it-cvlfolur. 
PLATO vs. CUPID; 
Or, Art and Nature. 
I ha n sworn to be a bachelor, she had sworn to be a 
mold, 
Kor wo quite agreed in doubting whether matrimony 
paid; 
Besides wo had our higher love-fair science ruled 
my heart, 
And she said her young affections were quite bound 
up in art. 
So we laughed at those wise men who say that friend¬ 
ship cannot live 
’Twixt. man and woman, unless each has something 
more to give; 
We would be friends, and friends as true, as o’er 
were man and mau¬ 
l’d bo a socond David, and sbe, .Miss Jonathan. 
We scorned all sentimental trash—vows, kisses, tears 
and sighs; 
Iligh friendship Buch as ours, might well such child¬ 
ish arts despise; 
Wo liked each other, that was all, quite all there was 
to say, 
80 we Just shook hands upon it, in a business sort of 
way. 
We shared our secrets and our joys, together hoped 
and feared, 
With common purpose sought the goal that young 
ambition reared; 
We dreamed together of the days, the dream-bright 
days to come; 
We wore strictly confidential, and wo called each 
other “chum.” 
And many a day we wandered together o’er the 
hills, 
I seeking bugs and butterflies, and sbe the ruined 
mills 
And rustic bridges, and the like, that picture-makors 
prise, 
To run |n with their waterfalls, and groves, and sum¬ 
mer skies. 
And many a quiet evening, in hours of full release. 
We flouted down the river, or loafed beneath the 
trees, 
And talked in long gradations, from the poets to the 
weather, 
While the western skies and ray cigar burned slowly 
out together. 
Yet through It all no whispered word, no tell-tale 
glance or algh. 
Told aught of warmer sentiments than friendly sym¬ 
pathy. 
Wo talked of love ns coolly as we talked of Nebulas, 
And thought no more of being one than we thought 
of being three. 
****** * 
•'Well, good-by, chum!” I took her hand, for the 
time had come to go— 
My going meant our parting, when to meet we did 
not know; 
I had lingered long, and said farewell with a very 
heavy heart. 
Kor although we were but friends, ’tis hard for 
honest friends to part. 
“ Good-by, old fellow ! don’t forget your friends be¬ 
yond the sea, 
And some day, when you’ve lots of time, drop a line 
or two to me.” 
The words came lightly, gaily, but a great sob just 
behind 
Welled upward with u story of quite a different kind. 
And then she raised her eyes to mine, great liquid 
eyes of blue, 
Filled to the brim and running o’er, like violet cup* 
of dew; 
One long, loDg glance, and then I did, what I never 
did before— 
Perhaps the tears meant friendship, but I’m sure the 
kiss meant more. 
ENGLISH DOMESTICS. 
Lady Bernard here gave rao the story from 
her point of view; but Roger's narrative being 
of necessity the more complete, I tell tho tale us 
he told It tne. 
At the time of the occurrence, he was assisting 
Mr. V., tho well-known sculptor, and had taken a 
share In both tho modelling and the carving of a 
bust of Lady Bernard's father. Wbenit was fin¬ 
ished. and Mr. V. was about to take it home, he 
asked Roger to accompany him, and help him to 
get it safe into the bouse and properly placed. 
Roger and tho butler between them carried it 
tjo the drawing-room, where were Lady Bernard 
and a company of her friends, whom she bad in¬ 
vited to meet Mr. F. at lunch, and see the bust. 
There being no pedestal yet ready, Mr. F. made 
choice of a certain small table for it to stand 
upon, and then accompanied her ladyship and 
her other guests to the dining-room, leaving Rog¬ 
er to uncover the bust, place it in the proper 
light, and do whatever more might be necessary 
to its proper effect on the company when they 
should return. As she left the room. Lady Ber¬ 
nard told Roger to ring for a servant to clear the 
table for him, and render what other assistance 
he might want, lie did so. A luckey answered 
the bell, and Roger requested him to remove the 
things from the table. Tho man left tho room, 
and did not return. Roger therefore cleared and 
moved tho table himself, and with difficulty got 
the bust upon it. Finding then several stains 
upon the pure half transparency of the marble, 
he rang the bell for a basin of water and a 
sponge. Another man appeared, looked into 
the room, and went away. He rung once more, 
and yet another servant came. This last conde¬ 
scended to hear him; and, informing him that 
he could get what he wanted in the scullery, 
vanished in his turn. By this time Roger con¬ 
fesses to have been rathor in a rage; but what 
could he do? Least of all allow Mr. F.’a work, 
and the likeness of her ladyship’s father, to make 
its debut with a spot on its nose; therefore, see¬ 
ing he could not otherwise procure what was 
- necessary, he set out in quest of the unknown 
appurtenances of the kitchen. 
It is unpleasant to And one’s self astray, even 
in a moderate sized house; and Roger did notat 
a all relish wandering about the huge place, with 
no fingerposts to keep him In its business thor- 
Y oughfares, not to speak of directing him to tho 
remotest recesses of a house ** full," «s Chaucer 
1 says, “ of crenkles.” A t last, however, lie found 
himself at the door of the servants' hall. Two 
1 men were lying on their oacka on benches, with 
their knees above their heads in tho air; a third 
. was engaged In emptying a pewter pot, between 
his draughts tossing fattlkc across its mouth to 
? a damsel who was removiogtheremainsof some 
private luncheon ; and a fourth sat In one of the 
r windows rending “Bell’s Life.” Roger took it 
all in at a glance, while to one of the giants su¬ 
pine, or rather to a perpendicular pair of white 
stockings, he preferred hia request for a basin 
and a sponge. Once more he wasinfortnod that 
he would find what ho wanted in the scullery. 
There was no time to wasio on unavailing de¬ 
mands, therefore lie only hogged further to be 
directed how to find it. The fellow, without 
raising his head or lowering his knees, Jabbered 
out such Instructions as, from the rapidity with 
which he delivered them, wore, it not unintelli¬ 
gible, ar all events incomprehensible; and Rog¬ 
er had to sot out Again on the quest, only not 
quite so bewildered as before. Ho found a cer¬ 
tain long passage mentioned, however, nod hap¬ 
pily, before lie arrived at the end of it, met a 
maid, who with the utmost civility gave him full 
instructions to find the place. The scullery-maid 
Was equally civil; and Roger returned with basin 
and sponge to the drawing-room, where he 
speedily removed the too troublesome* stains 
from (lie face of the marble. 
When the company re-entered, Mr. F. saw at 
once, from the expression and hearingof Roger, 
that something had happened to discompose him, 
end asked him what, was amiss. Roger having 
briefly informed him, Mr. F. at. once recounted 
ttie facts to Lady Bernard, who i in mediately re¬ 
quested a full statement from Roger himself, 
and heard the whole story. 
She walked straight to the bell, and ordered up 
every one of her domestics, from the butler to 
tho scullery-maid. 
Without ono hasty word, or ono bodily sign of 
the anger she was in, except the flashing of her 
eyes, she told them she could not have had a 
suspicion that, such Insolence was possible in her 
house; that they had disgraced her in her own 
eyas, us having gathered such people about her; 
that she would not add to Mr. Percivule’s annoy¬ 
ance by asking him to point out the guilty per¬ 
sons, but. that they might assure l.homsolves she 
would henceforth keep both ©yea and ears open, 
and if the slightest thing of the sort happened 
again, she would most euisurcdly diemls* every 
ono of thorn at a moment's warning. She thon 
turned to Roger and said— 
“ Mr. Percivale, I bog your pardon for the in¬ 
sults you have received from rny servants.”— 
George MacDonald, in “Old and New" for Aug. 
THE POPE TO THE WOMEN. 
The pope gave gome very sound advice to cer¬ 
tain devout Roman ladies who waited upon him 
lately with an address and an original ode, writ¬ 
ten by one of themselves. His holiness said: 
“Beloved daughters, I have received with pleas¬ 
ure ail I hat you have done and spoken, and I rec¬ 
ognize tho good-will by which you tiro actuated 
to labor always lor the glory of God. At the as¬ 
cension of Jesus Christ two angels upbraided 
those who remained in astonishment, and mot ion¬ 
less, with their eyes turned up to heaven. Jesus 
Christ had gone up to heaven to open it* gates to 
us. Ho had ascended, all radiant, in His bright¬ 
ness, and attended by thesoulsof the just whom 
He had Just delivered out of prison. 1 1 . was, in¬ 
deed, natural that those who had soon a man go 
thus miraculously up to heaven—that those who 
had come thither with Joshs should remain fixed 
in wonder, gazing upward in their amazement. 
But the angels came anil said to them, ‘ Why 
stand ye thus looking idly up toward heaven ?’ 
Go rather to the upper chamber—the angels 
seem to have meant—go there and pray with 
the others. You see. then, dear daughters, that 
It is always wrong to stay still in idleness —yes, 
even when we are looking up to heaven to sec 
wonders. In a word, we ought rather to act— 
rather to act than gaze. This ia what you have 
to do always and everywhere you can —whether 
at your country-hpjj^j}, or among ylSur friends, 
or in the midst of your families. Yes. there Is 
good to be done by you in your own house. 
Even in your own houses you may have some 
little disorders to cure—some of those belonging 
to you need setting right. If so, set t.liotn right 
Charitably, and strive to bring tlioui to a good 
life. Keep on praying fervently; keep on work¬ 
ing and setting a good example In all times and 
In all places, and then you will not have to be I 
upbraided that you, too, ‘stand looking up to I 
heaven.’ ” 
A Utica girl at the proper hour pulls a string 
which reverses a picture on tho back of which 
appear In huge characters tho words, “Ten 
o clock is my bed-time,” and her admirers tako 
the gentle hint and depart. 
- — -— 
Boston woineu pay taxes on *31,000,000, but 
the proposed new Euglish High School building 
when completed, will cost the city about *700,000, 
yet no woman is to bo permitted to enjoy its ad¬ 
vantages. 
Jfq the ftoung. 
THE ROBIN’S STORY. 
1 built me a nest 
1 On the great, beech-treo— 
As cosy a nest 
> As ever coaid be. 
• I wove It with threads 
I To the beech-tree bough : 
, Ami three. little birdies 
Are steeping there now. 
One day ns I snug 
My “ ehorry-chee-chee," 
, A spry little squirrel 
, Sprang up In the tree. 
I thought he was coming 
•light up on llto bough : 
It mnltcs my heart tremble 
To think of It now. 
I flow like an eagle 
Straight down through the air; 
And soon he was running, 
He could not tell where. 
I pecked him and pecked him, 
And flew In Ills track : 
He’lJ stop to think twice 
Before- ho coiues back. 
*-♦-*-*- 
MISTRESS MOUSE. 
Mistress Mouse 
Built a house 
In mamma’s hest bonnet; 
All the eats 
Wore catching rats, 
And didn’t light upon it. 
At last they found it, 
And around it 
Sat watching for the sinner; 
When, strange to say, 
She got away, 
And so they lost their dinner. 
[Vouth's Companion. 
- --*-*--*—.-— 
OUR LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
A Wren’s Nest. 
J. Frank L„ of (Ionesco, Henry Co., HI., 
writes:—Now I am going to tell you about a 
wren's nest that we found In one of our ever¬ 
greens, It had three eggs In it ami it hatched 
Its young undisturbed, but the other day after 
l had oomo homo from school, i went to see the 
little birds; thoy worn gone. The old cat had 
got them. Mr. Moore, won’t you please tell me 
how long It takes for a wren to hatch ? 
Fishing In Canal Ponds. 
Char me C, of Keopvm©, Erio Co., Pa., says: 
“Cousin Johnny” wants the boys ami girls to 
write something new. I live near the Erie and 
Beaver Canal; but It has gone into disuse, and 
the water is only left in ponds. The bottom or 
the canal la covered with shells of several differ¬ 
ent sorts; these the Indies gather up and make 
beautiful frames of. My aunt and I wont Ash¬ 
ing the other day. There were ho many of them 
in so small a space that, they bit Anely. We 
caught mutt-pouts, suckers, buss, pumpkin seeds 
and a horned ace. It is fun to catch them, but 
hard work to clean them, and they arc so bony 
that I do not like to cat them. 
Indian Curiosities. 
H. W. 8., u little hoy of eleven years, tells us 
of his home in the Far West. He writes from 
Riverside, Dakota Territory, Flay Co. 
Dear hoys and girls of the Rural—M y Grand¬ 
pa takes the Rural New-Yorker and I read 
your letters amt thought I would f ry to write 
one; I live in Dakota Territory. There Is not 
much timber here, but thereara wild plums and 
grapes and Qowers of nil kinds. The Indians 
lived here but a few years ago; we And pipes 
and arrow points and many other curious things. 
The Vermillion River runs close by our homo. 
I have a garden of my own. f like to live on 
the farm and pick wild Oowers. f like to ride 
kor*©-bnok.__ 
Skeleton Flowers. 
Dear Rural: — ] will wrlto to you again, 
although you rejected my last letter. Papa 
says that when I go home to Iowa I can take 
your nice paper. \ always watch for it Satur¬ 
day evenings, r take the —• — also, but do 
not like it as well as the Rcrat,. I am pressing 
a book of mosses, ferns, flowers and leaves, and 
they are very pretty. I am going to make a 
skeleton bouquet as soon as ail the leaves get 
out, and If it proves successful, I will send tbo 
recipe for making one. Cousin Johnxik’s let¬ 
ters are so interesting that I hope she will keep 
on writing. I should like to get acquainted 
with Wild Rose, ami correspond with her, if 
she Is willing. 1 am staying out of school so as 
to take music lessons. I fear ray letter is getting 
long, so will close It.— May m„ Fredcrklitown , 0. 
THE STORY OF THE POUND. 
On page 113 of this week’s Rural our young 
folks will And a pretty picture of children feed¬ 
ing with fresh grass a horse and a donkey. 
These animals had strayed away from home, 
had lost themselves, when the pound - master 
came along and locked them up In tho pound, 
a place of confinement, so-called, for animals 
which are found at large or tresspassing upon 
the fields. You will gee the big padlock hanging 
from tho gate. Well, he put the key in his 
pocket and walked off, leaving the poor old 
horse and the little don key fastened Into tho 
peu, with nothing to oat. They might have re¬ 
mained there all day, waiting for their owners 
to come and lake them out. By that lime they 
would have grown as hungry us a bear. Tho old 
horse looks honest enough, and wo don’t think 
he meant to run away, hut the donkey st rikes 
up his cars Just as if he was Dill of mischief and 
liked the fun of getting IoBt. Just, after dinner 
the children, who lived up in the big house in 
the woods, went out to take a walk. As they 
were passing by the pound the old home put his 
nose over the rail and asked, as plain ns ho 
could, for come of the fresh flowers and grass 
growing just outside. The little donkey did the 
same thing, lor lie hadn’t hiul any diunercither, 
so Charles and George and William and 
Mahy all cornua • need to pull some of Hie sweet, 
green grass for the hungry animals. Charles 
liras a black velvet coat On, and is feeding the 
horse; George hast a white linen suit on, and is 
feeding the donkey; little William Is pulling 
grass with all his strength, and Mary stands be¬ 
hind CHARLES With her hands full. When tho 
horse and donkey get done eating, they will feel 
“ thank you ’’ if they are not able to say It. The 
moral to this story is, that small hands may do 
an act of kindness. 
ILLUSTRATED REEUS.-No. 6. 
C. A. 8 PRO AT. 
Answer in two weeks, with the names of 
those sending correct answers up to tho timo of 
going to press. 
-- 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.—No. 2. 
Mv first is in woman but not in girl. 
My second's in diamond but not in pearl; 
My third is in hearing but not in sight. 
My fourth Is in morning but not in night; 
My fifth is in iris but not. In (lag. 
My sixth is in mountain but not In crag; 
My seventh's In robin but not In wren, 
My eighth is in seven but not in ton; 
My ninth is in lattice but not in bower. 
My whole is the beautiful name of a flower. 
Rockford, Ill. Fourteen. 
tST" Answer in two weeks. 
-—.- 
DECAPITATION.—No. 1. 
Whole, I am to daub with water; behead ma 
and I am a puddle; again, and I am a stroke 
with a whip; behead me again, and I am a tree. 
What am I ? Fr anz. 
835f" Answer in two weeks. 
**«-- 
ANAGRAM.-No, 3. 
Ese oth atsnrperuat swerat fo het gipiipu sokrob, 
Ohw yeth rasceh het dehind acslep fo eth teserct 
koons, 
Tharppe ot indf semo dofunun ebpelb, 
Yet boyden het archo fo roith rltgunin creat. 
X3T Answer in two weeks. J. H. Sighl. 
■ ■ «♦»- 
SQUARE WORD ENIGMA.—No. 1. 
A beautiful flower. 
A prince of Midian. 
An ancient country of groat wealth. 
A mountain of Palestine. Isola. 
Answer in two weeks. 
- +++■ - 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.—August 8, 
Illustrated Rebus No. 5.— 
Check not the swelling tear 
That does unbidden start 
When friends of many years 
Are called upon to part. 
Bible Question No. 1.— Zaphnathpaaueah. 
(See Genesis 41: 45.) 
Botanical Riddle No. 1.—[We have the fol¬ 
lowing contributed answer to Botanical Riddle 
No, 1 -Rural, July 20— which is worth giving.] 
1. What’s a more sociable tree than the Tea? 
2. Ami a Hop wl> know is a dancing tree, 
H. And tiie Beech I* nearest to the sen. 
4. £ 10 . 1 X 10 yield*tin* Indlun Plum; 
5. A Roc tree may ho known tu some; 
6. into the Bay do noble sIiicb come. 
7. The tree (hat languish)** I* the Pine; 
8. To sacrifice self r*ir you t- tine; 
9. And Cain received a cui»e and sign. 
10. ChronoIoKlst* dearly lovr* a Date; 
11. A ti«hr>nuan for a Bass will wait; 
12. To Honeysuckle is Biddy’* fate. 
13. How oft *.lo tell-tales Pooch we sec; 
14. The traitor 1* shown in Judas tree; 
15. Warm Fir need never from Zero flee. 
16. The Sick layman* reclines In his room 
' 17. And fears, as the housemaid wields her broom 
13. The Cypress will soon wave over his tomb. ’ 
1 Cyclamen. 
Myra Forrest. 
AUG, \7 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
