NOV. 22 
MOOSE’S RURAL NEW-VOBKER. 
A MESSAGE: 
Suggested by a Humming Bird Sipping eonu Mignon¬ 
ette in mg Drew. 
nv ALICE I). I.IXDSLEY. 
A vision of wondrous beauty. 
A flash like a ruby’s light, 
For an Instant hovered near me,— 
Then It vanished from my sight. 
All the summer air was fragrant 
Willi a presence sweet, us flowers, 
When the sparkling dew is on them 
In the early morning hours. 
Tell me, oh radiant beauty! 
Did my darling send you boro 
That. I might, know huw often. 
Though so fur, she yet Is near ? 
For this flower you kissed so gently 
As It laid upon my breast, 
Is to me a sacred treasure. 
For she loves tbls one the best. 
To me each bright htrd and blossom 
Has of her some memory dear; 
So oft they bless and comfort her 
Sorrow droops when they are near. 
My bright humming bird, I call her. 
When she wears your dainty green. 
And her ruby flashes with a light 
Your bright eyes have never seen. 
But her wings Got) keeps from growing 
For n little while, that l 
May learn from her to trust Him still, 
When He takes her by-and-by. 
In the garden of our Fattier, 
Where Love's flowers forever grow, 
I shall llnd my happy darling 
When I miss her here below. 
-♦♦♦- 
AN EXPERIMENT IN THE FINE ARTS. 
I sat down one day to make a moss picture. 
Not that I am an artist, but I am not without 
artistic capabilities. Enthusiastic friends had 
descanted on the beauty of such fancy work. 
There was a vacant space on my walls which 
needed a picture, and I thought with awe upon 
the fate of the man who hid Ids talent in a 
napkin. If these reasons had not been suffi¬ 
cient to set my idle fingers to employment, 
there were others—not least of which was a 
natural delight In mosses, which generally was 
forced to satisfy itself In collecting “speci¬ 
mens." Jlut now, from all vain or humbler 
uses, mosses were to reach the “grand climatic 
hlght" of aspiration. 
A little bit of tlie woods was soon to be im¬ 
mortalized by the touch of genius, environed 
in golden wails, and Imng as a. fitting accom¬ 
paniment to works of more pretentious value. 
Directions given were explicit. 1 was to take 
a piece of cardboard, and on the upper half to 
delineate a sky, a sunrise, or sunset sky being 
preferred. 1 did. It wa* artistic In the exlreme! 
My idea was vague as to (he phase of land¬ 
scape my picture should assume, and the diffi¬ 
culty was Increased by the troublesome mani¬ 
festation of an independent .spirit on the part 
of my materials, perhaps consequent upon the 
“step upward" i u their existence. For when, 
after much pulling and cutting and fitting, a 
piece of moss had been exactly overlaid with 
mucilage, atul the propitious moment had ar¬ 
rived for ils translation, how on earth should I 
make it take its place on the card, when, des¬ 
pite all remonstrances, it persisted in adhering 
to the fingers ? 
A sheet of water In a picture Is a great desid¬ 
eratum to be secured at any hazard, and some 
one having recommended a piece of finely niil- 
dewed corn husk as possessing virtues superior, 
for the purpose, to paint, I wrapped my man¬ 
tle of exploratton'about me, and wended my 
enthusiastic way to the barn, and returned 
neither sadder nor wiser, but richer by a bit of 
mold. It was properly treated ami pressed to 
the card. Do you Imagine it adhered? Dis¬ 
abuse yourself of the Ideal It did everything 
else. It rolled completely over, curled at the 
edges, and on repeated manual application ele¬ 
vated itself in ridges Innumerable, leaving a 
very sticky memento upon the finger, and be¬ 
daubing the fair surface of the card. 
I might have left It to represent the hills of 
my native land; but I wanted a lake-a quiet, 
slumbrous lake, and would have it; so I sent 
my thought searching among the stores of my 
brain for an available suggestion; then sent 
my little hand-maiden among the stores up 
garret for the idea in substance. 
She returned w ith » paper of glue, 
ft. was forthwith melted; and, acquainted 
with the decided qualities of glue, it was with 
feelings of exultation that I besmeared the 
bottom of my lake and set it in Its bed. Mira- 
hile df etui All was water that would not seek 
its level! 
I honor aspiration. I commend the lowly 
born who spurns the common clod, and would 
set his proud feet on the easier high tsof Fame; 
but when I want a lake, for that lake to aspire 
to the dignity of the everlasting hills, is an ex¬ 
ercise of spirit not at all commendable. 
A few dry, brownish leaves were laid down 
for the groundwork, their ragged edges jutting 
into the water, forming miniature capes and 
headlands; and ever actuated by humane prin¬ 
ciples, I set up broad-branched trees thereon, 1 
to shelter the little boys who should find excel¬ 
lent fishing there in the summer. 
A wide country road was separated from the 
adjoining fields of rucks and rubbish with much 
patience, and gray irregular mosses, forming a 
fine array of stumps,and according to the taste 
of flic owner, a lane was bounded eastward and 
westward by a magnificent, valley of the same 
material. This, on experiment, proved easy 
work. 
I did not Interfere witlntbelr natural in¬ 
stincts, hut, extended the beautiful arrange¬ 
ment up a side hill twenty rods, more or less, 
whore ft terminated in a bit of mossy bark, 
which, with the assistance of a penknife and 
gluo, was soon transformed Into a love of a 
cottage, with all the modern Improvements. 
A lawn must, be added; so I surveyed the 
premises and laid off one of moderate dimen¬ 
sions; consulted a work on landscape garden- , 
ing, and proceeded to Improve Nature. 
I knew in t hat particular field I had no equal; 
neither in building or gardening do I fear ri¬ 
vals; but when I attempted to depict animal 
intelligence, a hit. ,,f which 1 wished to relieve 
the gloom which ever hangs over inanimate 
nature, then my genius failed me. 
Then I turned my attention to the road near 
tlie fence, scattered a little greenness in the 
field of rocks and rubbish to show the neglect 
of the owner In not making available such fer¬ 
tility, and with a general sprinkling of every¬ 
thing to fill up vacant space, os best pleased my 
aesthetic eye, and my labor of love was ended. 
Ufa ding for thq goiutg; 
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said I to Charley, 
who happened in. 
“ Lovely 1" said he. “ What skill yon have in 
delicate work! Pray, what is the dtalgri ?" 
“A hit of natural scenery, don’t you see? 
Here 1* file road which loads to this romantic 
cottage, half hidden in frees, from which you 
can look down on the quiet lake with theglory 
of the sky on it." 
“ Where is the lake ? What, that grey patch ! 
Beg pardon ! And what are those horned beasts 
drawn up in battle array for?” 
“That Is a fence! How stupid you are!’’ 
“ Oh, I see ! Yes, it’s very beautiful !" 
I showed it to the loved ones at home, 
intent on extracting a modicum of praise 
from some one, 1 asked Tom, my respected 
brother, how he liked It. 
“A meditative load ou the remains of a rail 
retire,” said he, solemnly. 
“It looks more like an old witch crooning 
over the ashes," piped one of i he younger ones. 
"Or a big spider willt a pack of tiles on his 
back crawling into his web," giggled another. 
“ A remarkable production *” 
“ Docs you credit!” and so on, ad libitum, 
through the family. My dear friends, to affirm 
that i lack a genius for (he fine arts was no 
more than the conclusion to which they all 
arrived. 
Hero is where they erred. In cutting up with 
their critical scissors my picture, when my de¬ 
sign was good, my perspective better, and let¬ 
ting the persistent springy, dinging little ab¬ 
surdities go scot-free, who find everything their 
own way, and as fast us laid in one position 
immediately turn over and lay In another. 
There hangs in one corner of my room a mod¬ 
est conglomeration of cardboard, mosses, sticks 
and glue, a warning to whatever remains of 
adveuturesomo spirit, and a remarkable illus- 
tratien of the total depravity of inanimate 
M. a.c.l. 
-♦♦♦-- 
LOVE, 
The following is what some of the old au¬ 
thors have to say about love : 
Love seldom haunts the breast where learn¬ 
ing lies.—Pope. 
Hate makes us vehement partisans, but love 
more so.— Gccthe. 
In love wo are fools alike.— Gay. 
Love, one time, layeth burdens; another 
time, givetli wings— Sir P. Sidney, 
Lovo Is the virtue of women.— Dudcvant. 
In love, tlie deceit generally outstrips the 
distrust.— Rochefoucauld. 
Where love dwells is paradise.— Richter, 
Lovo is precisely to the moral nature what 
the sun is to the earth,- Balzac. 
Words of love are works of Jove.— Alger. 
When we lovo we live.— Conqrew. 
Gold does not satisfy love; It must be paid 
in its own coin.— Madame Ddazy. 
Love Is an affair of credulity.— Odd. 
She that is loved Is Bat is.—Jeremy Taylor. 
How shall I do to love? Believe. How shall 
I do to believe? Love.—Leighton. 
Lovo is an egotiam of two.— A.de LaSalle. 
I could not love thee, dear, so much, love I 
not honor more.— Lovelace. 
Wish chastely and love dearly.— $htik8pearc. 
Love sacrifices all things to bless the thing 
it loves. Ilulwer Lylton. 
-♦♦♦—-, 
Jean Papl Richter says : “ To insure mod¬ 
esty, J would advise the educating of the sexes 
together; for two boys will preserve twelve 
girls, or two girls twelve boys, innocent, amid 
winks, jokes, and Improprieties, merely by 
that lustiimtlve sense which is tlie forerunner j 
of matured modesty. But I will guarantee 
nothing hi a school where girls are alone to¬ 
gether, and still less where hoys are." 
[ - ORDERLY HABITS. 
BY AUGUST NOON. 
Dear girls, do you wish to Brighton 
Your homes like sunshine mirt 
Do yon wish by your efforts to llgbtcn 
Your mother’s burden of mire V 
Then banish all frowns from your forehead. 
All petulant words from your tongue, 
Ana mi IM vine Orderly habit*,— 
You cau do that best while young. 
If the boys have tnndo » disorder 
80 that things look sadly unkept, 
And your mother is hurried with sewing 
And you sea the floor ought to be swept, 
Don't wait to bo told to do It. 
But ohoerfully leave your play, 
Sweep and dust, and arrange the books, 
And put everything awuy. 
If you have bright, eyes to discern them, 
There’s a thousand things you can do 
That will make your parents happy 
And the little ones fond of you ; 
You can kindly amuse the buby. 
Give grandma the rocking cluilr, 
Help Tommy And Ills missing ball. 
And comb little Mary’s hair. 
New take my word, it you're helpful. 
And pleasant and patient and neat. 
You will reap for yourself a rich reward. 
And a blesslug far more swoet 
Thun gold oan ever purchase. 
Or landa or rubles or pearls, 
For your home will be made a paradise 
By your endeavors, dour girls. 
-- 
LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
An Editor and Flre-FiRhter. 
Dear Editor of the Rural :—1 have written 
for your paper once before, and as vou were ao 
kind as to publish my letter, t will write again. 
Our summer school closed the 23d of Sopl,em¬ 
ber, and the last day we had a beautiful time. 
Wo recited pieces, ami sung, and our toucher 
Miss Dalton, played the melodoon. Wo sung 
“Little Pilgrims, Work Awav," “Shull Wo 
Sing in Heaven,” and several other*. We had a 
paper, “The Wreath," in two volumes; its 
motto was, “ iliml Around Thy Youthful Brow, 
an Unfading Wreath of Intelligence and Vir¬ 
tue." Carrie L. and I were tlie edit resses. Four 
of us represented Mm mimtut . My little sister 
Nellie was spring; her little mate, Minnie, 
whs summer, I was autumn, and Minnie's sis¬ 
ter, Carrie, was winter. Each one came In 
singing, “I*in Coming, I’m Coming,” See. Wo 
were dressed In while, trimmed with vines, 
flowers and fruit; when we sung “All Hail to 
the Seasons,” we stood In a circle and Joined 
hands. For refreshments, we had candy, nuts, 
popped corn, and fruit. We hud a lot of com¬ 
pany, and that was the best part of tlie whole. 
Thus has ended anot her happy an miner, and a 
pleasant term of school. I must tell you anout 
a Urn we had near us. lately. About 3 o’clock 
Monday morning llie men from the farm-house 
gave the alarm that the woods (about thirty 
rods from our house) were on fire. We were all 
very much frightened, and hurried up an fast 
as we could. 1 thought of Chicago and the 
other great fires, and I felt more .sorry than 
ever, for the poor little Western boys and girls. 
The men took shovels, and wc all went to the 
woods, to fight the fire, papa taking the lead. 
Three trees were on fire, and about four acres 
of ground were burning. They worked very 
hard for about an hour, and succeeded in put¬ 
ting it out by throwing on dirt. I wish they 
had had papa out West to help them put out 
their fire. I hope you will excuse me for writ¬ 
ing so long a letter. May your valuublo paper 
continue to prosper, and may you have a long, 
and happy life. Adieu.— Anna, Lyom, N. Y. 
From a Printer's Devil. 
Mr. Editor As I was reading the Girls’ and 
Boys’ Letters in your nice paper of last week, 
a thought oatne Into ray mind that I would 
have a few words to say in the same column 
about myself arid otherwise. Now, before I go 
any further, 1 will tell the reader that I am a 
boy that has to work for a living, and I’m not 
afruid to toll any one of It, either. I have Just, 
entered into my loth your, and live in a. village 
of 1,000 inhabitants, and atn learning the print¬ 
ing trade, and like it very much. Have been at 
it about a year and there is no trade that 1 
think so much of as the one 1 have just named. 
I board with tlie Editor, and lie takes your 
paper and I am always ready to read the Boys’ 
and Girls’ Letter* when 1 first see it. [(often 
read the boys' letters, saying what nice times 
they have hunting, fishing and trapping. I for 
one can say that I never cared a snap for such 
tilings. I Was always afraid of a gun and never 
hud a chance to go flailing much, and am glad 
that 1 am not a farmer's hoy, have to dig, and 
push, and work all the time and never have a 
minute's time for myself. I like to live in a 
town and see whut is going on, etc,, I have a 
brother two years older than I am living on a 
farm in the State of Vermont, he seems to fancy 
farming. I have heard a good many boys say 
that they an; glad beau-pnlling Is all over 
will). 1 think I would bo too ir 1 Juui to do that, 
land of work ; It is something that 1 never took 
a fancy to, nor any one else, I guess. Farmers 
are now busily engaged in bringing their apples 
and potatoes in town in greet abundance. The 
leaves of tlie trees are dropping off fast, bu t not | 
so early as they did last year; neither has Jack 
frost, got out so early. Seeing this is my first 
letter to the Rural I won’t say but a few 
words this time, but next time 1 write I will 
have a longer one. J presume before long some 
farmer's boy M ill have something to say about 
what I have said against farming. I remain 
yours respectfully Frank 8. C., Allskin, iV. F. 
From n Little Farmer. 
Dear Mr. Editor : I am a boy ten years old, 
and have read many letters In the Uitral writ¬ 
ten by little hoys. I like to rood them very 
much, and think that you arc very kind In 
printing thorn. My father lives on a farm of 
one hundred acres. We milk seven cows ; wo 
have kept fifteen some years. I milk four every 
night and morning, and have milked seven 
whyri my father was gone away. My aunt, gave 
me a gobbler and a hen turkey last fall, 1 have 
raised nineteen t urkeys tills year. The gobbler 
is a funny old ehap. Took one brood of young 
turkeys that a ben hatched, and took splendid 
cure of them—hovered over them nights and in 
storms. We had one very hard hail storm that 
threshed the oats very bad ; some near hero 
were threshed clean enough. Ours were about 
half threshed; it. made plenty of food for my 
turkeys for awhile, but t hey soon apron ted and 
grew up to be good feed for cow*. If tlie win¬ 
ter would stay away wo would have some oats 
after all, but wc could not ride down hill, so let 
it come, for I have a new sled.— Eugene F. W., 
Truxton, N. Y. 
22I1T. 
PROBLEM.—No. 13. 
The three lines which bisect the angles of a 
right-angled triangle intersect each other at a 
point so situated that .VI rods is equal to tho 
sum of Its distances from the three angles. Tho 
perl motor of the triangle measure* 100 rods. 
Required, the sides of tho triangle, and also 
the distances from the point of Intersection to 
the three angles respectively as a supplemen¬ 
tary answer. 
A V 1 B I* + C T’ -56 rods; A It i B C C A —100 
rods. Scale of figure, 20 rods to the Inch. 
This problem can be solved without the aid 
of trigonometrical formula, or the use of an 
equation higher than that of the second degree. 
B, F, Burleson. 
t W" Answer in two weeks. 
-HI- 
CROSS-WOtRD ENIGMA—No. 9. 
M v first is in feather but not In quill. 
My second's in miller but not in mill; 
My third Is in metal but not in wood, 
My fourth is In evil but not in good ; 
My fifth is in quiver but not in bow, 
My sixth is in substance but not In show ; 
My seventh’s in doublet but not in hose, 
My eighth is In lily but not in rose; 
My ninth i* in eyrie but not In nest, 
My tenth iv in finding but not in quest; 
My whole is flic name of a ballad fine 
M 11 the faithful watch of a friend canine. 
Answer in two week*. Fourteen. 
--»♦«- 
HIDDEN CITIES.-No. I. 
1 . Alas ! said he, they are all destroyed. 
2 . I hate her, and so does everybody. 
3. Don’t take a nap, lest you sleep too long. 
4. He arrived from Europe yesterday. 
5. They are all; is Bonaparte one of them ? 
<1. I am fast In this bog; 0 take me out. 
7. Come, Allen, sing me a song, 
8 . You can send Frank for the cows. 
!t. Yes, Laban, gorillas are ferocious animals. 
ID. Como and see this Indian; a Polish boy is 
with him. 
Bherkton, Ont, j. ,\j. Sherk. 
Answer in two weeks. 
-- 
CONCEALED FLOWERS.-No. 1. 
1 . Montrose is a town in Pennsylvania. 
Upon the rock Etta sat. 
3. Away up in Kansas, 
4. Sound the viol, Etta. 
5. Give the parts of the verb enacted. 
B. Put your stockings on, Etta. 
1 . Is tho pan symmetrical? 
Answer in two weeks. P. s. Wykoff. 
—- +-++ -- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS. - Nov. 8. 
Concealed Vegetables No. l. 1, Tomato. 
.1. 1 can. 3 . Beet. 4. Pea. 5. Carrot. 6 . Corn. 
». Cabbage. 
SqUAIlE-WoRD ENIGMA No. ft. 1. Base *> 
Aged. 3. Seen. 4, Edna. 
Geographical enigma No. L- United 
States of Columbia. 
Word- Puzzle No. 5.—Kirkwood. 
Dn v citation No. 1.-1, Severn; sever; ever • 
eve. 2. Scrape; crape; rape; ape. 
