MOORE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
354 
may m 
“ Not until house-cleaning.” 
“ I’m glad of that. I sny, Nell, where are 
those confounded slippers?” 
“Look till you find them, sir,” retorted she, 
pertly. 
“Perhaps it might he as well to practice a 
little beforehand,” suggested mother, smiling. 
“That's so, mother 1” said Tom, and changing 
his voice to softest cadence, “Sweet sister, 
rouldst thou tell me where I might discover 
my truant slippers?” And so, amid jest and 
repartee, and >•<•♦, withal,an undertone of earn¬ 
est purpose, “Our Compact ” was made. 
Perhaps It might be well to state, more partic¬ 
ularly just here, who " wo" are. There are live 
children of us, all arrived at “years of discre¬ 
tion,” KATE, our oldest,tall and handsome, 
a little inclined to presume upon her seniority 
and dictate to ns younger ones, which I, being 
only thirteen months behind her, am quite dis¬ 
posed to resent. Tom usually calls her "Lady 
KatK,” and when she is particularly lofty, 
“Her Royal High ness.” Sho is literary In her 
tastes, and has written some very good things. 
Tom. who Is sedulously cull ival lug a mustache, 
has some vague ideas of the “Superiority of 
Man,” hut they get pretty well rubbed out of 
him among so many sisters; father has lately 
taken him into his law office, and he is rather 
• more impressible than usual. NKt.r., a brown¬ 
haired, black-eyed little gypsey, is tlie life and 
fun-maker of t he family, quick and impulsive, 
hut with a noble character; while Susie, our 
beautiful, fair-haired darling - just budding Into 
womanhood fades like a snow-wreath from 
our midst. “ The mother,” whose placid, lovely 
face is just shaded by soft, gray curls, is uur 
friend, confidant and counsellor, entering into 
all our pi ms with a zest prompted by a heart 
young and sweet to the core. 
The conversat ion which 1 have given above 
took place on Saturday, and the next week, 
after the washing nnd ironing was out of the 
way, bright and early Wednesday morning the 
work began. Mother always believed in taking 
hold of the worst end of a job first; so Katk 
and NELL went, up into the garret, while mother 
and 1 undertook the cellar. It was a lovely, 
sunshiny day, and there was a crisp sparkle in 
the air that was wonderfully exhilarating, ami 
everything wont on ns “ merry as a marriage 
bell.” So energetically did we work, that not 
only were the two extremes of the house set in 
order, but the girls finished the spare chamber, 
Susie's room and the upper hall (taking up no 
carpets) while mother and I cleaned the kitchen 
and dining-room pantries and t he china closet. 
That evening, when wo gathered round the 
grate In the sitting-room, we felicitated our¬ 
selves great ly on the wonderful success of our 
plan; while father, who now heard of the 
“ compact” for t lie first time, somewhat chilled 
our enthusiasm by prophesying that every one 
of us would have to pay a forfeit before the 
week was over, and added, with a laugh, “So 
much feasting will give us all the dyspepsia." 
The next morning T found, on rising, that 1 
had taken cold in my subterranean labors, and 
was dread fully st iff and lame, and KATE'S heavy 
eyes and listless manner at the breakfast table 
betrayed that one of her headaches was corning 
on. We lingered at. tile table, and after prayers 
did not “spring to’ 1 as we had the day before. 
Still, Tom volunteered to slay at home all day. 
and tlie way ho beat carpets, moved heavy fur¬ 
niture and made himself generally useful, was 
quite overwhelming. So, in spite of aching 
head and rheumatic hones, we finished all the 
chambers, taking up the carpets. Susiti, of 
course, could not Join in the work, but her trial 
lay in her lonely hours and the Inconveniences 
she was often subjected to in the general up¬ 
heaval; and what wonder if ( lie poor, helpless 
child sometimes grew a little fretful ! 1 was 
’ racing down stairs for clean water that morn¬ 
ing, when she called from her room “ Bessie, 
won't you shut my door?" 
“Yes, In a minute, Sms," 1 answered, and hur¬ 
ried on. 
While I was in the kitchen mother wanted 
me to peel the potatoes for dinner, and that 
done I went up the back-stairs to my cleaning, 
quite forgetting poor StJJS. In about half an 
hour I had occasion to go down again; and as I 
passed through the hall I heard Susie's soft 
voice, tlds time a little tremulous : 
“BESSIE, dear, you rorgot to shut my door.” 
“ Why, bless your heart I soldid!” I exclaim¬ 
ed, going in; and there the dcarchild lay, curled 
up in a heap, and with a great newspaper spread 
over her. 
“It’s lucky I had this big paper," she said, 
trying to jmile; "there is such a draught, and 
my fire's all down"—and not a word of reproach 
did she add. lint my heart smot e me as 1 tucked 
the silk comfortable around the wasted form. 
I poked the fire, brought her a new hook from 
the sitting-room, aud with a penitent kiss left 
her onee more alone. 
Friday morning came dark aud lowering, and 
we all felt the depressing effects of the general 
gloom. TOM declared he had urgent, business 
down town, and tool, himself off right after 
breakfast ; and worst of all, Susie had taken 
cold, thanks to my carelessness, and was suffer¬ 
ing one of her painlul attacks, and mother 
could only leave her a few moments at a time. 
She gave us tho hall parlor and sitting-room 
for that day’s work, and we knew it was doubt¬ 
ful whether we could finish it; but we went to 
work with a sort of grim determination that 
was quite a contrast to our frolicsome mood on 
the first day. Instead of song and merry jest, 
almost complete silence reigned among us. I 
felt myself growing sullen and irritable, and 
thought despairingly of “Our Compact.” But i 
T shut my lips, firmly resolved that however I i 
might feel inside, there should be no outward 
sign ; but towards noon, I was passing through 
the hail with my arms full of blankets to be 
aired, Katii called out: 
“ Here, Bess, vou may polish the stair rods.” i 
Her authoritative tone irritated me. I knew 
“ Lady Kate" disliked staining her white hands 
with such work, and would have bean glad to 
humor her had she asked me kindly ; but I was 
about to make her an angry retort, when 
r caught a roguish glance from N ell, and 
checking myself just iu time, J inarched off 
without a. word. By the time I had the blank¬ 
ets all hung out I had recovered my equanim¬ 
ity’, and was able to speak pleasantly aa I gath¬ 
ered up the stair rods, ami Kate, whose back 
had been t urned, now knew how near i came to 
incurring the forfeit. 
Half-past twelve came and we worn still hard 
at work. Nki.l, perched on the higli step-lad¬ 
der, was dusting the books mi the top shelf of 
the secret ary, K ate was trailing down the drug¬ 
get in tho sitting-room, while i was oiling the 
furniture, when suddenly Tom appeared in t he 
doorway and surveyed the scene with a pro¬ 
longed whistle of astonishment. 
“Ain’t dinner ready yet?" 
“Ny, it ain't, sir,” responded Nell, curtly, 
but not offering to stir. 
“ Well, step round lively, girls, for I'm in an 
awful hurry,” said ire, roughly’, but,not ill-na¬ 
turedly. 
I was just leaving the room, but looked back 
as Nki.i. exclaimed, with flashing eyes: 
“ Get it your-” 
Tom clapped ids hands when she stopped sud¬ 
denly and burled her face in her dust-cloth. 
“ Bravo, FbAtSU!" he cried; “you shall have 
a premium for that." 
A hearty laugh did us all good, and we bustled 
about with such hearty good will that dinner 
wassoon on the table. Tom made amends for 
his exasperating spocch by starting the fire, 
getting the ice-water, and carrying Suslk’S din¬ 
ner up stairs. 
Greatly refreshed by a good cup of tea and 
the pleasant chat at Hie table, we went back to 
our tasks in much better humor. We accom¬ 
plished wonders in that, short afternoon, but 
night drew on rapidly much too fast to suit 
our purpose and we got into a desperate hurry. 
Nki.i, was frantically dusting and setting back 
( he parlor furniture when suddenly something 
went—crash! 
“What the dickens is that!” exclaimed Kate, 
as wo both hurried to the scene of the disaster. 
But, when she realized that it was her marble 
liust of ('lytic the apple of her eye, bought 
with the II mt fruits of her pen her wrath broke 
forth: 
“You careless, miserable-” I sprang to 
her, and putting my hand over her mouth, en¬ 
treated “Oh, Kate, KatkI remember 1" 
Whereupon, sbe burst into tears and sank in 
a heap on the floor, with her battered Clytio in 
her hand. Poor Nki.t, threw herself on her 
knees beside bor, and put her arms around her, 
reiterating, through her tears : 
“Oh, Katie! I’m so sorry! I'll buy you an¬ 
other, indeed i will!" 
“ No, no;” sobbed Kate, “ I don’t want it—it 
never would bo the one l earned." 
Our nerves were probably somewhat, unstrung 
we were so tired—for I could not help crying 
in aympat by, and wo must have presented rather 
a lachrymose appearance when father and Tom 
came In. 
"Halloa!” exclaimed that incorrigible broth¬ 
er, “what’s going on a second deluge V” 
“O, Tom!" said Nell, ruefully, “I’ve been 
and gone and done it., this time." 
"What!-smashed Lady Kate's idol! Well, 
that Mias a bad job. But come, Kate; a little 
cement will fix it out better than a-whole barrel 
of teal's.” 
Katk managed a rather watery smile and then 
slipped up stairs wit h her mutilated treasure, 
and If sho was gone a good'while, we were care¬ 
ful not to notice it. 
There was no pleasant gathering in the sit¬ 
ting-room that night, for it took us nearly all 
the evening to put, things to rights, and then 
we girls were glad to take refuge in bed. 
“Thank fortune, this is the last day!" said 
NELL, yawning and stretching, as the rising- 
bell sounded Saturday morning. 
“ Do you think we can finish to-day?" I que¬ 
ried, doubt fully, as I buttoned up my boots. 
“We must,” declared Nell, facing round 
quickly,brush in hand," thereshaii't beasperk 
of dust in this house to weigh on my conscience 
to-morrow if I can help it” 
“ Well, I guess wo can bring it, if mother can 
help," I assented. "I'm glad it’s a pleasant 
day ; the weather docs make such a difference 
in house-cleaning." 
"Home, girls ; ‘ buckle to’—time flies," Kate 
called out, giving a thurnp on our door as she 
passed. 
“ Brevity, thy name is Katherine,” parodied 
Nell, as she opened the door and scampered 
after her. 
Yes, it was a mercy the sun shone that day. 
As it was, the work went hard enough, and only 
the thought of the end so near at hand enabled 
us to persevere. Kate and Neel had a litt le 
difference of opinion at the very outset, the 
former insisting that the kitchen must be left 
over for another week, while the latter declared 
that every nook and corner should bo cleaned 
before Sunday if it, took her till twelve o’clock ; 
and the discussion Avas getting quite heated, 
when I rose, went to the book-case, aud taking 
down Miss LESLIE’S “Recipe Book,” I laid it 
solemnly in Nell’s lap. 
“ No, T haven’t!’’ she said, hastily, pushing it 
from her; “take it away! T’m just as amiable : 
as I ran be!" 
Kate laughed, and pence was once more re¬ 
stored. 
Nothing special occurred that day. Mother 
put her shoulder to the wheel, and by tea-time 
everything was done—kitchen and all. The 
polishing of the silver fell to my lot, and oh! 
lrow it made rny arm ache! But if a few tiny 
drops moistened the whiting as 1 rubbed away 
at ,he spoons, they only made them shine the 
brighter. Nell took upon herself the kitchen, 
for fear it wouldn’t get done, and Tom staid at 
home again ami shook t lie dinlng-rootn carpet. 
Kate devoted h rrself to the finishing of moth¬ 
er's room, and mother herself lent a helping 
hand wherever it was needed. 
That was a tired but happy group which gath¬ 
ered in the family room that evening. Susie, 
whom father had brought down for the first 
time since Wednesday, lay on her couch, which 
w.ts drawn close to the right, of t he rr.it e,; father 
in his easy chair at her head, was reading the 
evening paper while wit h one hand h* 1 stroked 
tenderly Susie's golden curls. Nell, sitting 
on tho floor—her favorite seat, by-th e-way— 
leaned her head on Sue’s pillow, where she 
could watch tho flitting color in her cheeks 
and the rare smile steal over her wistful, patient 
faco. Mother occupied the. post of honor on 
the opposite side of the grate, witlr Tom by her 
side, resting his arm on t in* back of her chair 
in his loving, protecting way; for Tom was 
mother's darling, and his manner to her was 
more that of a lover than a son. I lolled In a 
low. easy chair, almost too weary to raise my 
head; while Kate— our queenly Kate, the 
pride and center of our circle—sat gracefully 
erect, disdaining any such Monk compromise 
Avitli fatigue. We were none of us much in¬ 
clined to talk, and there had been quite a long 
silence when father suddenly asked, as he 
turned bis paper: 
“ Well, giris, how about that supper?" 
“ Oil, father, wo have all been so good," said I. 
“A nest of cooing doves couldn’t have been 
more peaceful," added Tom. 
"What! oven my little Spit-fire kept her tem¬ 
per?” said father, roguishly, laying liis hand on 
Nell’s head, and drawing it back till he could 
look int o her sparkling eyes. 
“Well, papa," admitted truthful Nell, “we 
did come dreadfully near losing it sometimes, 
but we didn’t quite, you see." 
“ And how much easier the work Avent for 
It,” I said. 
“ Yes; 1 don't think we ever quite finished in 
four days before,” said Kate, slowly. 
"Since you find the plan works so well," 
mother remarked, gently, “ suppose you keep 
it for everyday use ?" 
"I’m agreed,” said Nell; "only there must 
be no forfeit, for it isn’t in human nature not 
to give way once in awhile." 
“SoI’m to be cheated out of my supper?" 
said father, ns bo resumed his reading. 
“No, father, that you shall not!” exclaimed 
Tom. “Wo must celebrate our victory, girls, 
and I’ll Bend up the oysters Monday morning, 
and you must get up a royal good supper.” 
And a “royal good" one it was. Each con¬ 
tributed her share. Nell t he chocolate cake, 
which was her specialty ; Katk Hie wine-jelly, 
and 1 tho biscuits and sponge cake; but the 
crowning feature of the table was the charming 
center-piece arranged by Susie's deft fingers of 
ferns and autumn leaves. Father surprised us 
by a basket of luscious grapes, and mother 
stowed, scolloped and fried Tom’s oysters. It 
was a merry company that gat bored around 
this "feast of good things," arid Tom's toast, 
to “The Rival of Baknu.m’s Happy Family," 
brought down the house. 
- 4 *» 
SPARKS AND SPLINTERS. 
An eclipse of the son—Cut off without a penny. 
A game of pitch and toss— A life on the ocean 
wave. 
The man most looked up to—The man in the 
moon. 
A rea t teetotal curiosity. A pair of water¬ 
tight boots. 
A man whom we can put up Avith— A good 
hotel-keeper. 
The most approved way to raise beets is to 
take hold of the tops and pull. 
It is hard to respect old age when one gets 
sold on a venerable pair of chickens. 
May two people be said to be half AAitted when 
they have a ; understanding between them? 
An old winc-bibber says that an empty cham¬ 
pagne bottle is like an orphan, because it lias 
lost its pop. 
At a spirit meeting the other night, a gentle¬ 
man requested the medium to ask Avhat amuse¬ 
ments were most popular in the spirit-world. 
The reply was, “Reading of obituary notices." 
Mr. Charles Th.aavpson recently ran his head 
againBt. a young lady during a cotillion, “Ah! 
excuse me, deah,” he cried; “did it hurt, ah?” 
“No, sir," she replied, “it’s too soft to hurt 
anything." 
THE Boston man who wrote a splendid hook, 
entitled " Useful Hints for Ugly Girls,” Avonders 
why there is no more demand for his work. His 
publishers say they have only disposed of one 
copy, and that was stolen. 
j&ibbntlt |ifading. 
PRAY EOR ME. 
I beg of you—I beg of you, my brothers. 
For my need is very sore; 
Not for gold and not for silver do T ask you, 
But tor something even more. 
From the depths of your hearts’ pity let it be, 
Pray for me. 
T beg of you whose robes of radiant whiteness 
Have been kept without a stain— 
Of you, who, stung to death by serpent pleasure, 
Found the healing angel, pain ; 
Whether holy or forgiven you may be— 
Prny for me. 
I beg of you calm souls rvhose wondering pity 
Looks at paths you never trod ; 
I beg of you who suffer—for all sorrow 
Must be very near to God : 
And my need is even greater than you see— 
Pray for me. 
I beg of you, O children—for He loves you, 
And He loves your prayers the best: 
Fold your Utile hands together, and ask Jesus 
T hat the weary may have rest; 
That n bird eauglit in a net may be set free— 
Pray for me. 
I beg of you —I beg of you, my brothers, 
For an altfls this very day; 
1 am standing on your door-step as a beggar 
Who will not be turned atvay : 
And the charity you give my soul shall be— 
Pray for me. [Trend!. 
-- 
HELPS ON THE JOURNEY. 
Sometimes there is a way of. self-culture at¬ 
tempted in the name of religion, which is not 
in any propersenso religious, having no element 
of faith in it, anil expecting no uplifting help 
from gracious inspirations. The self-culture is 
what a man may do upon himself; mending his 
defects, correcting his mistakes, chastening hi* 
faults, tempering his passions, putt ing himself 
into the charities lie Inis learned from Christ, 
perhaps, to admire, finishing himself in the 
graces that have won Ids approval or command¬ 
ed his respect. But the work is a far more hope¬ 
less one than he imagines, and is almost sure to 
result, even visibly, in more affectations of char¬ 
acter than are likely to be much approved. 
Besides, It holds him to a continual self-con¬ 
templation which is selfish, and keeps him all 
the while filing and polishing on his nature by 
his will; AVhich Is, In fact, the most wearisome 
possible, or rather impossible, kind of self- 
attention. The old faults conquered, too, will 
be coming back on hlrn Just when he is con¬ 
quering another set. And turning round to 
fight them off, he will find Hie whole swarm 
loose upon him again ; till, finally, getting wor¬ 
ried and A'excd and soured and discouraged, lie 
virtually, though perhaps not consciously, gives 
over his whole undertaking. G if lie could have 
gone up to Christ, or t.o Hod, in a true faith- 
culture, and let his faults fall off, as blasted 
flowers full off the tree*, dislodged by the lil'e- 
princlplo in them, his beautiful thought of 
finishing a character would have been how easily 
put forward -without, a care, too, and in the 
sweetest liberty. .No man finishes a character 
wlm does not go above himself, and take the 
culture of God's own Spirit ; by that, growing 
out a character from within, which cannot lie 
nfttuipulated inwardly from without, if there 
be any good gift that comoth from above, and 
cannot be made below, it is .character.— Sir. 11. 
BushncU. 
-♦♦♦-- 
THE FEELING OF SIN. 
There is no feeling of human nature more 
singular, more profound, or more universal 
than the feeling of sin; a feeling, so far as wo 
know, mi generis —radically different from the 
feeling AVhich calamity or fully occasions—a 
feeling that has its root in a latent sense of per¬ 
sonal responsibility, and is occasioned solely by 
moral ideas—a feeling of self-reproach, of re¬ 
gret, of shame. There is no human feeling 
more mysterious, more sacred, and more indi- 
catiA'o. A man's feeling about sin is the meas¬ 
ure of his likeness to God. Tim most hardened 
criminal cannot wholly emancipate himself 
iroru it; the most sensuous of religious systems 
have recognized it. It has inspired mythology 
Avitli its sublimest conceptions, Paganism Avitii 
its most dread Immolations, and Christianity 
Avitli its most passionate experiences. 
—-- 
THOUGHTFUL PARAGRAPHS. 
WiiitHER go our ideas? They go into the 
memory of God.— Jbuhcrt. 
The superfluous blossoms on a fruit tree are 
meant to symbolize the large way in which God 
loves to do pleasant things. 
Every desire is a viper in a bosom, Avho, AA-hiie 
lie was chill, was harmless ; but when warmth 
gave him strength, exerted it in poison.— John¬ 
son. 
None are so seldom found alone, and are so 
soon tired of their own company, as those cox¬ 
combs who are on the best terms rvith them¬ 
selves .—Jxi con. 
While the heathen [have their gods of wis¬ 
dom, gods of battle, gods of beauty &c., they 
have no gods of holiness, nor are their sacred 
laws holy laws. The nation,s worshiping idols 
have ho Avord in their languages that means 
holy. The very idea comes to us through the 
Bible. ' 
