fields, with the gray windy grass blowing about 
under the hedges, Where he had walked so often 
with the girl who was called Olive Carew. 
He leant against the stump of an old willow-tree 
that grew by the stile, and a cool breeze Idled the 
hair from his tlrea forehead. At home hi the 
warm drawing-room his wife was waiting for him. 
as she would wait every day now while they both 
lived. Nothing but death, he thought , could ever 
alter the unvarying routine of the comfortable 
well-ordered house In George street. He might 
look forward to long years of heavy dinners and 
tea-drlnkltig, and gossip about the servants, and 
the neighbors, ana the fashions. That was tho 
life he had chosen. And the other ralrer life, of 
congenial tastes and mutual cares, and interests, 
from which he had had such a narrow escape ? 
It seemed to him, alone there in the meadotvs, 
as he pulled absently at bis cigar, and a white 
tremor of moonlight crept along the grass, that 
the past was the only real thing the world now 
held for him. 
But while Robert Yorlce was dreaming and 
while hla veins were yet on flic, a clock struck 
Slowly In the distant town, reminding him as 
once before, that he was wailed for and that he 
would be late. So he threw away his cigar, and, 
shlveringa little In the balmy evening air, he left 
the tranquil moon-lighted meadows and went 
home to the house in George Street. 
««»«««* * 
* 
“Olive," said a lazy contented man’s voice, 
speaking from behind the glowing tip of a cigar¬ 
ette -** olive, do you hear that clock ?” 
“I hear It, Jack. Why? Just look at the sunset 
dying away from the river 3" 
“ AYo you aware of what Is going on just at this 
particular time In the big city over yonder?” 
The girl, who was sitting at the smoker’s feet, 
and leaning her head on hls knee, put up a shy 
warm hand in the dusk, and pulled her husband’s 
arm round her neck. 
“ I am more Interested In a certain little villa at 
Twickenham,” she whispered, blushing; and In 
the little pause that followed this remark a faint 
sound of music was heard from one of the win¬ 
dows, opening on to the lawn, where colonel 
Dacre and hls six weeks’ wife were sitting after 
dinner. 
The first, whit© star had risen, the river gleamed 
gray and cool and still at their feet, and the colo¬ 
nel’s cigarette scented the air with Its fragrance. 
“ But you forget 3” continued Jack’s happy voice 
presently. “ You forget that the theatres are just 
going to open. The actresses are all busy dressing 
for their parts, the orchestra is tuning up, the 
sweet familiar scent of gas is pervading the house, 
and—olive Carew will not be there.” 
“ Of course not, Jack. There Is no Olive Carew 
to he there. Pray, sir, who am I ? And what is 
my name?” 
Jack stooped hls handsome head and kissed with 
a lover's lingering kiss, the eager smiling lips that 
questioned him. 
“You are my wife!” he whispered proudly. 
“ And your name Is Olive Dacre.” 
“ Brother Jack,” said a boy’s little voice, calling 
from the leafy porch, •• Lady Tempest, says you 
are to bring Olive In at once 1 The dew la falling, 
and tea is ready, and did you hear me play the 
Migaon duet, ‘ Ah, sonfvlice Lady Tempest told 
me to ask you particularly, because you know 1 
heard the opera only once, and she says you will 
whist le the air for me con amove. What does con 
amove reenn?” 
“Nelson,” said Colonel Dacre calmly, as he 
helped hls wife up from her low seat, and wrap¬ 
ped her soft white shawl closer round her shoul¬ 
ders, “ the dew is falling, and tea Is ready, come, 
my darling, 1 will take you In, If Lady Tempest 
says I must.” 
“ And, olive’’—Nelson put hls arms fondly about 
hls sister's waist, regardless of Jack’s growling 
remonstrance—“there Is a letter from Dr. Yorke, 
and he wants you to let me go and Stay with them 
while you are In Rome, and rldo Jerry again. 
May I, dear?" 
“ We will ask ‘ the governor,’ ” said Olive, smil¬ 
ing and nodding down at the boy s eager face. 
“ I don’t think Jack will be vexed to find that 
Nelson keeps a warm corner In his heart for an 
old friend.” 
Her husband pressed against hls side the little 
hand that lay on Ids arm. 
“Fidelity runs in the blood of the Carews,” he 
whispered. “ Let the boy go, child, by all means. 
It win bo a delightful riddance for hls big broth¬ 
er.” 
Nelson laughed, and found himself indignautly 
chased in doors by “ the governor.” Jksson. 
-- 
BALE OF BARE POSTAGE STAMPS. 
FRAKKAMA. 
The number of stamp collectors lu the United 
States is constantly increasing, and doubtless many 
readers of the Rural are interested In the subject. 
The supply of the rarer stamps is so llmtted that 
the prices at which they are quoted la dealers’ 
catalogues are unreliable, and It is only on those 
rare oce tslons when a largo collection Is sold at 
auction that philatelists have an opportunity of 
learning what they are really worth. Believing 
that It will Interest collectors, I will give an ac¬ 
count of a recent sale which 1 attended. The col¬ 
lection was the property of Air. John Rice, and 
was sold on the mh, 12th and 13th of August, at 
the Clinton Hall salesrooms, New York. It In¬ 
cluded some of the rarest government postals, a 
very flne lot of American and Swiss locals, the 
former Including some supposed to he unique, and 
a collection of proofs and essays perhaps the finest 
in America. The collection contained several 
thousand specimens, a large part of them bringing 
merely nominal prises, but the total receipts were 
about $l ,500. 
Thu sale opened with a few lots of rather com¬ 
mon stamps, followed by the rare U rilted States 
locals, Of these, flm pratfleboro s-rents buff 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
brought $32.50; a reprint of the almost unique 
New Haven 5-cents (envelope) red, $2, an extremely 
low price, as only thirty exist The St. Louis 5- 
cents black sold for $19, and two varieties ot the 
lo-cents black, after a sharp contest, for the rather 
excessive prices of $is and fia. A carrier’s stamp, 
1- cent (horseman) red, sold for $3; Glen haven 
Dally Mail 1-cont green. SO; WblttelW’s Express 
(head of Washington) 2 -cents red on white, $12, 
and Swart's Rough and Ready Dispatch vermilion 
on blue, unique, $n. 
A Bolivia 10-centavos brown, 1867, brought ?4.75; 
the. sec. blue, $m, and the 500c. black. ih 71,$9—all 
unused; a Brazil is i-rels black, 1815, unused, $3.25; 
300-rcls black, $2.50, and GOO-rels black, 53.75. 
The excessively rare British Guiana 4-cents ear- 
mine, 1556, sold for $21.50, and would have brought 
more It It had not been badly torn. Another rare 
stamp of the same couhtry.thc 2-cents yellow (pro¬ 
visional), 1802, sold for $4.25, and the rare Buenos 
Ayres 3-peso green, 1853, for $2.23. 
Among the Confederate states locals, the Mobile 
5-cents blue brought $3.25; the Charleston 5-cents 
blue, $1.30, and the Petersburg 5-cents red, $2.00. 
The Mexico 3-centavos brown, 1865, sold for $3.10, 
and tnc itioc. brown ou brown, isos, $2.25. The 
noticeable feature of the Mexican stamps, how¬ 
ever, was the lino set of Guadalajara, which 
brought the following prices: 1807, 4-reales blue, 
$2.25, and i-pe89 violet, $ 2 ; 1868,1-veal green, $ 2 , 
2- reales pink, $2 (all the preceding unused), and 2- 
reates violet, used, ?s_io. An unused New Bruns¬ 
wick i-shllllng violet, I85i, sold for $0.75, and a 
used specimen of the same for $6.50. The ex¬ 
tremely rare Newfoundland i-shllllng orange, 1857, 
sold for $13.50, the 6d. vermilion for $3.75 and the 
6>;d. vermilion for $4.75. The rare Nova Scotia 
1- shllllng violet, 1857, unused, cost the purchaser 
$ 10 , and the same used 6old for $6.50. The Peru 
X-pcso orange, 1853, brought $5.25. 
Some of the prices at the second night’s sale 
were: Trinidad brow’n on blue. 1351, $ 2 . 10 ; litho¬ 
graphed blue, 1858, $2; U. S. of Colombia 2 V,-centa¬ 
vos black, 1661, $2, and 1-peso violet, 1882, $3.10; 
Bolivar l-peso red, $2.50; Bergcdorf l- schilling 
black on violet, $3.10, and 3s. black on rose, $2.80. 
The rare Finland envelope stamps sold as follows: 
1345, 10-kopek red, $4, 20k. Russian green, $ 3 . 10 , 
and 20 k. black, $ 2 ; 1856, *2i)k. Russian green, $ 3 . 00 , 
and another specimen nearly black, $3. The 
France 1849 Republic l-franc vermilion sold at 
$5. The celebrated Muiready envelopes of Great 
Britain, id., used, and 2d., unused, sold for $2 and 
$2.85. The excessively rare Naples k-tornese 
(arms) blue sold for $ 11 , and the .k-tornese (cross 
of Savoy) blue, unused, for $3, and used for $2.50. 
The Spain 2 -realos orange-red, 1851, unused, 
brought. $11.50; the 2r. red, 1852, $7.50, and the 2r. 
scarlet, 1853, $3.25. Among the Swiss locals, the 
Geneva 10-centlmes (double stamp) green, 1844, 
realized $5; Zurich 4-rappen (vertical lines), 1843, 
$2.25; Neufchatel 5-cenihnes black and red, 1851, 
$ 2 , and Vaiul 4 -centimes black and red, 1849, $5.25. 
The Tuscany 60 -crazle red-brown sold for $3.25, 
and the 3-llra orange, lssa, $ 3 . 25 , 
The third night s sale Included the extremely 
rare India 2-annas green, i860, which sold for 
$5.40. Several rare India provisionals surcharged 
over revenue stamps sold at good prices, au un¬ 
used specimen of the 4-aunas stamp bringing $5.30, 
and an unused 2-annas, $5. A FIJI 9-pence pink, 
1871. unused, brought $ 2 . 25 . Among the Phllliplue 
stamps, the 5-cuarlos orange, 1854, sold for $5; the 
lOe. carmine, $2; the 1-real blue. $2.75, and the 
2- reales green, $2.25 (the last three unused); while 
the l-real violet, 1863, brougUt$2.2-*>,and the 2-reales 
blue, $ 2 , both unused. 
The Interest of the sale culminated when t wo 
of the excessively rare stamps of tho Sandwich 
Islands, or the 1852 issue, with numeral in fancy 
border were offered. The r>-cents sold, afi.er an 
exciting contest, for $ 11 , and the 13-cents II. I. & 
U. S. postage—w bieh, having been attached to the 
letter by a wafer, was broken by the postmark— 
for $31. The Victoria 6d. orange, 1802. sold lor $3, 
and the Western Australia lid. bronze, 1866, for 
$2.25. Among the last lots offered, the rare D. O. 
Blood & Co. stamp, with picture of a man stepping 
over houses, sold for $5.54 (a very Inadequate 
price); City Dispatch Post c. C. 2-ceuts scarlet, 
$3.75; Blood's “For the Post Office” Dispatch 
(scroll) black and blue, $9*59; Honor's City .Ex¬ 
press Post (plain center) 2-cents black on yellow, 
unique, $n, and Eighth Avenue Post office, Paid, 
red ou white, $13.59. The essays and proofs 
brought goud prices, us a rule, lor property of such 
very questionable value. 
The prices realized at this sale will give those 
not collecting some idea ot what rare stumps are 
worth, but 1 may remark that the very rarest 
government postage stamps were not represented. 
There are a few stamps which. It la perfect con- 
dhlon, would bring over one hundred dollars at 
auction. Of course, all philatelists cannot possess 
the rarest stamps, but. even a small collection con¬ 
tains much valuable Information, and the study 
of Philately once commenced becomes very fasci¬ 
nating. 
--♦♦♦-- 
BUYING BOOKS, 
Should all men read 7 Certainly: the man who 
simply eats and sleeps and works Is little better 
than a brute. Must they read books? Yes; or 
lose the richest knowledge. The Bible, poetry, 
science, history, biography and travel are precious 
mines of gold which yield only Bakes on the news¬ 
paper surface. May they borrow books and make 
no return for sucU favor ? No; honest people may 
not. 'Then must they buy books? Granted, they 
must buy books. But they as a rule ? Denied. 
They count Die expense of food, furniture, lights 
and clothing, all of which supply our wonderful 
bodies, but the God-given gem of mind which 
these, bodies simply enshrine, Is allowed to remain 
naked and hungry, cold and dark, or expected to 
grow’ on suelj scraps as It, can beg or steal. 
Judging from a considerable experience In the 
rural districts, I say that, people generally, and 
farmers especially, do not buy books except of the 
most persistent boowagerns, or possibly for a 
child's Christmas present, and not then if the 
child needs any article of clothing. What can be 
said of the Judgment and independence of a man 
who buys an expensive book because an agent. 
“ troubleth him,” hut seldom opens It afterward, 
and is glad to exchange, it for a cheaper article 
when another peddler comes, yet who can never 
afford to get a magazine for his wife, or a Juvenile 
book for hls child. Children In such families sub¬ 
sist on such trashy story-papers as they can obtain 
by foraging-, and when they grow up their parents 
wonder w hy they will go lu second or third rate 
society, and why they don’t try to be respecta¬ 
ble and do honor to the family. 
A wealthy man of my acquaintance envelops 
himself In political papers, and takes pride in be¬ 
ing “posted,” but hls wife, who Is a superior wo¬ 
man, and their two Intellectual children, have 
nothing but the politics to read, and for years they 
did without even a dictionary. Yet hls Is only one 
house among many that are handsome, convenient 
and t horoughly furnished, except with books. 
1 never shall forget the Impression which a cer¬ 
tain point In a story once made upon me. A lady 
said she should wear her shawl another year in¬ 
stead of buying a new cloak, ns the family must 
have $50 worth of books that fall, I suppose It 
seemed more strange to me because I never knew 
anything like it In real life. Of course, lawyers 
and physicians and ministers buy libraries as part 
of tlielr Capital, but books for ihe.mniiiy— wonder¬ 
ful! 
But probably most people who read this will 
say, “ Yes, that's so ; folks who have money ought 
to buy books, but wo can't afford it.” My friend, 
3 ’ou cannot afford to do without them. Do you 
not manage to get the absolute necessities of life ? 
Well, books are among the most Important of 
these necessities, If you cam subscribe toward a 
public library for some of your reading, so much 
the better, as It will be cheaper, and you will be 
helping to supply others. 
Why have the district libraries fallen into dis¬ 
use? Almost every district lias a small library' of 
antiquated voltunes, some of which are worth 
reading, but nobody reads them because there 
have been no new books since the early days of 
the oldest Inhabitants, Every person ought to 
have access to some library containing a Cyclo¬ 
pedia, other works of relerence, and some of the 
most excellent, readable books of the day r . If the 
districts will not replenish their libraries, let the 
Grangers, Good Templars, Farmers’Clubs, Sunday- 
Schools. and all sorts of associations get libraries 
and open them to the public for a ten-eent fee on 
the loan of the books, If they choose. 
If you live In a region unsupplled with a library, 
start out with a brave heart and stay not. your 
efforts till you have organized a Y. M. c. A„ or a 
Ladles’ society or a Library Association, and have 
something wit h which to buy good books; so shall 
you surely help to enlighten and elevate your 
fellow-men; and when you have done this, look on 
your own book-shelves, and Into your own hearts 
and minds, and see what books will best fit the 
every-day needs of your own soul. z. c. 
--♦ »-» - 
THE MEETING OF MARY AND PHILIP II. 
According to Holinshed, Mary had traveled 
from Bishop’s Waltham to Winchester on the pre¬ 
ceding Saturday, July 21. Her ladles traveled 
from Windsor in a wagon painted red and covered 
with line red cloth, the harness all of red leather. 
This vehicle, as Miss Strickland, quoting the order 
for its construction, says, must have surpassed 
the splendor of a modern wild beast show. At 10 
o'clock on the night of hls arrival In Winchester, 
Philip paid a private visit to t he Quesn, so secret, 
Indeed, as to escape the research ot Holinshed, 
who says that his llrst visit w as made on the fol¬ 
lowing day. Private as it was, he was accom¬ 
panied by some twenty grandees, among them 
Alva, Pescara, Ferla, Hoorn and Egmont, names 
to be heard of again In far different scenes In the 
time to come. Passing through the gardens of 
the Episcopal Palace, which had been prepared 
for the Queen’s reception, the green lawns and 
flowlug streams in all the glory of a midsummer 
night,, suggesting to the Spaniards the scenes de¬ 
scribed lu the books of chivalry, they reached a 
small door which led to the apartments of Mary, 
at tended by Gardiner and some elderly magnates 
and ladles, awaiting her hitherto unseen bride¬ 
groom. As ho entered she hurried forward to 
meet him, seizing him by the hand ; he, however, 
putting all ceremony aside, kissed her, as, says 
Munos, Is the custom here. They then conversed 
—he In Spanish, she In French—and, we arc told, 
seemed to understand one another perfectly. Lord 
William Howard, the Admiral,.who is described as 
a man who would have hls joke, said, among hls 
other pleasantries, that “w r eU us they understood 
each other now, they would be still far more Inti¬ 
mate In four or live days." After a while Philip, 
who had had a long wet ride and a fatiguing day, 
manifested a wdsh to retire to hls lodging—the 
Queen, from some feeling of prudery, not having 
p allowed him rooms in the palace. Permission 
being granted after some little demur, he asked 
how he was to say “buenas naciKtt t” to the ladles 
of the Court; this salutation, according to Munos, 
Is correctly rendered into English by the words, 
“God nl hit,,” which were then and there taught 
him by Die Queen. Forgetting ills lesson before 
he reached the ladles, he was obliged to turn back 
when already In the middle of the hall to relearn 
It. M ills amused her Majesty very much, and so 
ended Die evening of the first Interview. The 
next day, after dinner, Philip again visited the 
Queen, who received him In au apartment called 
the room of •* Ponela,” probably thus named after 
an early Bishop of Winchester, John De Pontolse, 
who died A. D. 1304. Considering the treatment 
which English names meet at the hands of the 
author, the resemblance In this case seems suffi¬ 
ciently close. The second visit being of a more 
ceremonious nature, the Queen Issued from her 
chamber, preceded by her ladles and by two kings- 
at-arms. Retiring with Philip to another room, 
they regained ft, long time together, the Spanish 
attendants endeavoring, with no very great suc¬ 
cess to converse with the ladles of the court. 
This evening. Figueroa., the Regent of Naples, ar¬ 
rived with the investiture of that kingdom—an 
appointment which was intended t o place Philip on 
a looting of equality with the Queen ot England. 
The following day, July 25 th, being the dry of St. 
•Tames, the patron saint of Spain, the marriage 
ceremony was performed with great pomp. The 
swords or state were borne before their Majesties 
by the Earls of Pembroke and Derby, we are 
told that the latter could muster 20,two soldiers, 
and that, as King of a certain Island (Man), he was 
entitled to wear a crown of lead .—Bart of Dwte, 
in fortnightly Review. 
-- 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Long 1,11c nnd How to Reach II : By Joseph 
(J. Richardson, 51. D. Published by Lindsay & 
B lakes ton. Philadelphia. Price 5u cents. 
The series—American Health Primers—of which 
this is the second volume, cannot be too highly 
praised. Physicians who are specialists In the 
subjects of which they treat, present to the reader 
lu condensed form and lu simple every-day lan¬ 
guage the causes, cures, and modes of prevention 
of different forms ot disease. Works of this kind 
should be classed among the necessities, fox- very 
few,—perhaps not one In a thousand-ever pur¬ 
chase, or read bulky volumes on Materia Metllca, 
but depend on newspaper clippings or the tradi¬ 
tions ol the village tor Information on questions 
of hygiene. It is perhaps superfluous to add, that 
the rather necessary element of reliability is want¬ 
ing In both of the sources of knowledge Indicated 
above. The Health Primers are designed for mis¬ 
sionary work quite as meritorious as that of “ con¬ 
verting the heathen,” for it is hoped through tlielr 
Instrumentality that people w ill he brought to a 
knowledge which will save them much of pain 
and suffering, in sixteen chapters Ur. Richardson 
D eals of causes of disease, and how to avoid them; 
heat, and cold as causes of disease; contagion and 
how to escape It; clothing and how to wear 
It; pure air and how to breathe It; pure w’ater 
and how to obtain It; baths and how’ to take 
them; the houso and how to build It; food and" 
how to digest It; Impurities in food and drink 
and how to detect them; exercise and how to 
take it; sleep and how to retain it; mental 
power mid how to retain It; parasitic enemies and 
how to escape them; old age and how to meet it,. 
From Die chapter on contagion we extract the fol¬ 
lowing at random: “ A certain horrible contagious 
disease Is sometimes conveyed to Innocent persons, 
especially children by their lips being touched to 
drlnklng-cups, whistles. Ac., which have been con¬ 
taminated by the mouths or hands of persons 
Infected with it, so that ladles, parents and nurses 
cannot he too careful to guard against danger of 
this kind, • ‘ “ clothing, especially woolen fabrics, 
If not, port fled by thorough ventilation and disin¬ 
fection, has been known to convey’ scarlet fever 
one, two, or even three years after It was Impreg¬ 
nated with the contagion of the disease. * 4 * * ‘ 
Remember always, that if cholera, cliolera-ln- 
fantum, typhoid fever, dlarrtwaa, appear in your 
family without, obvious cause, the chances are at 
least two to one that there Is something wrong 
with the water supply, the milk supply, or the 
drainage of your house." We would be glad to 
know t hat a goodly number of our readers Included 
the whole series In their libraries. 
At n Iliali Price: Translated by Mary Stuart 
S. wrrn from tlie German ol' K. Woruer. Boston: 
EStes A: Laurliit. 
All the elements which go to make an entertain¬ 
ing novel are to be found in this one, and the 
author hns made the most of the material. The 
hero, Baron Amo von Raven, Is cleverly drawn, as 
is also the love lm Inspires In the heart of Ids ward 
Gabrlelle, a charming, self-willed girl. The In¬ 
terest Is well sustained throughout, and tho de- 
noument well worked up. 
MAGAZINES. 
Harper’s Magazine—Contents for September, 
1879.—Fifty Years of American Art. II.—S. G. W. 
Benjamin, with Fifteen Illustrations. Newport 
Society In the lost. Century; Lizzie W. Champney, 
with Six Illustrations. Gold-Mining In Georgia; 
Ernest ingersoll. with Fourteen Illustrations. The 
Last Revel lu Priiitz Hall; A Story—Howard Pyle, 
with Eight Illustrations. The King collection of 
Engiaved Gems; Barnet Phillips, with Sixteen 
Illustrations. The Nave sink Highlands; Miss F. 
E. Fryatt, with Thirteen Illustrations. My Mar¬ 
iner; A Poem—Lucy Larcom, with One Illustra¬ 
tion. White Wings; A Yachting Romance—Wil¬ 
liam Black, with Two Illustrations. An Industrial 
Society and Its Work; Edward Howland. Young 
Mr 3 . Jardtne; A Novel—D. M. Cralk, with Two 
Illustrations. How that Cup Slipped; A Story’— 
Annie Howells Frechettl, The Last Rose of Sum¬ 
mer; A Poem- William Gibson. Mary Anerly ; A 
Novel—R. D. Bluclunorc. Summer; From Spen¬ 
ser's “ Faerie Queen." 
Degenerate manners.— it was a wise father 
who said to hls son, "Beware of the woman who 
allows you to kiss her.” The woman who does not 
require of a man the form of respect, Invites him 
to discard the substance. And there Is one viola¬ 
tion of the form which is recent and gross, and 
might be well cited as a striking Illustration of the 
decay of manners. It Is the practice of smoking 
In the society of ladles In public places, whether 
driving, or walking, or sailing, or sitting. There 
are preur chevaliers who would bo honestly’ 
amazed if they were told they did not behave like 
gentlemen, who, sitting with a lady on a hotel 
piazza, or strolling on a public park, whip out a 
cigarette, light, It. and puff ns tranquilly as if they 
were alone in tlielr rooms. Or a young man comes 
alone upon tho deck of a steamer, where throngs 
ol ladles are sitting, and blows clouds of tobacco 
smoke In their faces, without even remarking that 
tobacco is dtsagreeable to some people. This Is 
not, Indeed, one of the seven deadly sins, but a 
mitu ivpo unconcernedly sings false betrays ft$|j 
