,t SV!AB€H 27 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
|mttjfolur. 
NAE KISS BEFORE FOLK. 
Beha vf. yonrsel' before folk, 
And dinna be sne rude to me 
As kiss me sae before folk. 
It’s nae through hatred o’ a kiss 
That t *ne plainly tell yon this; 
But ah! I tak’ it sae amiss 
To be sue teased before foik. 
Behave jorsel’ before folk ; 
When we re alone, ye may tak’ one, 
But nenta ane before folk. 
Te tell me that my face Is fair; 
It may be sue—I dlnnn care— 
But ne’er again gar’t blush sae eolr 
As ye hue duno before folk. 
Ye tell me that my lips are sweet; 
Sic talcs, l doubt, are a deceit,— 
At any rale, Vfs hardly meet 
To prie their sweets before folk. 
But. gin you really do insist 
That i should suffer to be kissed, 
Gae gel a license from the priest 
And make me yours before folk; 
Behave yoursel' before folk, 
And when we’re ane, baith flesh and bane. 
Ye may tak ten—before folk. 
— ■ 4 ♦ >- 
A WELCOME WINTER VISITOR. 
BY KITTA KEEP. 
It was clear, bright and frosty,—tho ther¬ 
mometer less than a dozen degrees above 
zero,—a beautiful, bracing morning; just sucli 
an one as a healthy, active person delights to 
be out In, and the tender invalid likes to look 
out upon. A light snow had fallen tho evening 
previous, and every vine and shrub and tree 
seemed decked In fleecy garlands, as If rejoicing 
that the somber clouds were broken, and the 
long-hidden sun had once more come to glad¬ 
den the Ice-bound earth. 
As I was quietly pursuing my household du¬ 
ties, thinking pleasant thoughts of the children 
who had kissed mo good-by, and gone out in¬ 
to the glorious sunlight for a long walk to 
school, I was somewhat startled by hearing a 
fluttering and thumping noise behind me. i 
had supposed myself alone In the house, (with 
the exception of Mrs. Puss, who was just theu 
indulging In a “free lunch " I had provided for 
her,) so, turning hastily to discover Its cause, I 
was surprised to see a beautiful brown bird 
flying about, very much at borne, having gained 
an entrance through a window I had opened a 
few minutes before. Soon It discovered In an 
adjoining room the window where my plants 
were basking in tho bright sunshine, and with 
joyous notes it flew towards them, flitting out 
and in among the delicate vines that draped 
the window, and, finally settling upon a luxuri¬ 
ant fuchsia, poured forth a glad, happy song, 
which to my enraptured cars seemed the sweet¬ 
est music I bad ever heard. It realty seemed, 
for the moment, as though the glad spring-time 
had come, both to pie and the darling birdie, 
and the snow-covered eartli and chilling air 
were alike forgotten. 
"But pussy, too, had heard the warbling, and, 
leaving her lunch unfinished, was excitedly pre¬ 
paring to sprlDg upon our unceremonious visi¬ 
tor. But. birdie, alarmed, and uot appearing to 
relish quite so warm a reception, ceased its 
song and in Its fright beat frantically against 
the window panes, in Its endeavors to escape. 
Promptly administering severe rebuke to the 
animated feline, I tried, with soft and gentle 
words, to sooth and reasure the little songster, 
but all in vain; and, lowering the window, re¬ 
gretfully allowed it to depart in peace. But, 
though its stay was short, It had fullllled a 
blessed mission, leaving the inspiration of its 
cheerful song echoing through every chamber 
of my heart, lifting, lightening and strengthen¬ 
ing it. 
Many weeks have passed since that, to 
me memorable morning, during vyhlch there 
have been days of such wintry severity as to 
“ try men's souls," bill the memory of birdie's 
visit, ever fresh and exhilarating—a mental 
oasis in mid-winter existence -has brightened 
them all, rendering the most cheerless ones iier- 
fectly endurable. 
When J was a little girl I was told that a bird 
flying into the house was a sure sign that there 
would be a death in the family within a certain 
length of time: consequently tlieii visits were 
looked upon by me as anything but a pleasant 
omen. But, as we were frequently favored 
with In-door calls from the feathored tribe 
during the warmer seasons, and as I never could 
discover those calls to foreshadow such an 
event, I gradually outgrew the fear, and came 
to regard the sign as an "old woman's fable." 
Still, somehow, it 1ms an unpleasant way of in¬ 
truding upon my thoughts at first sight of a 
stray bird in tho house. 
As the influence of our early years clings so 
tenaciously to our lives, how important it is 
that they should be of a healthy nature, and 
how carefully should we guard the little ones 
from superstition and fear, or aught that may 
embitter the peace and happiness of their 
childhood and youth. 
Vine Cottage, March, 1875. 
4 ♦ »- 
Eighteen students, five of them women, have 
just been graduated by the Hahrieman Society 
of the Homeopathic Hospital College of Cleve¬ 
land. 
THE “LEADING MAN IN THE TOWN.” 
BY MARY A. E. WAGER. 
" If you marry,” said a lady to her visiting 
friend, "don’t let it be to tho leading man in 
the town.” 
The visitor smiled curiously, and asked, 
“ Why?” " Why, look at me—consider my 
fate. There can’t be a meeting held iu the vil¬ 
lage but Tom must be present. All the ambu¬ 
lating preachers, lecturers. pfoiiB panoramic 
show-makers, book canvassers, patent-right 
travelers, agents for this thing and that, but are 
directed to Tom, and our house becomes a gra¬ 
tuitous hotel for all these straggling vagabonds. 
If I remonstrate because I am without a hired 
girl, or tired half to death, Tom says“ Oh, 
don’t go to any trouble; put. on an extra plate 1 
Goodness me! I don’t see why it. should make 
any special difference in your work." Of course 
I want to be hospitable and all that, but 1 dou’t 
enjoy being burdened with unwelcome visitors, 
whose society and conversation are valueless, 
and who haven’t manners enough to say, when 
departing, a few civil words of thanks for their 
food and shelter. And you’ve little Idea how 
we are overrun, especially In the winter season, 
with fellows of tenth-rale brains, who, being 
out of employment, or too lazy to do manual 
work, saddle themselves upon us poor country 
town folk with their ten, twenty-five or thirty 
cent, "entertainments," ortheir fr*©on«s, when 
they take up a collection, and sponge their 
living.” 
Knowing the lady. It was easy to understand 
how, with the “ principal man in the place" for 
her husband, her hospitality was sadly imposed 
upon. Although very delicate in health, she 
hud the faculty of keeping her house and table 
in such excellent order and condition as to im¬ 
press people with the idea that her work moved 
of itself, and that an additional Individual to 
dinner, breakfast or ten, to st op over night or to 
lounge till day in her parlor, added In ho wise 
to her cares. 8he said she hud been hoping for 
years to entertain an "angel unawares,” but 
that, thus far these sbtf-tnvited guests had 
proved to be anything but angelic, and as for 
having a quiet, evening witli Tom she no longer 
hoped It; for,to combat the grange and the 
post, the prayer meetings, church and school 
meeting, with tho hundred other meetings, 
looked altogether too formidable. There 
seemed no relief for her but. outright, rebellion, 
or a determination on the part of her husband 
to sacrifice his popularity in behalf of bis wife’s 
health and happiness—a thing but far too few 
men have the manliness to do. 
It would seem that. In most communities, 
there ought to be sufficient sympathy and 
thoughtfulness among neighbors to share the 
burden of entertai ling these philanthropic pil¬ 
grims, these traveling nuisances if, indeed, 
tho people must submit to the Imposition. It 
certainly forms a Held for doing good well 
worth exploring, and women who have a 
"Tom’h wifo” amongst them may rejoice her 
grateful heart, and relieve her burden of work 
and care, bv a volunteer offer to entertain the 
revivalist parson, the temperance lecturer or 
baranguer on politics or social rights or wrongs, 
In any event would It not be in keeping with 
the Scriptural injunction, "Bear ye one an¬ 
other’s burdens?” 
-- 44-4 - 
TWO WAYS OF DESCRIBING A HUSBAND. 
A married lady, compelled to show her let¬ 
ters to her husband, sent the following to a 
friend: 
I cannot be satisfied, my dearest friend, 
blest, as lam in the matrimonial state, 
unless I pour Into your friendly bosom, 
which was always in unison with mine, 
the various sensations which swell 
with the liveliest emotions of pleasure, 
my almost burning heart. My dear 
husband is the most amiable of men. 
I have been murriod seven weeks, and 
have never found the least reason to 
repent tho act, as my husband is 
in person and manners unlike the 
ugly, cross, disagreeable, and jealous 
men, who tliilik by confining to secure. 
A wife it is his maxim to treat as a 
bosom friend and companion, not as a 
menial, slave, or plaything the woman 
of his choice-Neither party, 
he says, should always obey implicitly, 
but yield to each other in turns. 
An ancient maiden aunt, near seveuty, 
a cheerful, venerable and kind old lady, 
is staying with us-she is the de¬ 
light of both young and old ; she Is ci¬ 
vil to all the neighborhood around, 
generous ami charitable to the poor. 
My husband likes nothing better 
than he does me; lie flatters me more 
than the glass, and his intoxication 
(for bo I call the excess of his love) 
makes me blush for the unworthiness 
of its object. I wish T was deserving 
of the man whose name I bear. To 
say all in one word-and to 
crown the whole-my former love 
is now my own husband, my fondness 
is returned, and I might have had 
a prince, without the felicity 1 find in 
him. Adieu! be you as blest as I’m un¬ 
able to wish that I could be more 
happy. 
Explanation.— Read the first line, and theu 
every other only, 
Heading far tliq |[amtg. 
WATCHING FOR FATHER. 
There’s a little face at the window, 
And two dimpled hands on the pane ; 
And somebody’s eyes are Used upon 
Tho gate at tho end of tho lime. 
The hills have caught the shadow 
Which heralds tho coming night, 
And the lane, with Its flowery fringe, grows dim 
To the watcher’s anxious sight. 
Where, half way down, 
l.ikc a glittering crown, 
A (ire-fly band nave clustered 
Hound nn aster’s leal • 
A royal chief— 
A driven herd are mustered. 
Away behind, 
With busy mind. 
But n step that Is tight and free, 
And a sun-burnt l uce 
On which the trace 
Of a hard day’s work you see. 
Comes the farmer home from toll, 
Driving tho cows before him; 
And the child-eyes, strained at the window there, 
Were the first In the liuuao that saw him. 
Ah ! would, when the day Is done 
And I leave my earns behind me, 
I could have such a pair of winsome eyes 
Searching the night, to tlnd me! 
[.Veto Vork Evening Post. 
- 4 - 4-4 - 
ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. 
BY PROF. WM. It. BROOKS. 
There are now visible in the early evening 
sotnp of the most brilliant of the fixed stars and 
constellations. At about eight o’clock in the 
evening, nearly duo south, at nn altitude of 48° 
—or half way betweon the horizon ami tho ze¬ 
nith, is the constellation of Orion, represented 
in the accompanying diagram. 
Orion is the most brilliant constellation visi¬ 
ble at any time of your In” the northern hemis¬ 
phere. The three stars across the center of 
the group are known as the belt of Orion : and 
tho three Just below the belt as the sword or 
club. 
The brightest stars of the constellation Itigol 
and Beteigeux are Of the first magnitude. Itigol 
is bluish white, and is lu the southern part of 
tho constellation, lietelgeux Is reddish and 
farther north. Apparently not far from this 
star and somewhat west, of It, is another red, 
first magnitude star, Aldebaran. A little fur¬ 
ther removed and west of Aldebaran, is the 
small yet beautiful constellation known as the 
Pleiades, sometimes erroneously called the Lit¬ 
tle Dipper. Only seven or eight stars can be 
seen witli good eyes; but In the telescope from 
one to three hundred spring into view, present¬ 
ing a most enchanting appearance, and has, 
perhaps, been art object of greater interest and 
admiration than any other single constellation. 
The brightest star in tills group Is Alcyone. 
Rather more distant from Betelgeux than 
Aldebaran is, and In the opposite direction, 
Procyon ia situated. It. forms one corner of a 
great diamond-shaped figure, with Sirius, Kigel 
and Betelgeux at the other corners. 
Considerably to tho north of Aldebaran and 
Betelgeux Is Capolla. ft Is brighter than any 
of the stars just named except Sirius. Past of 
Capelin are two rather bright stars, Castor and 
Pollux. Pollux Is the brighter of the two. Of 
Sirius we may speak somewhat at length In a 
future paper. 
“ Red House Ob.," Phelps, N. Y.. March 3, ’75. 
.- 44-4 -- 
BOYS AND CLISIOCAMPA. 
Some people think little hoys are not good 
for anything but to be troublesome, but they 
would change their minds if they saw us In the 
orchard every moderate winter day after stud¬ 
ies are finished. Stanton is five years old, 
Jamie nearly seven, and Willib not yet half¬ 
past eight. They start out with me, those three 
little brothers, armed with a long, hooked stick 
and an old fruit can. With the stick we pull 
down a branch on which are the rings of the 
Clisioc.amixi , and with thumb and finger take 
them off and deposit them in the can. Every 
night papa counts the rings and pays us a cent 
for eveyy dozen gathered. Some afternoons 
this winter I have taken off three hundred, and 
the small boys average a hundred each, and 
this after study hours. We have an orchard of 
over a thousand trees, and as some of our 
neighbors are Idle enough to allow the cater¬ 
pillar to eat up leaves and blossoms of their 
fruit, and forest, trees, It makes quite a work 
for us to keep ours clear. It is pleasant work 
when the snow Is firm and the day not too 
cold, and if it were not for our winter search¬ 
ing we could not save our trees, as there is al¬ 
ways a number of webs left that are overlook¬ 
ed. The eggs are generally on a terminal shoot, 
and each ring contains three or four hundred, 
covered with a waterproof varnish. Besides 
the C. .1 wi-rim nn. ami ttie C. Stii'dUcu, there are 
many curious and destructive insects to bo 
found in an orchard. The canker worm lays 
its eggs something iu the same way, and Orgifia 
Inwoit/oma, which lays Its eggs on the leaves 
and unites them to the leaf and to each otbor 
by a gummy substance. Occasionally we find a 
cocoon of the AUicn# (, Vrrepta, which is taken 
into the house to be hatched out,—ami It Is 
curious and wonderful to watch and wait for 
that process, and see the beautiful moth for 
the first time unfold Its wings. So wo search 
and hunt for these insects that would destroy 
our orchard, and while we like to bo paid for 
our labor arc better pleased, when summer 
comes, to see our trees thrifty and clean, while 
those that are neglected arc an eyesore to the 
scenery, to say nothing of the Btiving of dollars. 
John g. Jack. 
Hillside, Chateauguay Basin, Canada East. 
.- 44-4 --—- 
WOULD YOU. 
Would you keep your rosy complexion, wear 
thick soled shoes. 
Would you enjoy quiet cont.eut, do away with 
airs and pretenses. 
Would you have others respect your opinions, 
hold and never disown them yourself. 
Would you have good health, go out in tho 
sunshine. Sickness is worse than freckles. 
Would you respect yourself, keep your heart 
and body clean. 
Would you retain the love of a friend, do not 
be selfishly exacting. 
Would you gain the confidence of business 
men, do not try to support the style of your 
employer. 
Would you never bo told a lie, do not ask 
personal questions. 
Would yott sleep, well and have a good appe¬ 
tite, attend to your own business. 
Would you have the respect of men, never 
permit yourself to Indulge in vulgar conversa¬ 
tion. 
®he flutter. 
MISCELLANEOUS ENIGMA.—No. 4. 
I am composed of r>0 letters ; 
My 16, 45, 8, 8t, 28, 23, 40 are a warlike people. 
My 0, 36,10, 10, 40 is a wild animal. 
My 50, 41, 12, 34 Is a kind of tree. 
My 33, 7, 14 is wh.it lovers are apt to do. 
My 4,20, 47, 0, 38, 29 is frequently made use of in 
schools. 
My 33, 25, 44, 37 is a city in Europe. 
My 13, 48, 20, 11 ia a mineral. 
My 27, 35, 1,24, 10 Is a measure. 
My 3, 50, 30, 43, 5 is a kind of fish. 
My 15,22, 40,30 Ik a part of the human body. 
My 3, 43, 31,17 are small, Industrious insects. 
My 31, 8,18, 29,14 means to fetch. 
My whole comprises tho name of a celebrated 
author and two of his works. j. m. s. 
83ST“ Answer in two weeks. 
■-»♦» 
DIAMOND PUZZLE,—No. 1. 
A consonant. For what reason. To crush. 
A place for anchoring ships. Pertaining to the 
ocean god. State of being obscured. Tho 
quality of being attributed to. I l 'our-slded. 
The name of a paper. The fact of being a Pres¬ 
byterian. A witness yet to be examined. Per¬ 
taining to porphery. To reduce to method. 
To emigrate. Part of the human body. A sign 
of the Zodiac. A consonant. Centrals, both 
down and across, form the name of a paper. 
0?" Answer iu two weeks. Little One. 
-»♦« 
DOUBLE ACROSTIC.-No. 2. 
1. A station on the Erie Railway. 2. A city 
of Canada. 3. A city of China. 4. A river of 
Egypt. 5. A cold country. 6. One of the United 
Slates. My initials form the capital of the State 
formed by my finals. L, 
Answer in two weeks. 
• - « ♦ «-• 
CENTRAL PUZZLE.—No. 2. 
1. Part of a circle. 2. A personal pronoun. 
3. A city of Thibet. 4. A personal pronoun. 5. 
A river of Europe. 0. A river of Austria. 7. A 
city of India. 8. A natural fluid, solidified. 
These are all words of three letters, and the 
centrals form a useful and pleasant study. 
Answer In two weeks. o. 
■- 4 » 4 . 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-March 13. 
Illustrated Rebus No. 4.—Woodman, spare 
that tree. 
Mythological Enigma No. 1.—“ Cherish the 
buds of pity, and they will bloom with benev¬ 
olence.” 
