BIVALVE, 
IlcaMiig for flic Nonna. 
TO MY OLD JACKKNIFE. 
RUSE BLUFF. 
O glad the 0,'iy, mj r old Jackknife, 
When first I owned you bright and new! 
Your glittering beauties to display 
Unto my chums I fairly flew. 
My bosom swelled with boyish prido 
As iu my pocket's depths you lay, 
I turned you o’er a thousand times, 
While morn ateokcol dragged slow away. 
I whittled notches on my desk, 
And carved my name upon the seat. 
Hiding the scraps upon the floor 
Till recess-time, beneath my feet. 
I notched my hat all round the brim. 
And strange iy short my pencils grew, 
My slab -frame had a warrior’s look, 
With sears and scratches not a few. 
My dog’s-eared bocks were smoothly trimmed, 
Corners and edges, round and square; 
I carved out '•Minnie” on the door, 
And w atched to sec her read it there. 
But now, old knife, you’re sadly changed. 
Your blade is broken at tlie point, 
Your youthful glitter all is gone. 
Your back is nearly out of Joint. 
But though your useful days are past, 
I’ll keep you for the joy you gave, 
And for your eervlce yon deserve 
The rest and glory- of the brave. 
THE JANITOR’S VISIT. 
The jmltor of Rocky Mount Academy Is a queer 
fellow of eighteen ; he Is fond or playing his Jokes 
and strategics on every Inmate of the school- 
pupils and professors. 
Without stopping to enumerate and speak of 
the many pranks t hat be has played. I will tell 
you about the one which has lately occurred. 
It was Friday afternoon,—the day for “speak¬ 
ing” and compositions,—and the school had fairly 
entered Into the exercises, when there appeared 
at the school-room door a gentleman, who, upon 
entering, said, !*1 thought I would drop in fora 
moment or two. to sec how the school was getting 
along, and so forth, and, If It Is agreeable, would 
like to hear the hoys recite In tlievar’us exer¬ 
cises.” 
The visitor occupied a scat on tlie platform, and 
apparently conducted himself with much dignity’. 
Tito boys eyed him with suspicion, as 11 he weren’t 
an altogether new visitor, and gave vent to t heir 
luerrlmen t over bts appearance in a gcueral titter, 
which ran around 1 he class. 
All this the new corner did not seem to notice, 
but clearing his throat. >vith a loud “Ahem!” 
pulling ills ponderous overcoat around him, and 
unloosing his scarf (which gavmer.ls, together 
with a false mustache, concealed ills features), 
requested the teacher to be so obliging as to have 
a recitation in Algebra, putting on a sober look 
und wlUi a wrinkled forehead. 
The 1’roftssor obligingly consented, and deslg- 
nnt lug one boy from each of The five long rows of 
seats to go to the blackboard, he gave out the 
problems, to the explanation of which the visitor 
seemingly gave good attention. 
After other short exercises, tlie Professor called 
upon the visitor to “ make a few remarks,” and, 
amid the jollity of tlie pupils, In a manly tone, 
with stiff neck and head high, he began and 
ended t hus: 
“Mv Young Friends and Mu. Teacher:—I 
thought T would list drop in, this afternoon, and 
see how you all was giftin’along. I have been 
pleased with the exercises In all the different 
branches of mu (hematics, and ’specially the Alge¬ 
bra. Allow me to say, my young friends (raising 
himself on his toes and coming do wn on his heeds), 
that you should have the opportunity you im¬ 
prove; or, I mean to say, you should improve the 
property you have; or, any way. you know wliat 
I moan (general laughter and applause), l say—” 
hut just tlwn the stove-pipe fell, and all hands 
rushed to catch It. 
The Professor told one of the hoys to tell the 
janitor to come in at nnco; but, after much 
searching, nowhere could that individual he 
found, and when the boy, who was commission¬ 
ed to Had him, entered and so Informed the Pro- 
lessor, the visitor capped the climax by remarlc- 
_lng: 
“Mr. booth (the teacher). Just lend me your 
ears for a moment: you’ve been, thinking, all the 
time, that 1 was your mend Smart, from up the 
road, but you’re mightily mistaken, I am noth¬ 
ing more nor less than Drnvui’s ego Green, the 
janitor of t his school.” And so saying he dashed 
out of the door. 
Mr. Boom, though entirely surprised, Joined In 
the chorus of laughter that ensued, and regretted 
that ho had stopped the regular recitations on 
account of that tricky janitor's entrance. 
THE RAIN-DROP. 
One summer morning a drop of rain hung on 
a thorn hedge. The sun was shining brilliantly 
overhead, and as it glittered on the globe of wat¬ 
er, the water-crystal reflected hack a stream of 
light. It (was a borrowed splendor, like the 
brightness of the moon; and whilst It shone In 
Its glory, the rain-drop thought, “Would I were 
always as brilliant as 1 am to-day! I should 
then be admired and prized as no one ever prizes 
or admires mo now, I am so small that I arn 
useless, and before an liour Is past I shall have, 
been dried up by tbe sunshine. Tf T could do 
some good, I should not so much mtnd losing 
my present splendor.” 
The rain-drop was right. Before an hour was 
past axvay, the sunshine had dried it rrom off the 
hedge, and changed It Into a light vapor. All 
the day It floated through the air, unseen by hu¬ 
man vision, wafted as It seemed upon tho wtngs 
of gome playful breeze, until towards the even- 
inglt found Itself resting on the bosom of a dry 
and sandy plain. There w as but little verdure 
in the place, and as far as the eyo could reach, 
the country seemed parched and barren. As the 
vapor thought of Its hard lot. It sighed and said, 
“ At last I shall be altogether lost. 1 shall sink 
Into the sand, and become as useless as the peb¬ 
bles that He upon the plain.” 
But in thia it was mistaken. When the sun 
had set, and the surface of the Httlo herbage 
there was In the desert had become cool, the 
moisture in the atmosphere began to condense 
upon all the vogltatlon It met with. Now It hap¬ 
pened that a tiny plant, Avlth downy lea\’es and 
sky-blue blossoms, grew near that spot. All day 
long It had been exposed to the blazing sunlight, 
and when the evening came Its loaves hung 
down, and It seemed likely to die. Before long, 
the vapor of the rain-drop passed near If, and 
meeting with Itaooid .stalks and tuft of flowers it 
was coudcnsed, and became a number ct little 
beads of dew. The flower drank the cooling 
water Avlth delight, aud began to recover Its 
strength, and so ayus able to resist the heat ol’ 
the following day. And more than this; the 
plant of the desert yielded a famous medicine; 
and no long time pissed away before it. was 
gathered by a herbalist, who dried It carefully, 
and sent It to a, distant land to be used by the 
physicians In curing the diseased. 
There It was the means of saving a great man’s 
life. Ho tvaa suffering from.a dangerous illness, 
and It appeared as though all human aid would 
he of no avail. But someone recommended him 
atiucturo made of the desert plant; and after 
he had taken It he began slowTy but surely to 
recover liis strength. 
Thus, had It not been for the rain-drop, a valu¬ 
able lire would have been lost. Such power is 
oft en found to he associated with little things. 
'* I have no Influence,” says one ; “ ir 1 had 
power, or wealt h, or beauty, I might do good.” 
But. remember all may help to do a little, even 
if they cannot do much, lie who speaks a kind 
word may gain a soul, and he who saves *• a soul 
from death ” “ shall hide a multitude of sins,” 
LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
A Co-Partnership Letter. 1 
’Dear Cousins:— We, two girl chums, enjoy 
reading the Boys’ and Girls’ lett ers very much, 
and thought wc should like to try wrlllog to the 
Rural for a novelty. 
We girls having known each other allourltves; 
(there being but little difference In our ages), 
been In t he same school, studied and sat together, 
have now decided to write a partnership letter to 
you. Noav, Introduction Is ended, we will 
toll you about, our club composed of eight girls, 
to Avhlch wc belong. 
This Is called the E. E. C. T or East End Club. 
'The boys, In opposition to ns, organized a club 
also, the title of which Is the B. O. T. We girls 
never could fathom the meaning of this, It. being 
too deep (?) for girls’ wits. 
We have two methods ol initiating our mem¬ 
bers, the mysteries of which awful performance 
will be given at a later date. At one of our meet¬ 
ings when several of the girls were being let. Into 
the secret or our society, we suddenly heard 
a tapping at the tvlndow, and rushing’ to It 
wc caught a glimpse of the Honorable (?) mem¬ 
bers of the B. o. T. hastily retreating behind the 
grape-vine arbor. 
Now, dear cousins, wo have told about our 
“club,” aud hope to tell more about our home 
amusemeuts some other time. Also would like 
to read an account of yours. 
We hope Mr. Editor will not consider tiffs letter 
so long that It will be slipped Into a corner of his 
waste-basket instead of his paper. 
Indiana. Katie* Susie. 
About Two Little Cirls. ' 
Dear L'ncle True:—I would like to tell you 
something about ttvo little girls tvho have been 
visiting at our house. Tlmlr names were Hzzie 
and Annie, Lizzie wa3 all love and kindness, 
while Annie tried to make herself Just as disa¬ 
greeable as possible.. Everything that was given 
her she would take 1 h such a matter-of-course tvay 
that we all soon got tired of doing anything for 
her. You never heard “ Thanlc you,” come from 
her lips, In fact, all that did come from them, Avas 
haughtJness and pouting, hut lizzie was not so. 
It was a pleasure for you to give and get all you 
could to amuse and please her; sho was all smiles, 
and did all she could to return your kindness 
toward her. it la needless lor ms to .say there 
was a great difference In bidding Lizzie and An- 
♦nik good-bye when they lert us. Lizzie left an 
Impression avlth her memory never to be forgot¬ 
ten, Avhile Annie no one cared to remember. 
Oh, my dear oouslns, let us all remember that 
the spirit of love and kindness JW111 always gam 
for us friends and acquaintances, while that of 
haughtiness and pride avUI make for us enemies. 
Which shall we try and cherish ? 
A Rural Cousin. 
Another Reformer. 
I run not. think, of becoming one of the brigade 
of the Rural, cousins till 1 read Madcap Mol- 
lie's letter. It inspired me with zeal to write. 
Hurrah for Mollle t Go ahead, and may suc¬ 
cess attend your efforts. May every young Miss 
sign your pledge, und keep it. And soon there 
will be rewer dissipated young men. But, boys, 
don’t let us permit the girls to lead us. While 
they are getting signers to their pledge, let. us get 
signers to a pledge that we will not go with any 
girl, who lnccs, or, 
Who ought to wear shoes number four, 
Yet tortures herself with twos. 
And onward goes with a Boston limp 
Aud the grace of the Kangaroos. 
WILD Fire. Elk Valley, N. Y, 
The First Attempt. 
Uncle True.—T his is my llrst attempt to write 
to your valuable paper. I shall be encouraged It 
my letter is published, I would he much obliged 
to any of the Cousins who will give mo the best, 
plan to trap squirrels alive. I must not. make my 
letter too long or c-lse it may get into that big 
basket. Y'oung Canadian. 
P. S.—I do not; wish to hurt, the squirrels. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS. 
#"J 
Vi-:- 
sim (if on ■*> 
6 S ' t> < . f ill Jiii\ 
r j 
cw Answer In two weeks. 
DOUBLE ACROSTIC. 
Carol, ye birds, your sweetest, lay, 
And sing the bright sun's praise; 
L T nfold your leaves, ye little buds, 
To greet his welcome rays; 
And, Fashion, lead thy votaries hack 
Again to Pleasure's sphere. 
Where they are wont, to pass a, few 
Gay months in every year. 
Beneath the green trees’ chequer’d shade 
She dwelt in some fair sylvan glade. 
And oft. upon the Ilow’ry inead 
Danced to the music of a retd. 
’Twas somewhere In “ the good old days,” 
When George the Third was king, 
That all the goodly gentlemen 
Thought this Avas quite " the thing;” 
Then it adorn’d the choicest beaux and tvlts, 
And often, too, would decorate “the cits.” 
It is a woman’s hand that must 
The regal scepter hold; 
It Is a woman’s brow must bear 
The crown or gems and gold. 
The old tradition fails to tell 
How long ago they made 
The ancient edifice that easts 
Thy silver In the shade. 
Long since he died, and left behind a name 
(Oh what a priceless legacy for Fame!) 
That ne'er was lor a single virtue known, 
But celebrated lor its vice alone. 
It used to guard the mines of gold, 
And to no foes Avould yield; 
They blazon now its linage on 
The bright heraldic shield. 
Yer Answer In two weeks. Eureka. 
-—.■»»♦- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.—Doc. 29. 
Illustrated Rebos —Not for Joseph. 
double Decapitations.—], Slash, lash, ash: 2, 
Wheat, heat, eat; H, Shear, hear, ear; 4, Malice, 
Alice, lice; 0. Mowing,owing, wing; 0. Spawn, pawn, 
awn ; ?, Thai, bat, at. 
ANAGRAMS- STATESMEN AND PATRIOTS.— Will¬ 
iam TSwarl Gladstone; 2, Lord Brougham; M. Earl of 
Derby: 4, William Pitt; 6, Sir Robert Walpole; li, 
lfarl or Chatham : 7. Henry Grattan ; S, George Wnsli- 
ngton; II,General Grant - 10.William Toll; 11, Dan¬ 
iel Muniu; 12, Andrew Gofer. 
Double Acrostic.—I nitial:), Gin; finuls, Rum. 
LIFE LESSONS. 
Who loses self in brotherhood 
Forth-giving ever gathers good; 
And who for truth or right would die 
In falling gains the victory. 
Tlie spirit wrought to noble aim. 
The thought that Bets the mind aflame, 
The faith that wins in deadly fight— 
Forgetting self, haA'c greatest might. 
So wisdom centers at the heart, 
Like subtle sense that every part 
Moves nnperceived in perfect health, 
Aud knowledge thrives in larger wealth. 
Bet chiefest to the soul perplext— 
By doubt or wayward evil vext— 
Oppressed with woes or worn with strife, 
This whisper opes the gates of life: 
Not Avhat tiinu art, but what he is 
Iu whom thou hvesi, makes thy bliss; 
Count self and Us searching loss 
Before lids wisdom of the Cross. 
■■ + ♦ »- 
NOT IN VAIN. 
Tuerk are a great, many persons who are dis¬ 
couraged because the labors t hat they have most 
honestly undertaken for the good or men seem to 
have been utter failures. Some of our labors are 
failures; It. ts not to be supposed that we me 
Such deft marksmen that we can strike the mark 
every time. But do not think that you have 
failed simply because you do not. see Hie result ol 
your work. Men are like apple-trees; some 
apple-trees ripen their fruit in July; while the 
fruit of other trees goes on growing and growing, 
and groAvlng, through August and September; 
and In October the farmer picks It off, and then It 
is green and hard; and lie keeps It, through No- 
vemter and December and January, and into 
February, when the snow Is knee-deep, and the 
tree has lost its leaves, before It Is thoroughly 
ripe. And many ol you are Just like these late- 
bearing trees; you arc bearing good fruit; but.lt 
will not be ripe till you have shed your leaves 
and gone Into your winter. So he patient! 
It there was ever a man who seemed to spend 
Ids life tor notldDg, it was Henry Mnrtyn—a man 
of an exquisite nature, great power, and a sw eet 
and loving disposition. Taking tlie highest hon¬ 
ors and having the host, prospects, he was led by 
the Spirit or God to consecrate himself to the 
cause of foreign mtef-ions. For that object he 
sacrificed that which was dearer to to him than 
Mfo; for she to wliOfn he w«9 alUanotd declined 
to go with him. He foist,ok father and mother, 
and native land, and love li>:eir. and went, an 
elegant and accomplished scholar, among the 
Persians, and spent a few years almost without 
an apparent conversion. Still he labored on, 
patient and faithful, until seized with a fever, ho 
staggered. And the last record t hat he made In 
Ids journal was that, he sat under the orchard 
trees and sighed for that land where there 
should be sickness and suffermg no more. The 
record closes, he dies, and a stranger marks his 
grave. 
A worldly man would say, “llero was an in¬ 
stance of mistaken zeal and enthusiasm; here 
was a man that might have produced a powerful 
effect on the Church and In his own country, ami 
built up a. happy home, and been respected and 
honored; but under the influence of a strange 
fanaticism, he went abroad and Sickened and 
died, and thru, ivas the last of him.” The last of 
him! Henry Mariya's life was the seed-life or 
more nohto souls perhaps than the lire of any 
other man that CA r er lived. Scores and scores of 
ministers in America, who have brought into the 
Church hundreds and thousands of souls, and 
multitudes of men in heathen lands, all over the 
world, have derived Inspiration and courage from 
the eminently fruitful, hut apparently wasted 
and utterly thrown away life of Henry Martyn. 
And tire there not, some of you, that are despond¬ 
ing because you do not sec the fruit of your 
labors, who avIU receive consolation from, and be 
revived by, such an Instance as this ? IIote. 
■-- 
HOW ABOUT OUR FAITH. 
Is faith an essential element in order that we 
may live a Christian life, and do a Christian 
work ? 
We undoubtedly need a fixed principle as a 
foundation for that. work. Method, and a tena¬ 
cious clinging to that method, moy he right and 
perhaps that very firmness may many times car¬ 
ry us through strong temptations; but though 
the forms ol work may go cn, Is there not danger 
right there, if resting too much upon our good 
works, or it allowing the form and [order and 
method Lo usurp the place of llje. Spurgeon 
says " 1 haA’e secn a church carried on by dead 
men, a dead tnan In the pulpit,, dead men In the 
sabbath-school, and dead men In the prayer- 
moeling." 
Js It not some! imes the ease I hat our Christian 
work goes on after wo have lost, In a measure, 
the living faith and earnestness avc ought to 
have. The steady flame, that hums right on 
without flickering Is well; only let us k now of a 
surely, that, wo have faith so wrought with our 
Avorks, that, like Abraham of old, by our Works, 
our faith may be made perfect. 
Ray IIulburt. 
—--♦♦♦- 
The soul shall hear good news from heaven 
when It Is waiting at wisdom’s door. 
