DEC. 22 
were talking about—small garden In front, and 
the name of John Todd on the door, you know. 
in spite of Uncle Tom’s objection to thanks 
there was a simultaneous outburst of grateful 
Joy—the overflow or happy hearts. John Todd 
squeezed his brother-in-laws left hand, while 
Charley Collins violently shook his right, and 
Mllly, with both arms round his neck, kissed him 
repeatedly. Miss Plnnlfer wept so violently that 
her small pocket handkerchief looked as If It had 
been recently washed, and not recently dried. 
The excitement rather Increased than dimin¬ 
ished In Intensity, and Uncle Tom was In a fair 
way to be literally smothered with caresses, 
when the door suddenly opened, and Miss Pinnl- 
fer’s brother, m a whtte and peculiarly airy cos¬ 
tume, stalked Into the room. There was an ex¬ 
clamation or astonishment followed by a shout 
of inextinguishable laughter, and then Miss 
Plnnlfer, with much presence of mind, seized the 
table-cover, and hurriedly draping it round the 
Intruder, marched him hack to bed. 
For a little while longer the little party sat 
around the ftro, talking of the hard times past 
and the pleasant times to come: and hearing the 
story of the tempest-tossed life, come to an anchor 
at last. And then iho time for “ go&l-by ” came, 
and as with lovtug kisses, and hearty hand-shakos, 
they said “good-night,'’ the chimes from a 
neighboring churcli-tower rang out midnight, 
and Christmas l>ay was over. Aud Uncle Tom, 
reverently dolling ills hat, said— 
" Thank God for a merry Christmas.’’ 
" Amen 1“ said Charley Collins. 
"AmenI’’ said John Todd, "with all our 
hearts, amen 1“ 
actor the mother |s generally totally ignorant. It 
Is so much easier, you know. Their diet depends 
almost entirely upon their own fancies; their 
clothing upon the fashion ! They see lu their 
homes a continual worship of dress and money, a 
hollow appearance of that which is not. Sons aro 
educated to prize success rnoro than honor, and 
daughters aro taught to sell themselves in mar¬ 
riage to tho highest bidder. 
I do not say these things of all. There be 
many in whose presence men may well uncover 
the head and bow their souls In loving and rev¬ 
erent homage; but who will deny that these 
faults are too sadly prevalent lu the woman of 
our day. Ho It Is a glaring fact that after mar¬ 
riage maoy wives are more intent upon avoiding 
a family, than upon preparing for tho physical 
advancement or another generation, or should 
they have children, give more study to make of 
them instruments to gratiry their own pride, 
thau In rearing them In the wisest aud best man¬ 
ner. it, Is here that the seeds of Intemperance 
and self-indulgence aro sown. And the mother 
loving her child, yet rears him to drink, or 
smoke, or steal, or become a libertine, as his 
ungoverued and uneducated inclination may 
lead him. 
I agreewltn icrmekoardb, that "nearlyall that 
any man knows or duty, honesty, and purity 
of life, was taught him at bis mother's knee ; ” 
but I also claim that- the very prevalent Igno¬ 
rance of these tilings among men, Is for want of 
that mother’s knee. There aro many mothers 
who profer prayer to labor In tho rearing of 
children. Prayer la good, but I doubt Ita eincacy 
Single-handed. 
Do not despise tho " quiet corner,” fair foe. 
From the quiet corner of tho homo w omen may 
rule tho world, not from tho polls or the senate. 
Not wound, but try your armor, would 
Sword Stick. 
are its indispensable conditions. And If It 1 
complained that outside aids are scanty and In¬ 
sufficient, It Is Just in this way that Invention Is 
[CONDUCTED BY MISS FAITH RIPLEY.' 
A MONOTONE 
The wind blows through the withered leaves, 
The sun looks coldly on the stream, 
And winter with a sad some(n-ieves. 
O’er summer's glorious bra uty fcone. 
My life is like a winter day; 
Its hopes hove vanished, joys have flown, 
But faith looks down the leaf strewn way 
And speaks of harvests yet to come. 
DESIGN FOR A TOBACCO BAG 
Fio. 1.—A Tobacco Bag, lu the form of a tulip 
at the bottom; the bag Is composed of six dlvls- 
HER MOTHER’S SECRET 
[Continued from page393.1 
CHAPTER III. 
Editu heard him, and it was certainly not the 
way to bring her at once. The emotion of the 
two shocks was almost too much. 
Gradually, however, there came a revival of 
life, and with it crimson blushes suffused her 
cheeks as she gently disengaged herself. 
"Ishall be better presently,” she faintly eja¬ 
culated. 
"But, pray, what has happened ?—do explain 1” 
he said, coaxlugly. "Have you been Insulted?” 
“No, no!” she cried, In an alarmed tone; 
" only I met Jack Clayton very excited and half 
mad, I think, and he said gome very disagreeable 
things-” 
Boyston Yorke smiled. 
" I suppose upbraided you with fickleness and 
falsehood?” he went on. 
" lie accused me of something of tho sort,” she 
faltered; " but really, I never, never thought of 
him except as a friend and brother 
"Did he ask,” taking her hand In his—“did 
he say anything about anyone else?” 
Edith looked down on tho ground, and touched 
Kit with her foot. 
"Suppose we continue our walk?” she con¬ 
trived to get out. at lost. 
“Not Just yet,” ho replied, gently detaining 
her; " 1 have said loo much or too little. As this 
has occurred, wo must have an explanation. 
From the very first time 1 saw you, 1 knew that 
1 had met my fate, I determined, however, to 
study you a little more. Besides, I did not want 
to frighten you, knowing what a timid little bird 
It was. But l have long surrendered my heart. 
Is It In safe keoplng ?” 
Edith could not reply. 
“Have you nothing to say?” he asked, In his 
soft^ Imploring tones. "Edith, do not say you 
cannot love me 
“ You have taken me so by surprise,” she went 
on, timorously. “I never thought you liked me 
In that way.” 
" But,” ho insisted, “now you do know it, what 
have you to say ?" 
“Ah, Mr. Yorko," she said, firmly, "you aro a 
brave man, experienced in the world's ways—do 
not play with a poor, silly girl, i am far beneath 
you. You are a gentleman, have plenty ol 
friends, while I have only my mother. Do not 
deceive me." 
“Not for the world," he continued, slightly 
wincing as he spoke. “ 1 love you with all my 
heart and soul—will you try to love me?” 
"I will,” she said, presently. “I will try, and 
I am afraid I do.” 
They were seen by a haggard, white face at 
some distance, but not a word they uttered was 
heard. 
“My own sweet love,” the other went on, "I 
must tell you about myself. I am tolerably well 
off, but I am also heir to a baronet. lie has no 
son, only a daughter, about your own age, but 
much more womanly la ev, ry way.” 
Edith looked shlly at hn.i, 
" My untie, wno is a rn m who has seen some 
trouble, has been very kin i to me. His marriage 
—a mere marriage of money convenience—has 
not been a very happy one,” he went on, with a 
sigh. “My aunt is turlou. ecause she never hud 
but one boy, who died; s j hates me to have the 
CULTURE FOR WOMEN IN COUNTRY 
HOMES. 
To a lover of t he country and of country homes, 
It. is hard to find sympathy with the slighting tone 
of most women In speaking of the town or village 
In which they happen to live. " Such a dull little 
place,” they will say; " life is so fearfully monot¬ 
onous here; and, wort of all, we have no oppor¬ 
tunities for self •improvement.” 
It might be well to Invite discussion on this last 
point—to compare notes with our city sisters to 
see whether the matter is Indeed the one-sided 
affair It would at first seem; whether It really la 
a hopeless case for tlm one who must run her 
Go-lly race remote from town. 
Nobody win deny tho stimulating Influence of a 
groat city. Its surging human throng Is exhila¬ 
ration; the shop windows alono an inspiration. 
Then, when wo run over tho fascinating inven¬ 
tory of all tho other attractions,—the pub! lo libra¬ 
ries, museums, theaters, picture-galleries; tlm 
lectures and concerts aud operas; the opportuni¬ 
ties for instruction In every branch of literature, 
BClcnoo and art; when we consider that here the 
best talent, the best minds naturally gravitate,— 
It Is hard to be convinced that lire outside so many 
advantages can possess anything desirable, can 
be worth even the name. 
But, after all, Is It not a clear caso of embarrass¬ 
ment of riches? Where so much Is offered, la not 
the tendency to dip into a little of everything, at 
tho risk of being superficial ? I think experience 
would gu to prove that amid so many tempting 
distractions, devotion to one single, absorbing 
pursuit Is almost entirely out of the question. 
The very helps become hindrances. 
Fjg. 3. 
stimulated and one becomes fertile In resources. 
Tho girl in the lonely farm-house, may not liavo 
many books or papers, but sho may an use tho 
few, that all the land may not hold a critic more 
keen, refined, and discriminating. Hhe may not 
dally feast her eyes on costly treasures of art, 
but If the artist, Instinct be strong within her, 
she will never complain of lack ot opportunities, 
face to face aw shu Is \\ 1th nature, is she Inter¬ 
ested in science, especially In that most rich 
and attractive field—Natural history—what rare 
chances does not the country permit for study 
and improvement 1 
Tho truth is, if a woman Is hungry for culture, 
she will get it somehow, though her house be on 
a desert island. Tho fault, dear friends, la not 
In our country life, but in ourselves, if wo aro 
underlings. Wo may not become experts In 
laces, India chaws, and brlo-a-bruc, nor hear all 
the symphony concerts, or the latest, lecture on 
evolution: we may even have to Uke our theat¬ 
rical criticism second-hand, yet life need not on 
this account bo dun and monotonous. We can 
choose some calling, the following of which shall 
bring us exceeding great reward in tho shape of 
mental resources so rich as to make us independ¬ 
ent of outsldu artificial aids ; a calling that will 
make us strong enough to create an atmosphere 
which shall Incite and encourage all who may 
come within its influence. F. A. Wood. 
Fid. 1. 
ions, three according to Fig. 2 , and three accord 
lng to Fig. 3, each partition rormed of embroidery 
in rich colored silks upon falllo or cashmere; tho 
upper part to bo In a good contrasting shade of 
silk, uud the whole finished off with cords and 
tassels, as shown in Fig. l. 
Fig. a.—section of Tobacco Bag. Fig. 3—sec¬ 
tion of Tobacco Bag. 
TALKS ON TIMELY TOPICS-No, 2 
BY ROSK OERANICM, 
AN ATTACK ON THOSE MOTHERS, 
Feather Flowers. 
As the space I occupy must necessarily be 
limited I will presume only to aim at instruction 
In tlio simplest forms and materials of this 
dainty art. 
For feathers I will not go beyond the limits of 
the barnyard ; nor, indeed, need I to produce 
tho most nattering results. To dye, lu the sim¬ 
plest manner, we will need Beamon's green, scar¬ 
let and yellow Aniline dyes, select straight- 
ribbed, regularly curled leathers, always rejecting 
one-sided ones us being useless. Those Dom the 
goose aro preferable, und with these alone one can 
make a bouquet, of charming variety. To dye the 
feathers, first tie them in small bunches and 
wash in strong soap suds. Then dip In the dyes 
until the proper tints are obtained, cut apart and 
allow them to dry. 
If you prefer not t.o experiment with dyes, you 
can arrange quite a dainty bouquet by using dry 
and tube paints. A single lube of green paint 
and a bottle each or yellow, scarlet and violet 
dry colors wilt constitute quite a respectable out¬ 
fit. Stamens can be uuulo by cutting off bunches 
of glazed spool cotton and dipping the ends In 
melted wax and afterwards in tho requisite color 
of dry paint. They can, however, be procured at 
very trilling expense. In addition will be required 
tine wire and coarse, One or two shades of green 
i Issue paper (or sheet wax) for winding atoms aud, 
If we use tuba paints, a camel's hairbrush. 
ir to paint with tube-green, strip the lower 
portion from tho feather and cut away the stem 
leaving more than half an inch bare. Use very 
sharp scissors, cut against the grain of the feath¬ 
er, shape after a natural leaf and notch or ser¬ 
rate If needed. Then lay on the color, drawing 
the brush quickly from the base and toward the 
tips of the feather. With a coarse needle perfor¬ 
ate a piece of ft. ini-board. Into which insert the 
stems and leave them to dry. 
In forming flowers, use the petals and parts of 
natural ones lor patterns. Always leave a por- 
Tr Is an amusing trait of human nature that 
one may supplement the condemnation ot a fault 
lu another by the same error. Even your vener¬ 
able correspondent “ Krmknoard* ” has illustrat¬ 
ed this. From the UIght of her great age and expe¬ 
rience, she showers down upon the youny “ Free 
La fob ’an overwhelming volLey ot "friendly 
criticisms,” and having destroyed his sweeping 
condemnation of the fair 3ex by her ridicule, her¬ 
self passes condemnation upon pine-tenth£ of 
mankind, and all fathers. I protest, and hereby 
offer to do battle on behalf ot the sex.. 1 make 
no excuse for our evil habits, but i charge you, Oh! 
woman, with a Uke need ot Improvement. To you 
Is given, more than to us, the noble duty, the 
mighty power of forming tho character of the 
generations. To you, more than lo us. Is the honor 
of success, the responsibility of failure. If you 
exercise that power aright. It will not be neces¬ 
sary to vote down intemperance at, tho polls. It 
will be voted down before the polls arc reached. 
Laws are powerless to make men temperate, 
mothers are not. Gartiet nous / f charge the 
woman of to-day with a love of ease and display, 
and a desire to shirk tho responsibilities of her 
sex, which cannot fall to destroy ihs sacred ness 
or her position, and the power to mold men. 
Children are educated to tliluk more of an elegant 
wardrobe than a well-ordered mind. They are 
taught to honor money more than Ir tclilgcnce— 
financial success more than honorable living. 
Irreverence is haded in them as an evidence of 
" smartness," and Is paraded with pride by the 
unwise mother who thus saps the lire of her own 
influence and bequeaths to her children au imma¬ 
ture confidence In place of a noble self-reliance. 
They are allowed to run at large and form ac¬ 
quaintances at will, because It is easier than to 
be continually holding tho reins. Their religious 
education U given to an utterly Irresponsible 
os unday-school teacher, of whose ability aud char 
On the other hand, tho quiet, seclusion, monot¬ 
ony, if you please, of tliejcountry are most favor¬ 
able to the intellectual life—l had nearly said 
Silver hay-rakes are fashionable for 
gentlemen’s Hcarf-pins. 
young 
