THE FAMOUS CUSTOM-MADE 
A TOILET CONVENIENCE. 
nearest to one’s own child of any of the floral 
creation. Give us pansies. They bloom from 
spring till fall. 
There is rhubarb and rhubarb. We have 
tried every kind, but the Monarch is our 
choice. It is a trifle later than the Linnaeus, 
but the stalks, M a good soil, are as large as 
one’s wrist, and two of them will suffice for 
one meal for a family of six. ft is as tender 
as a strawberry. We are satisfied that few 
know of the delicacy of rhubarb when proper¬ 
ly cultivated and cooked. It was remarked, 
a few days ago, that “this is as good as straw¬ 
berries.”. 
Cut oil' the flowering panicles of rhubarb as 
soon as you can see them. 
Ob! the delightfulness of these spring days. 
Do you enjoy your lives, readers, as we do at 
the Rural Grounds* We manage to turn 
drudgery into pleasure and the days pass all 
too soon. What are we doing? Oh! we are 
watching the leaves of a thousand different 
trees aud shrubs as they unfold. What an 
egregious mistake people make in planting 
their places with the Balsam Fir, the Norway 
Spruce and weigelas. Why not plant a hun¬ 
dred different kinds? Then from early spring 
until late fall, every week gives us a change. 
It is the same as if we passed from one coun¬ 
try to another; there is something to study 
every day, something fresh to delight us. 
of all shades, as well as every shade of purple, 
but she will abjure o^l gold aud such subtle 
colors as mauve if she be a true artist. Wo¬ 
men with light brown hair and blue or gray 
eyes may wear shades of brown relieved by 
pink, also dark blue. A gypsy as to complex¬ 
ion and eyes can wear barbaric contrasts 
with great effect such as black and yellow, 
blue aud red. 
Let not the nstbetic critic forget however, 
that it is not always a want of taste that leads 
a woman to dress unbecomingly or unsuita¬ 
bly. The gratification of exquisite taste pre¬ 
supposes if not a heavy purse, at least consid¬ 
erable time to be spent in shopping.planning, 
aud makiug, for which many women have not 
the time. 
I am indebted to the Rural for suggestions 
which enabled au ingenious young brother of 
mine, to make me a very pretty wash-stand 
aud toilet table combined from a packing box. 
Being quite destitute of the little brackets aud 
shelves and drawers of its more costly cousin 
from a furniture manufactory, I was some¬ 
what at a loss as to how I should dispose in a 
convenient and still neat way of my brushes, 
combs and baud glass, uutil Bobby came to 
the rescue with an invention which he claimed 
as his own. He procured a strip of red leath¬ 
er about three-quarters of an inch wide, and 
piuked on either edge. This bo tacked at a 
proper distance above the stand, leaving a 
space between the tacks just large enough to 
hold the article for which it was intended. 
Strong brass-headed tacks were used and as all 
iny toilet articles happened to be new, and 
somewhat pretty I did not mind their being 
exhibited so conspicuously. If they had been 
shabby, I should have arranged over them a 
little drop curtain of swiss, lined with pink, to 
match the drapery of the stand, shirred it on 
a tape, aud tacked a pretty bow on either end. 
B. B. 
(VESTS TO MATCH, CUT TO ORDER, $2.25.) 
^ Every palrcut to order, 
f* and satisfaction guaran- 
Sj Ja teed or money refund* d. 
Sent by mall or expre a 
> V l upon receipt of S3, and 
' /A \ 35c. to cover postage tor 
DO YOU WEAR 
\] 11 J) U A-J exprevsag< ) and packing. 
A/.M1 'A Send (le. for package of 
/ \ doth samples to select 
gS: I 11 1 __ from, and self measure- 
.'- 5 *. II A mem blanks and if pan 
• v 11 j A \ rum lion this paper, we 
\ will Include a good linen 
WLJ tape measure tree The 
vA American Express Co. 
(capital, twenty mlllloiist will cheerfully reply to any 
letters sent to their Boston otrice Inquiring about us. 
PLYMOUTH ROCK PANTS CO., 
18 Summer Street, Boston, llnss. 
A TRIBUTE 
Mrs. Caroline V. Sweet, an old contribu¬ 
tor, whose writings will be remembered by 
many of the Rural’s patrons, died May 12, 
1SS7, after a long and heroic struggle with 
disease. Hopeful and patient, she rose above 
her sufferings, endeavoring to strengthen the 
remaining supports as prop after prop gave 
way. 
Naturally ambitious she needed only health 
to eularge and increase the work she had so 
intelligently begun. She was a true wife and 
a good friend; faithful to her convictions, 
helpful with* discrimination, cheerful inspirit. 
Appreciative of the Divine Power, she recog¬ 
nized and accepted ristianity with liberal 
conception. Death to her is gain*—’tis only 
those left on this side the shore that have lost. 
E. A. c. 
DR, HUMPHREYS 1 
Book of all Diseases, 
Cloth & Gold Binding 
114 P»ge>, with Slt-el K.ngraving:, 
mum Kiir.it, 
KITCHEN TALKS. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
“Silence Is the perfected herald of joy, 
I were but little happy If I could say how much.” 
“Shakespeare, perhaps, felt that way,” I 
said one morning when the Student read this 
sentence from a calendar compiled from the 
sayings of the greatest of poets; but I like 
people to “say how much,” or at least to look 
it. If one is silent when happy and silent 
when unhappy, as some people are, how can 
the difference be distinguished? “After all,” 
said the Oracle, “it all depends on disposition; 
some natures must sing when they are happy; 
they are like the birds aud send forth joyous 
notes, because the Creator made them so. 
What a gift from God! What a blessing to 
the home circle is a cheerful, happy nature, 
that sees the bright side of everything, with 
charity to all and without envy or malice. I 
think it is, as Dr. Freeman Clarke writes, a 
•cross to bear’ to be born peevish, moody aud 
uueertaiu of temper, aud in the family it is 
the duty of each member to add to instead of 
detracting from the cheerfulness of the circle 
where they would live in harmony. And as I 
talked of this I looked around the breakfast 
table and felt like grumbling, but refrained, 
iu case l might be accused of giving precept 
without example For I like toast and there 
was none and I do not like an omelet. But 
I turned to the Amateur Cook and said: “Do 
you know, my dear, that everybody thinks 
that he or she can cook an omelet, and often 
it is not perfection. The Duchess Sarah of 
Marlborough used to cook them for the great 
Duke herself, as no one else could please him.” 
“Are they difficult to make:” said the guest— 
herself a novice in the culinary art. “The 
great secret,” said the Amateur Cook, “is to 
get the pau hot aud clear of moisture, except¬ 
ing the hot fat; that must be first put in, then 
poured out and the pan heated to a hot dry¬ 
ness. Then four eggs, a little sal t and pepper, 
all beaten up with a fork, and a trifle of good 
cream added, can be put into the pau, in 
which has been melted a little butter. The 
ingredients can be varied by adding different 
sauces. Some people like the omelet with 
preserves inclosed.” Breakfast is a trouble¬ 
some meal in a country kitchen. There is so 
much sameness about it unless one can cook 
eggs in a variety of ways, aud they do not 
agree with every one. It is much easier in 
summer, when fruit is abundant, aud that 
need never be absent where people own land. 
SETTING THE TABLE 
A youNG friend writes me that she eannot 
set a very elegant table as far as china and silver 
go,having only white ware aud a limited supply 
of plated silver, but that her damask is of very 
fine quality, and she would like to know how 
to set a tasteful table for small dinner parties. 
White ware is much better than mauy of 
the cheap colored abominations that abound, 
but a good way to possess yourself of nice 
china at a comparatively small outlay, is to 
buy broken lots whenever j r ou can do so at a 
small cost, aud thus eventually get a “harle. 
quiu set" of haudsome ehiua. For instance, at 
the large stores, there are always soup ser¬ 
vices, or a fruit or dessert set, or a set of tea 
or coffee cups and saucers to be had at a 
merely nominal price, the rest of the set being 
broken or disposed of in some way. I once 
bought a dozen dinner plates of the most beau¬ 
tiful Aliutou ware for the same price as plain 
white porcelain, but there was not another 
piece like it to he had in the store, except in 
sets costing from *100 up. I afterwards 
bought odd bits of Copeland and Japanese 
ware at equally low prices. 
Exquisite table damask is, however, the first 
requisite toward making a table look inviting 
aud it will go far to supplement the want of 
handsome ehiua or silver. A writer says that 
“table decorations to be successful must be 
of the very best and costly materials, and so, 
of course, can be attempted by but few peo¬ 
ple.” But I have known housekeepers who, 
with coarse uapery, common ehiua, and a 
minimum supply of silver, could give an “air” 
to a table, that many others could not accom¬ 
plish with the most elegant accessories. A 
table felt, or double width Canton flannel un¬ 
dercloth is an essential to a nicely laid table. 
Itdeadeus all sound of the dishes being moved 
on the table aud gives au apparent body to the 
thinnest cloth. The simplest aud at the same 
time the most tasteful decoration is flowers, 
aud here you may expend any amount of 
taste. If you have quantities of flowers at your 
command, a cut glass bowl of roses in the cen¬ 
ter of the table is very effective, but they 
should have long stems and droop over the 
sides of the bowl. A delicate little growiug 
fern with smilax twined around the vase con¬ 
taining it is exquisitely pretty, and a rose or 
two, or whatever you can compass, earuations 
or violets, laid loosely ou each uapkm are the 
acme of individual decoration. 
Not more than two changes of forks should 
bo placed ar, each plate, which will be very 
convenient, if your silver is limited, aud noth¬ 
ing else except the glasses, flowers, knives aud 
spoons, water enrufs, a pretty glass dish of 
jelly, and another of salted nuts. This will 
OMEOPATH 1 C 
to Dyspepsia. Kiliotw Stomach... .25 
11 Suppressed or Painful Periods.25 
12 WnftC". too Prof* Penods ..25 
13 Croup. Oongh, Dilhcolt Breathing.25 
I t Sail HI... Erysipelas, Eruptions.-. .25 
15 Rheumatism, Rlieumutio Pain#.25 
16 Fever Vmie. Chills, Malaxia .50 
17 Piles, Blind or BleouinR ..... ........ .50 
It) Catarrh- Inthien/.a, t«!d in tlw Head .50 
20 Wiiooplnii CimibIi, ViolsntOookhs.. .50 
21 General Debility .Physical Weakness .50 
27 Kidney Dis.nse. .50 
28 Nervons Debility—^ .1.00 
30 I rlnnry Weakness. Wetting.50 
32 Diseases of the Heart, Pwlpitninin.,1 
GOLDEN GRAINS. 
The resurrection is not the final end of an 
experience, but the preliminary to something 
else. There are a great mauy of us hi the 
church yet iu the infant department. 
To train a man for life, we teach him litera¬ 
ture, science, and philosophy. To accomplish 
the same end, we teach him religion, uot Sec¬ 
tarian, but Catholic, Man has intellectual 
powers, and we labor to improve them, he 
has native tastes and wc seek to refine them; 
but he has also moral convictions and spiritual 
aspirations, aud we seek to direct them, not 
by compulsion, but by persuasion and love... 
Are wo to impart a knowledge of God’s 
works but no knowledge of God himself? 
That is the highest learning which combines 
the knowledge of God with the knowledge of 
all other things... 
Be cheerful; do not brood over fond hopes 
unrealized until a chain, link after link, is 
fastened on each thought aud wound around 
the heart. .. 
Nature intended you to be the fountaiu- 
spriug of checcfuluess and social life, and uot 
the traveling monuments of despair and mel¬ 
ancholy.. 
Mirth and cheerfulness are but the due 
reward of innocence of life. . 
There is more strength in true thought 
than in the whirlwind or the lightuiug. 
When the forenoons of life are wasted there 
is not much hope of a peaceful and happy 
evening. 
on receipt of 
JuuhcudiCO.*1UO FuitoaSL N.X. 
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CHORT-HAND"?? 
lng lc.,0113 ill art, | (| ot*. bot.'. aT!s, 20 cts. 
VV No stamps accepts*!. Send silver or postal note. 
These lessons »r- mplete, »u.l 'ire the same from 
which students arc taught at Haven s L’■!lcc-'H ai*d chioh 
enable us to ht students for Short-Uamt and Type-W riling 
office position* in Three Months’ time. The lessons are 
solely the w rkof Mr.Cnrc IUveu.eanbe learned at home 
bv a "child, and eannot obtained except at one of Haven's 
Collet:ri. The CA.iwii.ut Observer, Bath . re, ilj., says. 
“Thev are a ore at advance beyond other systems, making 
the acquisition of Short-lland comparatively easy." Address 
either of Haven's Collcyr* New York. N. V ; Philadelpliiiw 
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P1THH 
Much of the unhappiness in a woman’s life 
comes from the lack of an active interest iu 
something that will draw her outside of self. 
It matt cuts little what that interest may be, in 
so long as it lifts her out of the mental and 
physical slough into which she has fallen and 
gives her something to think of besides her 
own sensations, her disappointments and mis¬ 
fortunes. Such au interest is sure to bring 
happiness and contentment in one way or 
another. A self-centered existence, which 
has uo appreciation of the delights of the out¬ 
side world, brings only discontent, dissatisfac¬ 
tion, gloom. 
And now our first pansies bloom. How we 
delight in these flowers of every color—so 
hardy, so sociable, so grave, so gay I Wo can 
talk to them. They talk back, they wink, 
they laugh, they ridicule us, they sympathize 
with us. Pa- sies are little people with whom 
we love to associate. There is no other flower 
that so makes us feel that we are among living 
people, from whom we may select our com¬ 
panions, whether grave or gay, according to 
our wood. 
Those friends, to be convivial, need gener¬ 
ous care aud food. They cannot laugh, they 
cannot cry, they cannot sympathize with us 
unless their own wants are assuaged. They 
waut plenty to drink—plenty to eat. Then 
the pausy is thg jolly, boon companion—the 
Pi.sircUattfou.d Advertising 
The Great Secret 
ON 30 DAY’S TRIAL 
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head. After one month's trial of Ayer's 
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PURE MILK. 
WARREN* 
*AMILK bottles 
Patented March 2Sd, 1880. 
Adapted for the Delivery 
, K of Milk In all t itles 
.. A and Towns. 
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J 
