MOORE’S  RURAL 
-YORKER. 
faces'  llortfolii 
RENUNCIATION. 
BT  0.  ».  C. 
Takk  back  the  crown  of  flowers, 
And  on  some  other  brow 
Their  beanty  place  until  thej-  learn 
What  'tin  that  faUs  me  now, 
Take  back  the  crown  of  flowers ; 
HenwTortli  1  will  none  wear, 
Unless  a  wreatli  of  plain  (rrecn  leaves 
Bephw'e  these  so  fair. 
Take  back  the  crown  of  flowers ; 
They  arc  bcautlfal  I  know  ■ 
Sweet  city  bnds,  and  purple  blooms. 
And  roses  white  as  snow. 
Take  back  the  crown  of  flowers. 
And  (rive  me  leaves  that  brave 
The  suinmer's  heat,  the  winter’s  cold, 
Nor  find  an  early  (frave. 
I  bow  my  head  at  last. 
And  lay  the  brlj?ht  (rift  down— 
For  I  have  learned  there  arc  better  thinKS 
Than  flowers  for  a  crowm 
ME.  AND  MES.  JOHNS. 
A  Sketch  for  Some  Wives*  Husbands. 
BY  PKRHIK  VKIIK. 
“  I  uoN’T  know  how  It  Is,”  said  Mr.  .Tohns,  draw¬ 
ing  on  hl3  boots  by  the  kitchen  stove. 
“Don’t  knowhow  what  ls7”  Inquired  his  wife. 
“  Why,  Mr.  PALMEB’a  family  must  be  dreadfully 
oYoeimlvc.  There  he  has  seventeen  hundred  dol- 
to  fall  .hack  on  In  case  of  neceHslty,  he  still  fell 
like  pinching.  The  habit  was  forincd,  and  It  wa.s 
hard  to  see  the  money  go  tor  trlllcs.  it  ever  his 
wife  had  a  dollar  of  hei’  own,  It  wms  earned  by 
doing  some  extra  hard  job  herself,  like  white¬ 
washing,  uiid  papering  walls.  Instead  of  hiring  a 
man  to  do  it.  M’lth  all  her  multiplied  cures,  she 
did  now,  as  at  tlrat,  her  own  washing  and  houso 
cleaning, though  ofwu  w  lih  as  much  wearlnes-s  and 
exhaustion  a.s  would  make  her  treiublo  tor  fur  are 
health  and  life  even.  When  sinking  down  to  rest 
u  moment,  in  lht>  midst,  of  these  labors,  hard  ques¬ 
tions  would  come  up.  Wliy  did  she  work  so? 
How  long  could  she  cadiire  It?  tVhai  would  be¬ 
come  of  her  poor  children  If  she  wore  hereelf  out 
with  this  rough  Work?  -and  who  would  ever  ap¬ 
preciate  It?  Then  would  she  icsolvouever,  never 
logo  lnt-0  such  work  again.  Hi  ill  she  illd  under¬ 
take  It  again  aud  ag.aiD,  because  she  wanted  the 
money  m  mruh,  and  If  she  saved  Italic  inlght  have 
It;  but  she  did  not  near  always  get  It.  She  was 
unwise,  aod  .she  knew  It  herself.  tVhllo  there  Is 
such  a  cry  about  the  ext  ravagance  of  money,  mid- 
tudea  of  them  are  doing  the  kuiuo  thing  that  Mrs. 
.lOHNS  did— working  and  striving  continually  to 
save,  and  taking  the  saving  out  of  their  own  lives. 
Mr.  Johns  never  had  a  thought  that  he  wa.s  un¬ 
kind  or  unjust  to  his  wife,  bur.  he  had  that,  belief, 
chronic  among  so  many  farmers,  that  out-dOf)r 
work  Is  the  means  and  end  of  life— and  while  they 
want  all  thocomtorts  that  now  from  a  proper  per¬ 
formance  of  housework— they  seem  never  to  t  hink 
that  any  money  Is  earned  by  carrying  on  the  end  • 
less  and  tiresome  routine,  and  that  all  money 
spent  about  it  ts  lost.  I.irtle  by  Utile  Uie  farm  Is 
paid  for,  crops  are  better,  uiid  there  Is  money 
to  buy  another  piece  of  la  ml,  but  t  hen’  Ls  so  often 
a  sore  lack  for  the  little  needs  ot  home.  Both 
husband  and  wife  have  formed  habits,  during  the 
long  struggle  with  debt ,  which  are  hard  to  break 
up.  It  may  bo  eoinpar  s,*ively  easy  for  him,  with 
machines  and  hired  help,  to  blip  hl.t  own  hands 
'Efiiiiiui  fot  tbf  Douiuj. 
PRETTY  IS  THAT  PRETTY  DOES. 
The  spider  wears  a  plain  browu  dress, 
.\ud  she  is  a  steady  spinner ; 
To  see  her,  ((uiut  as  a  luouse, 
Doing  abont  her  sUver  house, 
You  would  never,  utwor  guess 
The  way  sh.*  gets  her  dinner ; 
She  looks  UN  if  no  thought  of  U1 
In  aU  her  life  luul  stirred  her. 
But  whUe  she  movea  wilh  careful  tread 
And  whili'  she  spiiiH  her  silken  thread. 
She  is  planning,  iilanning,  planning  still 
The  way  to  do  some  luurder. 
My  child,  who  roads  this  simple  lay 
Witli  eyt'M  ilowueatl  and  tender. 
Remember  the  old  proverb  says 
That  pretty  is  which  pretty-  does, 
And  that  worth  does  not  go  nor  stay 
For  poverty  nor  sideudor ; 
'Tis  not  the  bousi',  and  not  the  dress. 
That  makes  the  saint  oi’  sinner. 
To  see  the  npider  sit  and  spin. 
Shut  with  her  webs  of  silver  iu. 
You  would  never,  never  guess 
The  way  she  gets  her  tllnner.  [A/lce  Cary, 
- - 
LETTERS  FROM  BOYS  ANT)  t  IBL8. 
eXDCimlVC.  There  hC  nasscveiucen  muiurcu  uor-  muouiiioa  niiu  iiiien  ucig,  *v  mill  w,. .. 
lare  a  year,  and  he  u»c.b  It  right  up,  they  say.  But  |  out  of  the  hardest  work,  but  It  does  not  come  so 
they  koep  a  lilrod  girl  all  the  time.  Then  they  I  cinsy  for  him  to  hoc  his  money  frlll.erfd  In  small 
they  koep  a  lUrod  girl  all  the  time.  Then  they  I  < 
have  three  or  four  firew  going  through  the  winter,  1 
and  I  ilarc  say  ever  so  many  needless  expenses.”  ^  < 
“Well,  I  don’t  know,  eltlicr."  responded  Mrs.  i 
Johns,  thouguttully,  wiping  and  setting  awuy  her  i 
breakfa-st.  dlaUcs.  “  1  suppose  they  think  'tls  wls-  1 
est  to  take  the  good  of  wind  they  have  now.  The 
comfort  they  get  from  the  sevcnleon  Immlred  dol¬ 
lars  Is  sure,  and  life  Isn't.”  ' 
“Nor  health,  either,”  broke  In  .Mr.  Johns.  “  it  | 
they  should  be  sick,  e.r  he  should  die,  what  would 
they  do?  There  would  be  nothing  but  his  life  In-  ] 
suraiicp.  For  my  part,  1  don’t  feel  like  taking  my 
ease  or  going  Into  luxuries  till  wo  have  enough  to 
support  us  In  the  most  extreme  case,  and  1  think 
every  man  ought  to  act  from  this  principle.  Then 
Mr.  PAi-MKa  takes  ten  papers  of  some  kind;  and 
he  carried  home  live  new,  large  books  at  imrist- 
mas." 
Mrs.  JOHNS’  mouth  fairly  watered  at  this,  as  she 
said  “  It'  rnuat  be  so  nice  to  have  plenty  to  read, 
and 'time  too.  Oh,  I  should  so  like  to  bo  able  to 
ask  in  our  frlenila  often,  and  let  our  children  huvo 
pleasant  ilme.s  at  home,  now,  before  they  are 
^wn  np  and  away.  But  as  il.  Is,  i  am  so  hurried 
I  can't  attend  to  any  thing  that  can  be  left  out. 
If  I  had  a  good,  .stjong  gin  to  help  me — ” 
This  touched  Mr.  Johns  In  a  sore  spot.  “  You 
wouldn’t  get  along  any  better  than  you  do  now. 
There  would  be  the  girl  to  wash  tor,  and  cook  for, 
and  wait  on,  and  you’d  t  hink  then  you  mimt  do 
everything  yourself  to  have  it  right.  Work  is  good 
for  folks.  I  feci  ever  so  much  better  whoa  1  mu 
steady  at  work,  and  you  look  healthier  than  a 
dozen  women  I  know  of  who  keep  hired  girls." 
Mrs.  Johns  made  no  reply.  It  was  best  not  to, 
for  the  matter  had  been  dlscuased  llmcb  enough 
before,  and  nothing  uas  to  be  gained  by  going 
over  It  again:  but  her  face  grew  forthwith  Into  a 
study  for  tho  curious,  with  its  inlxtiu’e  of  hope¬ 
lessness  and  self-reliance.  She  hud  worked  from 
week's  end  to  week’s  end  many  yeara  tlirough, 
hoping  and  hoping  that  as  means  mcrea-sed,  the 
farm  wa.s  paid  for  and  the  hovtse  buUt,  the  time 
would  come  when  she  could  live  easier.  Now  she 
was  gradually  making  np  her  mind  that  for  them 
It  would  alway  s  be  work,  work— gelling  together 
for  others  to  scatter;  tliat  all  the  beautiful,  sofi.- 
enlng  fruits  of  home  leisure  must  he  foregone. 
She  kept  thinking  to  herself,  if  only  her  husband 
felt  as  she  did  about  it,  they  might  all  have  more 
lime  and  more  comfort  now.  nut  Mr.  Jon.vs, 
though  he  disclaimed  the  Idea,  was  fast  getting 
into  the  way  of  working  trom  mere  habit.  To  be 
sure,  he  said  it  wa.s  necessary  that  he  should  save 
and  work  hard,  hut  lie  certainly  hud  more  good 
property  now  than  he  used  to  think  he  must  have 
In  order  to  feel  easy  about  cuinmon  expenses,  still 
he  did  not  feel  easy  about  them. 
This  was  not  strange,  perhaps.  He  had  started 
out  from  a  home  of  poverty  to  make  away  for 
himself,  when  farm  produce  was  a  drug,  and  the 
poor  producer  smiled  huuihly  if  his  diK’tor,  or  law- 
yer,  or  ineroliant  deigned  m  lake  a  few  bushels  of 
wheat  or  oats,  at  any  price.  Money  was  hai'd  to 
get,  and  Mr.  .JOHNS  Gariy  learned  not  to  p«rt  with 
It  lightly'  when  once  In  hand.  Now  It  had  become 
second  nature.  He  was  not  at  all  pinching  about 
gi-eat  bargains;  he  could  keep  tlie  “  main  chanre  ” 
in  sight,  aud  large  sums  were  chi.s-rfuUy  pahl  out 
where  large  rctui’as  were  sure.  But  when  It  came 
to  handmg  over  money  for  the  coutitle5.s  little 
neetls  of  the  household,  he  was  disposed  to  cut 
down  and  pinch  to  Hmalim.  point.  Then,  loo,  he 
had  found  that  his  wife,  though  she  wa.s  not  a 
very  stout  built  iXKiy,  could  manage  a  great  deal 
of  work;  that  she  could  turn  and  twist  .and  con¬ 
trive,  and  whh  Very  little  have  herself  and  fiunlly 
presentable.  He  often  said  that  when  one  had 
little,  little  would  be  spent,  whereas  abundance 
tempted  to  prodigality' S 
So  It  was  that  when,  after  ten  years’  hard  work 
by  both  husband  and  wife,  they  found  theirjselves 
In  a  good  home,  with  landed  Investments  sufficient 
things  about  the  lionse,  nor  for  his  wire  to  stop 
doing  and  saving  all  she  can  so  as  not  to  ask  lor 
money.  This  real  en.slavcmont  ot  wonmn-motli- 
ers of  families— to  heavy,  censeless  toll,  Isa  great 
lowering  element  among  our  rural  pt ipulat Ion.  A 
woman  of  ambition  and  Inbi-ed  rellnement,  can¬ 
not  koep  up  alwayoi  stepping  on  a  li'i.’adwhcel. 
She  must  feel,  afU-r  awhile,  that  there  is  botloiu 
under  her  feet,  that  some  of  the  proceeils  of  her 
Labor  will  come  Into  ber  own  bauds  during  her 
own  lifetime,  and  help  to  make  it  easier  and  ploas- 
anrer,  or  she  will  losse  heart,  and  become  that  sad- 
ilest  of  sights,  a  broken  down  mother. 
That  very  night,  while  Mr.  Johns  was  buttoning 
up  his  overcoat  to  go  to  town,  Mrs.  .Johns,  after 
dreading  It  some  time,  began  totidl  lilmofsi)me 
things  they  must  have. 
He  replied:  “'I’hLslatheway  ir,  always  Is,  some- 
i.hlng  wanting  continually.  I  can’t  keep  any 
money  about  me.  l  took  twenty  dollai’s  from  t  he 
bank  rhis  morning,  and  now  I  .haven’t  enough  to. 
get  the  nulls  I  want  to  use  to-mon  ow.” 
In  that  moment  Mrs,  Johns  m.ado  np  her  mind 
that  she  would  not  send  for  the  ten  cent  bunch  of 
braid,  but  would  blndl.be  skirt  with  strips  of  cloth 
Instead— a  great  deal  more  work  and  not  so  last¬ 
ing.  So  It  was  always— saring  ton  cents  hero  and 
fl VO  cen Is  there,  at  the  expense  of  much  time  ami 
worry,  so  that  she  was  continually  In  a  hurry, 
.sitting  sewing  through  the  long  evening— making 
a  new  coat  out  of  an  old  one— her  thoughts  were 
busy,  as  they  svere  very  much  of  late,  trying  to 
contrive  ways  and  means  to  eai  ii  money  herself. 
FOR  AND  ABOUT  WOMEN. 
QcEEn  Vi(?ronrA  will  open  the  coming  ses.slon  of 
Parliament  In  person. 
It  Is  said  Unit  Miss  Braddon,  the  authoress,  Is 
corning  to  this  country  on  a  reading  tour. 
CHAKi/yri'B  CbSH'rfAN  t.s  Said  to  beyvrltlng  a  book 
of  pei'sonal  reminiscences  of  t  he  stage. 
.Mks.  -M.  a.  N.  POi.i.AKD,  wife  of  the  Confederate 
hlstoiiau,  Is  in  California,  and  proposes  soon  to 
give  readings  there. 
Mrs.  Eli.krv  Bo.np  of  Lewiston,  Me.,  a  caipet 
weaver,  has  woven,  during  the  past  three  and  a 
half  years,  over  3, too  yards  of  carpeting. 
MrsVancott  has  transferred  her  labors  as  an 
evangelist  to  Newark,  N.  .f.,  where  the  Clinton 
Street  >Iethodlst  Chureh  wa.s  tilled  at  her  iiist 
mectlhg- 
THE  first  fruits  of  leap  year  shine  forih  la  the 
case  of  Miss  Beli.e  n\RPEU  of  Fah  haven,  \V.  Va., 
who  shot  a  man  because  he  refused  her  offer  of 
marriage. 
CAMintA  Ur-so  has  a  violin,  more  t  han  200  years 
old,  valued  at  $2,H0<t,  and  anothei-,  mad<’  about 
1790,  worth  fl.dOO.  She  uses  both  at  iier  eoncerts, 
chauglng  with  the  Htj'le  of  music  she  Is  to  play. 
I  Miw.  Ei.izabeth  Reuter  Is  the  oldest  citUen  of 
I  Baltimore.  She  was  born  In  T.u.xeinbnrg,  Kurope, 
‘  and  Is  said  lo  bare  been  I09  on  <  ’hrl.st.nui.s  rnonitng, 
'  but  Is  still  able  to  get  about  and  superintond  the 
house-work. 
Mrs.  Harriet  E.  Tappan  of  Claremont,  N.  IL, 
I  left  In  her  will  abt.ini,  $30,500  to  furnish  prizes  for 
the  best  scholarslUpH  la  the  Stevens  High  Stliool. 
.  and  III  aid  of  poor  olilldren  attending  common 
schools  In  town. 
!  Mrs.  Ehii.y  Titimav  of  Frankfort,  Ky,.  has  pre- 
i  sented  the  Christian  or  Caiupbelllto  congi’egatlon 
1  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  with  a  completely  furiilKhed 
chuich  and  parsonage,  which  she  has  erectod  at  a 
I  cost  of  $101,850. 
I  In  Newark,  the  other  day,  a  fashionable  mother 
I  said  to  the  family  physician  la  the  presence  of  her 
I  three  giggling,  frivolous  daughters:  “Doctor,  how 
can  we  unprove  our  girls?”  “By improving  the 
1  mothers,”  was  the  gruff  reply. 
From  a  Canadian  Rural  Boy. 
Dear  Editor  :— i  see  In  the  la.st  Rural  that  the 
girls  arc  ptudilng  into  Youno  Tom  slnco  he  threw 
that  last  “bomb,"  as  they  call  ll.lnln  thelrcamp. 
I  am  afraid  they  will  keep  him  from  writing  ugidii, 
but  I  hope  they  won’t,  a.s  I  like  to  road  his  letters. 
There  was  very  cold  wenther  licre  last  week;  the 
I  hcnnoijietor  stood  10  deg.  below  zero.  .•!  It  hough 
Ihero  Is  not  nuicli  .snow yet,  there  i.s  good  sleigh¬ 
ing  just  now'.  The  rarmer.v around  here  have  been 
tlircHliliig  Ibclr  grain  slnco  llie  ground  froze  uii. 
In  some  places  wheat  turned  out  splendid,  but 
most  of  the  wheat  that  was  harvested  late  Is 
sprouted  from  the  wet  w'<  ii  her.  Thero  Ls  a  mer¬ 
chant  In  a  village  nenr  her-  who  I3  buying  uU  i  ho 
sprouted  wheat  ho  cun  get  at  forty  cents  a  bushel. 
I  ace  that  thero  are  a  good  many  getting  up  clubs 
for  the  Uhral.  1  would  lie  one  Of  tlicm,  but  no 
ono  can  get  up  a  club  here.  I  a.skefl  two  or  three 
If  they  would  subscribe;  some  or  iiiem  said  they 
could  not.  afford  It,  and  others  Uiat  they  knew  too 
much  about  farifilhg  alrendy,  without  taking  a 
paper,  but  the  whole  of  them  can  read  papers  If 
they  get  anotlur  to  pay  for  them.  But  1  don’t 
care  how  inm  li  tlwjf  know,  we  will  be  one  of  the 
million  subscribers,  rerhaps  some  of  those  who 
could  hot  afford  to  take  a  paper  will  wish  they 
had  taken  tho  Rckal,  when  thcytlnd  out  what  Uio 
Bohemian  oal-s  are.  'i’lio  agents  wero  all  around 
here,  but  they  did  not  come  to  us,  as  tlioy  must 
have  heard  we  were  taking  the  Run.il.  and  were 
prepared  for  Uiein.  Tin  re  was  one  man  not  far 
j  from  here  that  bought  over  $10  worth  of  It.  I 
think  In  a  fcAv  ycors  ive  win  hear  or  that  man’s 
suicide.— Robert  ll.  irri/rulN//,  Ont,,  Dee,  19. 
From  an  Orange  Co.  (N.  Y«)  OIrl. 
Dear  Rural:— I  am  a  larmer’s  daughtci’  and 
saClsfled  with  tho  title.  1  love  to  road  the  Rural, 
especially  the  Letters  from  tho  Boys  and  tllrls. 
This  Is  my  flrst  letter  to  tiic  Rukm..  I  w'lll  write 
a  few  thoughts,  but  b-dNlly'  expect  to  see  them 
In  print.  1  felt  very  luu-li  out  of  patience  and 
ashamed  when  T  read  Yorxo  ’I'om’s  last  letter.  I 
agree  with  the  Iowa  Girl  Inlaying  that  girls  are 
iiu  worse  about  the  fashloms  than  the  boys.  In¬ 
deed,  1  would  nice  to  shako  Imndsand  explain  to 
him  a  little,  and  sec  if  we  could  not  discuss  any 
subjects  without  referring  Ui  the  fiushloas.  I  do 
not  think  that  the  fairer  sex  need  to  be  erttlcLsed 
anymore  than  tUC  oiUersex,  You  need  not  de¬ 
test  Ibclr  company'  so  much,  and  you  will  form  a 
bettor  opinion  of  them,  I  think.  What  Ls  your 
o])lrdon  or  dancing?  1  believe  in  dres-slng  and 
acting  In  the  most  becoming  manner,  regardless 
of  the  latest  stylo  or  mode,  l  would  like  to  hear 
from  the  Iowa  School  Girl  very'  much,  aud  hope 
for  a  description  of  the  Slate,  and  1  hope  to  hear 
soon  from  Youno  tom.  If  I  see  this  In  your  paper, 
I  will  write  a  letter  and  toll  you  something  about 
the  place  In  which  T  live.— H.vttik  A. 
have  tho  Now  York  Boy  reiul  this,  for  1  have  11  veil 
In  a  country  where  they  raise  potatoes  tor  their 
main  crop,  and  sshiie  plant  aa  high  as  forty  acres, 
and  no  ono  there  over  dug  22S  bushels  in  one  day. 
Nowtake  the  7,00i)  hills,  which.  If  theystood  three 
feet  apart,  would  cover  ovi/r  an  acre  and  a  quar¬ 
ter  of  ground— for  this  Ls  uImiuL  the  way  poluloes 
are  planted  In  these  parts— and  he  would  have  to 
dig  over  twenty-two  bushels  an  hour  for  ten  hours, 
which  Is  lively  work  for  Michigan  buys;  but  I 
think  that  there  Is  a  mistake  somewhere.  I  liave 
not  seen  anything  In  the  liirnAi.  lately  about  Mie 
Alfalfa  clover,  and  so  I  will  say  a  word  In  favor  of 
it.  I  sowed  a  small  patch  on  poor  sand,  where 
common  clover  would  not  grow,  but  the  Alfalfa 
came  up  and  gn*w  good.  Some  of  It  got  t  wo  feel 
high  the  llrst  summer.  Tt  stood  the  lust  winter 
well  (and  It  was  a  hard  winter),  and  grew  aston¬ 
ishingly  last  summer.  I  rocomuuuul  It  to  all.— M. 
W.  Stevens,  Ttjruw,  Liv.  Co.,  Mich. 
From  a  Wlde>Awake  Illinois  Girl. 
Dear  Editor  :— We  have  taken  tho  Rural  for 
many  years,  f  live  on  a  farm.  This  is  iny  llrst 
letter,  and  l  hope  you  will  accept  me  os  a  Cousin. 
We  have  been  keeplug  a  dairy  of  hjrty-flvu  cows 
the  past  summer.  I  have  milked  eighteen  cows  a 
few  llmcM,  but  usually  milk  from  eight  to  twelve. 
We  have  sold  all  but  four,  nml  I  don’t  have  to  milk 
now.  I  ant  going  to  school;  study  Reading,  His¬ 
tory,  ArtthmeUe,  Spelling  and  Writing,  and  have 
to  speak  iileces  every  Friday.  I  can  harue.S3  up  a 
team  and  take  ti  ride.  I  drove  on  a  nuiper  last 
summer,  and  gathered  over  a  half  bushel  of  hazel 
nuts.  T  have  a  piano  and  can  play  a  few  pieces. 
Good-by.— Wild  Crab. 
From  n  “My  Maiylard*’  Boy. 
Dear  Rckal:  -As  ho  many  boys  and  girls  are 
writing  to  you.  I  thought  If  you  would  allow  me 
space  I  would  write  a  short  letter  lo  tell  you  how 
well  I  am  pleased  with  the  Ri'k.il.  I  tio  not.  take 
the  paiier  myself,  but  my  brother  does'  Im  bus 
Liken  It  neiLTly  three  yeai-s.  l  think  the  rural  Is 
a  very  ii.seful  paper,  and  (hat  no  I'amD  i'oiiglit  to 
bo  wltbont  It.  As  most,  of  the  boys  lunl  irlrls  toll 
their  ages  I  will  tell  mine.  I  am  foiirtoen  .veal’s 
old.  1  like  farming  'rery  imieh,  and  i  doii  t  think 
we  could  got  along  very  well  without  tho  dear 
Rural.— J.  I,.  E.,  Spriny  Uanh^i,  Carroll  Co,,  Md. 
From  a  Oonneotlout  School  Olrb 
Dear  Rural:- After  reading  80  many  hoys’  aud 
girls'  letlers  I  concluded  to  contribute  my  share. 
Tho  “Dear  Old  RuitAi."  scCms  llk*>*u  friend  to 
me,  and  in  inyosUrnatlon  grows  liottercvcry  )'car, 
and  1  would  rather  give  up  all  the  papei^i  we  take 
than  the  Rural.  I  am  in  Danbury  at  sebool  now, 
and  my  favorite  pursuits  .are  Music  and  Hrawliig. 
I  would  Ukc  to  hear  from  soiilk-i  the  cduslng  who 
are  interestod  in  those  branches.  1  am  studyliii; 
Lathi,  which  I  like  very  much.  Tlie  answer  1  find 
to  (!rosH-word  Enigma  No.  3  la  “  Lion."  If  my  let¬ 
ter  rueew  with  success  perhaps  I  will  write  again, 
'  and  until  ihc.'x  good-by.— Fairv  Belle,  Dmitu/y, 
Cu/nn.,  Jan.,  1876. 
From  an  Indiana  Girl. 
Dear  Uncle  and  Cousins  :  - 1  have  been  read¬ 
ing  the  letters  the  boys  and  girls  write  to  that 
gem  of  a  paper,  tho  Rural,  and  thought  I  would 
write  also.  1  think  Yoilno  Tom  Ls  very  conceited. 
Wonder  where  he  got  all  his  hue  ideas.  I  hope 
tho  “fair  sex”  will  not  bother  him,  as  ho  l-i  de¬ 
cidedly  opposed  to  their  company.  I  like  giusy 
JEH.SIE  very  much,  anrl  hope  she  won’t  fall  off  t  he 
rocks.  When  she  sees  tills  she  will  think  her 
tongue  l »  very  shoi  t  compared  with  mine,  and  as 
I  don’t  want  her  to  have  a  bad  opinion  of  me  I 
will  close  this  letter.— Ella.  A'afc/e  Co.,  fmi. 
(L ()f  |itbjtr. 
HI8T0EICAL  ENIGMA.-No,  I, 
I  AM  composed  of  idc  letters : 
My  6,  23,  ’20,  «‘2, 6,  2, 19,41,  38,4  a  Syracusan  writer. 
My  79,  3’i,  1  f,  10,  '22,  20,  SO,  11 ,  S.S, «'.l,  f.l,  67,  SO,  o(i,  15, 
25,  3,  ss,  11  ilie  longest  Komaii  ivur 
MyST,  61,  106,  74,  98,  1'2,  51,  7,  U,  27,47,  13.  68,  68,84, 
38,  89  a  brother  of  Conslani  Ine  the  Groat. 
'•>  ...V  ....  ..•>  ni  rtt  a-k  ^^4  .1  u:  flL.’  4^1. 
From  u  Rochester  tG I rl.  ‘  ofllcor  of  tUO  T 
Dear  girls  :— I  want  you  all  to  see  tho  plctin-e  My  16, 7’i,  70,  45,  23 
1  have  curried  in  my  mind  since  Yoc.so  To.m  throw  rn*  «  41,  . 
llmt  shell  Uito  our  camp.  Flcturo  to  yourselves  a 
young  man  six  feet  tall,  with  hair  tlie  color  of  a  ,  iv'[y  3*;^  yuj  c’r  h’j 
last,  year's  summer  squash,  mustache  ditto— Imi re  My  97,  20,  85,  ss,  1 
few  and  far  between— pea  grocu  eyes,  sweet  lltllo  •*'’  '! 
nose,  mouth  and  eai  s  to  match,  any  color  of  com-  ’  ^  m'arlan.  ’  ’ 
plexlon  lo  suit  t  he  tasto.  Now,  'I'om,  take  a  little  yjy  31,  pm,  3,  si 
advice,  will  you  not,  and  oblige  the  rm;d  fulr  sex  76,  51,  4i  a  not. 
by  niountlng  one  of  the  many  lofty  peaks  that  |  ^rtcmlirbifii  0^ 
low-r  around  you,  and  stay  till  called  for  by  ono  1  (g 'iieucail'm. 
ol  Ud;  sauiO'/  Take  a  bag  of  beans  with  you  (Unit  M.v  w  hole  Ls  a  ji 
Is,  It  you  would  bii  so  condescending  atid  obliging  Answer  lii  I 
ius  to  give  ii.s  tho  honor  of  Hurvlng  you).  Now,  '  - 
Thomas,  “right  alwut  face,”  and  send  double  |  PUZZLEI 
charges  In  all  directions.  Tom  the  brave!  If  I 
see  a  wild-looking  chap  enuUng  nortli,  with  his  j  jLrusTRATED  Ri 
hair  pointing  every  way,  and  nose  ujiward,  I  will  xioullk  A(  kosi 
run  for  dear  life.— Dki.i..  B.  W.,  fuidmler,  .V.  V.  1  pij.,  -  uulus.  Hen 
.My  8,  3,  40,  W),  ‘23,  91,  21,  9,  24,  48,  38,  66  the  iriUSlC 
teacher  of  Eparulnondas. 
.My  59,  84,  54,  36,  “2,  65, 78,  29, :«),  IS,  27  a  Grecian 
officer  of  the  Tiojau  vrar. 
My  16,  7’2.  70,  45,  23,  28,  3T,  lOl,  93,  89  a  Greek  plil- 
losopber, 
.My  ■13,  7, 60,  8,  42,  ’27,  62,  49,  96  a  king  Of  Bact Tla. 
My  loa,  104,  71,  86,  99,  2?  a  king  of  Thrace. 
My  30,  53,  911,  66  II  son  of  .Sevenm. 
My  97,  20,  85,  SN  12,  46,  2.5,  67  ,  91,  20,  88,  89,  102,  75, 
41,  32,  33,  0'.),  100, 14  a  son  Of  vespn.slaii. 
My  ol,  6:3, 77,  91,  h»,  61, 66  an  Alexandrian  gram¬ 
marian. 
My  31,  95,  166.  3,  20,  50,  41,  83,  ‘26,  25,  56,  SI,  73,  1,  75, 
76,  51,  •11  a  Iiotoil  divine. 
My  6-2, 40,  82,  19,  K,  23,  63,  7,  2’2,  91,  105  a  feslival  111 
meiuortufii  Ol  those  wlio  iierltihed  in  the  Hood 
of  Deucalion. 
M.V  whole  Ls  a  jiroverb  of  Hcott  Downey. 
Answer  lii  two  weeks.  Liiti.e  «)ne. 
I*UZZLER  ANSWERS.  Jan.  2S. 
From  a  Mlchlsan  Boy. 
Mr.  Editor:— As  I  have  road  tlie  Rural  for 
numy  years  and  tho  lettera  from  tho  lUlie  folk.s, 
and  al-so  written  ope  which  you  were  so  kind  as  to 
publish,  I  will  try  ono  more  and  hope  that  you 
will  give  this.  I  read  a  letter  from  a  New  York 
P.oy  In  UtTRAL  or  Dec.  IS;  how  he  dug  225  bushels 
of  potatoes  in  ton  hours  with  a  potato  hook,  and 
that  he  dug  them  from  T.ooo  hilts.  Thl.s  looks  to 
me  like  a  big  day’s  work,  aud  so  I  would  like  to 
Illustrated  Rebus  No.  3.— Balmy  sleep. 
Douli.k  ACKOsiio  No.  1.— Tnltlala,  Paul  Revere’s 
Ride;  liuals,  Henry  Loiistelli/w. 
Cross-word  Enioma  No.  .3.— Lion. 
Decapitation  No.  l. -Clover,  lover,  over,  cover, 
clove,  love. 
Diamond  I’uzzi.e  No.  2.— 
N 
YAK 
paste 
FATHERS 
N  A  a  H  V  I  L  I,  E 
BROILED 
bolus 
ELI 
E 
