366. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 6 
with the anger and wounded love which held do¬ 
minion In his heart. 
“ I think you had better alt down," he said; “ I 
have much to say to you," 
Ills tone was very hard and cold. There was 
no relenting In ills stern face as Cora raised her 
despairing eyes to his. 8he sank Into a chair, 
leaning her hands upon Its arm, and bowing her 
head upon them In an attitude of hopeless de¬ 
spair. 
*' I have much to say to you," he resumed, keep¬ 
ing his eyes from glancing at the bowed form of 
the woman he loved so passionately still, “and 
the Interview can hardly be a pleasant one. Are 
you well enough to listen to me? You have been 
111; perhaps a longer repose Is necessary for 
you ?” 
“lam well," she said. “It la only the sus¬ 
pense which hurts me.” 
“You are sure?” he said, doubtfully. “You 
know my dislike to scenes. I would rather wait 
than risk one.” 
The cold, cutting tone stung her. She lifted 
her head with a momentary flash of pride. 
“ You need not fear," she auswered. 
“ That Is well.” 
There was a silence. Sir Alan seemed to have 
ome difficulty In expressing what he was going 
say, for he hesitated. 
Cora stole n long glance at blm ; she 3aw that 
looked worn, and 111, and aged, as If some 
eat trouble had passed over him ; and all ber 
art went out to him with a cry of love which 
ostrose to her lips.—To be continued. 
--— 
WIDOW SAXE’S TRIP TO THE CEN¬ 
TENNIAL. 
L. A. BROCKSBANK. 
She was determined to go—cost what It might. 
Several of her neighbors had been talking of going, 
all summer, but It was likely to end In talk, as it 
was then the middle of September, and notone 
had gone except Doctor Coburg, and he, being a 
widower, had to go alone, poor mao! So of course, 
the little village of Saxvlllu would be none the 
wiser lor what he might see at the Exposition. 
“The fact Is,” she said, “a man may see won¬ 
ders, but It takes a woman’s tongue to describe 
them.” 
So widow Saxe, alter due reflection, packed 
her large traveling trunk, reserving lor a mod¬ 
erate-sized valise such articles as might be re¬ 
quired for more immediate use, aud Ailing a small 
lunch-basket with plump New England “dough¬ 
nuts” and rich yellow cheese, abe shook out her 
brown linen duatov, placed beside it her ample 
umbrella, parasol, fan, gold-bowed spectacles, 
and bottle of smelling-salts, and lastly her opera 
glasses. She was going for sight-seeing, to be sure. 
11 ere permit us to remark that the widow Saxe 
was considered rich in that modest little com¬ 
munity, being the widow of the lamented Doctor 
Jouk Saxe, who bad made pills and plasters, kill¬ 
ed or cured lu that same town for a quarter ui a 
century, and, having been wise enough to abstain 
from Uls own medicine, had lived l.o a good old 
age, leaving behind him, at last, a buxom widow 
(some years younger than hlmseli), a gentle young 
daugter and a moderate fortune. 
WILhtn two years after his death, three young 
doctors and one old one had settled In the village, 
to supply his place. Of course there was rivalry. 
With the young people the young doctors were 
the most popular. Among the older and wiser 
heads (Mrs. 8axs Included) the more experienced 
Doctor Oouobo was the lavorite physician. Hu¬ 
man nature is the same Jo town or village, and 
widow Saxe, with the rest of them, was more 
human than angelic. At least, her daughter's 
husband had more than once been tempted to 
—think so. 
On this particular morning, as soon as the early 
breakfast was over, Mrs. Saxe Informed Robin, 
her son-in-law, that she sliould take the train for 
Philadelphia (due In forty-live minutes), aud he 
was to be her escort for the trip. The baggage 
was In readiness; he had only to send It on, and 
she would walk with him the short distance to 
the depot . 
“What in thun—! Why, mother, It Is quite 
impossible! Who Is to attend to my business? 
—and such short notice too!’’ 
“Aud mother,—that, large trunk! Why, how 
long do you mean to stay? I thought you told 
Doctor Cobuko that ‘ a sensible person would be 
apt to stay away from that heathenish Exhibi¬ 
tion,”’ chimed lu the voloo or little Mrs. Robin. 
“ Come, come! TUere Is no time to discuss the 
matter, robin, go attend to the luggage, and 
send Jack to me.” 
Robin looked at his wife, who stood staring Into 
vacancy, gave one glance at his shirt-front, and 
darted from the room, pulling his mustache with 
one hand while the other was lirmly clenched. 
It Is needless to say, perhaps, that when the 
“7:45 train” came puffing up to the depot, the 
Widow Saxe, Robin, bag and baggage, were on 
time, and among the lirst to stop off the plat¬ 
form; while It was just possible that poor little 
Mrs. Robin was bathing her pretty oyes In cool 
water to remove the trace of unbidden tears. 
Pleasanter expressions of countenance—how¬ 
ever,—might have been seen on that same car, 
than robin's, as his nugu3t mother-in-law, waved 
him Into the first vacant scat. Consigning to his 
care valise umbre’la, parasol, and shawl-strap, 
retaining for herself the lunch-basket, while she 
secured a more desirable seat by the window. 
Having settled herself comfortably, withdrawn 
the right hand glove, and removed her veil, she 
gave one calm, deliberate look at her fellow- 
passengers—strangers, all;—then settled back 
In her seat and drew one long, deep breath of 
mingled relief, and satisfaction. 
She was on her way to the Centennial! and 
not a soul in Saxvlllo had enjoyed the pleas¬ 
ure of making the matter a theme for gossip. 
It Is worthy of remark, that Robin’s visage 
Cleared up, as the train swept on, which was 
quite natural under the circumstances. If the 
widow had seen little of the world, Robin had 
seen less, having never before passed the limits 
ofhlsnutlve State. Ills business might suffer, 
it was true, with no one but his younger brother. 
“Jack” to attend to It, during his absence, but 
arter all, he was “in for a good time, ’ while the 
entire expense, as well as responsibility would 
be sustained by Uls able, and strong-minded 
relatlvo. The only regret, afler all, was, that 
his wife was not by his side;—poor girl!—But 
there was no help for It. 
lu the meantime Madam Saxe was becoming 
awake to the facts of the care, cost and conse¬ 
quences. Looking more anxious and unsettled 
just In proport ion as Robin’s uneasiness subsided. 
Glauclng furtively back at him, she suddenly 
bethought herself of danger io her luggage, and 
as suddenly she sprang up, rescued It.—valise, 
umbrella shawl-strap &e.,—and returning to her 
seat, she carefully bestowed It In tlio vacant 
corner, which no one had yet presumed to claim. 
As the hours elapsed, she became quite weary 
of gazing upon the flying landscape, picturesque, 
or otherwise, and for a chango betook herself to 
her well supplied lunch-basket. 
Here, Robin would have willingly Joined her 
but the Invitation was not forthcoming, so he 
kept hts place, and fasted. 
As the train aproached the great, busy city of 
.New York. Madam Saxe began to regret that 
she had not had the power to summon a more 
experienced, and reliable escort.—(such as Doc¬ 
tor cn boko might be,—for Instance.) Possibly 
she might meet him at the Exposition, and how 
comfortable It would be for them all to return In 
company. 
These pleasant fancies occupied her ralud till 
they wore whirled Into the Central Depot, at 
New Y'ork. Here It. became evident that a 
change was to be made,—but what she did not 
know, it had been her Impression that she 
would be taken directly to Philadelphia,—a slight 
mistake—that was all. Indeed she had scarcely 
given the matter a thought, Btlll less had Bhe 
sought Information. She expected to go, as 
others did, of course. 
Blie had been looking ror Robin, till half the 
people were off the car, and been unconsciously 
borne on by the living current, till she found her¬ 
self near the platform, with the crowd pressing 
In the rear, aud outstretched hands In front, 
eager to help ber, with the rest, off the car. 
Such commotion ! Such a Jam! What could 
sbe do ? and where were her possessions ? and 
where was Robin ? 
“ Kerrlage, Mem ? kerrlage, kerrlage ? Have a 
kerrlage, Mem f” 
“ Good gracious 1” she thought; “ what will 
become of me, aud what has become of Robin ? I 
wish 1 had st aid at home.” 
And there she stood, alone, a stranger In a 
strange place. What to do, or which way to turn 
she knew not. Hundreds of people were flying 
hither and thither, all alike unmindful of .her. 
Among Idem all no robin with tail beaverww* 
“ cut-away"coat. And her trunk, what would 
become of that ? 
“ Mrs. Saxe ! are you waiting for a friend. Can 
I assist yon ?” 
What voice 1 It was not Kokin’s ; but It was 
recognized at once, and never did her own name 
(which she had always been proud of, because It 
reminded her ot Prince Albert) sound so sweetly 
before, even Horn the Ups or Dr. Cobuko. 
On his return from the Centennial, surely 
heaven had sent him to her relief. And without 
a moment's hesitation Bhe decided to return 
home with him, leaving the grand Exposition to 
others, and even Robin to his fate. Minus every¬ 
thing but sane mind and sound limbs, she soon 
found herseU homeward bound, on the wings of 
steam, a gladder aud a wiser woman. 
in the meantime where was Robin ? 
On finding himself In the crowd, separated from 
bis companions, he was at a lose what to do. A 
restaurant, close at hand, suggested oneway out 
of Immediate difficulty, and ho stepped In and 
ordered oysters and colTee for two; trusting to 
luck, and a usually good appetite, to lead her, as 
they had him, to this same place. 
In this he waR disappointed; forgetting, per¬ 
haps, the “ lunch basket’’—which had been her 
traveling companion. 
So he managed to dispose or the second cup of 
coffee just In time to catch the last car of the 
homeward bound train—on a forward car of 
which, his worthy mother-in-law was seated by 
the side of old Doctor Coburg. 
It may he as well to remark that he, not being 
the “purse-bearer” of the expedition was, of 
necessity, obliged to return; only too thankful 
for the means to do so. 
A few hours later, on that same eventful day, 
Robin being more fleet ot foot than the venerable 
old couple of the forward car, had arrived home 
first, and had had just tlmo to send the volor 
irom the cheek of his astonished wife by Inform¬ 
ing her that he had “had the misfortune to lose 
his mother-in-law," when the door-bell an¬ 
nounced another arrival. 
Robin met the radiant pair on the threshold 
only to send the color from older faces, for all the 
way from the depot had Madam Saxe been trying 
to frame some sensible excuse for having lost her 
daughter's husband, and for finding old Doctor 
Coburg; and in the dim light or that waning day, 
Robin did, In fact, look like a ghost. Imagina¬ 
tion can picture the rest. 
If the widow Saxe could nob—with the “mil¬ 
lion ’’—talk of what she had *' seen at the Centen¬ 
nial,” she soon furnished a different theme for 
goBSlp to the lively lltUe village—her husband’s 
namesake, by changing her own name from Saxe 
to Coburg—by doing which she claimed that sho 
lost nothing, as this would still seive as a re¬ 
minder of Prince Albkkt ; lu fact, the uulon of 
the two names, Saxe-Coburg was certainly some¬ 
thing quite remarkable and high-sounding. 
Even before the close of the great Exposition, 
which after all she did not go to see, the wide¬ 
awake and energetic widow had been persuaded 
(by those Ups so incapable of telling what the 
eyes might have seen there,) to leave tbe “unre¬ 
liable ” Robin and his wife to their own guidance 
tor the future, and to go and make old Doctor 
Coburg’r home happy. 
Robin got hts moustache pulled by his meek, lit¬ 
tle wife, on the wedding-day, too, for simply 
quoting a line of Shakespeare, viz.: 
“ All ’b well, that endB well.” 
- 4 -*-*-- 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE COBLESTONE 
FARMERS’ CLUB. 
A record showing how useful City club s are in for¬ 
warding the interests of agriculture. 
reported bt a silent member. 
The minutes ot the last meeting were counted, 
while the members tucked their trousers Into the 
tops of their boots, put off their glossy silk hats, 
and drew forth from under their garments rusty 
slouch hats which took the formers’ places, 
This gave the meeting an experienced, knowing 
air. 
The walls were adorned with llfe-Uko pictures 
of the fruits of the Held, with the names printed 
in very bold letters,—“ This Is a Tumpkln,” 
“ This is a Beet,” etc. Such foresight was not 
without, its value. A member could always 
hnow the kind of thing the speaker alluded to 
by means of these chromos. 
The proceedings wore opened by reading the 
Journal—The N. Y. Bugle was most com¬ 
monly selected—after which the president In¬ 
troduced Mr. Nkmatds VKNTKicoscs,an entomolo¬ 
gist of distinction, who read a paper on a newly 
discovered insect, He said. : 
“It Is unnecessary to explain to you, farmers, 
that there Is a difference between a bug and a 
beetle. One digests Uls food, the other swallows It 
whole. This fact explains why the grasshoppers 
have such appetites. 
“ The subject or my paper this evening la an In¬ 
sect which I believe I have had the honor ol dis¬ 
covering. It. Is the Virginia Creeper—an Insect 
capable ot doing Incalculable harm to our agri¬ 
cultural interests. It feeds on them until they 
are consumed. T have planted 6ome of these in¬ 
terests In my garden, and shall watch the result 
carefully. 1 have uo doubt that these Interests 
wlR be exterminated in a short time, unless Con¬ 
gress grants me an appropriation to suppress the 
Creeper. Harris says, In his Instincts Injurious 
To Vegetation—” 
A member.—“ Insects.” 
Several members.—(furtively reaching to an 
Inner pocket and glarclng hurriedly at a little 
book tilled with names and definitions)—Yes, 
yes, Insects. Things that go on four legs and a 
wing." 
The Speaker—(with dlgDtty).— “ You are mis¬ 
taken, gentlemen. I don’t mean what you mean. 
This Is Harris on Instincts, another Harris— 
friend ot mine.” 
Members.—"Ah! that’s another matter.” 
The President here rapped for order, but a 
member had sent him out on errand, and the er¬ 
rand had not yet returned. 
The Speaker.—" Harris says that Columbus 
found In Virginia an insect somewhat similar to 
the one I am about to describe, growing In a wild 
state on the savages, but that they were extermi¬ 
nated by the use of civilization aud carbolic acid 
soap. 
“ This thing attacks the earth, paralyzing the 
superphosphate of bone and other manurlal in¬ 
gredients present lu the soil, which has a tendency 
to raise the price of fertilizers, and la subversive 
of liberty aud our institutions. It Is especially 
Injurious to pumplctns.” 
At this tbe members glanced hurriedly about 
the walls of the room until they found the thing 
the speaker alluded to, when the speaker con¬ 
tinued. 
“ I have carefully noted Its ravages on this escu¬ 
lent. When the fruit Is nearly ripe !t stings it; 
the leaves wilt, and the pumpkin turns from a 
dull green to a golden yellow. It Is then fit, only 
to feed to Btock and to be made Into pies. The 
seed Is sometimes saved and sold to the seedsmen 
for watermelon seeds. Hence responsible dealers 
cause a printed guarantee to be affixed to each 
packet sent out, to the effect that seeds are not 
what they seem—sometimes. 
“ This Insect lays Its eggs In the spring, but Its 
young are not large enough for market when 
spring chickens fetch the highest, prices.” 
The speaker was called upon, at this point, to 
show a specimen of the Insect, and after fumbling 
about his person In a confused manner for a time, 
asked leave to be excused tor a moment, that he 
might retire to make a more careful search. 
It waB growing late, bo I unobtrusively slipped 
my trousers out of my boot-tops, hung up my 
slouch hat and went home. 
At the next meeting a foreign gentleman Is to 
read a paper on a new plant recently Introduced 
Into Europe. It will be very Instructive. I shall 
be there. 
-- 
OUR DUMB FRIENDS. 
E. F. M. 
As we study with greater patience and kind¬ 
ness the lives of the lower animal.., we discover 
much that Is beautiful and wonderful In their 
loves and friendships, not only for us, their mas¬ 
ters and owners, wlio feed and caress them, hut 
for each other. No one doubts the faithfulness, 
or watchful care of a dog for his master’s Inter¬ 
ests, or bis devotion even after a death, for the 
dog has been so closely associated with human 
sports and dangers and the household life, that 
he Is better known than most animals, but It 
has long been the habit of many persons to re¬ 
gard cats, as lnoapable of strong feeling, and to 
Jest at the many monkey tribes as If they were 
nothing but caricatures and burlesques. 
Yet the following letter which appeared In a 
recent number of The Spectator, tells the story 
of a faithful attachment between a cat and a 
dog, creatures naturally ot alien traits and na¬ 
tures. The writer says ; 
“ Colonel C s’ little black-and-tan dog “ Flo” 
died last Monday morning about three o'clock. 
He bad had her many years, and she had long 
had an Internal complaint. She was a dear, little 
affectionate creature,and had always been treated 
as kindly as a child. He burled her In his gar¬ 
den, and over her little grave his housekeepers’ 
children shed many tears. 
Yesterday J heard from him as follows: An¬ 
other of my domestic pets was an old black cat, 
which came to me a {kitten years ago, a few 
weeks before l brought " Flo ” from Oxford. They 
grew up together, and wore very fond of each 
other, eating Irom the same plate and drinking 
from tha same glass, l have often seen them 
Bt.and side by side before my fire, and occasionally 
put their moutbs together os though they wore 
absolutely kissing. M oll, the poor old cat seemed 
very miserable all day yesterday (that, Is, Mon¬ 
day, the day on which “ Flo ” had died early lu 
the morning), and wo could not Induce her to eat. 
She could not be found last night when the house 
was closed ; hut as this occasionally happened, 
not much was thought ot It. This morning sho 
was found stiff and cold, stretched out by the side 
of “ Flo’s ” grave! 1 could not have believed It, 
H i had not seen It with my own eyes. Whether 
It Is only a coincidence, I will not pretend to say, 
but I would rather believe that the poor animal 
died from grief at the loss of her old friend. But 
If so, how did she know that “ Flo ” was dead ? 
Such a fact as this leads to strange thoughts, or 
what would be called strange by those who can 
see in those creatures " only a dog,” or “ only a 
cat.” 
Another instance of gratitude and affection 
shown by a cat to a human friend is mentioned 
In the same article; and not long ago an old lady 
poffited out to me an old cat—who seemed the 
favorite protegee of tho house—as a pet of her 
grandson, which had evinced the moat marked 
delight and affection at Ills recovery from a child¬ 
ish Illness. On this occasion tho cat, then a 
kitten, hud boon placed on a corner of the bed 
near Its foot that It might not disturb Its little 
Invalid friend, and the cat had ever since chosen 
this especial place for Us morning and evening 
naps. 
As for monkeys, a thousand Incidents are told 
by those who kuow them of their Intelligence. A 
little chimpanzee In the Zoological Gardens of 
London once saw his keeper turn a key In a lock. 
He begged for It, and It was given to him, but his 
poor, Imperfect little hands failed to turn the 
key. lie worked at It hour arter hour for one or 
two days, and at last died of chagrin and nervous 
excitement of the brain. I can scarcely Imagine 
anything more pathetic than this wistful and 
absorbed search after knowledge In a Uttle crea¬ 
ture so weak and undeveloped. 
A higher faculty—love, Including solf-sacrffice— 
was displayed In tho little monkey, who had con¬ 
ceived a great terror of a lai-ge baboon In the 
same gardens with himself. The Uttle creature 
chattered and cried with fear when he Baw Its 
great, hairy rorm, and could scarcely he per¬ 
suaded to look at It. But one day, the monstrous 
animal sprang In a fit of rage at the friendly 
keeper, and was tearing his throat when tho 
little monkey saw it, and all bis fear vanished by 
tbe stronger power of his love; at the peril of 
Immediate death he sprang lu turn on his 
dreaded enemy, and bit and shrieked until help 
arrived for his friend. 
After such an act as this I think we must, like 
Charles Kingsley, regard animal natures as 
capable of heroic deeds—certainly of warm and 
loving friendships—which may brighten bo^h tho 
higher and lower lives they bind together. If 
we are truly wise, we will 
“ Count nothin#that we meet with base, 
But live and love in every place.” 
-- 
What becomes of all the pins? A sagacious 
question very often asked and very difficult to 
answer. Of the millions of pins that escape us In 
this metropolis alone, how rew are ever picked 
up. Do the fairies take them ? A pin, though 
small, is not a very perishable article, but it has a 
marvelous aptitude to make away with Itself. 
But even larger pieces of metal In daily use man¬ 
age to disappear. There must be tens of thous¬ 
ands of horse-shoes dropped in New York In the 
course of the year, yet how rarely they are seen. 
This Is all the more remarkable, tnasmuoh as It Is 
considered lucky to pick them up, therefore peo¬ 
ple are on the lookout for them. There is a great 
demand for tbe nulls by which they are fastened, 
in tlie manufacturing world. The banging the 
have got through constant, wear makes them or 
more value than even new nulls—for what, does 
our reader think v To tnuko stubb twist barrels, 
itseoms odd that tho same malleability could 
not be given to the Iron In some quicker and 
more simple manner than the traffic of horses' 
feet. 
-♦♦♦- 
A fete was given at) Wellesley College recently 
by the students Aid Society and several hundred 
friends of both sexes, Including Gov. Rice and 
other prominent men from Boston and elsewhere 
attended. At a meeting In the afternoon the 
objects or the society were explained and the re¬ 
ception of throe contributions of JSOUli apiece, for 
the establishment of scholarships, was announced. 
The remainder ot the day was spent In visiting 
the grounds aud several races between student 
erewB took place on the lake. 
---- 
Queen victoria was fifty-nine years old on the 
24th ult., and the anniversary was made a holi¬ 
day In Canada, whUe flags were displayed on the 
British Vessels In New York. 
