©st. a 
MOOSE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE FARMER’S FESTIVAL. 
BT N. 8. EMERSON. 
The harvest moon t* shining, high 
Above the forest and the Held, 
And laden vine, and orchard bough, 
Are bending with their generous yield. 
It is the farmer's festal time, 
The hour that crown* his year of toll; 
And bids him take his honored place 
A monarch of the teeming soil. 
For ho, with patient, tireless zeal, 
Through chilling frost, anil burning sun, 
From Nature’s store-house, hidden deep. 
Her richest treusure-ti ovo has won. 
The. sinews of the lund arc his; 
From brain and muscle ho has wrought 
The Iron rail, the slender wire 
That bears its freight of living thought. 
lie fees the lawyer's eloquence, 
Though heedless of Ills words of strife. 
And pays the parson's salary, 
Who breaks for all the bread of life; 
And shall he calmly wait and soo 
The profits of his labor wasted, 
Absorbed, by men who never yet 
The Joys of honest toll have tasted ? 
Nay ! farmer-folk, with you there rests 
The might and right to rule our land; 
Close up, close up your severed ranks, 
Shoulder to shoulder hike your stand, 
And show the world a solid front 
Of frank, outspoken, honest men, 
Who spurn all tricksters, and defy 
The politician’s wily pen. 
EVERY-DAY LITE, 
BY LEAD PENCIL, ESQ. 
Fruits of Solitude. 
“ I wonder If It Is not generally true that 
eveiythlng good cornea out of solitude—Springs 
from the thought there developed?" said a 
thoughtful woman the other day. I replied 
that, much good does doubtless come to those 
who have habits of Introspection, and who use 
solitude as the chemist uses bis laboratory and 
crucible to analyze t he material gathered In the 
outside world. Hut that “everything good" 
come* of solitude j or that everything Is good 
that comes of it, is not true. The fact Is thorn 
are some women whose solitary brooding brings 
only trouble to them and to others. They are 
too much alone. They think of thnttisolves too 
much. They get morbid from this constant 
brooding- monomaniacs in fact. The good, 
healthful stimulus of contact with tho outside 
world would counteract such tendencies. It 
Is unfortunately true that there are people who 
do not know how to think judicially. They 
get Into a groove of thinking, and, If not dis¬ 
turbed by sorno one, run in It direct to mental 
(and sometimes moral) perdition. Tho more 
such persons are left alono the worse t.hdy aro 
oil. Good may and does come of solitude. 
Most people need more or less of It—aro forti¬ 
fied by It. It helps one to depend upon one’s 
own resources for companionship; but such 
companionship does not always give the best 
results. A match may lie alone a thousand 
years and not Ignite or give light. Two pieces 
of wood will not furnish fire. Isolated—without 
friction. A mind may bury itself In solitude 
and give no more fruit than the tree which Is 
shutY>ut from sunlight; and yet occasional 
solitude is good for some people, just a 3 shade 
is nocessary to some plants. 
Tho Cry of an Isolated Life. 
Talking of solitude and Isolation reminds 
me ol' a paragraph In a letter I received from a 
woman not long ago. And a* a phase of this 
Every-Day Life of ours, when shut in and com¬ 
pelled to much solitude, and as an Illustration 
of the truth of what i have been writing, It is 
pertinent to quote it here. 11 is u» follows : 
“ I said 1 was gloomy. Very probably you 
will toll me it is my own fault; and most likely 
It is. Yet sometime* there are aclios in the 
heart not easily repelled, especially when they 
arise, as mine do, In part, from the ring of busy 
life so near me I can almost catch it* echo; the 
stir and hum of happy comers and goers. I 
have a vague sense oftho feeling one must have 
who is lost, or prisoned and forgotten, not much 
removed from the great throng of humanity, 
but too far to catch Its voice and send back 
greeting. ♦ 4 * Oh 1 how I feel like reaching 
out to the Earth my benumbed arms and beck¬ 
oning with the signal of distress! O Life! O 
great human Heart! 0 happy passers! I am 
here! ( am a Soul, a Heart, a Life! Do not 
keep so far away! Give me your song! Tell 
me the sweet secret of your gladness! Moisten 
my lips with your nectar, for I am as silent and 
dreary and thirsty as lire can be ! All that have 
listened to the Bobbing of my heart aro stung 
with sorrow; tho leaves hang still on the 
branches; tho bird* arc hidden, and the shad¬ 
owy sky is ready to burst for very grief. O Life! 
Can I not make you listen ?” 
Now I do not think continued solitude good 
for such a soul. No goodwill grow out of it, 
though much may have been born In it. What 
I have quoted Is a cry similar to that I used to 
road in my school days: I 
“ O solitude where aro tho charms 
That Sages have seen in thy face 1" 
And it requires a Sage to profit by solitude. I 
The preparation to profit by solitude comes of j 
contact with tho world. The gross material 
must be gathered before the crucible can be 
made of service in the separation of tho dross 
from the gold. 
--- 
USELESS WOEK. 
by o. u. n. 
I have come to the conclusion that It Is a 
peculiarity of tho feminine mind never to be 
really happy unless burdened with tasks so 
numerous as to fill every hour of tho day. Else 
why is there so much utterly superfluous work 
continually being done? Take., for instance, 
patchwork quilts. Many people Innocently 
suppose that because white counterpane* are 
cheaper and prett ier, patchwork has fallen Into 
disuse, and is Indeed becoming one nf the lost 
arts, but f can assure them that. In the coin-dry 
it still flourishes. Not only are bit* of material, 
left from garment* made, cut Into minute frag¬ 
ments and sowed together again In geometrical 
patterns and wondrous device*, but yards of 
new material are used up In the same way. 
This work, together with the great amount of 
labor ami time consumed In the quilting, pro¬ 
duces an article not one-half a* pretty as while 
counterpanes which coat but little money, and 
no time or labor before they aro ready for use. 
Then the sowing! The flounces overlay my 
skirts, the ruffles Overlay my flounces, (he trim¬ 
ming of the edges or all, and the tuck* filling 
every Inch of space, so that a well-made and 
perfectly plain garment would be refreshing, 
and resting, to our tired eyes. Sou the amount 
of unnecessary work done by women who si rive 
to attain and maintain a reputation for super¬ 
lative housekeeping. Neatness, like all other 
virtues, becomes a vice when carried to excess, 
The wearing away of floors, tables, nhalrs, wood¬ 
work, and ail kitchen utensils, by the continual 
scrubbing of tlmt which was already perfectly 
clean—who can account for this, except by the 
love of work for its own sako rather than for 
Its results? 
Then the worse than useless cooking. When 
broad and butter aro well made, meats, veget¬ 
ables and fruits skillfully prepared for the table, 
it must be ii depraved appetite that would long 
for pies, cakes and preserve.*. 
To repeat the Idea with which l commenced : 
I believo ir Micro should come to our busy Mar¬ 
thas an afternoon In which Micro would bo 
nothing at all to bo done tho house In perfect 
order from garret to cellar no sowing to do, 
not even a letter to write—they would bo rest¬ 
lessly unquiet and finally miserable before the 
happy hour when they could again tako up the 
burden by getting supper. 
JUmlhuj for tin } f)onnq. 
READY OBEDIENCE. 
THE JIMMY JOHNS. 
Mas. Diaz tells in Our Young Folks a comical 
story of two twins, who looked so much alike 
that the neighbors could not toll which was Jim¬ 
my and which Johnny, and so called them “tho 
Jlmrnyjohna.’' And thisfs the account of one 
of their runny “way*:“-When tho Jimmie.-; 
wore little toddling things, just beginning to 
walk, they were constantly falling down, tip¬ 
ping over in their cradle or bumping their 
bonds together; and Mrs. Plummer found that, 
tho best way to stop the crying, at such times, 
was to turn it Into ki.-v-ung. The reason of this 
is very plain. In crying, tho mouth flics open ; 
In kissing, It shut*. Mrs. Plummer was a won¬ 
derful woman. She found out that shutting 
tho mouth would stop It* crying, and to abut 
the mouth she contrived that pretty kissing 
plan, and at tho first sound of a bump would 
catch up tha little toddlers, put their arms 
round each others neck*, and say: — “Ki*« 
Johnny, Jimmy! Kiss Jimmy, Johnny!” It 
wfi* enough to make anybody Uugh to see them 
in the midst of a crying spell, run toward each 
other, their cheeks Btlll wet with tears, and to 
see their poor, little, twisted crying months, 
Lying to shut up into a kiss! 
A SENSIBLE YOUNG LADY. 
" WJB have a young ledy here,” writes a Lake 
George correspondent, “the daughter or Col. 
Montgomery, U. 8. A., who can row a boat bet¬ 
ter than most men. She is a girl of splendid 
physique uml healthy tone of mind. Without 
regard to her complexion, sin- goes out on tin- 
water morning, noon and evening. Fortunately 
for her, tho sun beautifies and doe* not disflg- 
ure, for she only looks fresh and rosy, without 
any tan cr redness. The girls who are passing 
the season In fine dressos and only take piazza 
exercise because their dress unfits them for 
any other, may well envy Miss Montgomery the 
pleasurable recollections she will carry with 
her of her summer at Lake George.” 
— - . 
A young man who Knows all about it states 
that his experience has taught him that a flirt 
is a fool wiio delights in fooling fools, and the 
fool who is fooled by suoh a fool is the foolitth- 
est kind of a fool. He’s been fooled badly, we 
should judge. 
--►*-*- 
Miss Er-ms Moore, a great-granddaughter 
of tho widow of Ethan Allen, is the leader of 
scholarship and deportment of the hist fresh¬ 
man class iti tho University of Vermont and 
State Agricultural College at Burlington. 
— »♦*»- 
A little girl was asked what was the mean¬ 
ing of tho word happy. She gave a pretty an¬ 
swer, saying, " It is to feel as if you wanted to 
give all your things to your little sister." 
If you are told to do a thing, 
And mean to do it really, 
Nover let it he by halves; 
ft Ho it fully, freely! 
Q 
Do not make n poor excuso, 
Waiting, weak, unsteady; 
All obedience worth tho narno 
1 Must bo prompt and ready. 
/ When father calls, though pleasant be 
3 The play you are pursuing, 
i Do not si:y, " I’ll come when I 
f Have tii. 1 died what I’m doing." 
— — •»■*-■» — — - - —i 
. THE BEAR IR THE BUSH. 
[ A TEUE STOEY FOE THE LITTLE ONES. 
’ BY JULIE REYNOLDS BEERS. 
, Tithe i children wore climbing on tholr grand- 
I pa’s lap. They formed nn extensive lapful, but 
grandpa was very patient, for ho loved “the 
' babies” as he called thorn. A little girl with 
rosy cheeks, another with golden curls, and a 
’ sober-faced boy, each naked, grandpa to toll 
| them a true story. 
"Many years ago," began grandpa, “my 
brother and myself were very happy, for a 
, cousin came to visit us. Wa had lively times, i 
toll you; and Brother Sam and Cousin Will, 
being about, five years older than J, thought 
they must have a little fun at my expense. 
Sam told mo that if I would go over to Mr. 
Thorpe’s, after dark, ami return homo with¬ 
out getting frightened, ho would glvo me a 
hook. 
A book ! Tho promise was music to my ears, 
and I did not hesitate to take tho required 
Journey. Sam ami Will know that. 1 was no 
coward, and to prepare my mind for a fright 
they spent the afternoon In tolling ghost stories. 
Evening came. “You'd hotter Jet him start 
now, Sam, If* getting dark," said Cousin Will. 
“ Well, go ahead, Ibrii,” said my brother; and 
1 needed no second command, though tho way 
led through shadowy hemlock woods. There 
wa* no moon and 1 ho sky was cloudy, and when 
1 wan returning home the wood* were very 
dark—so dark that 1 lost tho path and found 
myself In a big brush heap. Well do I remem¬ 
ber how under my llfctlo foet tlm dry brush, 
crackled In the deep stillness nf the woods. 
Luckily f found t he path again, and in the path 
was something white. I picked it, up, and 
found It to ho a sheet tied to a broom. My 
brother and Cousin meant to scare mo with this 
but becoming frightened themselves by tho 
noise in tho brush, they dropped it ami (led. 
When I arrived home, dragging Urn broom and 
long, white sheet behind me, Sam and Will 
wore Just telling a great hear story, l listened 
intently. What if I had met, this horrid bear ! 
“ And then wo ran with all our might," went 
on 8 am. 
“ For wo heard tho old bear crackling in the 
brush,” put In Will, excitedly. 
A light broke In upon my llttlo brain. 
“ 0 dut was hi e what was trackllng in do 
brustf!” I exclaimed —“only me.” 
Hearty laugh tor followed, and tho boys looked 
much ashamed. I stolo up to Ham. “Where’s 
my hook, Sam? I didn’t get scared." 
Sam said not a word, lmt went out, soon re¬ 
turning with tho precious little book, with its 
bright cover* and pictures of dogs ; and I went 
to bod tho happiest child in the State of Now 
York. But tho boys never flnishod their bear 
story." 
The children were much pleased with the 
story. They are grown now, but grandpa is liv¬ 
ing yet, and he now plays with Ida great-grand¬ 
children. He is as fond of hooks as ho was 
when ho was a little boy, and roads for hours at 
a time, without glasses. (J how we love him !— 
with Ids young heart and Ids beautiful white 
hair. 
-- 
THE EOY AND THE BIED-A FABLE. 
One day while a young boy was walking in 
the Hold he found a wounded bird, which being 
too much injured to fly away, suffered Itself to 
bo caught, and carried home by its finder in 
triumph. Being a kind-hearted boy, he ten¬ 
derly cured for the bird until it* broken wing 
was well again. He taught the bird to sing and 
to do many wonderful t hings, and became at 
last very much attached to it,. One day wliilo 
the window was open the bird suddenly but¬ 
tered its light wings and flew out of the house, 
alighting in an adjoining tree, and delighted 
with Its newly-acquired freedom, It refused 
every Inducement its late master could offer it 
to return, and with a shrill chirp, that seemed 
to say, “catch me if you can," it flew away into 
the summer air and wa* soon out of sight. 
The summer months passed away and the 
autumn came, tho leave* grow crimson and 
golden and dropped ono by one from tho 
branches, Tho bleak winds swept, thorn away. 
Then t,ho air grew cold and chcurlosa and tho 
first snowflakes began to fall, and the wintry 
winds began to sigh over the barren Uolds and 
about the ohimnoy tops. 
Tho boy stood again by the open window, 
warmly and comfortably clad, gazing with ad¬ 
miration at tho newly-fid Ion snow. Suddenly 
ids attention was attracted by a faint chirp 
near at hand, and looking in the direction of 
the sound, ho saw his truant pet half chilled 
witli cold. II.- called to It gladly and the bird 
timidly approached him, a llttlo distance at a 
time, and at, last taking courage, it alighted nn 
a bare branch by the window, and from thence 
Uou intuits muster's hand. It was soon back 
in its cage again in tho kitchen corner singing 
its old songs, safe from the cold. 
Moral.- Truant chickens Invariably come 
homo to roost. The had young boy and the 
foolish girl who leave a happy and comfortable 
homo, when circumstances *eom bright and 
fair, aro glad enough to return again, when 
winter comes and adversity overtakes them. 
--- 
BETTER THAN GOLD. 
W,if often hoar little boy* tolling of the won¬ 
der* they will do when they grow to be men. 
They arc looking and longing for ! he time when 
they shall bo large enough to carry a caria and 
wear a toll hat; uiul not. ono of them will say 
that ho expect* to bo a poor man, but that 
everyone Intends to bo rich. Now money l* very 
good in it* place; but. let mo tell you, little 
boys, what Is a great deal better than money, 
and what you may bo earning all the time you 
arc waiting to a row large enough to earn a for¬ 
tune. The Bible tells us that “n good name Is 
rather to be chosen than great riches, and 
loving favor rather than silver and gold.” A 
good mime doe* not mean a muno for being the 
richest man in town, or for owning the largest 
house. A good nnmo I* a name for doing good 
dec*!*; a name for wearing a pleasant face and 
carrying a cheerful heart; for always doing 
right, no matter what we may bo. 
- 
“LET ME, MA'AM.” 
“ Let me, ma'am, let mo,” said a little boy to 
a lady, who, on a rainy, windy clay, was strug¬ 
gling to open an umbrella, and at thosaniotime 
to keep hold or several little parcels, and ho 
took the umbrella from her hand, oponed it, 
and then tied her parcel* together in ono with 
a stout string. 
“Thank you very much," said she. “ You aro 
very polite to do so much for a stranger." 
“O! it's no trouble, ma'am," said he, with a 
smile; “I like to help people." 
Can't some of our readers look out for a 
chance to go and do llknwlxo ? 
- —♦-*•♦ - 
Young People— Boy* and Girls, Young Men 
and Maidens—who are disposed to form Club* 
foi t he Rural, will bo liberally rewarded for 
their efforts. Our Premium List comprises 
many useful and ornamental articles which our 
young friend* would appreciate. We shall take 
pleasure In Bending Premium List, Specimens, 
&c., to all who dcMfiCLtU-got “Good Pay for Do¬ 
ing Good." 
wr " L 
SHie Iktsler. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 6. ' 
'iSW* ' -.i'SLJa.'A - 
1 
n 
A 
it/-’ 
uu-iL 
uv. 
%S7~ Answer in two weeks. 
-<4*- 
DOUBLE ACROSTIC.-No. 1. 
1. A ravenous animal. 
3. An animal production. 
3. Certain days of the months. 
4. Good oi* evil spirits. 
5. To call or cry out. 
IS. A collection of maps. 
7. One of the great, powers. 
8. An instrument of music. 
9. A metal resembling gold. 
10. A patent medicine. 
My initials form the name of a city and my 
finals the name of a well-known institution lo¬ 
cated there. x. y. z. 
I ?/" Answer In two weoks. 
--- 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.—No. 7. 
My first is in rasp but. not In file. 
My second is In league but not in mile; 
My third Is in run but not in Jump, 
My fourth Is in sugar but, not in lump ; 
My fifth Is In lamp but not in taper, 
My whole is the name of an excellent, paper. 
Answer in two weeks. w. w. rt. f. 
--- 
CONUNDRUM.-No. 4. 
Under my first my second stood ; 
I think you’ll call this quite as good. 
Mrs. Clinton Smith. 
855 r " Answer In two weoks. 
--- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Sept. 27. 
Problem No. 10. — 
l 47 319978 rods. 
< 35.149083 “ 
(34.589971 
Cross-Word Enigma No. 8.—Kansas. 
