of taking luncheon with them, and found 
them most attentive in doing the honors of 
the table. They are united by a strong sym¬ 
pathy, and both seem always animated by 
the same feeling. They eal, they sleep, they 
rise as though actuated by one impulse. As 
one leans forward to pass a plate, the other 
rises with the most perfect, consentaneity. 
“ in addition to the union of the nervous 
system, there must, to a great extent, he a 
NOW AND THEN 
it niter s 
BV MARY C. MARTLKTT. 
O, Present, I have fault to find with thee! 
O'er rugged hills and steeps, thou leadest me ; 
In thorny paths my shrinking feet dust place. 
Till by tlie gore my footsteps may'stthou trace. 
There'll ne'er it (tower to glad mine eyes not one- 
No tree to shade me from the scorching sun ; 
NO bird to cheer mo with his tuneful note; 
Nn breeze—no stream to cool my parched throat. 
O, cruel Present? I,on thing thee, I turn 
And stretch my longing arms toward one less stern 
Urlght Future, come to mo! Where thou dost leai 
I'll gladly follow; then make speed, make speed! 
Poor, foolish one! When I have come to thee, 
No longer fair I’ll seem. Thou wilt with mo 
Find fault as well; and only when the Past 
Has drawn us from thee, find our worth at last. 
my fair friend, Mary Templeton, to-day, 
after she bad been put through, a series of 
inquisitive tori ores by one of those prying 
social spies and traitors—one of a class who 
mind everybody's business but their own 
and who seem to think that social salvation 
depends upon their 
vigilance as social de¬ 
tectives. T folly sym¬ 
pathized with Mary. 
I detest and snub all 
such persons when¬ 
ever there is oppor¬ 
tunity. Why they 
are permitted social 
existence 1 cauuot 
conceive. They are 
the most, villainous 
thieves that I know 
of. They would not 
hesitate to break 
locks and lie like An¬ 
anias and Sapphi- 
ra if thereby they 
gratify their detesta¬ 
ble curiosity and love 
of mischief-making. 
They are social cor¬ 
morants who arc con¬ 
stantly in search of 
some rotten, filthy 
carcass on which to 
feed. They ought to 
be hooted out of so¬ 
ciety and turned into 
pillars of salt if they 
look back toward it. '' 
This doctrine of 
individual rights 
from the lime the 
child first, talks unlit 
the head is “ silvered 
o’er,” ought to be 
taught, practiced 
and respected in and 
out of families and •' 
by every person in 
bis or her relations 
to all others. There 
is nothing in it in¬ 
consistent with all 
desirable personal 
relations and with 
the recognition of 
mutual dependence. 
This too prevalent 
disposition to inter¬ 
meddle, to penetrate 
the inner life of oth¬ 
ers, is ungenerous, 
unnecessary, vicious 
and absolutely intolerable. 
EVERY-lDAY LIFE 
MINTWOOD’S CONVERSAZIONE. 
Greek Goiflhn*. 
E. C., Prince William On.,Va.—TlieGreck 
Coiffure yon ask about is a “ French twist,” 
at the back with braids wound around it. 
The front, hair may 
be dressed in any 
I style most becoming. 
a 1 With the suit of hair 
r you mention enough 
I could he parted out. 
£ to form handsome 
I 1 braids to surround 
the twist. This style 
of hail' dressing, so 
clean and coo), is 
superseding the chat¬ 
elaine braids. 
3 Wedding Garments. 
jjgv Miss Ruby W.,Tri¬ 
ll angle, N. Y.—For a 
September traveling 
W'y- ' dress get brown or 
h gray wool delaine, a 
Hi new article some- 
Jll times called poplin 
jp delaine, with firm 
pronounced cords. 
As the fashion for 
k dresses will probably 
& he then as now, you 
will require no new 
;'VW directions for its nui- 
|Mv y.v king. While is al- 
Wh :' f%\ ways pretty for a 
jjgUl \. , »,;1: w r a p p e r, I hi t a 
§Pi\ v ' ’ “s t a t e ” morning 
B ®W smm i " S3 is r " iil ° 
BP \. 4 m fluotts, now when 
, 1 skil't dresses are so 
\ suitable for indoor 
$ 'OlH^ wear. Some soft, gray 
M empress doth would 
0$ be suitable, however. 
For a church hat, a 
straw turban with 
gros grain ribbons 
and plume. Yes, kid 
gh>VeS Ihr ;iH <,cc:i- 
sions when gloves 
' W arc necessary. 
Wuddiug Drona. 
Rural Reader.— 
__ Sample of wedding 
: dress, gray Japanese 
^ silk. Make with skirt 
of walking length; 
and a long, tight-tit- 
r i Ng . ting Polonaise, to be 
worn without a belt; 
trim with thesameor with fringe. Nowrap Is 
needed. Gloves to match, with two buttons. 
Straw hat, and trimmed with two shades of 
gray and gray plume. Dress your hair 
loosely, so the curl or wave in it may have 
free and graceful expression. 
Initials amt itloiingviiniH. 
We give, herewith, at the request of nu¬ 
merous friends of the Rural New- Yorker, 
styles of initials and monograms, which re¬ 
quire no further explanation than that they 
will he found pretty and adapted to the di¬ 
verse tastes of those for whom they are in¬ 
tended. 
Fast sinks tlie sun into ttm son ! His glare 
I'ol.b blind mine eyes. Wi.rn foot rctu.ni to bear 
Me. on. I 'll pause awhile tunl backward glance 
Along the road—'twill hring mo rest, perchance. 
Hehold the hills, In floods of sunset light 
Arc glorified ! And in that radiance bright. 
No longer steep they seem or rough—a scene 
Of wondrous beauty, decked in golden sheen ! 
The thorns within the shadows of the vale 
A re wrapt from sight. The night bird’s plaintive wall 
Fills up the restful calm. Tlie fragrant breath 
Of flowers, at noontide trod unseen to death. 
Floats on tho gi'nile evening breeze to me, 
And on tho scene I gaze in ecstacy. 
O, Past, with tlioe fain would I linger here. 
And clasp once more my joys, in death grown dear. 
Utralisd 
TACT vs. WILLi 
OK, HOW ONE HUSBAND WAS MANAGED 
[Concluded from pa go 66, last No.] 
CHAPTER II. 
The old dining table creaked heavily 
under its weight of years, and Faith would 
have been alarmed for valuables placed upon 
it; but Robert was accustomed to itsgnum- 
ing and gave it no hoed ; rather a pleasant 
familiar sound, and tho old dining room 
would lmvc lacked something without it, 
Despite its creaking ami Faith’s tribula¬ 
tion, the winter wore away and the crocuses 
peeped out to sec wliut time it was, and 
Faith said, “ time for house cleaning”— 
commencing with the zeal of a novice to 
show traces of herself in every quarter of 
that roomy farm b on Be; as yet, only two 
blight corners under its roof owning her 
fully as mistress. She was resolved that 
time should show evidences elsewhere ; just 
how much or in what manner were unsolved 
problems. The pantry came first.; site sent 
Jennie to remove tho dishes to the dininw 
table, and meanwhile she introduced her 
husband to spring time and the crocuses. “ I 
shall be called upon for a gardener soon, I 
see,” said he, laughing at Faith’s extaey 
over the opening buds—when u thunder 
crash sounded out, not in the heavens, but 
within the house. Jennie’s screams guided 
them to the dining room where, “ in one 
grand ruin blent,” lay the table and its 
weighty contents—pink, blue, and chocolate 
fragments, hopeless confusions all. 
Robert’s horror and self reproncli were 
equally mingled. “1 ought to have looked 
after that table; it has creaked more than 
ever of late. My poor mother, what would 
she have said at this sight ?” 
Faith stood Speechless, feeling half guil¬ 
ty, yet glad enough to sing like a bird over 
the ruins of her. troublesome heirlooms. 
“ What shall we do, Faith?” asked Rob¬ 
ert, in a helpless, dreary way. 
“There is hut one thing to do, and that 
quickly. We must go to town at once, or 
have no dinner,'’’ she answered soberly. Ac¬ 
tion was a relief to all parties, and assisting 
Jennie quickly to remove the wrecks be¬ 
yond Robert’s vision, she equipped herself 
for the ride, and succeeded in diverting his 
ntind from the catastrophe l>y a. sympathetic 
recital of Holmes’ “One Horse Shay,” at 
which lie was forced to smile, and own that, 
in spite of his attachment, “some things in 
the house lmcl seen their time and outlived 
their usefulness.” Which observation Faith 
treasured In her heart. 
A substantial extension table was Rob¬ 
ert’s part in the shopping expedition, and 
charging Faith to get tlie best quality of 
dishes, he left her ut the crockery store. She 
demurely interpreted her parting charge iu 
an inquiry for white French china, and bur 
delight in handling the dainty cups was 
pleasant to witness. She fluttered about 
among tlie pretty ornaments with longing, 
and Robert had watched the violet eyes 
wide open with delight as lie entered tlie 
store. 
“Poor child, she shall choose from the 
knick-knacks what she will. The old house 
has depressed her, but she has borne it brave¬ 
ly ; it must bo brightened for her some wav, 
even if it costs me some pangs. Perhaps I 
have been wrong; sbo can have no attach¬ 
ment to the old house and its homely furni- 
I lure, and it must try her severely.” 
“Oh, here you arc, Robert. Come in 
I and see if 1 have been too extravagant.” 
.ill 
MILLIE AND CHRISTIE, 
FASHION GOSSIP. 
M atches set with diamonds are no longer 
considered stylish or elegant, the preference 
being given to plain cases, on which is the 
monogram. 
High English cut-throat collars "are gen- 
erally creeping into fashion among our 
metropolitan belles and beaux. They are 
not becoming to those having extravagantly 
long necks. 
Sleepless people— and they are many in 
America—should court llte sun. The very 
worst soporific is laudanum, and the very 
best, sunshine. Therefore, it is very plain 
that poor sleepers should pass ns many 
hours as possible in sunshine, and as few its 
possible in the shade. Many women are 
martyrs, and yet they do not know it. 
They shut the sunshine out of their houses 
and their hearts, they wear vails, they carry 
parasols, they do all possible to keep off 
the subtlest and yet most, potent influence 
which is intended to give them strength and 
beauty and cheerfulness. Js it not time to 
change nil this, and so get color and roses 
in our pale cheeks, strength in our weak 
hacks, and courage in our timid souls ? The 
women of America are pale and delicate; 
they may he blooming and strong, and the 
sunlight will he a potent influence in tins 
transformation. 
graving). Feeling somewhat bashful in 
touching the ankle of a smiling young dam¬ 
sel of nineteen summers—particularly when 
another was to be conscious of the occur¬ 
rence—T was somewhat clumsy in my mani¬ 
pulation, and my hand slightly grazed the 
instep before 1 gave four distinct taps with 
the finger. Ou looking interrogatively at 
Christine, she said ‘ five,’ when she instant¬ 
ly observed the shade of disappointment 
that passed over my face, and said laughing¬ 
ly, ‘But one was a very little one,’ as she 
had evidently counted the first contact of 
my hand with tlie foot as a tap. 
“ The girls are both very intelligent, 
pleasant, and vivacious. I had the pleasure 
tJie long Louis XIV. style, are becoming 
fashionable for street wear in the morning. 
They are worn over blade alpaca or mohair 
underskirts. 
Ladies at Richfield and Saratoga carry 
small crystal bottles, attached to their bells 
by a strong chain, which they fill at tlie 
different springs and take home to drink or 
use in private. 
Nut sets of silver are ornamented with 
couchant squirrels eating a nut. They are 
perched on each side of the gold-lined dish, 
as handles, on the top of each nut-pick, and 
also form the handles of llte crackers, spoons 
or ladles. 
The more a man knows, llte less he is apt 
to talk ; discretion allays his heat, and makes 
him coolly deliberate what and where to 
speak. 
