rfi—’- 
MAY <5 
MOORE’S RURAL MEW -YORKER. 
323 
Judies' fotjtjjolio. 
THIS BABY OF OURS. 
THERE'S not a blossom of beautiful May. 
Silver of daisy or daffodil gay. 
Nor the rosy bloom of apple-tree flowers. 
Fair as the face of this baby of ours. 
You could never And on a bright June day 
A bit of fair siy so cheery and gay. 
Nor the hare on the hills, In noonday hours, 
Blue as the eyes of this baby of ours. 
There’s not a murmur of wakening bird, 
The clearest, sweetest that ever was heard 
In the tender hush of the dawn’s still hours, 
Soft as the laugh of this baby of ours. 
There's no gossamer silk of tassoled corn, 
No flimsiest thread of the shy wood-fern. 
Not even the cobweb spread over the flowers, 
Fine as the hair of this baby of ours. 
There’s uo fairy shell by the sounding soa, 
No wild rose that nods on the windy lea, 
No Oltwh of the sun through April’s soft showers 
Fink as tint palms of this baby of ours. 
May the dear Lord spare her to us, we pray, 
For many a long and sunshiny day, 
Ere he takes to bloom In Paradise bowt rs, 
This wee bit darling -this baby of ours. 
TWO HOMES CONTRASTED. 
BY MAY MAPLE. 
I have Just returned from a visit to Aunt 
Ruth's, and it has been such a quiet, restful 
season that I almost wish my stay had been 
prolonged Indefinitely. Auntie has so much 
systematizing with her work that there Is never 
any hurry or worry apparent to the lookor-on. 
There were from 6cven to ten In the family the 
most of the time, yet Aunt Ruth and her four¬ 
teen-year-old daughter did all the work. In¬ 
cluding the sowing and knitting, for t he family. 
Uncle Ralph Is a farmer on a small scale. 
But his fifty acres are made us rich and fertile 
as possible, and they yield good crops, thus 
affording the family a good, substantial living; 
but there is a small margin for expensive lux¬ 
uries. There were no extravagancies In dress, 
though all were well clad; Auntie and her 
daughter were dressed In good taste and mod¬ 
erately fashionable. Throe sleek, fat cows 
graced the Tarmyard, and the milk and butter 
produced supplied the ladles with pin money, 
besides furnishing the table. They make 11 gilt- 
edged butter," and or course that always com¬ 
mands the highest, market price. The "pin 
money” provides them with all their clotlios 
and furnishes the house from year to year with 
the conveniences that every farm-house needs 
to lighten labor. 
Jennie and the boys planned the wood-box, 
which is filled from the wood-house, thus saving 
a great deal of broom work The top of the box 
has a painted cover, shutting down with a slant 
in the kitchen. Of course this cover could not 
he used as a shelf, thereby causing inconve¬ 
nience and delay when a stick of wood was 
wanted, A cistern, with a good working pump 
aud sink, graced one corner of the kitchen; 
also a drain for dishes. On wash days a good 
washing machine and wringer were visible. 
Two boms was suffiolent time to do the family 
washing. The floor was painted, so that it re¬ 
quired but a few momonts to wipe away the 
drops of wator and the dust. Aunt Item spent 
an hour each morning attending to the dairy, 
churning and working over butter; she used 
one of the best patent churns. 
The 6ittlog-room was furnished with a sow¬ 
ing machine — also one for knitting, — easy 
ohalre, books, papers and periodicals. A few 
landscape paintings, by the best artists, taste¬ 
fully framed (the work of their own hands), 
graced the walls; a few choice geraniums, in a 
flourishing condition, occupied the south win¬ 
dow, filling the air with fragrance and orna¬ 
menting the room with their fresh, green foli¬ 
age. The parlor was neatly furnished, but 
with no attempt at ostentatious display. Ose 
steel engraving, elegantly framed, decked the 
walls. This was "Birthday Morning, or The 
Gardener’s Present,” a beautiful work of art, 
as all testified who beheld it. But the atttlng- 
room was the place for a restful visit. Here 
auntie, Jennie and I spent long mornings with 
our work, reading, or gossipplog about various 
authors, as circumstances or Inclination dic¬ 
tated. 
There waBno occasion for fretting, for Uncle 
Ralph and has three stalwart hoys kept the 
work In splendid trim out of doors, and fre¬ 
quently found time to spend an lu.ur or two 
with us In the middle of the day. They usually 
quit work at 11 o'clock and returned at 1:30. 
There were several rainy day3 in succession. 
"Adread to everyone,” you will say. Not so 
to Aunt Ruth and her family; the work was 
no harder; there was no more confusion than 
on other days;—no muddy tracks to be wiped 
away or to he fretted about. And why? Be¬ 
cause there was a clean plank walk to every 
bulldiug and upon the street In front or the 
house. Aunt Ruth called these walks her 
“silk dress." The cows and machines helped 
to get all these conveniences, because they 
were In the hands of a woman who made “do¬ 
mestic-economy” a study. 
I could not help contrasting this delightful 
visit with one I made some years ago at Cousin 
Palmer's. The farm was a large one and sup¬ 
ported a dairy of nine cows, the proceeds of 
which Cousin Palmer gave to bis wife and two 
daughters. There were fourteen In the family, 
including the hired help. Three of these were 
“women folk,” in good health end strength. 
But System had never found her way to this 
mansion; consequently it was a continual hur¬ 
ry and bustle, week In and week out. The 
washing was performed In the old-fashioned 
way, the pounding barrel and tub standing In 
the kitchen two days of the week, and Cousin 
Palmer's wife and daughters scolding and 
fretting at each other, making Interludes and 
preludes anything but agreeable. The water 
was all brought from a well several rods from 
the house, and of course had to go through tho 
process of cleansing, Three cisterns had been 
built, but had not been properly finished ; the 
consequence was, when It came cold weather 
the cisterns, oue after another, “gave out." 
If the season was dry, water must ho drawn for 
the house from the creek, two miles distant;— 
not for lack of springs, for there were several 
good ones on the farm, but never time to dig 
them deeper and build lanes to them. 
The crops were seldom gathered In season, 
and yet the watchword was always, “ Hurry, 
hurry t” Hours were occupied each day with 
the old.fashlouod churn, dashing, dashing 
away. If the boys came Into the house there 
was always a scolding and ploklng-up time. 
Mrs. Palmer was always In a groat hurry with 
her sewing, though much <>[ their clothing was 
purchased ready-made. With the exception of 
the parlor the whole hou«e was lu a state of 
confusion. 
Pictures were a mania with cousin’s wife. 
Her walls were literally covered with splendid 
works of art. The price of almost any one of 
them would have been sufficient to purchase 
oue of the best washing machines, including a 
wringer. And there wore paintings enough In 
bor parlor, over aud above what good taste 
would dictate, to have paid for the best sewing 
machine extant. A piano and organ graced 
the music-room, hut there never was any time 
to discourse 3weet music, and thus drive both 
care and frowns from the brow. Tim windows 
of her sitting-room wero all filled with exotica 
of various and expensive varieties, and they 
were really beautiful; but so many of them 
needed such tender care that they wore fre¬ 
quently the cause of sharp contentions. The 
opening or shutting of a door at improper 
tlraos was likely to cause a blight, if not utter 
ruin. 
The country paper was all the reading matter 
that regularly visited the outwardly-splendid 
mansion, and that was seldom read, excepting 
by myself, during’ my stay of four weeks. Some 
splendidly-bound volumes were upon the ni»r- 
blo-tor center-table; they had boon Urn re for 
years, and yet their leaves remained uncut, 
the pages unexatnined. "The Lives of the 
Presidents," "The History of the Great Rebel¬ 
lion," and several others, that were bought on 
subscription and supposed to be fash/tcrMiblt 
works. 
Extravagance, confusion, "snaps aud snarls " 
reigned within the house, and out of doors It 
was no better Wretched management was 
everywhere seen, tn rusty, broken machinery, 
and wagons and farming Utensils scattered 
about the yard and farm. There wero tool 
shops and wagon sheds, nicely finlslmd to or¬ 
der, hut not an article In its proper place. The 
fenoee were full of “gaps." and unruly ani¬ 
mals were constantly making depredations 
upon forbidden fruit. Sons and daughters wore 
anxious to leave home; and who In hi-,senses 
could wonder? They would fain "sell their 
birthright for a mess of pottage," If by so doing 
they could gain a quiet rest and the peace tiuit 
pasaeth understanding. Anything that would 
give them a ohango from the turmoils of home 
wa 3 most desirable. 
Jttadinji for the fmtnci. 
THE LITTLE BOY'S WATCH. 
Dear little Dick, curled up by the Are, 
Sat wfttchtuE the shadows come nod go. 
As the dancing flames leaped higher and higher. 
Flooding the room with a mellow glow. 
His chubby hand on his ftdo was pressed, 
And he t urned for a moment a listening ear : 
“ Mother!" be cried, " I’ve got a watch ! 
I can feel it ticking right under here 1" 
“ yes, Dick: tin n-wntoh that God has mado, 
To mark your hours as they flv away; 
Ho holds the key in His mighty hand, 
And keeps it lu order night and day. 
“ Should no put aside the roystto key. 
Or lay His Uaud on the tiny spring, 
The wheels would stop and your watch run down, 
And Us lu your bosom a lifeless thing." 
He crept to my side and whispered soft, 
While his baby voice had an awe-struck sound: 
•< i vrlsh you would ask Him. toother dear. 
To be sure and remember to keep It wound I” 
--- 
SOME OF OLD BOREAS’ PRANKS. 
BY MINNEHAHA. 
ROOM FOR THE “ THIRD SEX.” 
There ia growing up In England a large class 
of women who do not marry, who do not wish 
to marry, but who apparently wish not to mar¬ 
ry. They deliberately devote themselves to 
literaturo, to teaching, to aome trade,generally 
an artistic one—at any rate to some occupation 
that gives a livelihood and tends to culture— 
and this they choose for llfo. The marrying 
Instinct seems dead, or rather never to have 
been born In them. I have known at least one 
Htioh person In this country. They do not seem 
to be thought of as out of place; but on the 
contrary they move Into fit pluoea In the great 
sooletal organism, easily and naturally, and are 
accepted without remark. A l<*te article lu one 
of the leading papers of our own oountry re¬ 
marked that an ulmostentlre change had taken 
place In this country In current speech concern¬ 
ing unmarried women who arc past 30; that 
whereas, 20 years ago and always bofore, they 
were called “old maids,” and the phrase was a 
te.-m of reproach, now It was raro’y if ever 
used, and the reproach, which used to bo oast 
upon such persons, has almost entirely passed 
away. 
-» » »- 
After all the fixings, how much Is left of 
quiet, oontented aud satisfied life? Isn’t moat 
of living working and oontriving, with Inci¬ 
dental enjoyment ? Getting ready for a pleas¬ 
ure Is the largest part of It. 
IF the subtle mixture of good and evil pre¬ 
pares suffering for human truth and purity, 
there Is also suffering prepared Tor the wrong¬ 
doer by the same mingled conditions. 
We had a breeze at our house to-day, though 
that is not unusual; we frequently do have. 
Now do not look wise, for this was not caused 
by tongues, but. old Boreas himself, and was a 
little extra, for he rngod ami tore round as if 
the hoot-jack was missing. I am not, posltlvo 
that old Boreas wears boots, but am quite sure 
he nearly kicked the hreuth out of my body ns 
I stopped out or doors. I was hurrying about 
to secure tho blinds when the queer antics of 
two buckets attracted my attention. One of 
them was sc thoroughly overcome that It had 
collapsed, and the bottom of It made a flying 
leap to the fence, some yards distant. The 
other was galloping toward the barn at a rate 
that must have been highly satisfactory to tho 
pet Alderney who, peering through the gate, 
nodded familiarly as she saw it approaching. 
She was acquainted with that. pall. It was a 
dear friend of Imrs, for many a nice lunch had 
if carried her night and morning, the only 
trouble being that never before had It traveled 
quick enough to suit her. 
Then I bethought me of the clothes line and 
directed my gaze toward It—or where, a few 
moments bafore, there hud bteu one with snowy 
clothes thereon. Rushing out to secure them 
I discovered that the ground underneath the 
long table doth had been swept as clean as if 
b> a ffcddonabla lady’s train : but I did not stop 
to sigh over this, for the f.implo reason that 1 
did not have any breath to waste. Where, 0 
whore was the shirt that had hung beside It ? 
I am not a superior mathematician myself, but 
we live about eleven miles from Lhe Delaware 
lllver, and as the wind was traveling with a ve¬ 
locity of seventy mileB per hour, will some wtse 
boy or girl tell me how many hours It would 
Hint shirt to reach the Atlantic and how 
many buttons there would be left? 1 think 
anyone will Justify mein my wishes to know of 
Us welfare, as It was a uew one and 1 made it 
myself. When I tell you that papa Is an Editor 
yon will the mure readily appreciate my anxiety, 
though be does not know 1 have been talking 
about his wardrobe. 
Speaking of shirts reminds me of what Web¬ 
ster S. says In this week’s Rural, and I think 
tho girls will join with me In saying that we do 
like to chatter with the boys who are " starched 
up”- but when It comes to good, honest friend¬ 
ship, you will find we choose those In dark 
shirts and large, generous hearts, before one in 
speckless bosom and gold studB, whose heart is 
not so spotless. 
New Jersey, March 17, 1875, 
with eyes aglow and cheeks flushed with the 
last kiss of Winter 1 See how lightly she trips 
down the hillsides and o'er the meadows, un¬ 
locking the frozen streamlets with her mogio 
wand, while her low, sweet song nwakos the 
sleeping grasses and tiny flowrets. Anon they 
raise their heads and open their eyes to assure 
themselves that it is time to awaken. Be not 
timid, little blossoms. The sun and dewdrops 
will welcome you, and loving eyes are anxiously 
waiting to greet you with admiring glances. 
Young life seems very beautiful in spring¬ 
time ; one Is filled with fresh hopes as delicately 
tinted as the heart of a wild violet. The awak¬ 
ening or Nature fills one with energy. “ For¬ 
ward !" Is the watchword. Every blade of grass 
seems to urge us on to the accomplishment of 
good deeds. The contemplation of tho beauti¬ 
ful In Nature Alls the mind with pure, sweet 
thoughts, that. lift, one' above the dust and toll 
of everyday life. “Our little life Is rounded 
with a sleep," but unlike that of the grasses 
and flowers, we bloom again In that, eternal 
clime—that far away home of the soul. 
Pittsburg, Pa., April. M- H. v. 
--- 
A RE8PECTFUL BOY. 
An old man entered a railroad car and was 
looking around for a seat when a boy ten or 
twelve years of age rose up ami said, “ Take my 
seat, sir.” The offer was aocepted, and tho in¬ 
firm old man sat down. " Why did you give mo 
your seat?" he Inquired of the hoy. “ Because 
you are old. sir, and I am a boy!” was the reply. 
A hundred years ago there would have been 
little need to record, as remarkable, a similar 
incident. Among things that are good orhope- 
ful In the rising generation, there Is one great 
change for t he worse manifest to everybody a 
docliuMig spirit of reverence towards age and 
towards God. “Thou shalt rise up before the 
hoary head, and honor the face, of tiie old man, 
and fear thy God : l am the Lord.' 
-♦♦♦- 
A RULE IN SPELLING 
An exchange, speaking of spelling and spell¬ 
ing matches, says a correspondent rends It this 
rule, which Is worth learning, and may help 
somebody In a crisis: Your key-word, * Live,' 
for spelling receive and believe, i* good enough 
as Tar as It goes. but. fnrnlahas nonld in spelling 
such words as retrieve, grieve and others. Some 
fifteen years ago a school master gave me a rule 
that 1 have never seen in print, and which I 
think Is reliable and worth preserving. It is 
this: All verbs and the words in question are 
always verbs from which nouns are formed, 
that end In option, are spelled with thee before 
the i. Otherwise not. For example, * receive— 
reception.’ ” 
tjhe fhi£2iei. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 8. 
/“l i / tn3L 
n 
/e 
;e 
> 
e 
VJ 
LITTLE FOLXh’ DICTIONARY. 
A writer In the School-Day Magazine haB 
gathered together the following dictionary 
words as defined by certain small people here 
aud there: 
Backbiter—A flea. 
Bed-time—Shut-eye time. 
Dust—Mud, with the juice squeezed out. 
Fan—A thing to brush warm off with. 
Fins -A fish’s wings, 
j co _Water that stayed out in the cold and 
went to sleep. 
Monkey—A very little boy with a tail. 
Nest-egg—The egg that the old hen measures 
by to make new ones. 
Pig—A bog’s little boy. 
Balt—What makes your pot ato teste bad when 
you don't put any on. 
Snoring—Letting off sleep. 
Snow—Rain all popped out white. 
Stars-The moon's eggs. 
Trunk (of an elephant)— His front tall. 
Wakefulness—Eyes all the time coming un¬ 
buttoned. 
A small catechism—KLittenchism. 
SPRING-TIME. 
•i o now this life of ours resombleth 
The uncertain glory of an April day i 
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun, 
And by-and-by a cloud takes all away." 
8pring, loveliest of Boasons, Is Just dawning 
innn us. How lresh and beautiful she looks, 
{3^** Answer in two wtiekR. G. 
-♦♦♦- 
MISCELLANEOUS ENIGMA.—No. 9. 
1 AM composed of 40 letters : 
My 8,11,1,10, 8 not dark. 
My 15,26, 2, 4, 7 something hard. 
My 18,38, 34 a wild animal. 
My 3,13, 3d, 9,14,17 a girl's name. 
My 15,14, 35, 38, 39 a boy’s name. 
My 19,18, 8.7 a musical Instrument. 
My 13, 38, 36, 40 a place we all should love. 
My 31, 33,38,35, 40, 15, a river lu England. 
My 22,34, 37.82 some animals are. 
My 81, 34, 1, 37, 26 a part of the twenty-four 
hours. 
My 5, 29, 30, 20, 33 we all must meet. 
My whole is the scripture method of rebuking 
sin. 3 - c> 
JST" Answer In two weeks. 
-•+<- 
HIDDEN GROCERIES.—No. 2. 
1. SPEARING of teeth, did you ever have a 
molar drawn ? 
3. They were ell willing but Terenoe; he was 
always obstinate. 
3. Wo think Maurice will win the prize. 
4. My favorite horse Frolic loves me, I know. 
6. Clara, 4 sin sometimes very foolishly. 
8. Emma, Celia and Mary went to onurch. 
7. It Is so, David ; he tolls the truth. 
8. If that was a wasp, I certaluly was mis¬ 
taken. 
9. When that star changes Its position be will 
change bis opinion. 
Answer In two weeks. C. 8. 
--— 
PUZZLER ANSWERS,—May 1. 
Illustrated Rebus No, 7. — The Hidden 
Hand. 
Charade No. 3—Charade. 
Word-Square Enigma No. 4 .— 
PINK 
IDEA 
near 
EARS 
