the pale, faded wife will be a blooming, happy 
woman. Hard work with no pleasure has laid 
hundreds of farmers’ wives beneath the sod 
who might be living now if their happiness and 
comfort had been consulted. 
8an Jose, Santa. Clara Co., Cal. 
out strong and bright, and Its golden ray 
showed the home scene plainly 1 o poor Tomm v, 
who had no father to kiss hix tired brow, and 
no mother, jnsl yet, to fold him In her arms. 
*' How weak I feel,” thought the boy, and the 
wind whistling rpuiul the building name In and 
chilled the room more and more. It must have 
rattled the sashes of the room opposite also; 
for TommV saw the lady rise, and presently the 
heavy curtain shutout the warmth and bright¬ 
ness, and once more Tommy was tn darkness. 
“ Oh! that I were like that boy I" cried Tom¬ 
my. “Oh! mother! mother! why do you not 
come!” Then tears came fast, and Tommy 
hurried bis fuco In the pillow of straw, and 
strove to bear till? pain which seized him like a 
man. Hut. the Imiilo was fierce and strong, 
and at length he was left exhausted and faint, 
while Ids limits grew cold. 
When the boy opened his eyes lie saw up in 
•ho heavens, oh! such a beautiful star. It 
shone so clenfly and steadily down upon his 
flushed face. Then he remembered the light 
which hud been shut, opt from him hy curtains, 
and he know that thin was the light from an* 
other happy home God's In me,his home, too, 
ir ho would trust in the dear Father who dwelt 
there. He kuow that though ho had no earthly 
father to bow his head and kiss him, yet the 
father who 'had placed the heavenly light in 
heaven’s own window would never shut it 
away from him, and perhaps oven now He was 
blessing him. “It was so bright up I hero," the 
boy thought, “ and so dark down here I” 
Hi- wondered why Ills mother didn’t come, 
and then L® grew drowsy and, oh ! so tired. 
How cold It was getting! and then ho roused 
himself as somebody in the street, went by 
singing cheerily, “Thcre’aa light In the window 
for me!" Tommy raised Ids eyes to tho sky 
and murmured wearily, “There's a light in the 
window for me, too,—for mo and door, dear 
mamma! A light in God'H win-” 
The tired head rested more heavily upon tho 
pillow, the thin hands fell apart rroin each 
other, and when, an hour later, the gentleman 
in the house opposite drew aside the curtain to 
look out on the night, the light, from ids cosy 
room crossed the darkness and rested again 
upon Tommy’s bed; but this time it shone 
upon a still, dead litt le face, and a heart-broken 
mother. Tho sick child hud at last, entered 
into a happy and bright, home. m. d. p. 
THE MOTHER, 
To Her Son Colng West, 
GLENWOOD INSTITUTE 
Some weeks ago “Cousin Johnnie,” (Miss 
Maky C. Bartlett,) one of the teachers in 
Glenwood Institute, at Matawan, N. J., (and 
who has written many letters for the Rural,) 
called upon us iu company with the Principal, 
Dr. Jas. H. HaMILTQm, and showed us a very 
BY X. S. EMERSON 
PRESENTS AND PICTURES 
REMEMBER, HERBERT, JOHN will want to heur 
About the farm, and bow I'in getting on ; 
Tell him T shall do nicely, not to fear, 
I shall not need much help when you are gone. 
Out oh ! remember darling, it will not do 
To toll him how I mourn at losing you. 
Tell him that Farmer Ar.LEN helped you plow 
And plant the upland, but don’t say the drouth 
Came on so soon It dried the soil all through, 
And so tho late-sown barley could not sprout; 
Just say wo had a plenty for our read, 
And that the cattle did not lack for feed. 
All! he remembers when the barn was full. 
But we have sold one af ter one. till now, 
A line of empty stalls are standing there, 
And all our stock Is but a single cow ! 
Ah well! tho milkin’ Is an eusler task ; 
Don’t tell him, dear, if lie should chance to ask. 
But tell him of the huskin': how the girls 
Came up from Dean's and down from ParKkr'8 
hill, 
And cleaned and eo.ike l all day, and left a lot 
Of pies and cakes the pantry shelves to 1111; 
And how the young men made the evenin’ gay, 
And brought u warm new t-hiiwI for my birthday. 
And tell him DAISY I.Ki: e-inv-'wlth the rest, 
And stole away to chat with nut, and smiled, 
Through all her tears, because I talked of .John, 
And called her, bless her heart! my own dear child. 
Tell him she waits nr patient as a dove 
For him to come again, and claim her love. 
And give him, dear, my Messing; tell him how 
I’ve treasured all Ills letters with such care j 
And that, when night comes. Ids name, yes, and 
yours, 
Will always echo In my evening prayer. 
Ah IIkriiekt— must, you go? my pride, my Joy. 
God speed my youngest to my eldest boy! 
The Holidays are fast approaching, and lov¬ 
ing hearts und patient fingers turn puzzling and 
trying themselves over gifts for dear ones. 
j I'J I'gibiH -Si 
GLENWOOD INSTITUTE, MATAWAN, N. J. 
beautiful Catalogue of the Institute, with a 
picture of the building as a frontispiece. 'Chink¬ 
ing a view of tho Instituto would please our 
young friends — who, wo know, like “Cousin 
Johnnie’s” letters—we said we would soiiu 
time publish the picture; and now we give It, 
as promised. 
From what we know of its teachers, locality 
and the Instituto generally, we think Glen¬ 
wood must be a model school for boys and 
girls, young men and maidens—but those who 
want particulars should send to Dr. Hamilton 
for Catalogue, etc. Our main object now is to 
show our youug readers where their friend 
“Cousin Johnnie” teaches. 
“ Wlmt do you think mother would like best, 
Susy ?" John asks. 
SriRY ponders awhile, then confides to John 
what she Is going to give mother. John can¬ 
not crochet, or do Afghan stitch, and may be 
has never tried rustic work; so Susy proposes 
I hat ilia gift shall be u book, or a vasft—“ some¬ 
thing that she can kocp always," Susy adds. 
Vest we think parents prize most the work 
of their children’s hands, or some little gift 
their own money has purchased; certainly the 
memory of It will remain with them always. 
As to presents In general, we must always 
take Into consideration the tastes of tho per¬ 
son whom wo Intend to make a present, in 
order that our gift he fully appreciated. To a 
person with a taste for reading, a new book Is 
most, aeeeptabh!; and no present more sure to 
bo appreciated by such a person can be made 
tlmn a subscription to some good paper or 
magazine; It brings the donor to mind not only 
once but every time the paper makes Its ap¬ 
pearance, and if a weekly, like the Rural, 
fifty-two times a year. 
Next to books and periodicals come pictures. 
Most of us are but beginners In art. studies; 
therefore, we will not criticise. Pictures are 
beginning to bo a necessity In our homes. I 
think wo shall become, hy-and-by, a nation 
which shall thoroughly understand and ap¬ 
preciate true art. 
Now that we have the pictures wc want to 
make the must of them. If 1 did not see in so 
many houses pictures improperly hung, 1 
should not write this. A dark, deep frame, 
with gilt molding against tho picture. Is most 
still abb* for the- bright chromes. Your picture 
should be hung In such a mann:-:- that the be¬ 
holder takes the same delight, in it chat lie 
would in beholding the real scene from a 
window. It. should not ho hung in such » man¬ 
ner that it has the appearance of tipping for¬ 
ward. In rooms with lofty ceilings, It is neces¬ 
sary to suspend the pictures from the sides of 
the frame, and tip them forward a little that 
they may md have the appearance of tipping 
up, but in all rooms with ceilings as low as 
most, of our country houses, hang all small 
pictures by one cord, passed through a ring In 
tho top of the frame. If they tip up wedge a 
folded paper behind them until they are just 
right; your eyo will tell you that. fn short, 
give your pictures such frames as will show 
them to the best advantage, with plain cords, 
without tassels; hang them in such a manner 
that In looking at them you forget cord and 
frame, and canvas, and scum only to be looking 
through tho wall at the real scene. 
M AfUO BAM. 
SENTIMENTS OF A FARMER'S WIFE, 
J1Y ELIZA E. ANTHON <• 
How many farmers there are who own hun¬ 
dreds of acres of land, hire live or ten men to 
assist them in farming, with ton or twenty ex 
tramen during harvest having line blooded 
stock, thrifty, choice orchards, and conven¬ 
iences of every description for their work, who 
yet live In a tumble-down house, leaking all 
over the roof, und whose over-worked wives 
have to go a hundred yards or more for a pail 
of water, when a little ext ra labor would have 
placed the water in a convenient sink in the 
house. The farmer’s wife has to rise at font- 
o’clock in the morning, while all the family are 
sleeping, and cook breakfast for from ten to 
twenty men ; and not one of tho family ever 
thinksof lining the wood-box, or getting a pall 
of water over night. She must do it all, and 
when breakfast la ready Is too tired to enjoy 
the meal. And she often has to sot the table 
and wash Iho dishes, with a baby In one arm 
and another little one clinging to her skirts. 
Then cornea the cleaning up, washing dishes, 
sweeping, chamber-work, churning, baking, 
cooking dinner, and cleaning up again; and 
one pair of hands to do it all. Perhaps she 
has about an hour to sit down and rest her 
aching body In the afternoon. She caste long¬ 
ing glances at the solitary newspaper lying on 
the table, but baby must have n new dress, hus¬ 
band's stockings need darning, and an over¬ 
flowing sewing basket stares her in the face. 
She has no sewing-machine, as her husband 
said that heoould not afford It; but that, same 
d ly he bought a now-fashioned reaper, notwith¬ 
standing ho already lmd two or three. She 
loves music, reading and flowers, but he grum¬ 
bles that they all cost time and money, and so 
she travels in the same road, year in and year 
out, with nothing but the cradle, kitchen and 
washboard to occupy both mind and hands. 
The farmer often goes to town and hoars 
people talking about past, present and future 
events, and comes home refreshed, wondering 
why his wife Is so still and never talks about 
anything Interesting. How In the flame at 
common senso can a woman besimply a drudge 
and then talk about politics and so forth. Put 
a man In her place, and he would be almost 
crazy in a week, as the daily routine of dish¬ 
washing, baby-tending, and cooking Is not cal¬ 
culated to enliven any true woman’s spirits. 
Now, let the farmer sell off some of his super¬ 
fluous acres and build a convenient house, fur¬ 
nishing It comfortably; have a largo flower 
garden, but not leave the spading, etc., to his 
wife; buy a sewing-machine, washing-machine, 
wringer, and every machine he can think of 
that will save manual labor. Subscribe for 
half a dozen papers, religious, agricultural and 
local, and purchase a few good hooks. Let his 
wife select them, as then they will bo sure to 
be both interesting and useful. Get a small, 
light carriage, and a steady, gentle horse, so 
that his wife can take tho children and occa¬ 
sionally drive around the country, and he has 
no idea how It will brighten her up. Lot her 
have necessary help In the kitchen, so that she 
may have a resting spell during tho duy. In¬ 
stead of sitting by the stove In the kitchen all 
the evening go to tho cosy sitting-room, where 
there are, or should be, hooks and papers for 
the older members of the family, and toys and 
picture-books for the children. 
Try this plan, arid In less than a year’s time 
Ouk Young Friends can secure “Good Pay 
Tor Doing Good” by forming clubs for the 
Ruhal for 1874. VVc offer very Liberal Premi¬ 
ums to Hoys and Girls, as well as to other 
people, and will send our Premium List, &u., to 
all who apply for the same. 
THE RAY OF LIGHT 
cheerless, cold, back room, lay, tossing rest¬ 
lessly upon a wretched straw lied, a little boj 
uf eight or ten years. He was all atone, and 
evening was coming on fast,. How cold In 
was, poor little follow I There was no lire, no 
carpet, no furniture even, save the miserable 
bed upon which lie lay and a broken chair 
How lonely he was, with only the sound of thi 
mice running up and down In tho walls. They 
never entered Unit, room, those little mice, foi 
long ago they had discovered that in the 
Widow .1 onus’s room there was actually noth¬ 
ing for them to uihldc, So Tommy could onij 
Wfltcb tho many windows of the row of liouser 
in tho street back of the alley in which iu 
lived, ami count (he different colored curt alto 
belonging to each bouse. And whwo war 
Tommy’s mother? you ask. She was so pool 
that every day she left homo to seek work oi 
some kind, either washing, or cleaning, oi 
scrubbing floors. Until her return, the Litth 
sick boy had to be patient and cheerful as Iu 
coilld by himself, for no one else In the build 
lng gave him a thought. He had boon sick t 
long time with rheumatism and lever, but hh 
mother could not afford to call a doctor, and 
Indeed, poor woman, she did not really know 
tho true nature of i,he child's disease. So she 
hoped and trusted from day to day that he 
would recover, and every Sunday read to him 
from an old Bible which she had obtained in 
some way long ago. When, each night, she re¬ 
turned to him, they would eat their bit oi 
bread and try to be cheerful together. Bui 
lately Tomm y seemed worse, and could not eat, 
and on thu morning of the day my sketch be¬ 
gins the widow had left her boy with a verj 
anxious hejj.rt; and now while evening came 
on fast, she was feeling very badly because ol 
being delayed beyond her usual hour for leav- 
ng off work. 
Ono by one the lights in tho rear windows of 
the houses which Tommy looked at while lying 
in bis bed came flashing out on the darkness, 
bat the brightness was shrouded from him 
presently by the close, warm curtains at each 
window. And so the boy’s eyes ere long bad 
nothing upon Which to rest, and he turned his 
head wearily while the tears ran down his 
checks. All of a sudden t here flashed across 
his bed a bright ray, and Tommy saw it come 
from a window directly opposite his room, and 
that t he curtains were yet undrawn. The light 
which sent Its rays from out a warm, comfort¬ 
able room across the darkness and into Tom¬ 
my’s room, stood upon a table, and the sick 
boy could see a lady and gentleman sitting be¬ 
side it reading. Then there presently came 
another figure, that of a boy his own age, appar¬ 
ently, who stood against the gentleman’s knee 
anu looked up into the lady's face contentedly. 
Pretty soon the father bowed Ms head and 
kissed bis Bon tenderly, and the light flushed 
PROBLEM.—No. 14 
The side of the greatest square that can be 
described In a given right-angled triangle is 20 
rods iu length; while the area of the greatest 
circle that can be Inscribed in the triangle is 
equal to one-half tho area of I he triangle. Re¬ 
quired, tho sides of t ho t riangle.' 
J iil tu iX U ’ U.lilU4h.(f l 
figure, 30 rods to the Inch. 
i27" Answer in two weeks. 
WORD-PUZZLE. No. 6 
LAnimals enigmatically expressed.] 
1. Two-thirds of a measure, a man’s nick¬ 
name, and a small insect. 
2. Three-fourths of a bird, a fish, and a false¬ 
hood, transposed. 
3. The whole, myself, three-fourths of an en¬ 
trance, and a conjunction, 
4. A consonant aud part of the body. 
5. A part of the body, a man’s nickname, un¬ 
well, and a vowel. 
fi. A river, a consonant, a small vessel, a 
preposition and a vowel. 
7. A part of tho body, a river, a vessel, a verb 
and a pronoun. j. jf. Shkuk. 
Answer in two weeks. 
FEMININE FELICITIES 
The last instance of originality in a marriage 
announcement is ihc following: “No cards, 
no cakes, no fuss.” 
The dressmakers are the best supporters of 
newspapers they pattern-iae every one that 
falls into their hands. 
A good excuse for married ladles to Indulge 
in tight lacing is that—” in good housekeeping 
there should bo no waste.” 
A lady says she always feels well dressed 
when she Las on handsome fitting gloves and 
shoes, no matter how plain t he rest of her dress 
may be. 
In Paris a lover caught the smallpox of the 
girl ho loved. They both wore sick a month, 
when she came out without a mark on her face, 
and he looked awful speck fed, gho pitted lum 
and married him. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS. - Nov. 29 
Transposition of Letters No. 2.— 
Its | eon.Hole nee’*) slightest touches Instant pauso 
Debar aslile pretenses. ' 
Ami resolutely keep Its laws, 
Uncaring consequences.-f»iw«». 
Anacjhamh No. 2.-1, William ; 2, Benjamin 
3, Catharine; 4, Jonathan; 5, Magdalene; I 
Andrew. 
Concealed Fruit No. 1.—1, Orange; 2, Peacl 
3, Pear; 4, Plum ; 5, Lemon; 6, Apple; 7, Cut 
rant. 
Charade No. L—Rosebud. 
