424 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC. 20 
gambolling o’er the mead, were contemplating 
their offsprings and finishing their morning meal 
there, also, were the sportive lambs, and all crea¬ 
tion seemed happy. Then he came to men with 
well-knit frames, who were cultivating other 
fields, and mellowing the soli lor crops to serve 
through into the winter season, and t hese men had 
faces beaming with good will and pleasure, and 
every word and action showed confidence In their 
principal, who In turn expressed satisfaction 
with their operations, and a desire for their com¬ 
fort and prosperity. He thought there was per- 
f.ct peace, no trouble of any klud to spoil the 
harmony, and that the Great spirit from above 
looked down and smiled on the scene. 
'lie thought a mountain was traversed, and he 
came upon another vale, fences rough, dilapidat¬ 
ed or destroyed, copperheads, rattlesnakes and 
weasels, minks and skunks, skulking under the 
ruins of former divisions of fields: then he came 
to the house where an amiable, lovely spirit per¬ 
vaded those within, but the snakes and skunks 
had entered into his soul, and the presence of a 
hateful contrast to the purity of those angelic 
beings, repelled to such a degree that peace flew 
out and evil fastened Its fangs ou the mind, so 
that on taking a tour among the animal creation, 
they caught the Infection, and a miserable, Ill- 
mated, unfortunate 3et they were. 
On coming to the men, they felt the evil influ¬ 
ence come over their hearts, and a feeling of an¬ 
tagonism possessed them, which being reciproca¬ 
ted, produced an enmity that death alone could 
terminate. And now the Great Spirit sounded a 
trumpet, and he thought over the misery he had 
substituted tor the happluess which might have 
reigned undisturbed, and his heart quailed with¬ 
in him, as he awoke to find he had been dreaming 
and the world was still going Its dally turns and 
Its rounds, and tUesun, and moon, and the stars, 
were still the same. A Dreamer. 
earlier than she had Intended, and found that 
not one of them had been into the barn while she 
was absent. Any person could say it was per¬ 
fectly ridiculous for her to get up such an excite¬ 
ment and make herself uncomfortable, all for 
nothing; but It was her way, maybe her tempera¬ 
ment. ; and there are plenty ot individuals who 
do the same continually, and so deprive them¬ 
selves or happiness that they might enjoy, If they 
would only take things as they came, and not 
borrow trouble. b. b. 
- 
BRIC-A-BRAC. 
BVC. H. E. R. 
The gravest beast is an ass : the gravest bird Is 
an owl; the gravest fish Is an oyster ; and the 
gravest man Is a fool, unless he happens to be 
Josn Billings 
It Is a Spanish maxim that “ he that loseth 
wealth, loseth much; he who loseth a friend, 
loseth more ; but he who loseth his spirits, loseth 
all I" .So keep up your spirits, and a fig for care! 
Don Ferdinand Colon, son of Columbus, reports 
that among other terrors which assailed hla ships 
In a gale off the Zorobaro Islands, near Veragua, 
there was a waterspout so dangerous that. If it 
had not been dispersed by the people reading 
aloud the Gospel by Saint John, the ships had 
been sunk. 
guide them. At once they were able to produce 
things of beauty, for It gives full directions as to 
the selections of all materials, and bow to work 
them. 
The Ornamental Designs by the same publisher, 
parts 6 and 7 of which are before us give original 
patterns which may be rollowed closely, or varied 
as the taste and Ingenuity of the workman may 
suggest. 
- ♦ ♦ ♦ 
THE THREE SONS. 
Nobility of soul chiefly consists lu doing good 
to those who have Injured us. A worthy man, 
full of years and wealth, wished tu dlvldB his pos¬ 
sessions between his three Bons, in order that he 
might, enjoy tn his lifetime the pleasure of seeing 
them independent and prosperous. After making 
an equal division of his property, and giving to 
each his portion, he said, “ Thore still remains In 
my possession a very valuable diamond. 11 ntend 
It for him among you who will deserve it best, by 
performing some generous, noble action, within 
the next three mouths.” 
The three sons departed, but met again at the 
end of the prescribed time. They present them¬ 
selves before their judge, and the eldest begins 
as follows: 
“ Father, during ray absence, a stranger found 
himself so circumstanced as to be obliged to In¬ 
trust all his money Into my keeping, lie had no 
receipt from me, and could produce no proof, uo 
security; nevertheless, I faithfully restored the 
whole. Was not this praiseworthy ?” 
'• Vou only did your dul y, my son,” said the old 
man; " It would have been scandalous to do oth¬ 
erwise, for honesty is a duly; yours was an act 
ot Justice, not generosity." 
The second son, lu his turn, related his story. 
•* In my travels I came to the border of a lake. A 
child had Just fallen Into the water. I Jumped In 
and rescued him before the eyes of the villagers, 
who will attest the truth of my statement.” 
** That was well done,” interrupted the father, 
“ but It, was simply an act or humanity." 
At lengLh the youngest brother began “ My 
father,” said he, “ 1 found my mortal enemy, wno 
had wandered off the track dui lug the night., 
asleep and unconscious on the edge of a preci¬ 
pice; the least movement would have been fatal, 
as ou awaklug he must have tumbled Into the 
abyss. His life was In my hands. I took all 
proper precautions to awake him gently, and drew 
him away from the danger.’i 
" Ah! my son,” cried the father with Joy, and 
embracing him tenderly, “ without dispute, the 
ring belongs to you." 
FRETTING OVER TRIFLES. 
PxorLK who fret over trifles are not only In hot. 
water themselves all their fives, but they keep 
other people there too; they are always tn trouble 
ot some kind, and nothing goes on as they would 
have It. It always storms when they want pleas¬ 
ant weather, and when they could enjoy a rainy 
day It Is sure to be bright and sunshiny. They 
have a most peculiar faculty of being miserable ; 
If It Is not one thing, it is another. They are sure 
to find something to groan aud croak about. In 
the summer they complain of the heat and colic; 
lu the winter of cold and rheumatism. One would 
think they enjoy being miserable. They are 
always borrowing trouble. We remember a wo¬ 
man who went to church one Sunday morning; 
her little girls she took with her, but the boys 
were left, at home. She told them whut they 
must and must uoi do during her absence, and 
charged them to be obedient and good. During 
the long prayer, her mind wandered off, and she 
commenced thinking about the urchins she had 
left behind, aud she thought that if Jimmy 
should go out to tho big barn to look after hens’ 
eggs, and should climb up on the high beams, 
and fail and break his neck; and Tom should 
wouder why Jimmy was gone so long, and go out 
to look for him and go Into the stable, and the 
colts should kick him ami break Uls leg; then, 
If Will should wonder what the boys were doing, 
and go to see; and the bull should get loose and 
gore him to death! She worked herself Into such 
a nervous state of mind that she went home 
£ _ 
It Is not generally known, perhaps, thet the 
motto "God speed the plow”—sprang out of a 
a rebellion. There was a great deal ot " pluck¬ 
ing down or incloeures, and laying waste of fields 
to enlarge the common lands,” In the early part 
of the sixteenth century; and In 1645, the prac¬ 
tice led to an agranaD Insurrection in the Mid¬ 
land and north-eastern counties of England. The 
rebels on that occasion, bore a banner, on which 
was inscribed, "God speed the plow;” and this 
Is the first Instance on record of the use of the 
phrase. In all probability therefore. It was In¬ 
vented then. _ 
The celebrated violinist, Joacbim, during a win¬ 
ter residence In North Germany, was In the habit, 
of watching the skaters on a Qne piece of water 
beneath his windows, until one day It occurred to 
him to try the exercise hlmselL As he bad never 
yet donned a pair or skates, be put himself Into 
the hands of a man who provided skates and In¬ 
structions in the art., on the brink of the water, 
aud was soon equipped and started on the Ice, the 
master leading his pupil. Finding no difficulty In 
keeping hla balance under these clrcumstrnces, 
Joachim relt sure he could go alone, desired his 
leader to leave him, and the next minute was 
sprawling on the Ice on his hack. “ Aha !” Bald 
tho teacher, triumphantly, as he raised his pros¬ 
trate pupil, " you see It Is not quite so easy as 
playing the fiddler 1 
Is there any joy greater than that which is ex¬ 
perienced by one person when he helps another 
person 7 There are some menso low down that it 
is said they can not bear to have the smell of their 
clover go into the highway for fear that other 
people will get something that belongs to them 
without paying for it; there are some men who 
are said to begrudge bees the honey which they 
take from their flowers without leaving some¬ 
thing behind ; but that is doubtless imaginary. 
A man whose heart does not respond to an act of 
doing good or giving happiness Is no longer a 
man. He has passed the fine of manhood, and 
should be ranked among book-agents. 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Aboul Old .Story Telli-rs : Of bow and wlion 
they lived, and what stories they told. By 
Do.vALti G. Mitchell. New York: Scribner, 
Armstrong & Co. 
“ Well, what, about them 7” That Is what the 
little fellow shown on the frontispiece Is asking, 
and he looks as If he wa3 not exactly satisfied It 
was anything worth his listening to. We wish 
we could have seen him when he had Just finished 
reading the book, tor he had learned about Scott 
and Bunyan and Swift aud Goldsmith and Defoe 
and Marla Edgeworth and others, aud has found 
briefly told many of their most charming stories, 
among which are some of the Arabian Nights, 
vicar of Wakefield, Gulliver’s travels, Paul and 
virglula, Ivanhoe aud others. 
Mr. Mitchell doubtless had an Idea he was 
writing for little folks, but we are mistaken If 
many people as old as he is and some a great deal 
older, will not read it with much pleasure. It 
will be sura to revive memories of times long past 
wbeu they, children then, devoured their Iiobln- 
son Crusoe and the few other stories then attain¬ 
able with, If possible, more eagerness than do the 
little folks of the present time. 
bret Rawing for Pleasure and Profit. 103 paces. 
Illustrated. 60 cents. New York: H. T. Wil¬ 
liams. 
O run menial Design* for fretwork, fancy carving 
and home clecoruilons. folio purtti; 8 plates. 30 
cents. Part 7, 16 plates, CO cents. New Yore: 
H. T. Williams. 
Fret Sawing has become popular both as an 
amusement and a profitable way of occupying 
otherwise Idle hours, by many a young American. 
The small sum necessary to purchase the neces¬ 
sary materials recommends It to those of limited 
means aud the same amouut of money can be 
expended lu no way that will give a boy with the 
average mechanical taste so much pleasure, as In 
their purch&so. Thousands of boys fully supplied 
with tools went blindly at work achieving but 
moderate results until Mr. Williams Issued the 
little book above named, which was a lamp to 
Window Gardening* Devoted specially to the 
Culture of Flower* and Ornamental Plants for 
In-door use and Parlor Decoration. By Henry 
T. Williams. 8 vo.—pp. 500; 109 Illustrations. 
Price $1.50. 
It passeth the memory of man to tell when the 
eye was nol gladdened during the long winter 
by sight, or a single pot of Geranium and other 
plants tn the sunny window. But It Is in later 
years that Window Gardening has become, as we 
may say, scientifically practiced. To aid In a 
work so full of healthful pleasure, Mr. Williams 
prepared the book above named, and there has 
been nothing published tor years that has 
brought more real enjoyment with it. In greater 
degree than most men Mr. Williams has the 
happy faculty of Imparting hla knowledge to 
others and he has made this book exhaustive In 
information and clear and concise In Its details. 
We have examined It with care and do not hesi¬ 
tate to commend It to our readers as one of the 
most practical books ever written and thousands 
ot windows, bright, with flowers, will testify to 
the correctness of our conclusions. 
The Bodley* Telling Storlc*. Small quarto: 
236 pages, with 81 Hltutratlona. Price $1.50. New 
York; liurd and Houphtou. 
the Bodley family have a faculty of telling 
good stories In a charming way. Although this 
Is calted a book for children, we venture to 
prophesy that, when read aloud It will attract the 
attention of the grown folks as well. The stories 
range from Mother Goose to historical sketches, 
and narratives ol adventure and there Is not one 
of them that the reader will wish was omitted. 
The engravings are numerous and flue, the paper 
good, the binding unique and brilliant, while the 
price, an Important matter In these times, Is so 
low as to occasion remark. We cheerful' con- 
mend It to the attention of our readers. 
Silhouette*. First 8crles. Boston. Estes 4 
Laurlat. 
Thebe are twelve of these silhouettes In each 
series. The number under notice it devoted to 
humorous conceits illustrating the various kinds 
of vehicles In use. For instance a "5th Avenue 
Dog Cart” is a most grotesque haud-banow 
trundled by a latterdemallou and scurvy dog. 
It Is sufficient to say that the designs are by the 
artist. Church, For the children, these pictures 
should prove a Bource of endless amusement. 
These silhouettes were used originally, we be¬ 
lieve, as an advertisement for a well-known 
varnish manufacturer. The price of each series 
is only fifty cents. 
The (Juffn ol f»hebn, By THOMAS BAILEY Al- 
imiCH, Boston - Jus. R. Osgood & Co. 
Tins charming book has one very serious defect 
—there Is not enough ot It. The style is as fas¬ 
cinating as the story, and one inevitably 
reads it twice, tho second time to admire the 
graceful language, that must be slighted In 
the first perusal on account of the lively Inter¬ 
est taken in the fortunes of the heroine and 
hero. We will not Bketch the plot. Every one 
should read the book. If It were not that Mr. 
Aldrich Is such a delightful poet, we could 
wish that he was a more prolific novel writer. 
The Nnrrntlve ot a Blockade-Runner. By 
J. Wilkinson, Now York Sheldon 4 Co. 
This book Is rather disappointing and Its title 
delusive. The reader naturally looks for exciting 
sea adventures and racy descriptions of the man¬ 
ner in which Federal cruisers were eluded. The 
writer, an officer of the late Confederate navy, 
was monotously successful In his trips, and de¬ 
votes more of bis space to criticisms on the con¬ 
duct of affairs on his side, during the war, than 
to the subject Indicated by the title of the book. 
His strictures are moreover, quite personal and 
very undignified. 
The Telephone. By Prof. A. C. Dolbear. Bos¬ 
ton : Lee 4 Sheperd. 
The Professor has gone Into the subject, from 
the beginning and given an explicit account of 
the phenomena of electricity, magnetism and 
Bound. The Illustrations are useful, making the 
mechanical conditions more Intelligible, The sub¬ 
ject Is so Interesting and so ably ytt simply treat¬ 
ed, that, the book cannot befog the comprehension 
of the most unscientific intellect . 
Putnam’* Elementary Science Series. 1. 
Physical Geography. II. Acoustics. Light, and 
Heat. New 5 ork; G. P. Putnam's Sons. Cloth; 
12mo, Fully illustrated. 
We seldom find so much Information of real 
value In the same space, as in the books named 
above. Scarcely a question can arise relative to 
the topics on which they treat, an answer to 
which, clear and concise, cannot be found In 
them. The multitude of illustrations serve to fix 
the Idea that the text, conveys. 
The Ainonrs ol Phillipe —By Octave Fkbil¬ 
let. Translated by Mary Nkal. Philadelphia. 
Peterson 4 Bros. 
As the title Indicates, this Is tt narration of the 
" off color ” love affairs of a young Frenchman. 
It Is written In a popular style and the reputation 
of the author will probably create as great a 
demand for the book here as there was for it 
abroad, 
MAGAZINE NOTES. 
The Magazines seem to have put the best foot 
forward, and become affianced to a policy of Im¬ 
provement. Harper a is better than usual. The 
engTavtngsare fine, and the articles uncommonly 
fresh and sparkling. Milton’s hymn of the " Na¬ 
tivity,” has the place of honor which should have 
been given, we think, to Mr. Longrefiow’s new 
poem, " Keraraos.” Mr. Rldelng tells how “ The 
Metropolitan” newspaper Is managed; the text 
being Illustrated by portraits of prominenf edi¬ 
tors, and spirited pictures of newspaper build¬ 
ings, and the rapid work that goe3 on therein. 
" Elizabethan and Later English Furniture” Is the 
subject of an Illustrated article rrom the pen of 
Mrs. Spofford ; and M. D. Conway tells all about 
that “Curious Place of Jamrach’s.” Miss Tback- 
ery beglnsa new serial, " Da Capo,” and the short 
stories are as plentiful as leaves in vallambrosa— 
almost. The editorial departments are up to 
" high water ” mark. 
It ought to be difficult for a Magtzlne devoid of 
pictures to compete with its “ picturesque" rivals, 
but the Atlantic seems to find no difficulty In 
overcoming the disadvantage. In fact, so varied, 
original, and Interesting are Its contents that the 
reader quite forgets about the Illustrations, or If 
he thinks of them at all, it Is to secretly congrat¬ 
ulate himself that all the space Is saved for mat¬ 
ter that it would seem could not be dispensed 
with. For December, we have sixteen articles 
and poems, not counting the “ Contributors’ 
Club,” and the editorial departments. W. n. 
Bishop contributes the flrat Installment of “ Det- 
mold,” a romance that opens with Interest. X. S. 
Shaler tells “ now to Change the North American 
Climate, " Wapentake” Is a poem by Longfellow 
to Tennyson. A writer lays bare " Washington 
Society," while Robert A. McLeod asks, " Can Her¬ 
culaneum be Excavated 7” Mark Twain has more 
funny notes on an “ Idle Excursion.” “Modern 
Shoemaking" is a very interesting account of how 
shoes are made by machinery. The short stories 
are excellent, and altogether the Atlantic Is ad¬ 
mirable. 
Llpplncott’s Magazine opens with an interest¬ 
ing and richly illustrated article on Sicily, by Al¬ 
fred T. Bacon. “ Captured by Cossacks,” Is the 
title of another illustrated paper, detailing the 
adventures of a Fronch officer who served under 
Davoust In 1913. The new serial, “ For Perclval,” 
also Illustrated, continues to form one of the most 
attractive features of the Magazine. 
An article which cannot fall to attract much at¬ 
tention and excite a lively interest, 13 one con¬ 
taining the reminiscences of a venerable lady 
" M. T.’j belonging to the highest circles of 
Washington society, who was the guest of Madi¬ 
son, an Inmat* ot the Whit* House during the 
presidency of Jackson, and an intimate friend of 
Washington Irving, John I’. Kennedy and other 
celebrities. The paper, which Is full or lively de¬ 
scriptions and amusing anecdotes, is entitled 
“ Days of My Youth.” 
T. 8. Perry, the well-known Boston critic, dis¬ 
cusses Oulda’s Novels. William Owens writes en¬ 
tertainingly on tho Folk-Lore or the Southern 
Negroes,” and Olive Logan gives an account of 
" English Domestics and their Ways," There is 
a story ol French Internationalism, "A Portrait,’’ 
by Ita Anlol Prokop. Mrs. R. H, Davis’s power¬ 
ful novelette, and Will Wallace Harney's tale of 
Southern manners, " A Kentucky Duel,” are 
both concluded. Among the poems, " Selim,” by 
Annie Porter, deserves notice; and the “ Gossip,” 
besides much other lively aud agreeable reading, 
has a description of the departure ot the Impe¬ 
rial Guards, by a Moscow correspondent. 
This number concludes the twentieth volume 
and the tenth year of the Issue ot tills Magazine. 
The conductors announce attractive features for 
the new year, and promise that no effort will be 
spared to maintain and increase its popularity. 
Scribner's Is, as usual, the moat art istic of our 
magazines, and wo doubt If In any country the 
same amount of general excellence In matter, 
makeup, and engravings, con be procured for 
the same outlay—unless we except " st. Nichol¬ 
as.” One can't feel with CapT MeHeath—both 
charmers are emphatically necessary, and It will 
be a never-regretted Investment by those who 
subscribe to both journals. And like Abou Ben 
Adam’s, may their tribe Increase I 
“The Modern aok," " The Thorough-bred 
Horse,” " Ants,” " From the Atlantic to the 
Andes," "American Oyster Culture," and "Some 
Precepts for Slandering safely,” are among the 
Interesting articles contributed to this num¬ 
ber, while " His inheritance," and “ Roxy,” sus¬ 
tain the reputation of the magazine for sparkling 
serials. 
St. Nicholas for December Is the grandest 
number ever issued from the press of Scribner & 
Co., 109,000 copies have been Issued and the mag¬ 
azine contains ninety-six pages, and fifty-seven 
illustrations, including a frontispiece, “ The 
Holy Family," after the famous picture by Itten- 
bach. 
Henry W. Longfellow contributes a Christmas 
poem, “ The Three Kings.” 
William Cullen Bryant also has a tine poem in 
thlsmuuber entitled “ The Mocking-Bird and the 
Donkey.” 
Louisa M. Alcott’s new story, " Under the 
Lilacs, "a serial for girls, opens with an Install¬ 
ment of three long, delightful chapters, and with 
four fine Illustrations by Mary Hallock Foote. A 
capital portrait of Miss Alcott, with an admira¬ 
ble and sympathetic sketch of her life, also ap¬ 
pears. 
The author of “ Alice In Wonderland” furnish¬ 
es a fairy story, “ Bruno’s Revenge.” 
Dr. J. G. Holland contributes a poetic double 
riddle that will he a poser to most puzzlers. 
