214 
MARCH 26 
and suggestions from one who has studied and 
proved the truth of her assertions. 
A third edition of this little book shows an ex¬ 
tended Interest. 
A Hook of Rhyme* nnd Tiiiiok. By Margaret 
Pkatimain Osgood. TraiiHlutintip by Louisa T. 
Cuacun. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co. Price, $1.60. 
This is a true household singing book, accept¬ 
able not only to mothers and children, but to Kin¬ 
dergartens, and to all of the new faith, who 
believe In making school children happy. There 
are about a hundred songs, many of them retain¬ 
ing the original foreign words, but also furnished 
with special translations for this book. Its value 
grows upon one as the leaves are tamed, consid¬ 
erable skill Is evinced In the selections, showing 
the tact of true women who remember how they 
felt as children. A bright boy or girl does not 
fancy the milk-and-water productions that are 
often put together for the “dear children.” 
Neither Is anything stately or over dignified ac¬ 
ceptable. The “ lullabies ” are such as mothers 
and older sisters will admire to sing; the nonsense 
songs are worthy ot the writers In Ht. Nicholas, 
(no higher praise Is needed) and the few charming 
legends and romances from the German will 
please everbody. A large proportion ot the songs 
have the original foreign as well as the English 
words preserved; a fact that may commend the 
book to many cultivated households. 
Komoln. By •* Of.orge Eliot." New York City: 
American Book Exchange. 
This is an exceedingly cheap reprint of one ot the 
best works of rhe late Geo. Eliot. Though the 
paper Is necessarily poor to admit of Its being sold 
at so low a price, the print is clear and tho appear¬ 
ance ot the cover Is quite pretty and Inviting. It 
nils a want In the catalogue of good, cheap works, 
since the higher priced editions are net always 
within reach ot everyone. The character of the 
work needs no comment: the author’s name Is 
enough to recommend It to all. 
The Servant Girl Question. Uv Hatituvt Pbek- 
cottScoi coed. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin A Co. 
Price. $1.25. 
This much vexed question is embodied in book 
form. The author Impartially considers the sub¬ 
ject showing the rights of mistress and servant In 
a clear light. All participants In household man¬ 
agement are criticised commendably and other¬ 
wise. 
Madame Hovarr* By Gustave Flaubet. Trans¬ 
lated by John Sterling. Paper cover.—Price 76 
cents. Philadelphia: T. B. Peterson & Brothers. 
This work, Interesting as It Is as a novel, must 
also be regarded as a careful Btudy. 
■ -- 
BRIC-A-BRAC. 
HOW LONG. 
A little girl went timidly Into a shop the other 
morning, and asked the shopman how many shoe¬ 
strings she could get for a penny 7 “ How long 
do you want them 7” he asked. “ I want them to 
keep,” was the answer, In a tone of slight surprise. 
baby's lullaby. 
[As sung by Its father while mamma is visiting the 
neighbors.] 
Rock-a by baby upon the tree-top. 
When the wind blows—confound it, do stop. 
When the wind blows the cradle will rock, 
Jerusalem crickets, what a temper you’ve got, 
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall. 
By thunder, you young 'uns do uotlii ng but squall. 
Now, baby, go-by; go husb-i-ty—hush- 
Shoo, shoo, shooy, hush hnsh-i ty—hush; 
Go to sleep, my baby, my sweet little pat; 
Go to sleep; don’t you hear me, i’ll spank you. I’ll bet, 
If you ain’t asleep, this tkiuute, now, now, rock-a-by, 
Well.haDgsucha young one. that does nothing but cry. 
—Oil City Derrick. 
A “SUMMER HORSE.” 
The blacksmith shops at the head of Griswold 
street had scarcely opened their doors the other 
morning when a colored man appeared at one of 
them leading an equine which slid and walked 
and hobbled by turns on the slippery snow. If 
horses ever live over a hundred years lids one had 
passed that figure. Ills hair was long, one eye 
was closed and he had so many limps that It 
seemed useless to look ror a sound leg. 
“ What 1 want to know,” began the owner after 
be had taken tour turns around a hitching post 
with the Inch rope used as a halter, “ am about 
what It will cost to shoe dls hoss.” 
“ Two dollars,” was the prompt reply. 
“ For de land’s sake! but has Iron rlz up to dat 
pitch! I’ll have to dwell on dat lor a few min¬ 
utes." 
lie dwelt. He walked around his steed, looked 
him over carefully, and then said to the smith: 
*• Now, see hyar. If you war’ me wouldn’t you 
sort o ! keep dls beast fur a Bummer hoss, an do 
your Winter haulin’ on a hand-sled ?” 
“ I would.” 
" Dat’s what I war’ finkin’ ’bout, I guess 1 save 
him over till April and call myself a hoss frew de 
Winter. Seems like 'stravaganoe to get butes fur 
me ’an shoes fur him all to once. Hold up dar’, 
Philander—none o’ you pullin’ up hltchln’-posts 
’round yere I”—Detroit Free Press. 
Beneath a shady tree they aat. 
He hold her hand, she held his hat, 
1 held my breath and lay right flat, 
They kissed, 1 aaw them do it. 
He held that kissing was no crime, 
She held her head up every time, 
I held my peace and wrote this rhyme. 
While they thought no one knew it 
—Shenandoah News. 
NOVEL WAY TO SECURE A BED. 
It was at the time of the country fair and the 
village was crowded. 
A man carrying two round bundles carefully 
tied up knocks at the door of an Inn and asks for a 
roo m. They; tell him the best they can give him 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
s a room with two] :beds, one of which Is already 
occupied. Under the circumstances he is obliged 
to accept the vacant bed. The occupant of the 
other Is fast asleep and snoring soundly when he 
enters the room. He takes him by the shoulder, 
wakes him rudely, and asks: 
“Are there any rats or mice here?” 
“ I believe not, sir.” 
“All the better, for they gnaw everything they 
can find. 1 have here, said the newcomer, point¬ 
ing to the two round bundles, “ the heads of two 
persons that I executed thlB morning, that I am 
taking to Paris, and you understand that If any 
rats or mice— 
“ Heads of persons 1” said the other turning 
pale. 
Fi ve minutes later the possessor of these horri¬ 
ble trophies was alone In the chamber, where he 
slept oomfortablo until the morning. 
The bundles he had were merely two water¬ 
melons. 
Jfor SBamnt. 
CONDUCTED BY MISS EAY CLARK. 
AFTERGLOW. 
Grandmother paceB with stately tread 
Forward and hack through the quaint old room, 
Out of the firelight, dancing nnd red. 
Into the gathering dnsk and gloom; 
Forward and back, in her silken dress 
With its falling ruffles of frost-like lace; 
A look of the deepest tenderness 
In the faded lines of her flue old face. 
Warm on her breast in hie red night-gown 
Like a scarlet lily the baby lies. 
While softly the tired lids dnoop down 
Over the little sleepy eyes. 
Grandmother sings to him sweet and low, 
And memories come with the cradle-song 
Of the days when she sang it long ago. 
When her life was young and her heart was strong. 
Grandmother's children have lelt her now; 
The large old house is a shadowed place; 
But shining out in the sunset glow 
Of her life, like a star, comes the baby's face. 
Ho lies where of old his father lay; 
Softly she sings him the Bame sweet strain ; 
Till the years Intervening are Bweptaway, 
And the Joy of life’s morning is hers again. 
Grandmother's gray head is bending low 
wny one; 
The steps of her pathway are few to go; 
The baby’s Journey is Just begun. 
Yet the rosy dawn of his childish love 
Brightens the evening that else were dim; 
And in after years, from the homo above, 
The light of her bleBBiug will rest on him. 
-- 
MRS. HAYES. 
BERTHA A. WINKLER. 
It will not be denied that, In point of moral ex¬ 
cellence, the late mistress of the White House is 
by far the most superior of any of her more receDt 
predecessors, aDd therefore we confess a leellDg ot 
personal pride In the universal respect entertained 
for this first true representative of the American 
woman. Without entering Into any details of her 
life, already so well known as “the tight shin¬ 
ing before t he world," we will merely allude to 
some distinguishing traits during her four years 
at the Capitol; knowing that there, by her noble 
conduct, she first struck the keynote or the nations 
love. 
It was something to enter the Capitol and take 
possession ot hotly-contested rights under the 
angry glare of opposition; but It was more to plan 
In the midst ot that confusion, a course of con¬ 
duct at once so new to Washington society and so 
daringly noble under the circumstances. Her abid¬ 
ing faith in the power of right and In the American 
people who recognized and sustained that power, 
nerved her to the task, and she was not deceived. 
It was something for the unpretending new mother 
of the country to find the brilliant gay ety of Wash¬ 
ington society arrayed against her, but It was 
more to set about her task In quiet determination 
supplanting exaggerated fashion and rivaling ex¬ 
travagance with her own sweet simple elegance, 
captivating the heart as well as the eye; appeal¬ 
ing to the good sense of the majority as well as the 
taste of the artist. She did it ior love of the true 
and the honor or her sex of whom not one truly 
American but that la ready to acknowledge her 
influence In that foreign-leavened society as truly 
wholesome. It was something to play the hostess 
to the representatives or European power for she 
knew they were no mild critics of another nation's 
fallings; but It was infinitely more to brave Eu¬ 
rope’s sneer lor conscience sake for she know tne 
mighty wore not always the Just and offence might 
easily bn taken where only good was intended. 
But she resolved tnat the proud Independence of 
America should be upheld by her in the face 
of all nations—that none of her principles should 
yield to etiquette and none of ner virtues to a cus¬ 
tomary vice. 11 mattered not to her who ridiculed 
and who admired, her strength lay In the con¬ 
sciousness or duties ralthiully discharged and 
honors worthily borne. 
Too conscientious In all she did to fear criticism, 
she disarmed it heiore Its attack by going straight 
onward doing right to the best of her knowledge 
and heeding adverse comments only where they 
c.nveyod a suggestion for improvement. Her 
noble vtpousal Of every cause calculated Co benefit 
and advame mankind, won the esteem of the en¬ 
lightened ana n ought even old Conservatism to 
consider new dcpai. ureH with respect. Bound by 
no Irksome conventionalities, she removed sanc¬ 
tioned abuses with the firm and gentle band which 
only encountered opposition to change it. Into 
hearty co-operation, it was tills firm, decided 
stand on all Important questions, this fearless In¬ 
dependence throughout, which appealed so power¬ 
fully to the kindred spirit of her free country and 
laid the foundation to her popularity. She was the 
mirror of the nation, reflecting throughout her con¬ 
duct Its resolute spirit. Its tenacity ot purpose and 
its peculiar ease and self-command In perfect free¬ 
dom. She Is the prototype of what woman will be 
m the free exercise of all her faculties and in her 
proper station of an honored,active member of the 
world's shareholders. 
That her strong character and Intellect does not 
conflict with her womanliness is evident, from the 
universal pratBe which has been bestowed upon 
her as the "eminently womanly woman at the 
White House.” And that she Is not an unwelcome 
type of womanhood Is also evident from the warm 
demonstrations with which she has been received 
In all parts of the Union. 
The Americans are not celebrated as an adulat¬ 
ing, homage-paying people; hut they are appre¬ 
ciative and know how to give honor where honor 
Is due. The President’s wife may not have re¬ 
ceived the knee-homage of titled courtiers, but the 
warm hand-shake of a nation of lords is something 
far more valuable, and the sincere expressions of 
regard and admiration from lips unused to flatter, 
Infinitely dearer. Her departure from the White 
nouse leaves no vacancy In our hearts. Our re¬ 
membrance of her does not cease with her with¬ 
drawal from tmblJc ute. Her farewell betokened 
that there was a welcome closer into our midst- 
honored, beloved, so long as memory endures and a 
spark of truth and honor is sheltered In the Ameri¬ 
can heart. 
• < » » - 
THE HORTICULTURAL LEECH. 
ANNIE L, JACK. 
Thet come to you in varied guise and you are 
not able to avoid contact with them In dally life. 
We all know the leech that admires our houses 
plants, and begs ror “ one little slip ” of the choic¬ 
est of our treasures without offering anything bn 
return. I have Been such people in my flower 
garden stoop down over a flower-bed and pick 
every seed tliov could find from a rare strain of 
pansy that had cost me dear; I have known anoth¬ 
er to break off cuttings, and with the remark. “ I 
haven’t any ot this or that,” coolly ask for a piece 
of newspaper In which to wrap their booty. It la 
just such people who borrow the Rural, and If 
they return It at all do so In a soiled or torn condi¬ 
tion. if you ask them to subscribe—they “ean’t 
afford it” but treat themselves to luxuries that 
some Rural subscribers do without. 
The horticultural leech crosses your orchard and 
reads the labels on your newly-planted trees; he 
carries a knife, and of course It is not stealing, but 
he takes off a few grafts of sorts you may have 
Imported at some expense, and by suoh means, 
gets these varieties for nothing. 
When you are pruning your grapes he is sure to 
he along, and “ What a tine lot of wood you have,” 
he was just wanting some cuttings. You tell him 
you have year-old plants for sale cheap, but he 
does not listen to the voice of the charmer, and 
goes home laden with spoil; Indeed, you may 
think yourself well off if he does not ask for your 
horse and cart to carry them. 
If you are at all enterprising; given to experi¬ 
ments; successful in raising any unusual crop, or. 
are known to be able to use your pen on these 
subjects the leech comes In another form. Here 
Is a copy of a letter received to-day that explains 
my meaningDear sir: I want Information 
regarding a bean that 1 have been told you raise 
for pickling; what do you call It? where could 
I get the seed? what Is the price? how much 
does It take to plant an acre ? what is the proba¬ 
ble yield In bushels, pods Included? when Is the 
time to pull them 7 do they require rich land ? and 
what is the name and address of the firm that 
does the pickling ?’’ All this without even a stamp 
lo pay postage, and, as we do not run any kind or 
a horticultural paper In which to answer ques¬ 
tions, l can safely class It under the heading of 
this article. 
There are many other ways In which the 
“ leech" makes himself known, but these I have 
mentioned are a few of the most annoying. 
-■-■»-—... 
A TRAVELING COMPANION. 
A very convenient article for a lady Is a needle- 
book, pincushion, thimble, thread and sclssors- 
case combined. 
Take a Btrip of either black French kid, or en¬ 
ameled cloth eight inches long, and tour and a 
halt Inches wide, and cut It with one end square, 
and the other end rounded like a diary cover; cut 
a lining to It of some bright colored fabric, either 
silk or cashmere and baste It smoothly close to 
the edge; cut a strip of old knitting, either some 
underwear, or hose Just, twelve Inches long, and 
tour and a-halt wide, roll it tight and bow the edge 
down so it cannot got loose, then cut a place lu 
the side of the roll just the size of your thimble; 
make a bag or the same material as the fining 
and lit Into the thimble-case, cover the ends of the 
roli with the same cloth, working around the ends 
and those of the thimble-case a Arm buttonhole- 
stitch. On the outside make some little bugs hem¬ 
med nicely at the top, and baste them on to tho 
lining close at the edge ; take a bit of pasteboard 
and out out a sclssors-case Just large enough to 
hold your Bdssors, cover It, with cloth like the 
lining and bilnd-sUteh It on to the roll. Make a 
case large enough for your penknife and pul on 
the other side of the thlmble-oaso. cut out some 
leaves of tine cashmere or flannel and buttonhole- 
atltch the edge for needles; some buttonhole- 
stitched loops will hold your stiletto and tweezers. 
Bind the cover wttn ribbon or Bilk and sew It on 
the roll, right where the seam of the cover to the 
ouahion comes ; roll it, up and have a bit ot elastic 
or cord fastened to the center of the round end, to 
pass over the end to hold It firmly In place. It is 
a neat, convenient, and useful article, either tor 
one’s own use, or for a present to a friend. 
Everything is compact and safe ; pins, needles, 
knife, scissors, thimble, thread and all; and the 
whole outlay, even If you get French kid, la not 
over thirty cents, aside from your own work. You 
can put as many fancy stitches In the work as 
you please and have time for. Grandmother. 
--- 
ELOQUENCE. 
The account of Booth’s recital of the Lord’s 
Prayer In your Issue of the 19th Inst., reminds 
me of a recital of the same matter by Miss C. P. 
Brooks, daughter of the late Gen. M. Brooks, 
of Livingston County, N. Y. Miss Brooks lost her 
hearing at the ago of four years, consequently oral 
speech was early forgotten. She was educated at 
the Hartford Asylum under the superintendence 
of the R?v. T. H. Gnllaudet, and after spending 
a few years at home she returned to Hartford and 
became a teacher In that Institution. She was 
well educated In the common branches of English, 
was possessed of a splendid physique, rather over 
the average size, features faultless when at rest, 
but so extremely mobile as to nearly express her 
most, secret thoughts. 
visiting a few mends Bhe was asked to repeat 
the Lord’s Prayer m the language of the Hartford 
Institution. Bhe did not kneel like Mr. Booth, for 
it would have been Impossible for her to have done 
so perfect Justice to the occasion in that attitude. 
She stood before her audience and every motion of 
her limbs, every glance of her eye, and every ex¬ 
pression of her countenance was the most perfect 
exhibition of an eloquence of the most exalted 
kind. At Its conclusion, all sat speechless with 
astonishment, as though K were sacrilege to break 
the spell with the natural voice. 8. B. Peck. 
- ♦♦♦ - 
EVERY-DAY NOTES— NO. 1. 
“I know not why it Is,” said a man who had 
been brought up under the old-fashioned rule for 
governing children, “but, the times that I remem¬ 
ber my parents with the warmest affection are 
the. times when I ought to have been punished, 
and they knew It, but for some unexplained reason 
let me off. Tt may be that the reserve that our 
parents maintained towards us made us appreciate 
It wbeD we saw a Utile humaD weakness manifest 
Itself m them. 
I never felt so much like exerting myself to be 
good as 1 did when I was with Aunt Mary, and she 
always thought everything 1 did was Just right. 
No matter what unthinking mischief I had done, 
she always had some gentle excuse for me. The 
memory of her unceasing kindness warms me now, 
when I remember her, as nothing else does.” 
Children are so unlike, that where gentleness 
wUl answer with some dispositions, firmness and 
even severity are needed with others. Parents 
often fall to win their children’s hearts—although 
Becking with the best Intentions—beause they fall 
to read their natures correotly. b. c. d. 
- ♦-*-* - 
CORRESPONDENT’S CORNER. 
Miss Ray Clark Will you please translate 
the lollowlng French words Into EngUsh; that Is 
teU me what they mean ? 
“Soyez fidele ot consiante, toujours almable, 
etprudente." “VotreAmi Devouk.” 
By answering as soon as possible through the 
Rural you will oblige, Mizpah. 
Translation of above Is as fouows: 
Be faithful and constant; always loving and 
prudent. Your devoted Friend, r. c. 
- ♦ » ♦—■ - 
Use Hop Bitters once and you will use no other 
medicine. Test It. 
Dmiwstir (grottotug. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
JESSIE SEABRIGHT’S SCRAP JOURNAL. 
MAY MAPLE. 
Feb. 19, 18—: For several weeks John has 
been complaining of great pain in his elbow. 
We thought at first it might be a sprain ; but 
when all remedies for sprains failed, we con¬ 
cluded that the disease must be Inflammatory 
rheumatism. Several dollars were paid to the 
village doctor for liniments, but with no better 
success; the arm remained badly swollen and 
pained hun constantly. As a last resort I sug¬ 
gested a poultice of grated carrots, kuowiug 
that it hud been a source of great relief when 
suffering untold agonies from a felon. The 
poultice was applied, and that night he had a 
a good night's rest for the first time in a 
month. At the end of a week the poultice was 
dismissed and the arm pronounced well. 
For a felon we now use a part of a lemon. 
If applied in season It will “kill it”in six 
hours, and thus save a great deal of suffering. 
Several months ago 1 dined with Mrs. L-, 
who resides at the village, and for dessert she 
had oat-meal mush. It was an entirely new 
dish to me, but I liked it exceedingly well, and 
on my return I stopped at the grocery and 
purchased a small package for trial. The re¬ 
sult is, oat-meal mush, with sugar and cream, 
has quite taken the place of rice and steam 
puddings for dessert at our dinner-table. And 
now the great wonder is that it Is used so little 
by farmers. In all my various wanderings 
east or north I have never seen a dish of oat¬ 
meal apon a farmer’s table, and yet I see no 
reason why it should not belong to the farm¬ 
er’s bllJ-of-fare just as much as corn-meal. 
Occasionally a neighbor comes In to borrow 
a loaf of " salt-rising" bread, saying she has 
“ lost her luck ” in making good light bread, 
and wonders why it is that some people never 
