THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
APRIL 42 
satisfied that he had now secured attentive auditors 
—“ about twenty years since, Lord Carlstorde, du¬ 
ring a visit to Rome for the purpose ot purchasing 
some rare antique, met with a young English girl, 
governess In the family of one of the Roman nobles, 
and married her for her beauty" 
“ Married! Alas 1 my poor children 1" moaned 
Mm. Estcourt. “ Cruel, disgraceful man 1” 
“ Lord Carlstorde brought his bride to England, 
but only to Jealously seclude her In a country 
house he rented near Dorking; for she was so ex¬ 
quisitely beautiful, that he was quite annoyed by 
the notice she attracted wherever she went. With¬ 
in a year of their marriage, however, this poor 
young lady, whose brilliancy of complexion was, ' 
It appears, owing to Incipient decline, gave birtb 
to a daughter, and faded away soon after." 
“ Then there Is an heiress In existence!” cried 
Mrs. Estcourt, panting with vexation. 'But the 
title—they cannot take that away from you. Noel. 
and some ot the property muM go with It r 
“ A poor five hundred a-year,” Interposed the 
Colonel. “1 have heard Carlstorde mention it 
frequently.” 
This the lawyer confirmed; and Mrs. Estcourt, 
more noisily affected than her sou, complained of 
being faint; but no one noticed her, for Mr. W late¬ 
ly had gone on to say: .. . t 
“ It Is only within these last few months that i 
have been made acquainted with the facts I relate 
to you. for Lord Carlstorde was a very reserved 
“ And was ashamed of the low marriage he had 
contracted!" cried Mrs. Estcourt, vehemently. 
“ Hush, mother!” exclaimed NoeL annoyed at 
the virulence with which she spoke; and Mr. 
Whttely flatly contradicted her. 
tween—and your comer is complete; especially, if 
the vase holds a vine that pursues its winding way 
to the celling,—or the grotesque, figures on a stack 
of -Japanese fans climb obligingly down to meet it. 
I love corners dearly; and when I see them emptj 
and uncared for. I always feel like putting the 
owner of the room Into one of them,—more as pun¬ 
ishment, however, t han In the way of decoration. 
there Is a strong prejudice in favor of them. Corner 
houses, corner lots, corner wedges of pie (especial¬ 
ly pumpkin baked In square pans), are all objects 
of desire; while to “ corner ” any one Is decidedly 
to get the better of him. 
One’s own comer at home, with chair, writing- 
table and book-shelf with the addition of work- 
basket, or meerschaum, as the case may be—how 
dear It grows to one's heart! And how the Inter¬ 
loper who presumes, In the serene power of Igno¬ 
rance to appropriate tt, Is Inwardly, at. least, 
frowned uponWho ever thinks, though, of bc- 
OONDtfOTED BY MISS FAITH RIPLEY 
OVER THE BARS 
’Twas milking time, ami the cowa came up 
From the meadows sweet with clover. 
And stood In the lane, while pretty Jane 
Had a quiet chat with the drover— 
Sueh a quiet chat that it scarcely seemed 
That, a Mingle word was spoken; 
While a magic upell with tho night dews fell. 
And the l-ythm of song waa unbroken. 
Tho cattle stood ot the lovers’ side. 
Without any show of vexation. 
An though Impressed with a five-bar rest 
Wa* a part of their reeUiration. 
And afl Jape listened to the notes that came 
Wight, under the bars and over. 
Her heart took wing, the silly thing. 
And nestled up close to the drover. 
She heal’d him nay hid home wan poor, 
That he'd nothing but love to give her; 
And Hhe smiled content, as though Love had spent 
Every arrow he had in his quiver; 
She Bintled content, when the evening air 
With voices of birds are ringing, 
And her lips confessed that a lowly nest 
Should never prevent her singing. 
So over the bars the lovers lean. 
In tlie Joy of their sweet communion; 
Aud their looks declare, that poverty ne’er 
Shall be a bar to their union ; 
O. sweetest must®, go thread your rhymes, 
Now under the bars and over; 
Where pretty Jane, In the fragrant lane, 
Bewitched the heart of the drover. 
CORRESPONDENT’S CORNER. 
Mbs. L. M. Shields, Otsego Co., N. Y.—Yeast 
lows: Mix a pound of llnseed-meal or oat-meal 
Into a half pint, of yeast. Then heat the mixture 
over a gentle tire, stirring carefully to keep from 
burning. When It becomes warmed through It 
can he spread on linen like any other poultice. 
Unless expressly ordered by a physician, I should 
give the preference to sllppery-elm or flaxseed for 
poultices. 
Will some one who has tried It for herself give 
“Farmer’s Wife” a good recipe for staining or 
painting her kitchen-floor? Send answer to Rural 
ofllce, care of Faith Ripley. 
Mrs. M. M. W., Pittsfield, Mass., would like some 
experienced Rural housekeeper to tell her how 
flannels can be washed without shrinking. Send 
answer as above. 
there j_ a h! If walls had ears or were echoes. It 
would he seen that stair-cases arc nothing to 
them. " In a Corner ,r would be an admirable title 
for a romance, and how much might be made of It. 
One objection, perhaps, to corners is the unpleas¬ 
ant fact that, spiders like them, too; but a persever¬ 
ing application of essence of broom will always 
succeed In dislodging these aborigines, and per¬ 
suading them that the comfort of those particular 
corners, at least. Is Intended for their betters. 
In the arrangement, of a room, corners are not 
sufficiently honored; very few people understand 
them. Of a broken or shabby thing, It will be said, 
us a matter of course, “ Put It. a corner—it will 
never show thereor of superfluities, “ They wlH 
do to till up odd cornerswhen an “ odd corner ” 
should be treated as a valuable background for 
whatever of rich or rare In the way ot small articles 
one may happen to possess. Indeed, I might almost 
go so far as to say, “ Take care of the corners, and 
the rest of the room will take care of itself ’’—but 
will restrict it. to the a&sertlon that, If cornel’s 
were treated as they should be, many a dull-look- 
ing room would bloom Into beauty. 
The line made by the Joining of two walls should 
never he left, bare.—art, If not nature, abhors such 
a vacuum; and this Is the particular spot where, 
in that most delightful of all rooms, one not fur- 
DESCRIPTION OF ENGRAVINGS. 
No. 1.—Easter Egg. A hen’s, goose’s or duck’s 
egg may he used. Make a hole in the center and 
empty the contents; then lay the shell In vinegar 
for live minutes; this gives It a delicate whiteness. 
Then take a flne saw, separate the egg-shell 
AN UGLY GIRL. 
Fid. 8. 
lengthwise, cutting the Inside skin with a sharp 
knife. The shell is ornamented with a painted 
monogram, and fastened with very narrow rib¬ 
bon. It should he filled with pink jeweler’s cotton 
and may contain any small present. 
No. 2 .—Basket to hold Easter Eggs. The foun¬ 
dation of the basket Is ot cardboard; the bottom Is 
oval, measuring seven Inches long and five inches 
broad ; the side is two and one-half Inches high, 
and long enough to go round the oval bottom. The 
cardboard for the handle is one inch wide and 
twelve. Inches long. The embroidery for the side 
Is worked on Java canvass In cording stitch, with 
blue crewel. The cardboard must be lined with 
blue silk and seam neatly together; then the em¬ 
broidery sewn at the sides, the edges of which may 
be. made neat by a row of button-hole stitch. The 
basket is filled with dried moss, and the eggs ar¬ 
ranged In It according to taste. 
No 3. Halr-pln Receiver. Small paste board 
box Is used for a foundation. Top covered with 
two or three thicknesses Is of ordinary worsted 
crocheted; a yard of ribbon, ornamented on each 
edge with worsted fringe completes the “Re¬ 
ceiver." 
No. 4. Fashionable Fan. Marabout feathers 
ornamented with a hand-painting ot a rose. 
was not mistaken. Lady Oarlslorde s death was 
a terrible shock to her husband: and he felt it all 
the more because unfortunately, her little daugh¬ 
ter Inherited none of her charms. He confessed 
to me that when he flrst saw his child, her ugli¬ 
ness so revolted him that he could not endure to 
behold her again.” 
“But surely he strove to overcome a feeling 
that must have inflicted such pain on Its object!” 
exclaimed NoeL 
“ He never did overcome that horror, my dear 
sir, till he was stezed with his last Illness, and 
hiq physicians hinted to him that his recovery 
was hopeless. Then, and not till then, he told me 
of his marriage, and permitted me to send for 
Miss Cartsforde." 
how old Is she ? 1 >oes she inherit her mother’s 
weakly constitution?” asked Mrs. Estcourt, In 
a tone that disgusted her hearers. 
“The young lady is about nineteen, and enjoys 
robust health,” the lawyer rather maliciously re¬ 
plied. 
And Mrs. Estcourt. turned from him, protesting 
| that the Viscount must have been Insane. 
“Eccentric he may have been," the solicitor 
brusquely retorted ; but bis mind was as sound as 
my own. Depend on It. ma'am, any attempt to 
upset, his will would he unsuccessful.” 
sons, “bitsof color.” in me suapeui 
crimson, are most effective. It Is here that the 
glowing lines on tho plain-tinted paper show best; 
here that the scarlet, or crimson, draped bracket, 
with Its trailing Ivy, or other creeper, gleams the 
brightest. A pillared stack of richly-glowing Au¬ 
tumn leaves, sumac, maple, oak and beech, fringed 
along the sides with quivering, shadowy grasses, 
and reaching from dado to celling, Is bcautllul Lit a 
comer. 
Whore grasses and leaves are not to be had, 
Japanese fans are. For It Is an exploded idea that 
f ans are meant, to fan with: their legitimate use Is 
like that or sunshine, to glorify a room. One ot 
the most cheerful-looking rooms 1 e\ ir saw gave 
me the Impresstou, on first entering, that a swarm 
ot mammoth butterflies had taken pos¬ 
session of the corners, and expanded their 
wings contentedly over the pictures. But 
k a closer inspection revealed the fact that 
brilliantly-tinted folding-fans were spread 
out, butterfly fashion, over the modest 
engravings and heliotypes that mostly 
constituted the works of art; while the corners ot 
the room were ornamented with stacks of the 
of luxury around him. obsequiously aaoressca as 
“ my lord,” his opinion deferred to, and all the 
harassing worries and makeshifts endured dur¬ 
ing weary years ot pinching economy sinking 
into insignificance, his heart began to swell with 
exultation. 
But Mr. Whttely was clearing his throat, and. as 
he unfolded his papers, he cast such a penetrattug 
glance at Noel, that the latter could have fancied 
this shrewd lawyer divined the thoughts that had 
been passing through his ml ud. 
•* Before reading the late viscount’s will," his 
solicitor premised, “ 1 have a revelation to make 
which will, I think, very much surprise you.” 
“ Nothing that my poor friend did could very J 
much surprise me,” muttered Colonel Jenklnson, ji 
pulllug his long, white moustache. “ After being jj 
told that he was in the habit of letting hts servants 
give him whatever they pleased tor dinner, and 
shutting himself In his rooms from month’s end to 
mouth’s end, I shall not be astonished to hear that 
he committed still greater eccentricities.” 
“The act of which I am about to speak can 
scarcely be classed under that term,' answered 
Mr. Whttely, dryly; “although the Viscount’s 
conduct since It occurred must be termed odd and 
unusual.” 
“ Couldn’t we hear the will first, and all these 
trivial details afterwards?” demanded Mrs. Esfc- 
No. 5. Fancy Waste Basket. Frame Is of eb< 
sides ot blue silk or satin embroidered In 
shades of the same color. Handsome silk tas 
finish the corners. 
No. 6. Design In cross-stitch embroidery. 
Is suitable for corners of table covers or towels. 
CORNERS 
“No such attempt will be made," Interposed 
Noel, with decision. “ You were speaking of Miss 
Cartsforde. is she here?” 
“ yea, she was brought from the secluded house 
at which her mother died, to witness the last 
moments of the father whom till .then she had 
Viscount was &n unmarried man; but tills is not 
correct.” 
Mrs Estcourt gave a faint shriek, and sat up- 
I right in her chair, while Noel felt the blood recede 
from his cheek. 
I “ About twenty years ago,” the lawyer went on, 
ELLA RODMAN CHURCH, 
What Is there about corners that make them so 
lrresLstlbly attractive ? From childhood’s earliest 
game ot “ Fuss-ln-the-corner," until the period 
when the tlme-butletcd man looks forward to a 
“ snug corner ” as the goal of his earthly hopes. 
