OUR CELLAR DOOR. 
EDGERTOX. 
When I was small—about, so high— 
We had some neighbors living nigh 
Who hart a little “ chub 
These neighbors were considered poor, 
But, then, they had a cellar door, 
And had a washing-tub. 
Ah ! many a youthful hour I've spent 
In sweetest pleasure aud content, 
Upon that cellar door; 
Or, gathered at the washing-tub— 
Myself and that same little “chub”— 
To sail our vessels o’er. 
How well I recollect the night 
When first I saw the little sprite 
Dressed in the cleanest pink; 
I stood u munching gingerbread, 
When she shied up to me and said, 
'* You’re awful nice, I think. 
“ If you'll give me one of your cakes 
The next time that my mother bakes 
I'll give you one of mine ; 
And you may come aud play with me 
And climb up In our cherry tree, 
Won’t that be real fine ? 
“ And slide down on our cellar door, 
Play marbles on our kitchen floor, 
Won’t that be real nice ?” 
And I, transported with the thought 
Of all the happy visions wrought, 
Divided in a trice. 
It's many years ago, since then, 
And I have mingled much with meu 
Aud had my ups aud downs ; 
In almost every varied phase, 
I’ve seen life siuce those youthful days, 
In country and In towns. 
In all my wanderings, near aud far, 
That " chub” has been my guiding star 
And brought me safely through. 
And when I’ve wavered from the mark, 
Her voice has whispered In the dark 
“ Be careful what you do. 
“ Act manly, brave and well, your part, 
For you're entrusted with a heart 
As true to you as steel; 
Guard well the sacred precious trust, 
And never humble in the dust 
The pride in you I feel." 
Now, over the corner there. 
With hazel eyes and nut-brown hair 
You see the counterpart 
Of her, who many years before, 
Slid with me down the cellar door 
And gave to me her heart. 
■-♦♦ » 
THORNS AND ROSES. 
CHAPTER VII. 
(Continued from page 738.) 
“ What do you mean, Edith ?” 
“ Oh, child! how blind you are! Is it that 
you can’t or that you won’t see?” and shaking 
her head, she left me as abruptly as she had 
entered. 
If site had alluded to Nevil’s coldness, I had 
seen that plainly enough, and knew its cause; 
he had believed Edith’s words, and would not 
ask me if they were true. But 1 could not 
speak first; if he were ice I could be snow; 
if he were flint, I could be steel; yet never 
having lost an affection before, my heart was 
heavy, and I could not rest. I thought of the 
first day I had come here, of my early life, 
until my musings centered on Brandon; but 
even this brought pain, a sorrow that had been 
in my mind lately, to-night more acutely felt. 
When I had returned home, I had contem¬ 
plated a renewal of our old friendship—of the 
brother-and-sister affection so dear to me in 
the past. I had hoped for this, and our first 
meeting had confirmed my hopes. Yet it was 
not to be.; Brandon aud 1 were not to each 
other what we had once been; a shade had 
risen between us—not coldness, not unkind¬ 
ness, the man’s heart was as warm and loving 
as had been the boy’s; but there was some¬ 
thing wanting,or there was something ever lay 
between us keeping us apart. We had been 
loug asunder; he had grown used to my ab¬ 
sence; he was his own counsellor; and time 
had made me too exacting. 
Auut Dorothy had much to say on the sub¬ 
ject of Edgar Dana, and Edith preserved a 
discreet silence as to the feelings once existing 
between them. The evening on which he had 
been invited to return was at band, and des¬ 
tined to be a memorable one for me for more 
reasons than one. 
We were sitting in the firelight, aunt discus¬ 
sing Christmas festivities, Editli lying back in 
her chair languidly, when Brandon entered 
bringing with him a frosty freshness from 
outside air. 
“I am glad you came,” said Edith, lousing 
herself, “ because we shall introduce you to 
Edgar Dana. We expect him, so mind you 
are lively, uud don’t sit as if you were medi¬ 
tating on your manifold iniquities, as you gen¬ 
erally do.” * 
“ I will be good,” he said meekly. “ What 
shall I talk about to please your friend ?” 
“You will be all right if you don’t patronize 
or ignore him—the one irritates, the other 
hurts him; hit the happy medium.” 
“ What are you going to do on Christmas- 
day ?” interposed Brandon; but our answers 
were prevented by the entrance of lights—and 
Edgar. 
He was less nervous now, and greeted aunt 
Dorothy smilingly, and colored as he bowed 
to Edith and to me—she, in her long, soft 
dress, looking beautiful. Aunt introduced him 
to Brandon. I had thought these two would 
be at ease with each other directly, and that 
my kinsman would soon win bis way with Ed¬ 
gar Dana. He held out his hand with his own 
cordiality; but, to my surprise, Edgar shrank 
back, and neither offered his own hand nor took 
Brandon's, and he looked round at us, as if 
asking something. What did he mean ? He 
might be shy and nervous; but Brandon was 
so gentle that he had no need to stand blushing 
and hesitating, as if he expected my kinsman 
to strike him. 
Aunt and 1 were sitting together—Brandon 
examining the sketches on Edith’s elaborate 
easel—when she rose and left the room, and, to 
aunt’s delight, Mr. Dana joined us two. Bran¬ 
don wheeled the little chess-table to her side, 
speaking gaily enough for him; but Mr. Dana 
did not play chess, and retired into his “ inner 
consciousness.” 
“ Suppose I give you a lesson ?” proposed 
Brandon ; “ and aunt Dorothy shall see that I 
play fair.” 
I do not know what else he said, but few 
could be unhappy or uncomfortable with Bran¬ 
don Lovel, and Mr. Dana consented, but with 
the same strange hesitation; he looked curi¬ 
ously at my kinsman, at aunt, at myself, as 
though still seeking an answer to that unknown 
query. Edith returned, and I left this room 
for aunt Dorothy's parlor—in darkness save 
for the “fitful firelight’’—and seated myself 
on the low fender-stool. There was one for 
whose presence 1 was longing, despite the 
change, and had I remained in the other room 
my thoughts might have been read. How 
much an idle word can do—only that had 
changed him ! Once he had been so kind, had 
been so tender, and now ?—Edith’s song an¬ 
swered me: 
“ ‘Now you are cold to me, Robin Adair!’ ” 
And tears rose fast to my eyes. How foolish 
of me—how contemptible—how unlike Kate 
Lovel! Then a footstep caused me to rise 
hastily indeed. I had not heard his arrival—I 
knew not for how long he had watched me— 
but Nevil was beside me in the red glow of 
the fire. 
CHAPTER VIII. 
I could not speak as 1 responded to the 
rather stiff bow with which Nevil greeted me, 
but I was outwardly calm and composed. 
“ Don’t let me disturb you, Miss Lovel,” he 
said, leaning on the mantle-piece, and studying 
the wide prospect afforded by the fire, “I trust 
I do not intrude on your thoughts 2” 
“ Not at all. Suppose we join the others ?” 
He did not answer and I also relapsed into 
silence, though I wished he would speak or 
move, it being so ridiculous for us to stand 
here speechless. Possibly someone would come 
in search of us, but 1 did not wish to avoid 
what might be my only chance of explanation. 
My meditations were soon interrupted, for as 
I bent to light a taper he abruptly changed 
his position, rattling the unoffending lireirons, 
aud 1 met his ej’es fixed on me angrily, and— 
the taper went out. 
“ Are you disposed to accede to the wishes 
of your Cornish admirer 2” lie said, scornfully. 
“I beg your pardon,” 1 returned, icily; “ I 
do not possess a Cornish admirer, Mr. Vemer.” 
‘ Ila ? Mr. Dana does not come from Corn¬ 
wall ?” 
“ He is no admirer of mine, even if he did.” 
“Then how docs lie happen to visit here, 
pray ?” 
“ He is a friend of my cousin s, to whom her 
father wished us to show kindness; and if you 
desire further information-” 
‘ Not your lover! Was Edith's story false?” 
‘ I had never before spoken to Mr. Dana; 
she was only speaking in jest.” 
“ How absurd I have been!” cried Nevil, 
stamping. “ How dare Edith say such u thing! 
I believed it, Kate; and 1 was so angry, that I 
would not come to see you, because I thought 
you were playing with me. I loved you, and 
you knew it. My dearest girl, I was half mad 
with jealousy; but now I will speak to you, 
dear, aud tell you of my love. You know it, 
Kate !” 
“ And if I do, Nev—Mr. Verner?” 
“ Then you will love me in return. Ah! do 
not be so proud and cold! Is it that you doubt 
me. The day may come when 1 shall prove 
the strength and fervor of my love; for a love 
such as mine can neither change nor falter, 
and time will show you this. I can’t plead—I 
can’t speak as perhaps you wish. Dear Kate, 
believe me, the devotion of a life shall prove 
my truth; my heart shall lie your refuge! Do 
you love me?” 
I do not know what I answered, if I an¬ 
swered at all, for he caught me a prisoner; and 
I was so happy that I scarcely heard his pas¬ 
sionate pleading as we stood there, “the world 
forgetting, by the world forgot.” 
“ Kate, do you love me?” 
“ Yes, Nevil, I do;” and he showed me a lit¬ 
tle ring brilliant with diamonds. 
“See, sweetheart, this is for you; and if you 
had not loved me I would have thrown it in 
the sea. Wear it, wifi you, for my sake?’ 
“ You do love me, Nevil?” I said, touched 
by the gladness his simple nature did not hide. 
“ W ith all my heart, and I may some day 
, prove it. I am not sorry now for Edith’s 
jest, but how could I believe it? You’re not 
j angry?” 
“ Oh, no! But always tell me if I do any¬ 
thing to annoy you. Let us be open and 
candid with each other, for whore there is 
little trust there is less love.” 
“ Indeed I trust you; and we two shall live 
for each other. Novel will put this ring on, 
and you must not take it off’ until—until our 
vows are broken—and that means never.” 
After a pause we left the parlor, Nevil’s arm 
round me until we reached the opposite room, 
when he released rue with a smile. 
It was a happy evening; Nevil and I sat to¬ 
gether, Brandon singing until it was time for 
them to go; Mr. Dana had already gone, and 
whilst waiting for Brandon, who was discuss¬ 
ing Christmas affairs with auut, Nevil beck¬ 
oned me out to the garden. 
Oh, that sweet moonlight night, with the 
long silver rays resting on the snow—the sky, 
with its solemn crown of stai-s, bending over 
us—the soft, low voice of the wind sighing 
through the leafless trees! We walked to ami 
fro in silence, charmed by the beauty of the 
scene; and I thought of rny lover, of him to 
whom 1 now belonged. When he had asked 
my love he had not forgotten his manly dig¬ 
nity, he had not stooped to slavish worship 
aud flattery, and I admired him all the more. 
The sound of my kinsman’s voice, singing as 
he came down the avenue, roused me, and 
called me back to earth. lie seemed little sur¬ 
prised at my being here; and as I watched my 
lover and my friend go away together. I 
woudered if one would tell the other of the 
engagement. Returning to the house, I told 
auut Dorothy all. 
“ My dear Kate, how delighted I am !” she 
cried, “ Nevil is so good—you will be so 
happy!” 
She sat turning my ring round and round, 
and talking of Nevil, until Edith came in, who, 
hearing the news, looked curiously at me, aud 
aunt left us together. 
“ I suppose you are in a state of bliss," said 
my cousin calmly staring. “ Was he very 
overpowering ? Did he sing his own praises, 
aud tell yoUfhow honored you ought to feel ?’’ 
“Edith, you have one opinion of Nevil Ver- 
ner; I another. As I am not always telling 
you of his virtues, will you be sileut as to the 
faults you find in him ?” 
“ You find none ? Cousin mine, I will say no 
more; you see him now at his best, and will 
do so until he finds another. He values a 
thing until he wins it, and he has won your 
love. You have seen u child run after a but¬ 
terfly—to use an old simile—and Nevil has 
caught his butterfly, and will be charmed 
with it till another, more difficult to capture, 
flits before him more difficult, therefore of 
more value. Good-night, my love, good¬ 
night !” 
She left me, singing gaily to herself. 
The morning dawned so brightly that I re¬ 
solved to ride out and exercise Diamond; and 
shortly after breakfast I set out alone, Edith 
declining to accompany me, on the plea of a 
headache. I was glad to be alone, for I 
wanted to think of yesterday; to realize that I 
was engaged to Nevil, and loved by him. 
Kindly words greeted me as I passed through 
the village; a future, clear as the sky, lay be¬ 
fore me, for though sorrow aud troubles 
might come, there would be always one on 
whom I could rely—one true heart my refuge. 
The faults in my character he would help me 
to overcome; trusting and loving, we would 
walk hand-in-liand through life. 
Happy as I could be, I rode on. Passing the 
boundary of my own estate, and entering my 
kinsman’s, I wondered if I should meet him. 
Blue smoke curled from the chimneys of the 
struggling cottages, a robin crossed my path, 
and a yollowhammer chipped on the low stone 
wall. Just as I turned a corner I beheld a 
sight that made me smile. An old woman— 
bent, feeble, and decrepit—a stalwart man 
supporting her with one arm, on the other 
carrying a battered basket, and a horse 
brdqght up the rear. My kinsman, of course; 
and 1 watched him escort his companion to a 
little roadside cottage, hand her the basket, 
and bow as if sbe were a duchess. He had 
just remounted, when I cautered up and 
greeted him. 
“ Riding as usual, Kate! Shall we ride on 
together?” he said, quickly. 
“ I saw you with that old lady!” 
“ Oh! she slipped over a stone, and-” 
“ And you dismounted, helped her up, and 
carried the basket. Ah! 1 never find you but 
ou are doing good to someone—doing some 
indness of which you alone would think! 
Anyone else would not have dismounted.” 
To be Continued. 
for tl)c Owing. 
A COUSIN’S EXPERIENCE WITH SEED¬ 
LINGS. 
I thought I would write my first letter to 
you and my cousins. I will tell you what I 
am trying to do. Last Summer, late in June, 
I planted one Charles Downing strawberry 
aud about eight weeks ago eight little plants 
came up, and one Of them died about a week 
ago. I have them growing iu the house now. 
October 10 1 planted about 75 Concord grape 
seeds, and I have some seedling potatoes. I 
will tell you how I got them. Lust Fall, 1880, 
as soon as there were ripe potato balls on the 
vines, I planted some in a box and put it in 
the house. The seeds germinated and grew 
nicely until Nov. 25, when I removed them to 
the cellar. In the Spring I took them up and 
planted them out. They grew nicely. This 
Fall wlu-n I dug them I was greatly surprised 
at what I found in the hill. There were 33 
potatoes, varying from a robin’s to a bantam’s 
egg in size and of all colors, kinds and shapes. 
One of the vines died down about two weeks 
before the Beauty of Hebron did. If nothing 
happens next Fall I will tell you more about 
them. Last Fall I took 15 Cherry Currant cut¬ 
tings and left four buds on each. These I put 
in the ground, leaving one bud above ground. 
This Spring I went to see how many had 
started. There were twelve. This Fall I set 
them out; they wore about seven inches high. 
I set out altogether about 75 currant cuttings, 
and I have now 85 currant bushes iu all. Last 
Spring I set out about fifty quince cuttings 
and now have 12 small bushes. I planted 
them the same as I did the currant, except 
I covered them with a few leaves or hay and 
watered them often so as to keep the ground 
moist. If the cousins have no currant or 
quince bushes they can take grape cuttings 
and, leaving from three to five buds on a cut¬ 
ting, put them in the ground in a slanting di¬ 
rection and leave one bud out of the ground. 
The Concord will be a good kind to practice 
on. I have a lot of cuttings of grape vines to 
set out this Fall, The Delaware grape you can¬ 
not well start without laying a branch down. I 
procured cuttings from the following named 
vines; two Salems, two Marthas, two Crotons, 
two Crevelings, one Brighton and two Eume- 
lans. Of the 11 cuttings two Salems, one 
Martha, two Crotons, one Groveling and one 
Brighton lived. In a little while I will send 
Uncle Mark a kind of plant which grew iumy 
strawberry bed last Summer. I want him to 
tell me the name of it when I send it. 
Blackstone, Mass. O. F. Fuller. 
[I am greatly pleased to hear that one mem¬ 
ber of the Club, at least, is succeeding so well 
with seedlings. The writer of the above let¬ 
ter is on the light road to successful fruit 
raising aud his example I hope will be fol¬ 
lowed by many others of the club.—u. M.] 
-- 
KEEPING FRUIT IN WINTER. 
Opinions differ greatly upon this subject, 
but there is one point upon which all are 
agreed and that is tha t the lower the tempera¬ 
ture above the feezing point the better it is 
for keeping fruit of any kind. Some people 
are of the opinion that a damp atmosphere is 
best, but I have good success in keeping apples 
in a very dry cellar and i cannot see why it 
would not be equally good for other fruits. 
I think the difference in seasons has some 
effect upon the keeping qualities of fruit for 
some years apples and pears will keep well 
while, perhaps, the next they will rot badly 
under preeiselv the same conditions. More¬ 
over there is a great difference in thu keep¬ 
ing qualities of different varieties of fruits. 
In securing a kind of apple or pear that will 
keep well one should look for firmness of flesh 
and thick skin, though there are some objec¬ 
tions to the latter. But whatever variety of 
fruit one may have it is absolutely necessary 
that it should bo handled with the greatest 
care in picking, packing, etc. 1 have seen 
fine fruit absolutely spoiled for long keeping 
by the carelessness of the pickers who braise 
it when gathering. Judging from my own 
experience I should say that it is much 
better to keep fruit covered, especially that 
packed in shallow boxes or bins. This is 
necessary in most cases iu order to maintain 
a uniform temperature. When packing apples 
or pears which are long keepers it is best to 
use barrels or deep boxes; but this is not ad¬ 
visable for fruit that does not keep well, as it 
will lie bruised too much iu sorting. Will. 
•-+•■»■»- 
YOUNG QUERIST. 
N. L. A., Freehold, Fa., asks, 1, how are 
seed distributions conducted by the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture at Washington, D. C.; 2, 
is the Saxou Importing Company reliable. 
Ans. —1. There is no stated time for making 
the distributions of seed. Applications for 
seed should be made through your Senator or 
