 
read Cousin Johnnie’s letters. I wish she 
would write one every week. My dear 
mother died last October, and so I keep 
house—wash, iron, and sew—for my dear 
father and three little sisters. Father sent 
to Mr. Vick and got, me a great many flow¬ 
er seeds, i have a good many Blade Span¬ 
ish and Light Brahma chickens. I like them 
better than any other kind. Will some one 
tell me how to press flowers so they will re¬ 
tain their natural color? Also how to make 
a pretty frame for my Morning GlorioB. Cy¬ 
press, and other climbing vines to run on?— 
Ida A. S., Tanyipohon , La., May 27, '72. 
A Boy’s Idea of Iowa. 
C. B. E. of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, writes to 
the Rural New-Yorker in admiration 
of his State and the West as follows: 
“I expect the young folks in the Fast, and 
a good many old folks, think Iowa is a deso¬ 
late country; but they are very much mis¬ 
taken. Iowa is the finest country in the 
world. Farming is now carried on in this 
section with but little work, with all tho 
modern improvements. Corn, wheat, rye, 
and potatoes yield good crops, and there is 
plenty of wood, coal and stone, which 
makes everything handy. Iowa is cut up 
with railroads, which gives a good advan¬ 
tage for shipping. Education is now fully 
equal to tho East; colleges, academies and 
public schools are plenty, and of high stand¬ 
ing. There are young wen and young ladies 
from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania at¬ 
tending school here; they think the schools 
are as good as they are ill tho East, and they 
all like to live in the West. I would advise 
all young men that want to make money to 
leave the Fast and come West, for there 
is a splendid chance. Land is low, and in a 
few years it will bo valuable. It is raising 
in value every day.” 
A Request of “Wild Rose.” 
“Harry Hector,” from among the 
green hills of Vermont, sends a kindly 
greeting to “ Wild Rose,” and wishes for 
her a long and happy life of usefulness. Will 
she not tell us her real Indian name? If 
she will, [ will give her a string of beads. — 
Harry. 
--. 
Tab best thing to give your enemy is for¬ 
giveness; to your opponent, tolerance; to 
a friend, your heart; to your child, a good 
example; to a father, deference; to your 
mother, conduct that will make her proud 
of her son; to yourself, respect; to all men, 
charity; to God, obedience. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 24. 
m o 
tW” Answer in two weeks, with the names of 
those who send correct answers. 
PUZZLE.- No. 6. 
I’ve eight letters:—My first is worth a hun¬ 
dred; mv two next urc a preposition ; these 
three make an animal. My three next make a 
famed Eastern chief ; my three last and ray four 
last give female on tries. Without my last, I’m a 
notorious Roman. My whole is a Avoman’s name. 
What is it? 
Answer in two weeks, Avith the names of 
those sending correct answers. 
* -♦♦♦-- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Juno 1. 
Illustrated Rebus No SSL- When one bird 
sings, all that, are Avithln hearing will break forth 
into song. Correct answers ha ve been received 
from Frank Grover, Herbert Ward, Alice But- 
vittj Henry E Bradley, Theodore I). Bradley, H. 
M. Bernhard, Frank Batchelor, dames L. Sill, F. 
E. Henlh, Laura Wright, Will P. Carpenter, New¬ 
man Van Dottsen, Joseph (lauser, Jr., C. J. I. 
Wooster, Ella ItockAvell, Charles H- Hart, Mary 
E. Rea, Frank 1*. Uculy, Libby Hoag, Snrali 
Hoag, S. M. Coats, Archie L. Wright, James Cal¬ 
vin Warne, Charles A. Sprout, James M. Lnitig, 
A. U. Dili 11 ton, Nellie B. Green, W. it, Horton, 
J. M. Hall, James K. Jackson, Mary J. Corev, 
Mary E. Frantz, Daniel FI Hoy, Mrs. Munrv Es- 
corltt, D. W. Kelly, 8. Libido Wilcox, It. O. Wal¬ 
lace, H. 1’. Kurlow, Helen Thompson. Josle A. 
Smith, Mary Sohnser, Arthur E. Smith, Jennie 
L. Meachera, Geo. P. Katon, K. M. Tower, Frank 
II. Penns, Johnson Barger, M. K Hobbs, Mary 
Bundy, Hattie A.Tobey, D. H. Hove, Nellie >[. 
Allen. Belle Stoddard. John F. tVck, Clara A. 
Young, 0, N. Bales, George W. Smith, N. Van 
Saun. Mary A. While, Johnnie Lighrfnote. Lil¬ 
lian HaAvley, George II. Tripp, Curtis Zollor, 
William H. Post, rain Waterman, Mrs. Robert 
Buster, Frank It. Cougbtry, Nettie Hurt, Mrs. 
H. 8. Gardner. Carrie P. Russell, W. W. Waring, 
Mary W. Dennts, J. L. Rem sen. A. Green, H. C. 
Morrison. W. J. Havcriy, Erwin F. Nichols, N. 
C. Thrall, E. Krap, Mrs. C. A. Stratton, S. J. 
Wldtlook, M. A. Doan©, S. Lizzie Rupert, H. G. 
Edwards, Chauncey Af. Gaylord, H. A. Norton, 
Frank 8. BaTber, May Merrln, Will F. King, C. 
Geer, Willie A. Baker. 
Puzzle No. 5. -Tobacco. Correct, answers 
have been received f rom II. A. Norton, II. G. 
Edwards, N. C. Thrall, Jerry Lynch, Jr.. W. J. 
Hnverly, A. Green. II. C. Morrison, B. B. Ovor- 
myer, W. W. Waning, Mrs. II. 8. Gardner. Mis. 
Robert Master, E. A.Lawton, Howard W. .Jones, 
C. N. Bates, Clara A. Young, George 1’arley, 
Martha Wilts©. Frank It. Fen ns, Jennie L. Mea- 
ebem, II. G- Wallace, Mary J. Corey, ,1. M. Hall, 
W. II, Horton, Nellie II. Green, James M. Laing, 
ChftS. A. Sprout. James C. Warne, S. M. Coats, C. 
J. J. Wooster, M. I'. McArthur, Newman van 
Deusen, William Osborn, Jerome., James L, Sill, 
Frank Batchelor, H. M. Mernhurd, Alice O. Bar- 
ritt, Henry K. Bradley, Thoo. D. Bradley, Ma¬ 
tilda Hurd nor, Norris .1. Barnes, M. I). Thomp¬ 
son, May Merrin, Will p. King, John Wersner. 
Biblical Square-Word No. 4.— 
A M O N 
M IKE 
C) R E B 
N E B 0 
Curious Queries No. 2.—1, Because it takes 
two to make a quarrel; 3, A p—p-lover; 3, Tone. 
