DEC. K 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
7©9 
thing that w tB nice, congratulated his ^ost on 
having such a snug little home, apologized for 
eating so much, hut couldn’t help it, because it 
was “so good 51 and tasted “so home-tike," liked 
the old black teapot because It was just like ;tlie 
one his mother had when he was a boy, and told 
his hostess, who was all smiles and as happy as 
a queen, that she ought to thank her stars that 
she had no gas or furnace to rulu the flowers 
that made her room so cheerful. After tea he 
Insisted that the children should not ho sent to 
bed “Just yet” said he wanted to tell them a 
story, as he did ; and when he had done, and had 
kissed them good-night, they trudged off up¬ 
stairs with beaming faces, under the guidance of 
a mother who felt that a ray of real sunshine 
had entered her home, making It better and 
happier for all time.— Boston Transcript. 
-- 
RECENT LITERATURE, 
From this text a number of letters are given, as 
if between a brother and sister, relative not only 
to the architectural Improvements or an old roof- 
tree, but to other things In the same connection. 
The volume is appropriately dedicated to the 
ladles of America who have a taste for building, 
and contains many valuable hints as to house- 
rumlshlng, hygiene, ventilation, etc. To illus¬ 
trate the subject and make it the more readily 
understood there Is given an nid domicile, with 
diagrams showing dimensions, etc., and then 
plans of Its proposed reconstruction. These are 
discussed and explained, step by step, In lan¬ 
guage divested of all technical terms. After the 
imaginary dwelling is so Improved, architectur¬ 
ally, as scarcely to be recognizable, the furniture, 
decorations, the plumbing and every arrange¬ 
ment that can be made to conduce to health and 
comfort, are discussed In detail, clearly and com¬ 
prehensively, and the book cannot fall to convey 
many suggestions of practical value to the sim¬ 
plest minds, whoso inclinations may tend to mak¬ 
ing a comfortable and attractive home. 
Th« Little Gnotl-for-Nothinir. By ALPHONSE 
Daudet. Boston: Estes & Laurlat. 
Daudet s reputation for creating and portray¬ 
ing characters Is In this book very well sus¬ 
tained. The Little Good-for-Nothlng, as his so¬ 
briquet implies, Is au unlntorcstlng youth whose 
moral and physical weaknesses lead him t hrough 
a series of adventures and misfortunes, naturally 
entailed and skillfully developed by the author. 
But the Incidents, though novel, are not suf¬ 
ficiently Interesting to enchain the reader’s at¬ 
tention, and a monotony of detail renders It a 
rather tedious story, notwithstanding Its many 
critically good points. 
The White Horae of Wooten. By Charles J. 
Foster. Phuadalphta : Porter & Coates. $1.50. 
This Is a story of “love, sport and adventure 
In the Midland counties of England and on the 
frontier of America”—in which the "sport and 
adventure ” element so largely predominates that 
those who have a taste lor quieter literature are 
not likely to be Interested In it. It Is well wiit- 
ten, however, and presents a diversity of s:ene 3 
and characters which is calculated to delight the 
sporting fraternity and the lovers of adventure. 
Fanclion, tlio Cricket. By George Sand. 
ndelphia : T. B. PetersOD & Bros. 60 cts. 
Ptail- 
This Is the story of which a dramatic version 
has been made so popular by Maggie Mitchell, 
the favorite actress. 1 ts chief beauty Is Its purity 
ot style. It charmingly depicts the trials and 
vicissitudes of a poor orphan girl, and is full of 
pathos and vigor. 
MAGAZINE NOTES. 
The Popular Science Monthly for December 
opens with an Interesting paper on Edison’s Tele¬ 
phonic and Acoustic Inventions (illustrated). 
Next follows Dr. Oswald's admirable article on 
Fever-Factories, which ought to be widely read. 
It contains many valuable and timely sugges¬ 
tions and is alone worth more than the price of 
the magazine. Prof. Bain continues Ms instruct¬ 
ive articles on Education as a Science. Explo¬ 
sions from Combustible Dust will be of especial 
Interest to millers, strange Animal Friendships 
la filled with entertaining anecdotes of horses, 
dogs, pigs, birds, lions, etc. The Science of Easy- 
Chaus is a suggestive paper. Biology and Wo¬ 
man’s Rights is to the last degree conservative, 
and many of Its statements are absurd. Language 
and the Emotions, by Dr. Chaa. Walstein; Animal 
Intelligence, by Geo. .1. Romanes, and a Sketch 
of Dr, Peterman conclude the body of the maga¬ 
zine. Popular Miscellany, with Editor's Table, 
Literary Notices and Notes, conclude the number. 
Henceforth the magazine is to bo enlarged. 
ArrLKTONS' Journal for December In an unusu¬ 
ally attractive number. The stories are by Ellen 
W. Olney, Auerbach, Susan Fenimore Cooper, 
Mary E. Bradley; the poems by Sara Jewett. 
Edgar Fawcett aud will w. Harvey; the sketches 
by Randolph Percy, Edw. Roberts, C. H. Jones, 
Geo. M. Towle, Chas. Carroll and C. II. Wood¬ 
man. 
Tho publishers announce that “illustrations 
will hereafter be excluded from Appletous’ Jour¬ 
nal, It being the purpose ot the proprietors to 
devote the entire space to paperB of a high order 
or literary excellence, by writers of acknowledged 
ability. Fiction will still occupy a place in the 
Journal, but a less prominent oue; and while 
purely descriptive papers will appear, they will 
largely give place to articles bearing upon lite¬ 
rary and art topics, t,o discussions of social and 
political progress, to papers addressed distinctly 
to the Intellectual tastes of IhO public, or devoted 
to subjects io which the public welfare or public 
culture is concerned.” 
if or ©t outfit. 
CONDUCTED BY MISS FAITH RIPLEY. 
A WOMAN’S WISH. 
MARY TOWNSEND. 
Would I were lying in a field of clover. 
Of clover oool and soft and sweet, 
With dusky olonds In deep skiea hanging over, 
And scented ailenoe at my head and feet. 
Just one hour to slip the leash of Worry 
In eager haste from Thought’s impatient neck, 
And watch it coursing—in its heedless hurry 
Disdaining Wisdom’s whistle—Duty’s beck 1 
Ab I it were sweet, where clover clumps are meeting 
And daisies hiding, so to hide and roet ; 
No sound except my own heart's sturdy beating. 
Rocking itself to sleep within my breast. 
JuBt to lie there tilled with the deeper breathing 
That cornea with listening to a free bird’s song! 
Our souls require at times this full unsheathing— 
AU swords will rast if scabbard-kept too long. 
And I am tired! so tired of rigid duty! 
So tired of all my tired hands find to do! 
I yearn. I faint, for some of life's free beauty, 
Its loose beads with no straight string running 
through! 
Aye, laugh if laugh you will at my crude speech— 
But women sometimes die of such a greed ; 
Die for the small joys held beyond their reach. 
And the assurance they have aU they need! 
[ Transcript. 
-—- 
LETTERS FROM A COUNTRY GIRL.-No. 9. 
MARGARET B. HARVEY. 
Crewel-Work and Outline-Embroidery. 
To make the best of one’s clothes Is no Bmall 
accomplishment, and yet It is not so great a one 
but that almost any woman of ordinary taste and 
patience may not acquire It. I do not beUeve In 
the woman who Is not skilled In the use of the 
needle, a woman who cannot sew la like a 
woman who has only Her left hand. No matter 
how good, or bow wise she may be, I sincerely be¬ 
lieve that with such a woman there la something 
wrong somewhere. But I do not advocate spend¬ 
ing precious hours and days over cambric ruffles, 
with hair-line hems and Infinitesimal stitebee, 
exactly the same distance apart, or patchy, cin¬ 
namon-colored dogs, with step-likc noses or flam¬ 
ing, cabbage-shaped roses, In cross-stitch. Not 
but that exquisite cambric ruffles, or mazy ara¬ 
besques in Berlin wool, are beautiful and of oc¬ 
casional good use In working to give pleasure to 
our dear ones. My creed as regards needle-work 
la, first know how to do plain sewing well, and 
afterwards put any extra time and effort Into 
work which Is really art. 
My auditors are mostly farmers’ wives, I know, 
and as 1 have frequently said. I'm tamlilar with 
every phase of country living. Yet, I do say, I 
believe It possible for them, in tna time they have 
usually given to patch-* ork and knick-knacks, to 
make beautiful adornments in the form of cush¬ 
ions, chair covers, hangings and lambrequins for 
their rooms, far more handsome than they could 
procure for money. 
All have heard of South-Kenslngton-work. 
Many who visited our Exposition have seen some 
magnificent specimens of it. with taste and per¬ 
severance it is no more difficult to excel in this 
kind ot art-embroidery than in many species ot 
fancy-work with Iwhleh most of our women are 
familiar. The only dlfflculty Is, that it requires 
tho worker to be able to diaw; yet> I believe 
almost any oue who win, can learn to draw, at 
least enougn for ordinary purposes. The fabrics 
used In aouth-Kenslugton, or more properly, 
crewel-work, may be silk, satin, velvet, cloth; 
but coarse linen, crash or burlap la just as 
effective. The flower, often from nature, Is drawn 
by the needlewoman herself, directly upon the 
material, and Is colored and shaded according to 
her own fancy, bearing In mind, however, that 
little shading, with a rather flat effect, Is desira¬ 
ble. The crewels are soft, fine yarns, of all 
colors, and only when of the best quality can any 
satisfaction be gained in their uae. 
Tho mode of working is quite simple. The first 
•hitch being taken, the needle Is brought out a 
little above Its upper end, at the 7<ye, and so on— 
the needle always pointing directly to the worker, 
who works straight from her, bringing the pat¬ 
tern gradually towards her. When the top is 
reached tbe work Is turned around, and the same 
process repeated. It Is best uot to outline a pat¬ 
tern, but gradually develop it. a blended, moss- 
Uko effect la desired tn tbe completed work. Ex¬ 
tra stitches, velnlngH, etc. may be taken after¬ 
wards. Tbe extra stitches may be put in almost 
anywhere; and, In fact, great latitude may be 
allowed In the disposal of all the stitches, pro¬ 
vided the needle comes out at the lojt ot the pre¬ 
vious one. The velnlngs may be of silk. Care 
should be taken that the ground does not show 
through and that the under side Is smooth, as 
articles In crewel-work are not liued. When 
finished, tho embroidery should be pressed, with 
Its face downwards, on a thick flannel, and a 
damp cloth upon the back. If soiled, it may be 
washed lu a solution of lukewarm, strained bran- 
water, without soap. 
This kind of embroidery Is really an art, for Its 
form and beauty depend entirely on the worker, 
and no strict rules can be given tor It. But what, 
a wide field it opens, what a largo scope for the 
exorcise of Individual taste and Ingenuity ! The 
subjects lor design may comprehend tho whole 
floral kingdom, aud the completed works may be 
so beautiful, even though more or less conven¬ 
tional, aa almost to rival nature. 
Another species of art needle-work now attract¬ 
ing a great deal of attention, is outline embroid¬ 
ery on linen. This, too, depends, tor effective¬ 
ness, upou the worker, but It Is much more sim¬ 
ple than crewel-work. If you have a handsome 
set of table linen, it will add'ten-fold to Its ex¬ 
quisite beauty to adorn It In this style, which you 
can do with a very little expenditure of time and 
trouble, while, to decorate your towels and toilet- 
mate and white curtains, you will And It no hard¬ 
er than the work usually put on them In the way 
of borderlngs, initials, monograms, etc. 
The design is sketched directly upon the linen, 
and worked in soft tinted Japanese sllkB,paie reds, 
blues, grays, yellows and so forth. Those etch¬ 
ings are scarcely more than outlines, with Just 
a suggestion of shading, their beauty lying en¬ 
tirely In the perfect needle-work which maybe 
In tent or satln-stltch. For instance, lu the cen¬ 
ter of a dolly may be drawn a slender, graceful 
vase. The outline may then be covered all round 
with three or four silks of different soft shades 
lapping over each other, or running parallel here 
and there, with, near the base, a few lines run¬ 
ning into the body of tbe vessel, as a slight shad¬ 
ing beneath the fullest part. Or, a scene may be 
formed by a few long, parallel lines, for water, at 
one side some rugged lines for land, with some 
bending rushes, and an old tree, while a flock of 
birds, formed merely of tiny, converging lines, 
may soar away In the distance. The outlines, re¬ 
member, should be Arm, but regard to color and 
Bhadlng, may be very slight Indeed. 
A table-cloth may have in one corner, or Dear 
the end, a bunch of wheat, or a bowl of fruit.. 
Napkins, in the corners, shadowy pictures, or 
unique vases, urns, etc. White curtains may 
have a running, border-vine. In tbe center of 
dollies, almost any household utensils may ap¬ 
pear,—as cups and saucers, pitchers, tea-pots, 
goblets, etc. Here, too, would be an appropriate 
place for a series of outline pictures Illustrating 
some familiar story. I have read of a set con¬ 
taining scenes from Mother Goose, though I havj 
seen just as beautiful etchings of simple, every¬ 
day objects as ever I expect to see. 
Tbe advantages of this kind of work are many. 
The materials are simple, a great deal may be ac¬ 
complished tn a short time, a high degree of ex¬ 
cellence may be obtained with very little endeav¬ 
or, the Impression given by the completed work 
ts more than satisfying,—grace resides in such a 
few lines and the design may easily be traced 
from a simple picture by one who cannot draw. 
I have been told, also, that such work will not 
fade or wear out, with repeated washings, for 
many years. 
I don’t want to see any little girl tied down to 
Her tatting and herring-bone stitch, while her 
brothers are having a good time rowing and skat¬ 
ing, or the same little girl, grown a young lady, 
absorbed In imposslbls parrots and miraculous 
peonies of zephyr, while her brothers paint and 
play chess. But neither do I want to see a young 
brldegolngto housekeeping, put fancy paper be- 
nlnd Her towel-rack, because she can’t work a 
simple medallion; run a woolen strip down Her 
easy chair, because sbe cannot embroider even in 
satln-stltch, to saytnothlng of crewel-work;— 
above all, to mark her towels and sheets crooked 
and upside down, and hang up cotton-lace cur¬ 
tains, because she has neglected to learn the 
above-described, easy, graceful mode of adorning 
linen. 
-♦ « »- 
OUR LIBRARY. 
MRS. LORETTA E. K. TURNER. 
I live near a small village which boasts of a 
flourishing library. A few years since some ladles 
clubbed together and bought about a dozen 
books. One of the ladles was installed aa libra¬ 
rian; the books were left in her charge, and sbe 
was expected to keep a strict account of them. 
Soon there were others who wished to join the 
Association, aud It was decided to charge one 
dollar Initiation fee for each new member, and a 
dollar a year for dues. 
The names of thoso who fall to pay their dues 
are dropped alter two years, or upon their owing 
the Association two dollars. If a book Is kept for 
more than two weeks without reporting it, a nne 
of ten cents Is Imposed, and an additional ten 
cents for each week thereafter. 
The funds of the Association increased in a 
short time so that more books could be purchased. 
To-day, we have over twenty' members, about 
three hundred books, two nice book-cases, and a 
little money In the treasury. 
The rules of the Association are printed and 
pasted on the first, cover of the book. 
The following Is an exact copy of them: 
Rules Regulating the Circulation of the 
Books Belonging to the 
LADIES’ LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 
of North Fairfield, Ohio. 
Rule I.—Each member is entitled to draw a 
book and retain it for a time not exceeding two 
weeks. 
Rule 11.- - Any one retaining a book for a longer 
time shall pay a line of ten cents, and an addi¬ 
tional ten cents for each week th n reafter. 
Rule 1IL—Any one returnlug a cook damaged, 
shall pay a fine subject to decision of a committee 
appointed by the Society. 
The officers of our Association are a President, 
Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Librarian, 
Book Committee and Finance Committee. 
The Treasurer and Librarian of the Association 
are necessarily the same Individual. 
Our Library ts now so large and valuable that 
we charge three dollars tor the admittance of 
new members. We have also three-months’ mem¬ 
berships tor fifty cents, which entitle any one 
to all the books t hey can read in that time, of 
course, no member can have more than one book 
at a time. We also rent the book3 for tea cents 
each. 
We sometimes get up a festival or Lawn Fete, 
or an Oyster Supper, for the benefit ot our Libra¬ 
ry, and quite a number of our books have been 
purchased with the proceeds of such entertain¬ 
ments. The ladles in any flourishing village cap, 
with a little enterprise, have a library which will 
afford them a great deal ot instruction and pleas¬ 
ure, and with bnt small cost. I think It an ad¬ 
mirable way to procure reading matter. 
HAVE WOMEN A MONOPOLY OF WEAK 
NERVES ? 
JI0K8. 
One would suppose 30, to read all that male 
authors have to say of -.the proneness on the part 
of women to Indulge In hysterics and other Inop¬ 
portune demonstrations when threatened with 
sudden death, and of the strength and calmness 
which men display In the face ot danger; yet, 
Judging from three occurences which took place 
during Thanksgtvtng week, men with unreliable 
nerves are by no means scarce, and it is possible 
for a woman to exercise coolness and courage in 
soul-trying times. 
First, there was the case ofthePommerania. It 
Is claimed by the survivors that the officers (ex¬ 
cept the captain) and crew of the steamship be¬ 
came utterly demoralized, and, owfflg to lack of 
discipline, and absolute brutality on tbe part of 
those In charge of tue vessel, many passengers 
were lostwhocould have been saved, had anything 
like order been preserved. Again, the store ot 
Rogers & Orr, dry-goods merchants m New York, 
was burned on the eve ot Nov. 27 . One or the 
Arm, while the Are was In progress, was so over¬ 
come that friends were compelled to seud him 
home In a carriage, and within an hour another 
one of the flrm succumbed to fright and anxiety, 
and he also was taken to Ms home. At no time 
was there the least danger of any lives being 
sacrificed, and the only horror which confronted 
these gentlemen wasseelng their property (wMch 
was nearly covered by Insurance) destroyed. So 
much for the self-possession of man! Now lor an 
exMbltlon of the timidity and nervousness of 
woman. 
Hardly were the opening exercises at Public 
School No. 39 (New York) concluded, on the 
morning of the 27th ult., when the janitor discov¬ 
ered the felting around the steam bofierwason 
Are. He notified the principal, Miss Falvey, who 
immediately gave the signal for dismissal, and the 
children joyfully prepared to leave the building, 
thinking that their early release was due to the 
following day being Thanksgiving. The princi¬ 
pal staid calmly at her post and watched the 
happy children troop by. When about two-thirds 
had passed out, the alarm of Are was given and 
tho little ones who were still in the building be¬ 
came panic-stricken. Miss Falvey closed the 
doors, calmed the children is best she could, and 
by her admirable management succeeded In get¬ 
ting all of tbe children out of the Bchool-house 
unhurt. Here was a woman threatened with a 
fearful death, who neither deserted her charge, 
as did the sailors of the Pommeranla, nor allowed 
fright to deprive ber of her senses, as was the 
case with the dry-goods merchants. 
- * * * 
WHO WILL BE CROWNED IN HEAVEN. 
A five-dollar note would be an extravagant 
price to paj- Tor her establishment and all it con¬ 
tains, but If heroic womanhood ever found em¬ 
bodiment in Human shape, it can be seen nightly 
upon St. Charles street, just below the Academy 
of Music. A week ago Grandma Wilson was In 
Memphis, baffling pestilence by her tireless vig¬ 
ilance. Hailed by a terror-stricken community 
as their guardian angel, EUzabeth In the zenith ot 
her splendor could not have commanded the adu¬ 
lation which spontaneously went forth to that 
plain old woman. For thirty-eight days and 
nights during the frightful harvest of death at, 
Grenada those withered hands were often the 
only ones to soothe the burning brow or close dy¬ 
ing eyes. To her tender care were committed 
their children by dying parents. Appointed by 
the divine mandates of gratitude universal execu¬ 
trix and administratrix, in that season of deadly 
peril and death the confidential friend of the 
highest, she now sells peanuts on St. Charles 
Street. She did so before, aud were another epi¬ 
demic to carry desolation Into a thousand Homes 
arter another heroic battle with disease, would 
do so again; but 1s Olnclnnatus, returned to his 
plow, much moreherotc than sirs. Mary Ann Wil¬ 
son returned from the devastation of Grenada, 
Grand Juuotlon and Memphis to her peanut 
stand 1 Mrs. Wilson was a faltniul nurse here m 
1S37. During the epidemic of 1S53 she was on duty 
the entire summer, in 1S55 she devoted her time 
to the sufferers of Norfolk. Anotner y ear she vis¬ 
ited Savannah; and. In short, tor forty-one years 
this noble woman has flown to the aid of the sick 
and suffering the moment she heard of their 
needs. There Is a seat above tor her among the 
best of God’s children.— New Orleans rimes. 
-- 
NOTE. 
BY THE EDITOR. 
Yibldino to the wishes of a number of subscrib¬ 
ers. I have decided to defer the publication of the 
fashion article promised tor this number and to 
give Instead a short story, which I hope win be 
enjoyed by a larger audience than would the 
postponed article. 
-♦-» ♦ 
Erratum.— in Miss Harvey’s>rtlcle on Dress, 
. In Rural of 16th Nov., she is made to say “name' 
redingote, when “Hernanl” redlngotejwas meant 
We are sorry that so admirable an article was 
marred by so serious an error.— Ed. 
VERBENA SACHET POWDER. 
Orris Root, powdered, - - - - 2 pounds 
Oil ot Verbena.. drops 
“ Bose,. 25 “ 
Clvet >. ----20 grains 
